PPHA Forums
Predator Hunting => Predator Hunting => Topic started by: Rookie furtaker on January 04, 2016, 09:51:31 AM
-
I just started hunting coyote and fox this year. I live up in north east pa. Freeland White Haven area. I've been calling for about a month now maybe longer....Not one sign of a coyote.. I killed one red fox and called in another. I use the FoxPro wildfire w/ the jack 2 decoy and mouth calls. I also use fox urine for cover scent, not sure if it works or not. what am I doing wrong? I know there is coyote in the area.... This is very frustrating not to see one single yote or hear one. I find scat but no dogs.... Please help me be more succesfull! I usually sit between 30-40 minutes at a stand...
-
This is a very common question on the boards. The number one rule to calling or hunting anything is,..... They have to be there ! Coyotes travel in cycles. They may be on the farm today and not seen again for a couple weeks. They may be at one farm at 6 pm but when you go out to hunt them they are two farms away and out of ear shod. How often do you see a big buck on a farm one day but when it's time to go hunting, he's no where to be found. Same principal.
You could be doing everything right, but they simply aren't there when you are. Perhaps you are calling them in but just aren't seeing them because they aren't breaking cover. Here are a few basic tips.....
1. Know your wind and stay down wind.
2. Scout, scout and scout. Look for fresh signs such as tracks, scat, vocalizations etc.
3. Don't over call a set. Less is more for coyotes. Let them know you're there, then make them come looking for you. If they're interested in what you're throwing at them, they'll come.
4. Be patient. I once read a coyote caller will call a coyote only once out of 15-20 sets. Be persistent. Remember, this time of year every caller and hunter is in the woods throwing every sound on the caller at them.... Trust me, they've already heard it numerous times. If you think you're the only one hunting an area or farm, I promise you you're not !! There are now more predator hunters out there than ever before.
5. Hook up with a mentor who has called in and killed a few. Nothing like seeing how it's done verses reading how it's done.
I hope this helps a little. I'm sure more members will chime in with a tip or suggestion. Remember, there is no magic sound. What works today may not work the next time. If it were easy, every novis Hunter would be laying down coyotes. This time of year the "dumb coyotes " are already killed off or trapped. The ones left are the smart one that have most likely already been educated!!! They learn quick !!
-
Thanks for the info. I'm def. being persistent...go out pretty much once a day. I guess I have to broden my search areas. What is the general rule on hitting a spot again. How much time should you wait before you try that stand again? Anybody know of any hotspots in the Freeland, White Haven, Pocono region? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks again! Hopefully these colder temps will bring me luck!
-
You'll get varying opine on that also. Personally, I only hunt a farm once a week sometimes every two weeks depending upon the population of predators. I try to switch up my locations on the farm also when hunting coyotes. I don't want to condition them to a specific spot to a specific sound.
-
Misterjake23 has given you some good solid advice. I agree with most of what he said but also have some thoughts that vary a bit.
I let my caller run continuously, when I spot a critter coming in I will lower it and not silence it until they are just a few feet from the call. That will cause them to pause and give you a quick chance at a standing coyote.
I don't think you can over call an area. I have called in the early AM killed a coyote and gone back to the same spot in the PM and killed another coyote. I will grant you that we have more coyotes out here then you do in PA so that may not be an option. However like was said you don't know who was in there calling just a few short minutes before you got there.
Jake also said: " I once read a coyote caller will call a coyote only once out of 15-20 sets. I would change that to say that the caller had only seen a coyote once out of 15 - 20 sets. If your in an area that holds coyotes they came in only difference is they seen you, smelled you or heard you before you seen them. Do a good scan of the area before you get up to leave, many times I have turned the caller off , stood up to only have a coyote/bobcat run off just a short distance from the caller.
Agree 100% with finding a seasoned mentor and team up with him. You will also need the patience of Job.
I would wish you good luck in your endeavors but don't believe in luck, believe in scouting, knowing the area and knowing the animal which you are hunting.
One other thing, out here the coyotes are breeding this time of the year which makes them harder to call. We still will use a distress call but also a female whimper, and pup in distress. I would also suggest you use the pup in distress in closing out you calling stand.
-
thanks coyotejohn! We've had warmer than usual temps here throughout December which hasn't helped things. Its cold out there today though....As far as finding a coyote slayer to go out with.... I don't know anybody. I've had friends that shot them before but that was while hunting for another animals. If anyone on here ever wants to go out i'm game.
