Southern Woods Airgun Coyote Hunting

[pepi.gets.it.done]

Here are a few things to consider, coming from an ex-avid predator hunter:

- Consider the time of year. During mating season, coyotes will be more responsive to other coyote calls and can completely ignore prey calls as they only have one thing in mind... to mate. A female coyote call or a male challenge call, in this instance, would be a great choice.

- Once puppies are dropped, puppy distress calls can be fruitful.

- Early fall can be a great time to use prey distress calls as you may call in younger, immature yotes and multiple ones. These are the ones that tend to run in in the first few minutes. If you are lucky enough to get one, don't stop calling, there may be another just around the corner. Stay and call for another 10mins.

- Winter will of course produces the biggest and nicest coats if that is what you want. A coyote "coat" hanger, or soft tan, will make a marvelous addition to your living room or man cave.

- Pay attention to the wind; you want it blowing to your face.

- It's best practice to call up against a large rock, bush, tree, etc. to help break your silhouette and to protect you from a pred. from sneaking right behind you.

- Try not to move when you call. Predators have amazing eye sight and a sneaky/wiser critter can be scanning an open area before running in.

- If no coyote comes in after 30 mins, it's best to just move to your next stand (if hunting bobcat, wait longer). Your next stand can be just a couple hundred yds away.

- Wait about 2-3 mins after you have completely stopped calling, before you move out of your stand. There may be a straggler approaching your call that you didn't see.

- Consider using a decoy. This is a touchy subject amongst avid pred. hunters as both sides can be argued and have valid points. However, I choose to use decoys give the experience I have had in the field. A decoy can be as simple as clump of turkey/pigeon feathers hanging on a string from a branch to a battery powered, quality decoy.

- If calling in a rural area, avoid using distress calls that sound like a person in desperation screaming frantically... you may get a squad of police cars rushing into your call hahahaha. It may or may not have happened to me before. Instead use what yotes normally pick off in rural areas such as cats, rodents, or even puppy distress calls.

- If you plan to buy an electronic call, consider buying from a website that allows you to choose your own calls such as Allpredatorcalls.com. That way you can specifically choose your own calls, rather than having a device that every Joe-shmo also has. Also, carry extra batteries, and a hand call as a backup. I have always used Foxpro, and friends have used other brands such as Lucky Duck.

- You mentioned using a .30 caliber (excellent choice by the way), and didn't care for caliber advice but I thought I should just add some information given other hunters reading this thread may find it helpful:

Headshots:
- 30-40 ftlbs airgun CAN get the job done with the RIGHT headshot out to 30ish yds.
- 45-60 ftlbs out to 50ish, again with a good headshot (and yes, there are good/right and bad headshots).
- More ftlbs than that can produce pelts out to 100yds on a good headshot.

Body shots (behind the shoulder):
- high power .25 & most .30 cal airguns produce enough power out to about 50-60 yds. BUT be warned, you may not always be able to recover your coyote as it may ran deep into the woods and far out before it expires. This happens more often than not, and most hunters don't like to talk about those experiences. Do not expect to find a blood trail.

- .35 cal will produce enough energy to confidently take down yotes out to 150yds-ish with a well placed body shot and the right weight ammo. Also, you are very likely to retrieve the body within 50yds from where the shot was taken IF it didn't drop in its tracks. May or may not produce a blood trail.

- .45 cal+ more likely to drop in its tracks and leave a great blood trail.

I can go on and on as I live to hunt, and life has taught me many things along the way but this should be a great start.

Good luck!

 

[pan60]

@pepi.gets.it.done welcome to HAM

 

[duchunter007]

Here are a few things to consider, coming from an ex-avid predator hunter:

- Consider the time of year. During mating season, coyotes will be more responsive to other coyote calls and can completely ignore prey calls as they only have one thing in mind... to mate. A female coyote call or a male challenge call, in this instance, would be a great choice.

- Once puppies are dropped, puppy distress calls can be fruitful.

- Early fall can be a great time to use prey distress calls as you may call in younger, immature yotes and multiple ones. These are the ones that tend to run in in the first few minutes. If you are lucky enough to get one, don't stop calling, there may be another just around the corner. Stay and call for another 10mins.

- Winter will of course produces the biggest and nicest coats if that is what you want. A coyote "coat" hanger, or soft tan, will make a marvelous addition to your living room or man cave.

- Pay attention to the wind; you want it blowing to your face.

- It's best practice to call up against a large rock, bush, tree, etc. to help break your silhouette and to protect you from a pred. from sneaking right behind you.

- Try not to move when you call. Predators have amazing eye sight and a sneaky/wiser critter can be scanning an open area before running in.

- If no coyote comes in after 30 mins, it's best to just move to your next stand (if hunting bobcat, wait longer). Your next stand can be just a couple hundred yds away.

