Getting started on coyotes

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  • Ark

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    I've spent the last couple of years getting started on squirrel hunting around all the public forests surrounding Bloomington and have had a great time. Thinking about trying to get started on coyotes next and I had a few questions.

    Is it exclusively something that has to be done at night, or are there daylight hours where activity is high enough to be viable?

    Are the public lands typically cleaned out of coyotes or is there a reasonable chance at finding them in state/national forests?

    What do I need to know about calls, bait, etc?

    Are stands necessary? Is it strictly a stationary activity? Right now I'm accustomed to just kinda picking a trail to slowly hike and engage squirrels of opportunity as they appear.

    Do they have any meat value or is this strictly a fur/fun activity?

    Thoughts on equipment prerequisites? Thermals or NV are probably not on the table.

    I'm entirely self-taught and do not come from a hunting family or background.
     

    Rookie

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    Coyote hunting isn't a night time only sport. The advantage of night hunting is that you can get away with movement more than during the day. Coyotes are very skittish and they will spook easily if they see movement.

    Public land isn't impossible, but the coyotes there have been pressured more and they are a lot smarter.

    A decent electronic caller is all you need. Mouth calls work, but there's a learning curve.

    Stands are a must. Walking around will ensure that the coyote sees you before you see him.

    I wouldn't even think about eating them.

    A 223 is plenty for coyotes. Night vision isn't out of the question, you can get a Sightmark Wraith for $499.
     
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    I've spent the last couple of years getting started on squirrel hunting around all the public forests surrounding Bloomington and have had a great time. Thinking about trying to get started on coyotes next and I had a few questions.

    Is it exclusively something that has to be done at night, or are there daylight hours where activity is high enough to be viable?

    Night is probably best, close to sunset and right after sunrise can be productive also, especially if near a den area.

    Are the public lands typically cleaned out of coyotes or is there a reasonable chance at finding them in state/national forests?

    They are there also, but probably well educated. The chances of actually cleaning them out of an area is somewhere south of none. IME they tend to prefer areas that are mixed woods/open areas.

    What do I need to know about calls, bait, etc?

    Youtube is your friend, too much info on calls available for me to type out. Never done much good with bait personally other than to tell me if there is a good amount of traffic. Been using a motorized decoy, seems to draw their attention and make getting a shot a little easier.

    Are stands necessary? Is it strictly a stationary activity? Right now I'm accustomed to just kinda picking a trail to slowly hike and engage squirrels of opportunity as they appear.

    Never used a stand. Usually just pick a good spot and setup on a field edge then start calling. As wary as yotes are, if you can stalk one you're one hell of a stalker. I also will hunt one area then let it rest for a couple of weeks and won't use the same calls that I used the first time.

    Do they have any meat value or is this strictly a fur/fun activity?

    For me its about getting out and also hopefully keeping numbers down. Due to time constraints I have to take what hunting I get, when I can get it. Furs aren't really worth much down here but up north they might be worthwhile. I have eaten one. Bleech.

    Thoughts on equipment prerequisites? Thermals or NV are probably not on the table.

    A good accurate rifle and scope that you can reach out and hit a target the size of a medium dog at 300 yards. I mostly use a Tikka T3 Lite in .223 shooting hothothot loaded Hornady 75 gr HPBTs topped with a Vortex Diamondback HP 3-12x42, Coyote Reaper light, and one of several electronic and mouth calls. I'll use a slightly modified S&W M&P Sport II on occasion, Leupold VX-R 2-7x32 scope loaded with 55gr SPs. and the Reaper light. Working on fitting some NV into the budget, may not happen this winter but definitely before next summer. Want to take my Tikka in 6.5x55 but still playing with loads.
    And dress waaarrrrmmmm. Gets cold quick at night when you're not moving.


    I'm entirely self-taught and do not come from a hunting family or background.

    If you could find someone to apprentice with it would save you a lot of frustration and aggravation. Actually if night hunting with a light, it is more productive than going solo. One on the light,one on the gun.

    Good luck!!!
     

    Ark

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    For me its about getting out and also hopefully keeping numbers down. Due to time constraints I have to take what hunting I get, when I can get it. Furs aren't really worth much down here but up north they might be worthwhile. I have eaten one. Bleech.

    So, you just pop 'em and leave 'em, and consider it worthwhile from a predator control standpoint alone? With no land or livestock to worry about myself, on a moral level I am somewhat leery of going out to shoot them purely for fun, hence being curious as to the meat or fur value.

