First attempt at Calling Coyotes to Air gun

[Chukar60]

We were at the ranch we manage for a few days over the holiday weekend. Decided the weather was good for trying to call a coyote to the air gun.
I have never attempted to use an E-call for coyotes and my attempts with a mouth call were met with dim results.
My gear for the attempt was a Lucky Duck Renegade and My Panthera Compact Hunter in 30 cal shooting RMR (Hybrid) slugs.
I didn’t get out until early afternoon. I got sidetracked at the creek crossing by an area that I thought may produce a called in raccoon.
I knew the area I wanted to call in. Figured with the wind I would get two sets. I had to take the long way in to come in on the downwind side. Once I got in I moved slow and did my best not to skyline myself. Found “the“ spot and got set up. Four minutes of a cottontail distress call, wait a minute and nothing. Wait a couple minutes and try again. Nothing. Decide to try some coyotes sounds like fighting. Run that for 3 minutes and wait. Nothing.
I know this spot has coyotes and from the scat and tracks plenty of them.
Last ditch attempt I pick a dying cottontail sound and run it for four minutes. When the sound ends I decide it is time to relocate. I have time for one more stand. I have been hunting long enough to know you don’t stand up without looking around. The call is to my left about 40 yards and downhill from me. Scan with my eyes close and far and see nothing. Adjust my head slightly right and start the left to right with my eyes again. When I get a few degrees past my shoulder. Lo and behold there is a coyote staring at the bush the call is in. He is 45 yards away and has no idea I am anywhere near.
Sit tight and don’t move. @#^*+ My gun is in my lap and there is no way to get it to my shoulder. Mr. Coyotes starts looking around and seems to look right at me. Nope he looks back the other direction and his head is looking almost directly away from me. I tried to raise the gun slowly but he catches the movement and now we are having a stare down. After about 10 seconds he looks away again. I try to raise the gun a bit more. Nothing doing! He turns tail and trots about 30 yards and stops. I raise the gun to my shoulder and put the cross hairs right on his shoulder and squeeze. %^&*@# some idiot forgot to allow for the 25 yards the dog is standing past my zero. I neatly place the Hybrid just behind his front legs and under its chest, off he goes. To about 100 yards and stops again. I am not an accomplished off hand shooter and the hold was not steady. I let him go with a big smile on my face.
First time out and my first coyote within Air gun range. Very happy.
Lots of lessons learned. Get a tripod or bipod so the gun is at my shoulder the entire call sequence. Leave the call running until you are ready to stand up and expose yourself. If possible, get in the shade. So many things were wrong, but early success at a new endeavor = early luck. Just a learning experience with every outing.
Was the most excitement I have felt hunting since the first bull elk I bugled in.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I like to give them something visual to focus on besides me. A coyote tail sticking up over the grass works dandy. It gives you some slack if you have to move to get a shot. They get all excited when they think another coyote is mauling something in the grass.

I'll always put a tail or piece of rabbit fur on a stiff wire near the call. Or tie a feather from a branch. It keeps their eyes busy while I'm getting my $h!t together to make a shot.

 

[Joedirt199]

My call has a moving decoy attached that came with fur or feather options. Tried it once but need to get back out and see if I can call one in with it. Lots running around on the in laws farm.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

In days gone by I hunted with a burlap drape with a few coyote tails and turkey feathers stitched to it. It breaks up your outline. Any movement looks like an animal. If they see you their more likely to come toward you than run away.

A coyote will always sit on a hill and survey a situation. The best "hunt" I've ever done was setting a half dozen traps unbaited on the high spots and saddles overlooking my truck. We'd get a case of beer, turn on the radio loud and party in an arroyo. They would come for miles to sing on the hills around us. We could catch 3-4 a night just having fun. When you catch one he hollers and drives the rest crazy. They pace around and howl at all the noise and get caught themselves.

I modified that strategy for shooting. Rather than call them in for a shot id sit with a view of the ridges above the truck 100-150 yards or more from it. Nearly always you could get one to come to a high spot to look down on the noise. I shot more coyotes playing Pink Floyd and Lynyrd Skynyrd on the 8 track in my truck than I could using a jackrabbit call.

 

[bchannell]

I'll have to try that, I love Pink Floyd!

