How do you pull one (or more) out of the group?

S

SupressYourself

Active member
On a few different occasions now, hunting at night, I'll start out with a howl and have a group (or sometimes multiple groups in various directions) light up well within calling range (like they gotta be 500 yards or less). They're usually in some thicker cover, and I'm trying to call them out into an open field. It seems like when they're grouped up and howling, I can't get any of them to come. I've tried the normal things (prey distress, coyote fights), and I can't even get one to peek out from the cover. This is all private ground, so I don't think they're too pressured.

What has been successful for you in that kind of scenario? Should I try challenge-type howls? Group Howls? Pack up and leave because it's impossible to call them when they're hanging out with buddies?
 
I’m still new but if I can get an howl or a group to answer and if I’m not within say 150yds or less, then they ain’t coming.
If I think I can move closer undetected I’ll move, but most of the time I’ll mark where they are on OnX and come back a different night when the wind is right and set up closer. Some nights I go out just to call and mark locations and go back the same time when conditions are right and get tight.
Now this is calling in the South and East, but I can’t get answering coyotes to come to me unless I’m in their bubble.
 
Ok, this is in ND, so mostly open AG fields and pastures with some treed river bottoms, tree rows, farmsteads, and cattail sloughs mixed in. Their "bubble" seems to be more like 300-500 yards or so. Calling them in from 1/2 mile or more is not uncommon. It seems like if you get one or two to answer, then you're in business. If it's a whole group, they don't budge.
 
Only advice I got that works for me. Yeah, I can hear coyotes for half a mile and closer. But to get them to commit, I have to be in their bubble or they’ll raise cane, but won’t commit. I’m not a threat or worth investigating from that far away.
 
following, always want to learn something new. They hung up on me twice in the same local, I'm convinced (for my scenario) I've got to move my setup 3-400 yards further South next time and on the opposing hill. They are there and won't commit.
 
Whole group that won’t budge… I agree with trying to get closer if possible. This is in any situation, be it a single, pair or group. Sometimes just switching locations, and calling from a different spot, (not necessarily closer) will trigger them.

You may be dealing with a group of young ones, so lay off the fights and aggressive howls. Try social sounds like whines and whimpers sparingly.

How long are you giving them? When you get a response, put a good pause in your calling. 5-10 minutes then try the same call you got the initial response with. If they trigger again, are they closer? If they don’t, wait another bit and just scan in silence.

Just things to try. Nothing works always. Lots of things work sometimes. Good luck!
 
I generally relocate and try to get as close as possible, keeping the wind to my advantage...sorta ballzy most times.
I found that if they are upwind with no possibility of them getting the downwind advantage they will not come in.
You may have to wait for a different wind direction at those spots.
I'll wait 3 hours if I think I can kill them that night.
 
limbhanger10 said:
I generally relocate and try to get as close as possible, keeping the wind to my advantage...sorta ballzy most times.
I found that if they are upwind with no possibility of them getting the downwind advantage they will not come in.
You may have to wait for a different wind direction at those spots.
I'll wait 3 hours if I think I can kill them that night.
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This is interesting, and something I wondered about. This happened twice (two different groups) Friday night, and in both cases, they were almost directly upwind of the caller. They were both brand new-to-me spots, so I didn't know where they'd be, but I know I have it in my head that I need to approach from straight down wind. I may need to try a cross-wind more often.
 
Limbhanger10 made a great point. Inf you can give them a bit of room to try and get downwind of the calls it oftentimes works out better.

How far out into the open fields are you from the cover? Are you trying to pull them out towards roads or areas of human activity? Farms, buildings etc.
 
hunt0168 said:
How far out into the open fields are you from the cover? Are you trying to pull them out towards roads or areas of human activity? Farms, buildings etc.
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We were trying to pull them across less than 300 yards of open field in both cases. I don't think that was the issue, as they didn't even pop out on the edge and look, and every coyote I've killed in the dark this year has crossed several hundred yards of open field. That's just what we have around here.
However, now that you mention it, we were, in both cases, trying to pull them in the general direction of an active farmyard, although several hundred yards behind us.
 
SupressYourself said:
We were trying to pull them across less than 300 yards of open field in both cases. I don't think that was the issue, as they didn't even pop out on the edge and look, and every coyote I've killed in the dark this year has crossed several hundred yards of open field. That's just what we have around here.
However, now that you mention it, we were, in both cases, trying to pull them in the general direction of an active farmyard, although several hundred yards behind us.
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Gotcha. Just some things to consider. Roads matter around me. Just about every farmer I deal with won’t give a coyote a pass if they see one, and rip off a shot or two at them. The coyotes kinda figure things out sometimes. Lol. Good luck with your future endeavors with them. Hope it’s something simple.
 
This is me, but I prefer cross wind setups every time.

Yes I'll approach from downwind but always try to get the call at least 200 yards up crosswind from where I would like them to show themselves.
I'd try to get call as close as possible to woodlot, keeping it upwind/crosswind.
This is a typical approach I take.
The male was shot first..just as I pulled the trigger I saw the female hop out of the woods..
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Most of our kills are within 200 yards of a home or farm or business.
 
I've called in a few packs that were howling at me 5 or 30 minutes before coming in. Some of them were probably close to a mile away. I don't call nights, so all of them were in the daylight. I mostly call southern NM coyotes.

I feel like if I'm in a spot they are willing to travel to and one of the senior coyotes in the group hears a sound that triggers them, they will come in. I've called groups in with rabbit distress, loan howls and pup distress sounds.

I would agree that getting closer can be a very good strategy. I've had this work on multiple occasions but only on singles and pairs. I'm sure it would work on groups, I've just failed to have it work the half dozen times I've tried it. I have had a couple loan coyotes come in after I moved towards a group. I'm not sure if I called them away from the group or they were never part of the group I heard howling.

Giving them more time to come in can also help. I can think of a couple occasions that they didn't come in for 15 or 30 minutes after I first heard them. I've never sat 3 hours waiting on them but I have sat an hour.

A large majority of the time that I hear groups howling, I don't ever see them come in. I don't think you are going to fool a group most of the time, but when you do, it can get exciting fast.
 
Great thread. Groups can be hard to get to commit but I never really thought about it being BECAUSE it's a group. Sometimes we move closer, sometimes we move on, if we can get around them we might come from a different direction. If they are in sight, and within say 5 or 600 yds, and if the walking is quiet and the night is dark and the wind is right, (lot of ifs), then just walk up on them within 200 yds as if they were hogs and shoot. That works a lot of the time, realize how open most of our terrain is. It really depends on how ambitious you feel that night and how many spots you want to hit and what you feel the odds of success is.

One thing I want to try is using two calls spaced a good distance apart to add realism. My partner and I both have revolts, and they interfere with each other but we haven't put in the effort to figure out how to do it.
 
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