Couple of Links for New Predator Hunters & Experienced Hunters as Well

hm1996

hm1996

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Staff member
Lots to learn for the new hunter and even experienced hunters can learn a thing or two @:

WHERE DO COYOTES SLEEP DURING THE DAY

A rare opportunity to get verbal blow by blow of an excellent video.
đź–¤ How I spent Veterans Day đź–¤

Hopefully this discussion between a couple of the best will continue to add from their extensive knowledge.
Thanks, Infidel 762 & Medic Joe for this most detailed account of the where's and why's of our game.

Keep it coming. (y)
 
My typical hunt areas. Most of which are open rolling hills. Sometimes I hunt rolling hills with large tracks of timber, little timber, flat land with no timber/ground cover, with timber ect. Of all the terrain. I prefer open rolling hills. I mainly focus on scanning the down wind areas of those hills. Because that is where coyotes spend the vast majority of their time. They use the upwind areas. Primarily to get from one down wind area to the next. Spending little time on the up wind areas of hills or other ground cover/structure/or timber. You could add ground cover or timber to any upwind areas. That doesn't mean jack squat. Because they spend very little time there. They ALL use that wind areas in the same manner. All, as in 99.9% give or take of the time. Out of observing a few thousand coyotes in my time. I've seen a handful or less. That when while bedded down. They were facing "into a wind". Those few coyotes those Winter days. Those days were very warm. With a very light to a puff of wind blowing from the South. Here is a long distance picture. Of a coyote traveling on the down wind slopes of some open hills.

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medic joe said:
My typical hunt areas. Most of which are open rolling hills. Sometimes I hunt rolling hills with large tracks of timber, little timber, flat land with no timber/ground cover, with timber ect. Of all the terrain. I prefer open rolling hills. I mainly focus on scanning the down wind areas of those hills. Because that is where coyotes spend the vast majority of their time. They use the upwind areas. Primarily to get from one down wind area to the next. Spending little time on the up wind areas of hills or other ground cover/structure/or timber. You could add ground cover or timber to of the upwind areas. That doesn't mean jack squat. Because they spend very little time there. They ALL use that wind areas in the same manner. All, as in 99.9% give or take of the time. Out of observing a few thousand coyotes in my time. I've seen a handful or less. That when while bedded down. They were facing "into a wind". Those few coyotes those Winter days. Those days were very warm. With a very light to a puff of wind blowing from the South. Here is a long distance picture. Of a coyote traveling on the down wind slopes of some open hills.

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That West/East fence line is 1/2 mile away. That coyote is walking the fence line snow drift.
 
Joe do you use binoculars when you go out scouting for coyotes? Or if you don’t mind sharing what is your routine when you go out to look for coyotes in new places. I noticed a lot of your pictures are taken from lower spots looking up hill for example. Do you drive up to places and get out and just start glassing from the road? I’m asking for the new hunters including myself who want to try learn your style
 
Newpond0 said:
Joe do you use binoculars when you go out scouting for coyotes? Or if you don’t mind sharing what is your routine when you go out to look for coyotes in new places. I noticed a lot of your pictures are taken from lower spots looking up hill for example. Do you drive up to places and get out and just start glassing from the road? I’m asking for the new hunters including myself who want to try learn your style
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I road hunt county gravel roads. using just my eyes. Until I see a long range speck. Either moving or if a speck looks out of place. Also I hunt highways if they have a shoulder or field drive. Where I can pull over. On gravel roads, say for example wind is from the North. I drive West-East & also due North roads. As I scan both sides of any road I'm on. Up wind side of hills, I look for coyotes on the move. Down wind sides of hills, I look for bedded coyotes or coyotes on the move. I started out using 7x binocs & low power spotter scopes. I then went to high power binocs & a spotter scope up to 80x. Now I just use 10X binocs. I'm so use to picking out partially snow buried coyotes from long range. I don't even bother with a spotter scope. And haven't for close to 20 years. On real high hill tops. I'll park & get out. Then scan 360 from where I'm parked.
 
medic joe said:
I road hunt county gravel roads. using just my eyes. Until I see a long range speck. Either moving or if a speck looks out of place. Also I hunt highways if they have a shoulder or field drive. Where I can pull over. On gravel roads, say for example wind is from the North. I drive West-East & also due North roads. As I scan both sides of any road I'm on. Up wind side of hills, I look for coyotes on the move. Down wind sides of hills, I look for bedded coyotes or coyotes on the move. I started out using 7x binocs & low power spotter scopes. I then went to high power binocs & a spotter scope up to 80x. Now I just use 10X binocs. I'm so use to picking out partially snow buried coyotes from long range. I don't even bother with a spotter scope. And haven't for close to 20 years. On real high hill tops. I'll park & get out. Then scan 360 from where I'm parked.
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Further...When I see a bedded coyote & have permission on all of the ground that surrounds the coyote. I will use land features; hills, bushes, rocks, trees, fence posts & all other land features. To triangulate it's exact bearing. From those land features. Once I've done all of that. I come in from it's angled up & cross wind. ie; 10:00-2:00 angle if for example; The wind if from the 12:00. That puts me, Up & cross wind. As long as I'm stealthy quite. I can get well within easy shotgun range. As that coyote is facing away from me. I typically shoot them in the head or mid front chest area.
 
