This is all very interesting to me . So now then let us put a little thought into this . When do the other animals in your area drop their young 60 days or so before is the breading season for coyote and fox a little before and a little after they will start breading . So a guy called you and said that he needed some coyote taken out , who was there before you , how large is his place , are there others in the area calling close by , what kind and how much prey does he have there , How are your tracking skills ? I haven't hunted in TN. but have in southern IN. some they don't talk there when they have pups in them and just after they drop them . You will call them in but they are very cautious at that time of year ( day time works best for me so I can see them but then I don't have thermals ect. for night hunting ) Do most of the coyote hunters in your area hunt at night ? So many times they will lay up after figuring out where you are and just watch you from a spot that they can watch the den area at the same time so I do more looking now then calling . I will call awhile , maybe just one or two series of calls , then look for one laying up just watching me or moving in to watch me , when that takes place I then use my hand call and do a couple of hurt puppy squeals and stop while observing the coyote . Coyote have the same things on their mind , food , sex , raising their pups no matter where they live . I use hand calls now more then E-calls as so many people have them and they are being used a lot in the last few months so I just figure that the coyote has heard most of the sounds offered to them by now . Now is the time you need to become the better of the hunters the coyote is a very good hunter or there wouldn't be any left for us to hunt be adaptable , they are , be cautious , they are , sit quietly , look , listen , walk quietly and study them in your area , track them see where they travel where they bed down where they play where they hunt where they drink water from most often . When are they active in your area do they follow the moon as the deer and fish do in your area . If so be there before they become active and just wait for them I have had some that I had to set up an ambush for them by tracking them to see where they traveled most often . Good luck with these coyote don't get tense just take it easy and enjoy the hunt for them . When you are not at ease with your environment the animals can sense it .
I pretty much only hunt at night. I have some farms that if you are on a certain hill top when the sun drops, usually within an hour you'll see at least one but usually more coyotes break from cover. They'll run cattle trails, run paved roads along pastures checking culverts, run through the feedlots... You really don't even need to call. In fact most of the time in spots like that I don't. I don't mind hanging out an hour or two and not calling to be able to shoot 2-3 vs calling and getting one then splitting after 30 mins. I have noticed these spots to have low road traffic.
Other farms with more homes and busier roads, they will usually stay in cover until after "the world has gone to bed" more or less. I can usually call one to a woodline for a shot, but they are hesitant about coming into an open field if there is a lot of people noises going on.
Now that said, I have a couple other spots I hunt that the land adjoins a major Interstate. As soon as it is dark they will run parallel to the Interstate. I am guessing to smell for fresh roadkill. Since the road noise never changes much, they seem to disregard it.
I usually see them all around chicken houses as soon as it is dark. They don't seem too bothered by people there. I have shot one snooping around the backside of a chicken house while the owners were loading chicken racks onto a flatbed out front.
I'll be honest, if it is any kind of farm with livestock, anymore I will not even call the first few times I hunt it. I do a good bit of scouting prior, find a high point where I can overwatch any routinely used trails I find and get there at dark. Set up, watch with the thermal and listen. I have learned more about coyote behavior just sitting and watching with a thermal at night than I ever thought I would. Being able to hit them no matter where they are on the property, so long as I can see them, has been a huge boost to my success.
We have some folks who call/hunt at night, but not enough that I feel anyone else calling has educated a coyoted to the point of them not responding. By responding, I don't mean vocally, I mean closing in. I once would try to keep track of sounds for fear of educating them. I don't anymore. I think they are just like any other K9, most any sound will catch their curiosity. To what degree depends on their mood.
I have been messing with this one pair now for about 6 hunts. They bed right behind a cattle farmer's house. I set up about 600 yards away and will howl at them about an hour after dark. I have been using the exact same howl on the foxpro, same length of time played and I know for certain they winded me at least once. Even so, they will still howl back every time I go and then circle wide about 600-700 yards out to try and wind me. I can easily set up behind his house and get them and I will eventually, but it has been interesting to see just how many times they will keep coming.
People tend to get too hung up on the sounds used. I guess it is because that is one element of the hunt they can control the easiest. If you do your scouting/homework and can be disciplined enough to hunt the wind right you could probably take a screaming rubber chicken out there and call one in. I'd love to do it with something like a hyena laugh call. That said, when you are having a howling ****ing match with one, it does make a difference what you play back as a response.
I do fully acknowledge that how things are where I hunt may be totally different from any of you.
