A Guide's Life:

Calling All Coyotes
Know your predator

By Bob Howe

In the month of March, one of the most exciting things a hunter can do is to go coyote hunting. There are a number of different ways to do this, but it is hard to beat calling as a primary method.

There are different approaches if a hunter is setting up in the morning or in the evening.

If it is the morning, the way we prefer to do it is to start in the pre-dawn hours by driving down an old logging road in an area where we have previously seen a lot of coyote sign. We will stop every mile or so and let out a howl, and wait for a response. When we get a coyote to howl back we will not stop there right away, but keep it in mind and keep going down the road continuing to call for at least ten miles. Once it is light enough we will pick one of the areas where we had a response and the wind direction is in our favor, then go in and set up.

I can not emphasize enough how important the wind and scent is to coyotes. They live and die by their noses. They will always circle to the down-wind side before their approach. When a hunter sets up, he wants to find a high vantage point such as a brush pile to sit on where he can see a long way to this side.

In Maine electronic callers are legal and extremely useful, but they are not our only trick. We also take a brown balloon and put a white mark on it. We then tie it to about a 10-foot piece of fishing twine and attach the other end to a nut or small weight that will move a little bit with the wind. Ideally, we will be able to locate this where the coyote will be able to see it as he approaches.

The balloon is then covered with fox urine. Once the coyote smells the fox urine he becomes much more abrasive. In his mind he thinks he knows what is there and will come in more boldly.

When it comes to calling we set the caller at about half-volume. For coyotes, after the first calling sequence we will wait about 20 minutes before beginning another sequence. This is followed by a 15 minute wait before calling and then a ten minute segment. Finally, before moving we will wait 30 minutes. If we are hunting cats we have to be much more patient. For them, beaver flowages are a prime place to set up. We will shorten the call time and wait for longer periods.

It is important to be in white camo and have your gun on a tripod. The key is to only move the gun as little as possible when you see the animal so you don’t give your location away. While there are many calibers that are good for coyotes and are excellent predator guns, I like to use my deer rifle. Any extra practice I have with that gun will often pay off during deer season.

In the evening the approach is a little different. If it is really a cold night the coyotes won’t be that active, instead preferring to move about during the day when it is warmer.

At twilight, lakes and flowages are always prime locations, especially if you are able to bait them. Road-kill deer and moose carcasses or cows are always a good choice when you can get them.

Years ago I was at a cannery and bought the remnants of dozen frozen caw carcasses that had been skinned. I loaded them on my open trailer and drove down the road. I got some awfully strange looks. When I got back to the lodge my wife told me I could never do that again.

When possible, in the evening we like to sit in an ice shack with a sliding window. This hides our movements well and provides a little protection from the elements. On winter nights we can add a little heat and keep a hunter comfortable. Like I have stated before in this column, when a hunter is comfortable they are more likely to be successful.

Snowmobiles are also a good way to move around and hunt. A coyote or cat will both be familiar with the sounds a snowmobile makes. They usually travel quite a bit on the snowmobile trails and move off them when they hear an engine approaching. If they hear the machine stop and stay turned off they won’t come back onto the trail, but if they hear it speed off they will often come back out onto the trail where they can move easier.

The way to out-smart them is to have a buddy drop you off on a snowmobile and pick you up much later. When the coyote hears the snowmobile take off, he will regain his confidence and be less weary of showing himself.

Predator hunting is one of the fastest growing sports in our area, and all through Maine, New England and New York there are plenty of places where coyotes are easily found.

Bob Howe owns Pine Grove Lodge in Bingham, Maine. Contact him by phone at (207) 672 4011 or check out the website at www.pinegrovelodge.com.