Pair of Red Fox bedded down a little over 1/4 mile away. I'm parked on a gravel road. My camera is facing directly into a South West wind. Both Reds Fox are facing a down wind angle. Those distant large corn stalk bales are directly 12:00 (using a clock dial). The fox being in the center of that clock dial. I would stalk them from either their 10:00 or 2:00 angle. Which would put me up wind & slightly cross wind from them. If a hunter is quiet enough. He/she could get close enough to hit them with a brick. Unlike most callers imo. I quietly sneak into an area. As I close the gap between the canine & myself. I go very slow & methodical(Like a cat stalking a bird). I watch where I plant each foot. Listening/feeling for any noise I may vast underfoot. Regardless of whether a hunter is stalking a bedded predator or walking into a call stand area. Be deathly quiet. Not like some idiot cow wearing a bell around it's neck. IMO some hunters haven't a clue. On how important it is to remain quiet. One of my brothers sometimes hunts with me. When slinking in side by side, we whisper. When spread apart but insight of each other we use "known" hand signals. That we agree'd on prior to stalking. A canines hearing is top shelf & a hunter should not underestimate their hearing ability.

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Another point I want to make. If by chance, if you have to cross a barbed wire fence. The last tactic I use. Is depressing a barbed wire. Because often it will squeak. And cast that squeak, telegraphing that noise way down that wire. Alarming a distant coyote or fox. Doing so will put you behind the 8 ball. My 1st choice would be walking a littler farther & finding a gap between corner/intersecting posts that have a gap large enough to squeeze through. Otherwise, find a wide spread between those wires. You can duck through without making a noise. I've even crawled under the bottom wire if there is a large enough depression between the bottom wire & the ground. Try to make the least amount of noise possible.
 
Guess they’re only good if you hunt snow or West of the Mississippi. Being able to see tracks and distances is definitely a plus in the hunting world.
 
I've met many coyote hunters over the years. Most of whom are spot/stalkers. This young hunter is closing the gap on a sleeper coyote. He is sneaking in for a shot. From that coyote's up & cross wind angle. He got pretty close before the coyote jumped up & looked his way. By then it was too late. That young hunter hunts with his dad & an older guy nearing 80. The two older guys have many decades of experience between them. They both have taught that young guy. The style of spot/stalking, of long distance coyote sleepers.

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That coyote is facing almost directly down wind. As per usual.
 
This coyote was laying on a fence line drift. 1/2 mile from where I stopped on the gravel road to glass some very large hills. The fence line in this picture. Is roughly 1/2 way down the side of a very large hill side. Wind was blowing due North(left to right). That coyote had the wind at it's back side. You could add timber to this picture. It would not matter.

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I'm not new, but enjoy the read! Thanks for re-posting HM...lol

Edit: No snow here, but it's common to see them in fresh cut fields and even laying on top of round hay bales. Once there was a coyote laying (sleeping) in the field and the owner whistled so he would stand up, as he stood up, he stretched and yawned and got shot........pretty much didn't know what hit him...lol
 
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Spurchaser said:
You add brush and timber and you aren’t seeing that coyote, lol.
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I have many times. Of course it helps to have snow cover to highlight them. One local coyote who denned in a timber strip along a RR track. 1/2 mile off of a gravel road. He would often lay in tall grass & brush along the south side of the timber strip. With the wind from the south. I've seen him lay there a few times. I snuck in on him one day(wind in my face). As I used large corn bales & hills. To conceal me & get me close for a rifle shot. The last time I seen him sleeping there. He died, right there.
 
Spurchaser said:
You add brush and timber and you aren’t seeing that coyote, lol.
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Yep. There are little wood lots and small wooded draws between fields... and then there is TIMBER. All timber, hundreds of thousands of acres of it. Combine that with the steep, twisting main ridges, large rocky outcroppings, numerous spur ridges and draws, and long deep black hollers and things get complicated. Much of this country is roadless, no spotting critters laying in the open on a snow field from a road. Put your ruck on and go for an all day hike.

 
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