Pack Question

DoubleLungRage

DoubleLungRage

Well-known member
A few weeks ago I hunted a local farm that I have permission to predator hunt on. This farm is about 300ac with the front half being ag fields and the back being thick woods with a wet bottom down the middle. I let it get good and dark and headed out around 9:30pm. I set up in the fresh cut corn field about 350-400 yards from the wood line then started out with a few prey calls, but didn't get anything. I then switched to a few howls and three different packs of coyotes sounded off. One to my left, this pack has always been there, one right in front of me, this pack sounded huge, then another pack to my right. Each pack was about 300-400 yards apart. They howled and howled, but would not come out into the field. I go back this weekend and the same thing. So my question is... Do you think that this is one big pack that has split up or three different packs that have moved onto the farm? It seems kinda close to have that many packs. I do know that the pack to the left (the pack that has been on the farm) has pups because I can hear them.
 
Generally coyotes are not true pack animals, they live in family groups. I would not know the answer to your question though, some could be from the same family group, seperated and simply communicating their locations.

I had a similar situation a couple weeks ago, I had a male come to a gravel road leading to an oil well, he was coming in and then stopped and urinated and then sat down on the edge of the road. When he sat down I shot him, assuming that was a territorial boundary and he was not coming any closer.
 
spotstalkshoot said:
What is their main source of food? That usually gives me a clue to whether coyotes are competing or working together for food.
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I don't know. I would say pretty much everything since it's a fresh cut corn field. Mice, rabbits, late fawns, etc.

What I did think was odd. I started with rabbit stew and the pack to the left started howling at it. So I went ahead and clicked off the safety and put my ringer on the record button. Instead of one of them running to the call all they did was to "stir" up the other two packs.

The main issue (in my opinion) with this farm is the lay of it and the wind direction. One of the coyotes in the left pack has learned that it can sneak almost all the way around me without it being seen. Once this coyote barks, it's pretty much over.
 
Infidel 762 said:
Generally coyotes are not true pack animals, they live in family groups. I would not know the answer to your question though, some could be from the same family group, seperated and simply communicating their locations.

I had a similar situation a couple weeks ago, I had a male come to a gravel road leading to an oil well, he was coming in and then stopped and urinated and then sat down on the edge of the road. When he sat down I shot him, assuming that was a territorial boundary and he was not coming any closer.
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I think that's what I have going on. I think all of these coyotes have fought over this field and obviously someone won so the others won't come.
 
And that makes sense, feeding on smalls they catch on their own. In the winter around scavenging type food sources, if I call(coyote vocals) after dark I sometimes hear different groups. If I'm in a blind(bait), I know it will be a long sit, even if I kill one early. As another group or coyote from a different group will probably show up. If one runs in grabs some meat and runs off a short ways, I know that is a subordinate trying to jump line(need to kill it quick before others show up).
 
spotstalkshoot said:
What is their main source of food? That usually gives me a clue to whether coyotes are competing or working together for food.
Click to expand...
Assuming I read what Jeremy wrote the right way, I agree with him. That’s too close in proximity to be from a different group. It’s all same family unit checking up. They don’t live in a pack, they are scattered out over a giving amount if territory, what yours is I cannot say but often in south Texas yo might have a family unit on a section of land or 640 acres. Lots of factors depend on making that assessment. Where I am west Texas the pups are already being split up 1 here 2 there etc, course adults are checking up on them still but they are being conditioned for the dispersal now.
 
Some how I grabbed the wrong comment to respond to. I think cause I went don’t the list reading comments my mistake. Just my 2cents, I’d put on a nasty BC or coon fight and put the scanner down and hug that rifle.
 
My guess is that you are right at the junction of 2 to 3 different territories. My experience shows that packs/groups will not want to fight each other and they simply avoid each other through calling. So the area you are hunting might not be the best place since they all didn't come in. I have seen this before where they post up and won't get any closer, then later, a large male will come from a different direction and there is my answer.
 
You will definitely want to try calling from a different spot to change it up, and you may want to try at a different time of night. Although it was much later in the year, I've had a few nights where right after dark, they are grouped up and howling, but won't come. Then later, after midnight, there's singles out cruising all over the place. -- It's like they have "social hour" for a while, then go hunting.
 
I ran into something similar on our property, 2500ac. I’d call and had 3 different group howls sound off. I used OnX to get an approximate fix on them and called it a night. Didn’t even make any other calls because I knew they weren’t coming in.
Went back a few nights later at the same exact time and went after the group that was best for the wind I was dealt.
When I hit the caller I realized I was still off a little and only heard one other group howl about where I’d heard them before.
Instead of calling again, I picked up the caller and tripod and got within 100-150 yards and got set up. Did a lone howl and they lit up so close the hair stood up on my arms! Pup distress had 2 coyotes running in barking (first time I’d heard that). Managed to drop them both with a bolt action.
I gave it a week or so and went after the rest of the group. Ended up getting the female and 4 pups overall. I eventually moved to the other groups and had to repeat the same thing of getting an “exact” and then moving in right on them. Yeah, it took multiple trips and waiting for the right winds, but I ended up taking 14 coyotes out of 3 different groups.
Only issue now is I haven’t heard howling since then and that was over 6-7 months ago. I know more have had to move in, just waiting until they start their noise so I can get back on them.
 
SupressYourself said:
You will definitely want to try calling from a different spot to change it up, and you may want to try at a different time of night. Although it was much later in the year, I've had a few nights where right after dark, they are grouped up and howling, but won't come. Then later, after midnight, there's singles out cruising all over the place. -- It's like they have "social hour" for a while, then go hunting.
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I think this is going to be the ticket. Whenever I look back at the successful hunts on this property most have been 2:00-3:00am. They are probably out doing their own thing by then.
 
Sometimes I wish I had made a couple flat sets near where I called but had only vocal responses. More than once (snow on the ground) I have returned to a calling setup, only to find coyote tracks that approached either my sitting spot or where the ecaller was hanging. I believe some coyote may wait hours to investigate the sounds that they hear.
 
I have found the same in snow when walking back to the vehicle from multiple sets along long ridges. That is why l started ending sets that l have gotten responses to with 15 min of silence. Killed a lot in that 15 min.
 
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