    Ability to shoot .223 out of the same ARs with LPVOs, holosights, or prisms is a big draw. That's an equipment set I would like to get more time out away from the range carrying and using. Deer is on the backburner due to living space and vehicle constraints, but coyote-sized game is manageable.
     

    Kart29

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    Indiana coyote pelts are definitely worth skinning. I averaged $54.50 on my Indiana coyotes last year. Learn to skin them for the fur industry. Then you can sell the pelts. If you really want to get into it, you can learn to flesh them out and put them on a board to dry. That gives you more options for selling. You can contact the Indiana DNR for a list of licensed fur buyers in the state. You could also take your pelts to the annual Indiana State Trappers Association fur auction. Just thaw them out the day before the auction. Groenwald Fur and Wool may be sending a route buyer to Indiana this year. I know there is at least one guy in the state who will skin, flesh, and board your coyotes for a fee. Lots of options. Don't just throw your coyotes away. It's wrong to waste them. They are NOT varmints. They are a valuable fur bearing animal and their fur can be a great benefit to some person that needs a warm garment to wear in harsh conditions.

    I have more success calling coyotes in at night. But I find them much easier to kill in the daytime. I find it difficult to work calls and lights and rifles while a skittish coyote is loping across the field. It's just easier to get a shot at them during the daytime.

    Mornings and evenings seem best for me. During the day, call quietly and move shorter distances from stand to stand near brushy cover to seek a response from a bedded coyote. During very cold days, hunting can be good at any time during the daylight hours.

    Don't forget about using a shotgun. A 12 ga. with small buckshot or a heavy load of BB can be very effective - even at extended ranges if you have the right choke and shot combination. I usually use a rifle, but honestly, I would probably have killed more coyotes if I always used a shotgun. Close range shot opportunities at moving coyotes are fairly common.
     

    Rookie

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    On a moral level...

    Ask any deer, rabbit, squirrel hunter and most farmers, and they'll be begging you to shoot every coyote you see. I only hunt coyotes, but I'm helping other hunters by thinning the herd. At $8-12 a pelt, it's not worth the hassle of storing so I leave them.
     

    phylodog

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    I have no moral issue with killing coyotes and letting them lay. Man is the only predator they're faced with here and if left unchecked you absolutely will see a decline in your small game populations.

    Labeling them as varmints is a subjective endeavor. If you live in the country and the coyotes aren't causing any issues you may not have a problem with them. When they begin to kill your chickens, cats or small dogs they quickly get reclassified and absolutely are considered varmints.
     
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    Kart29

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    What you or I personally think of coyotes is not relevant. The Indiana DNR determines which animals are and are not varmints. In Indiana, coyotes are a regulated furbearing species.
     

    patience0830

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    What you or I personally think of coyotes is not relevant. The Indiana DNR determines which animals are and are not varmints. In Indiana, coyotes are a regulated furbearing species.

    And a varmint. I can hunt them all year, all over the state with written permission from the land owner.

    Can you say "VARMINT"?
     

    Rookie

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    Of course, the dnr has a different opinion, but I'm not sure you could consider an animal with no bag limit, no season, and no restrictions as regulated.
     
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    bwframe

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    [video=youtube;WTaSNt4-yp4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTaSNt4-yp4[/video]

    [video=youtube;siCV3-NstCg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siCV3-NstCg[/video]

    [video=youtube;RzbCp007qcE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzbCp007qcE[/video]
     

    worddoer

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    Well, it seems that they are certainly more prevalent up in the NE area now than in the past. They are making their way into Fort Wayne proper. Coyotes were spotted next to Glenbrook Mall. And there have been several reports of pets being attacked inside Fort Wayne this year.

    It makes me wonder if their populations are growing too large if they have to roam into town for the winter.

    https://www.wane.com/news/local-news/coyotes-spotted-near-glenbrook-mall/
     

    Disgruntled0321

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    I've spent the last couple of years getting started on squirrel hunting around all the public forests surrounding Bloomington and have had a great time. Thinking about trying to get started on coyotes next and I had a few questions.

    Is it exclusively something that has to be done at night, or are there daylight hours where activity is high enough to be viable?

    Are the public lands typically cleaned out of coyotes or is there a reasonable chance at finding them in state/national forests?

    What do I need to know about calls, bait, etc?

    Are stands necessary? Is it strictly a stationary activity? Right now I'm accustomed to just kinda picking a trail to slowly hike and engage squirrels of opportunity as they appear.

