[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/5-mistakes-made-by-novice-coyote-hunters\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/5-mistakes-made-by-novice-coyote-hunters\/","headline":"5 Mistakes Made By Novice Coyote Hunters","name":"5 Mistakes Made By Novice Coyote Hunters","description":"I\u2019ll be the first to admit that I\u2019m no expert coyote hunter.\u00a0 However, my lack of success has yet to...","datePublished":"2016-01-19","dateModified":"2018-12-04","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/#Person","name":"Hector Agosto","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/author\/hagosto\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7bfedbdc5ef3ed8f8df91eb37e1ffbe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Legendary Whitetails","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","url":"http:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/logo-legendary-whitetails.png","width":522,"height":226}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/CoyoteHunter.jpg","url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/CoyoteHunter.jpg","height":900,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/5-mistakes-made-by-novice-coyote-hunters\/","about":["Hunting"],"wordCount":1270,"keywords":["Hunting","Tips"],"articleBody":"I\u2019ll be the first to admit that I\u2019m no expert coyote hunter.\u00a0 However, my lack of success has yet to deter me from the sport, if anything it\u2019s driven me to learn more about coyote hunting.\u00a0 For many of us, coyote hunting is a way to stay outdoors after the deer season has come to a close.\u00a0 Not only that, but we are also helping the local deer herd with any successful outing.\u00a0 Over the last couple years, my buddies and I have transitioned from rookies to what I would now call \u201cintermediate\u201d coyote hunters.\u00a0 The only way to continually hone your skills is to constantly learn from your mistakes and take the advice of better coyote hunters.Here\u2019s a short list of common mistakes made by novice coyote hunters and how you should go about improving upon them:1 – ScoutWhen we first started giving coyote hunting a try, we would basically march into an area that looked like it would hold coyotes and set up.\u00a0 Typically, we would set up over a large field, frozen river, or basically anywhere we could see a couple hundred yards, set the call up, and wait.\u00a0 Nothing in the area said there were coyotes around other than it looked good.\u00a0 Empty trip after empty trip left us boggled.Coming across fresh coyote tracks in snow tells you that a dog is around. \u00a0Now you just need to figure out the best way to call them in.Years later, we rarely hunt any of those \u201cgood\u201d looking coyote areas because there\u2019s no sign of coyotes.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t want to spend time scouting before your hunts you should take mental notes of where you see scat, tracks, dens, and coyotes themselves throughout the deer season.\u00a0 Shed hunting is also a great time to figure out where these wily creatures are spending their time.\u00a0 In the end, just remember you can\u2019t kill what\u2019s not there.2 – Same Call, Same ResultsThis was and probably still is one of our biggest faults as intermediate coyote hunters looking to take the next step.\u00a0 Like many \u2018yote hunters, our go-to call has always been the squealing rabbit.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know, because it sounds good???\u00a0 That and maybe those darn western-state predator hunting shows that seem to have coyotes come in by the dozen.While we\u2019ve had minimal success with that call, we seem to rarely change it up.\u00a0 This year will be the year though\u2026\u00a0 After reading many articles and blogs on coyote hunting in non-western states, it sounds like the dying rabbit is decent in the fall, but once these coyotes hear it a couple times they are much more cautious.\u00a0 A bird in distress, like a turkey or woodpecker, seems to be what the pros recommend.\u00a0 We shall see.3 –\u00a0Picked OffAre coyotes spotting you before you\u2019re spotting them?\u00a0 I guess we will never really know, will we?\u00a0 Perhaps our calling techniques are better than we thought, we just aren\u2019t seeing them.\u00a0 Coyotes are very smart, especially when they\u2019ve been avoiding deer hunters all season long.\u00a0 A lot of times, a coyote that\u2019s on their way into a call will hang up on the edge of cover to survey things first.\u00a0 If he catches you moving or catches a whiff or your scent, you\u2019ll never know they were there.A hunter wearing snow camo sitting on a hillside blends in seamlessly. \u00a0Also note how the gun is shouldered at all times during the hunt to limit any unnecessary movement.\u00a0It\u2019s important to have your gun up and nearly shouldered as soon as you hit the call.\u00a0 Also, quality camouflage that blends in well with the surroundings is a must.\u00a0 We highly prefer hunting when there is snow on the ground because we blend in better and we can spot them sooner.\u00a0 Also, nearly every one of our sets is a two or three man set.\u00a0 Not only is it fun to hunt with friends, but another set of eyes and extra gun is extremely beneficial.4 – Sit, Call, and RepeatOne of the things that makes coyote hunting so enjoyable is the fast pace style of hunting.\u00a0 There\u2019s been a few times I\u2019ve been discouraged after the first sit of the morning and called it a day.\u00a0 After all, we just spent the best time of day in our best area and got nothing, so why would we think the next set would be any different?Because it\u2019s hunting and you can\u2019t kill them from your couch, that\u2019s why!\u00a0 Instead of planning for one sit, plan on three.\u00a0 Like I said, coyote hunting is fast paced, if you don\u2019t have any luck in 30 minutes, move on.\u00a0 This is where the next tip comes into play.Here’s an example of a mid-day coyote that was taken on our 5th set of the morning. \u00a0The wireless call and motion decoy brought him in on a string.5 – Piles of PropertiesHave you ever heard any hunter say they have too much land to hunt?\u00a0 Doubt it, because there\u2019s no such thing.\u00a0 With the fast pace style of coyote hunting, you\u2019re going to need an ample amount of spots to rotate through.\u00a0 Coyote hunting is not like deer hunting in the sense that you can\u2019t have three different spots to hunt on an 80-acre chunk.\u00a0 Why? Because the call effectively covers that entire area in just one sit, unless it\u2019s really windy.Solution: stack up as many properties as possible. It\u2019s been our experience that far more landowners will allow you to hunt coyotes compared to deer.\u00a0 So even if you got rejected to hunt in fall, ask them again for permission to coyote hunt.\u00a0 Here are a few door-knocking tips that have gotten us permission on several hundreds of acres over the years.In the end, keep it fun and look at any success as a bonus.\u00a0 Every area is different and coyote hunting is darn right difficult in most states.\u00a0 Stick with it and if something\u2019s not working, don\u2019t be afraid to change it up.\u00a0 After all, you can\u2019t expect different results by doing the same thing."},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Legendary Whitetail's Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/community.legendarywhitetails.com\/blog\/5-mistakes-made-by-novice-coyote-hunters\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"5 Mistakes Made By Novice Coyote Hunters"}}]}]