How to Scout for Coyotes
One of the keys to a successful coyote hunt is scouting. While some hunters can go afield and happen upon a coyote, hunters who are successful time after time often put in hours of scouting. They learn where the animals live and about the animals themselves. In short, they stack the odds in their favor before they ever pick up a gun. In addition to increasing their chances for success, scouting for coyotes also gives hunters a good excuse to get out and enjoy the outdoors.
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Instructions
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Talk to the people who own land in the area you wish to hunt. Farmers, especially, often have problems with coyotes and likely will be happy to point you in the right direction. People who live in rural areas also often hear coyotes howling at night. Other people to talk to include mail carriers and bus drivers. Ask them where they routinely see coyotes.
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Drive along the roads in the area you plan to hunt a day or two after a snowfall. Look for coyote tracks, which are about 2.5 inches in length with four toes. The two outside toes are slightly larger than the inner two toes.
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Select a general area to target and go there at 10 p.m. on the night before you plan to hunt. Howl with a siren call or an electronic predator call. Listen carefully to the responses you get. Try to guess how many individual coyotes you hear and where they are located. Move to new areas, but keep track of the approximate number of coyotes you hear in each spot.
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Hunt first in the locations where you believe there are the most coyotes.
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Tips & Warnings
I consider scouting to be the most important aspect of coyote hunting, so put as much time and effort into scouting as possible. It's best to get all of your legwork done in the spring and summer so when it's time to hunt you can get down to business. I've seen a lot of guys give up on hunting coyotes because they think they don't know how to use a call. What you do before you blow that call is far more important than what you do after you blow it. Without some good scouting you'll get frustrated and spend a lot of time out in the field just making noise.
References
Resources
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Comments
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Janet Ford
Mar 29, 2009
We raise coonhounds. I'd like to train a couple to become coyote dogs one day. Coyotes are everywhere here and come quite close when we are out coonhunting (not to mention our livestock!). Someday I'm sure we will have a tangle. Nice to see a fellow hunter on ehow.