    Do they have any meat value or is this strictly a fur/fun activity?

    Thoughts on equipment prerequisites? Thermals or NV are probably not on the table.

    I'm entirely self-taught and do not come from a hunting family or background.

    I've been wanting to get into coyote hunting myself. Thanks for starting this thread. Around my area we have an overabundance of them and not many folks around here hunt them and its hurting the deer and turkey population here. It seems like the only time you hear of anyone around here killing a coyote is if theyre threatening their livestock or if they see them while deer hunting. We hear them all the time at night all around us in the valley! I have killed a few over the years when the opportunity presented itself but that's about it so far.
     

    1911

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    What area of the state are you in? Im always looking for new hunting areas that could be productive, for predators...a little later on in the season i could use a hunting partner, if you wanted to try it out. Coming from Arizona, back to Indiana, im really missing the predator hunting and ample public land that isnt pressured the way it is here
     

    jy951

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    Will you get in trouble from a co if you shoot one and let it lay on public or private land as wanton waste?
     

    Ark

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    What area of the state are you in? Im always looking for new hunting areas that could be productive, for predators...a little later on in the season i could use a hunting partner, if you wanted to try it out. Coming from Arizona, back to Indiana, im really missing the predator hunting and ample public land that isnt pressured the way it is here

    I live in Bloomington, and I romp around a lot in HNF and Yellowwood. Sometimes Morgan-Monroe, though the hunting pressure is significant up there.
     

    1911

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    I live in Bloomington, and I romp around a lot in HNF and Yellowwood. Sometimes Morgan-Monroe, though the hunting pressure is significant up there.

    Yep, Morgan Monroe is where I am familiar with, theres coyotes there but they seem to be very wary of responding directly to calling. A big part of it is just being where they are, and they definitely live in every public land area ive been to. Ive yet to try HNF or Yellowwood, feel free to pm me and we can set up a day to head out and do some calling maybe in a few weeks(would rather wait till gun season deer is waning). As per your questions, i think ive seen some pretty good responses here in this thread, but ill add my 2 cents:)
    I use an electronic caller, a little foxpro spitfire i picked up on sale for $100. I played around with mouth calls before that, and a bit after, but prefer the hands free calling that the electronics can give you, and the selection of different sounds is just a button push away. As far as firearms, nothing fancy is necessary, but i prefer to try and save fur if i can, so recommend something around .223 for the yotes, .17hmr or similar for the fox, or a load of #4 buck for either from a shotgun. You could eat them, but they are not very appetizing from what ive heard and for me would be a last resort.
    As far as setup, in AZ i would typically pick a stand, found by location of food sources, sign, and proximity to cover, and call for 25-30 minutes at the longest....most fox would show up within 5-10 minutes, bobcat took a bit longer, coyote really depended on how hungry they were and proximity to the call, but typically anywhere from 15-30 minutes for the latter two...i mightve missed some that were slow coming in, but in my opinion was better to keep covering ground. Id then venture another 800 yards or more depending on cover/land formation(in Southern Indiana the call isnt gonna carry the way it would there with all the hills and trees, you might want to cut this distance down a bit)towards the next promising looking location. Reload and repeat.
    Time of day, well, you can hunt them whenever is most convenient for you! Sure, they might be more actively combing for food at night, but if you start calling and one is fairly close and hungry, hes gonna come check it out. You dont really need night vision or thermal to hunt at night, a powerful red light will work just fine and has for a number of people for many years before nv and thermal became fairly affordable.
    I learned much the way you did, both with firearms and hunting, mostly on my own. I was very fortunate to have a grandmother that knew a little about dressing game animals(grew up in the Great Depression) advocated for me to my parents to allow me my first gun, and drove me to the woods and sat in the car taking naps and reading her newspaper while i trampled around for hours trying to find those elusive squirrels.
    One thing to keep in mind as you venture into hunting animals other than squirrel, is to know where the wind is blowing...took me a while to figure this out, but ive definitely seen many more animals since. A coyote has an extremely highly refined sense of smell. It can differentiate smells within a scent trail, ie it can smell both you AND whatever you thought was cover scent, and the gas droplet you spilled on your boots at the pump...theres no fooling their nose. Might get one thats hungry enough or curious enough to overlook that, might never know one was there. Better to try to keep the wind in your face at a stand, and watch your downwind for dogs trying to circle back to your scent trail. Plus side, you dont need fancy camo, just make sure you break up your outline, they dont see in color like we do.
     
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