-
Are you hunting day or night? Or both?
-
I've been doing day & night. Mostly days because of the lack of a partner at night. I was thinking about trying tonight being that the temperature is in the teens. dogs should be in search of a meal tonight. The winds arent in my favor tonight though....
-
It's better to not make a set than to make a bad set due to the wind. Remember, everything you do is educating them.
-
THoughts on this? I found this today scouting in a big field in an industrial park
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320x240q90/911/tGU5Ao.jpg)
-
THoughts on this? I found this today scouting in a big field in an industrial park
(http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320x240q90/903/AE5eTQ.jpg)
-
My guess is a domestic dog. There's no grass or hair in the scat. Predator scat will usually have hair or grasses in it. The print is definitely a dog. My guess is the same one that went poo poo !
-
Well I just got back from calling that spot and nothing. Probably was a domestic dog
-
if you have any trail cams set them up and see what you get pics of
-
I think the problem around here is their food sources are wiped out. I'm not seeing any small game in the woods. I see plenty of signs of deer even called a buck trying for a predator. I'm not seeing any rabbit squirrel etc
-
Coyotes can survive on more than other animals! They will survive on grass, mice, bugs, garbage, etc. Things you may not think they eat, they think of as a gourmet meal. Coyotes have been filmed in major cities like New York City!
-
No luck today lol. ...maybe after muzzle loader is done. Idk all I can do is keep trying
-
+1 on what jake said! Coyotes will eat just about anything to survive. They're known to eat calves dung.... The really young calves stomachs can't break down all of the milk proteins right away, so there's plenty of undigested proteins that get passed through the digestive tract and end up in the dung. They'll also eat up the after birth from new born calves. A coyote gets a free buffet around calving time!
-
Yes if there were alot of cattle farms around me that would be ideal but they're isn't. I'm pretty much stuck hunting game lands. The corn farmers don't really mind the coyote because they keep the deer away from the corn so that's not really an option either.
-
Don't get discouraged. Biggest thing for me is remembering that we are all here because we love to hunt and i try not focus so much on the kill as I do on the experience. As far as game lands go, the game commission website can be a good tool.... they have detailed maps of pretty much every property. Sometimes there are clearings or food plots or even gas well or access roads you would never know existed until you check out the property maps. We are lucky these days finding a property owners contact info and property boarders are as simple as some public record tax search most have phone numbers attatched to the record. Get out scout and scout some more and always hunt the wind. Best of luck to you.
-
+ 1
-
if you're hunting game lands find out if they have a dead pit, where they throw road kills etc... that may be a place to sit over "bait"...
-
I actually just spoke to a guy that told me to call the PGC and ask them where they put the bait piles...sounds like a plan to me! I always play the wind that's the first concern I have before going to a site. I map it first so I get the layout. then I plan my setup from there. Yes I have already downloaded a bunch of game land maps. They are very helpful for boundaries and open fields like you said. also if you go to the padcnr site they also have maps of the game lands that you can download. And they give a brief description of the individual game lands and also what type of game can be found in them as well.
-
Pits where they throw road kill are a good idea. I would save that until the harsh winter weather sets in and times get tough. I have one of those areas close to home. Been keeping an eye on it since archery season. Some coons and opossum, but no yotes!
-
You have got a great bunch of advice to work with..and sounds as though you are conscience of what basic measures need taken in terms of approach...I think the thing that is holding you back most is lack of coyotes..so many set out and do everything right on a stand..only to call out into the wilderness in hopes of getting a coyote that just isn't there..I know the feeling..your luck will change though..as soon as you figure out what areas to leave in and what ones to leave out and when..scouting is the key..and scouting in all of the seasons can help too.. just keep putting the pieces of info you get through scouting together.. do not get discouraged..it will come together. One thing that can help is trying to find an area where coyotes take refuge during the day and locating what routes they take to go to and from that spot.. set up in between.. either early morning as they return from their night out or in the evening as they leave..this has helped me. Good luck and keep us posted.
-
Ya your exactly right Quattro . I'm doing all the right things just not calling areas with coyote. Or they once we're there and have since moved on. Once I get the right areas I'll do ok I'm sure. Im sneaky as a church mouse in the woods lol. Definitely not my issue. I wouldn't have been able to call 2 reds if I was loud or not wind careful. It just my sits are coyote free. Not saying reds are the smartest either hahaha. When their hungry there isn't to much that's gonna stop them from coming in.