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I'll have to try that, I love Pink Floyd!

They coyotes love that wailing guitar. They will sit and howl all night to The Dark Side of the Moon. "Money" has been #1 on the coyote top ten for decades. Stevie ray Vaugn can really get them going too. Skip the disco. They just don't dance to that.

Id spend all day running trap lines with mixed success. Then listen to them yelp all night just beyond the firelight. One night we were cutting loose and the coyotes were all around us just raising hell. I went out in the dark and set a couple traps in vantage points around our spot. By midnight we had snagged a couple. Easiest traps I'd ever set.

We'd buy a case of beer and go out "trapping" every Saturday night. I swear we could get as many drinking beer in 4 hours than running 40 traps all week.

I started going out in the afternoons and climbing up in the rocks above the truck and playing music until dark. I could get a shot almost every afternoon if the wind was right. They would come over the ridges below to see what was going on and never knew I was there. They were focused on what was going on below them and felt secure in their cover.

Using curiosity and the sense of security was a much better strategy than playing them with aggression and hunger. They are on point coming in for a kill. They are relaxed and easy up on a high ridge wondering what the commotion is about far down below.

I used range in those hunts and it would be tricky to set up a jackpot with an airgun. With just the right plan and terrain you could pull it off.

 

[SilentSquirrel]

I'll have to try that, I love Pink Floyd!

The hard part is gonna be coming up with an 8 track

 

[Bedrock Bob]

The hard part is gonna be coming up with an 8 track

When the matchbook under the 8 track gets loose the coyotes go crazy. I actually shot one trying to shim up a Led Zeppelin tape one time...

 

[Cranky1]

I hunt tight woods, but I hunt at night which does give me a bit of an advantage. Normally I sit towards the top of my pond levee with my caller below me about 35yards away. I’ve had better luck setting up on the side of the pond levee with my head above the levee. My levee is about 20ft tall and the elevation helps me overlook more area.

 

[Chukar60]

They coyotes love that wailing guitar. They will sit and howl all night to The Dark Side of the Moon. "Money" has been #1 on the coyote top ten for decades. Stevie ray Vaugn can really get them going too. Skip the disco. They just don't dance to that.

Id spend all day running trap lines with mixed success. Then listen to them yelp all night just beyond the firelight. One night we were cutting loose and the coyotes were all around us just raising hell. I went out in the dark and set a couple traps in vantage points around our spot. By midnight we had snagged a couple. Easiest traps I'd ever set.

We'd buy a case of beer and go out "trapping" every Saturday night. I swear we could get as many drinking beer in 4 hours than running 40 traps all week.

I started going out in the afternoons and climbing up in the rocks above the truck and playing music until dark. I could get a shot almost every afternoon if the wind was right. They would come over the ridges below to see what was going on and never knew I was there. They were focused on what was going on below them and felt secure in their cover. Using curiosity and the sense of security was a much better strategy than playing them with aggression and hunger. They are on point coming in for a kill. They are relaxed and easy up on a high ridge wondering what the commotion is about far down below.

I used range in those hunts and it would be tricky to set up a jackpot with an airgun. With just the right plan and terrain you could pull it off

When the matchbook under the 8 track gets loose the coyotes go crazy. I actually shot one trying to shim up a Led Zeppelin tape one time...

Did you ever have to use the matchbook that was stopping the wing window on your truck from making noise?

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Did you ever have to use the matchbook that was stopping the wing window on your truck from making noise?

Yes. It was a ritual every time i got on the highway. I'd use the shim under the wing window to make the 8 track stop warbling and just hook my finger in the little window latch so i could hear the music. Then dig around under the seat for something to stick under the latch to replace my finger.

If there wasn't a suitable shim I'd tear the match book in half and shim the tape deck and stuff the other half in the latch. All while driving with my knee under the wheel.

 

[6gun]

The rotating fuzzy mass my shooting partner and I call "the wacky weasel" has made the difference with electronic and mouth calls. Watching the wind and scent helps too. Always make sure your gun is at the ready and in good order. We once had to track a coyote in the snow for 5 miles in the mountains because another buddy shot it poorly with a 7rem mag and wounded it..... Thanks to a loose rear scope ring base. Weve now moved to airguns for closer to the city spots. Happy hunting!