- Wait about 2-3 mins after you have completely stopped calling, before you move out of your stand. There may be a straggler approaching your call that you didn't see.

- Consider using a decoy. This is a touchy subject amongst avid pred. hunters as both sides can be argued and have valid points. However, I choose to use decoys give the experience I have had in the field. A decoy can be as simple as clump of turkey/pigeon feathers hanging on a string from a branch to a battery powered, quality decoy.

- If calling in a rural area, avoid using distress calls that sound like a person in desperation screaming frantically... you may get a squad of police cars rushing into your call hahahaha. It may or may not have happened to me before. Instead use what yotes normally pick off in rural areas such as cats, rodents, or even puppy distress calls.

- If you plan to buy an electronic call, consider buying from a website that allows you to choose your own calls such as Allpredatorcalls.com. That way you can specifically choose your own calls, rather than having a device that every Joe-shmo also has. Also, carry extra batteries, and a hand call as a backup. I have always used Foxpro, and friends have used other brands such as Lucky Duck.

- You mentioned using a .30 caliber (excellent choice by the way), and didn't care for caliber advice but I thought I should just add some information given other hunters reading this thread may find it helpful:

Headshots:
- 30-40 ftlbs airgun CAN get the job done with the RIGHT headshot out to 30ish yds.
- 45-60 ftlbs out to 50ish, again with a good headshot (and yes, there are good/right and bad headshots).
- More ftlbs than that can produce pelts out to 100yds on a good headshot.

Body shots (behind the shoulder):
- high power .25 & most .30 cal airguns produce enough power out to about 50-60 yds. BUT be warned, you may not always be able to recover your coyote as it may ran deep into the woods and far out before it expires. This happens more often than not, and most hunters don't like to talk about those experiences. Do not expect to find a blood trail.

- .35 cal will produce enough energy to confidently take down yotes out to 150yds-ish with a well placed body shot and the right weight ammo. Also, you are very likely to retrieve the body within 50yds from where the shot was taken IF it didn't drop in its tracks. May or may not produce a blood trail.

- .45 cal+ more likely to drop in its tracks and leave a great blood trail.

I can go on and on as I live to hunt, and life has taught me many things along the way but this should be a great start.

Good luck!

Great advice, and welcome to HAM!!

 

[Grunt64]

I am thinking about going out and attempting some Coyote hunting. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve seen plenty of Coyotes while deer hunting, but didn’t want to spook any deer and so I passed on them. I haven’t hunted since 2008 and I’m a lot older now and so it won’t be as intensive an effort as I might of done in the past. I mentioned Southern, because here in Florida, it won’t be a long distance shot. More than likely it will be 75-125yds maximum. I’m a little spooked by bears right now and so I’m thinking of attempting to do it from a ladder stand. I’m not interested in nighttime hunting. All the coyotes that I’ve seen while hunting have been daytime sightings and except for one, from a tree stand. I'll buy a caller, but I’m not going to spend $300 on one, unless it becomes an obsession. I’ll use the Sonoran .30 for now. If it seems worth pursuing (actually see one) I might splurge on a big bore. I plan to take my grand kids one at a time. I’d like to hear some experienced or interested coyote hunters opinions on coyote hunting in general. This is not intended to be another thread discussing the merits of one particular caliber over another. Let’s assume that the chosen caliber is enough for the given conditions. Maybe discuss the pros and cons of the different methods such as ground blinds, tree stands, decent callers, where to place a caller in a wooded area. What do you do with a dead coyote. What about camo, cover scents etc.? Here in Florida there’s no bounty for them and technically if you don’t use the animal, it’s wanton waste. At, the same time many years ago I was hunting Camp Blanding a National Guard base and mentioned to a warden that I’d seen a coyote and no deer and he chewed me out in a nice way for not shooting it. Let’s hear it.

A .25 or anything under about 200 FPE can work on coyotes, but the effective range gets tight. Most coyotes don’t commit to 30–40 yards — they usually hang up at 60–120. That’s why I prefer running .30 and .357 setups in the 300+ FPE range.

I use a flat‑faced slug design because inside roughly 80 yards it has enough authority to break the shoulder if that’s the shot you’re given. The shoulder on a coyote is tougher than people think, and lower‑energy setups often won’t break it cleanly at those distances.

Your odds also go up with a heart–lung shot. The chest is a much bigger, steadier target than the head, which is constantly moving. A broadside lung shot gives you a higher success rate and a lot more margin for error.”

 

[Billm]

Here are a few things to consider, coming from an ex-avid predator hunter:

- Consider the time of year. During mating season, coyotes will be more responsive to other coyote calls and can completely ignore prey calls as they only have one thing in mind... to mate. A female coyote call or a male challenge call, in this instance, would be a great choice.

- Once puppies are dropped, puppy distress calls can be fruitful.

- Early fall can be a great time to use prey distress calls as you may call in younger, immature yotes and multiple ones. These are the ones that tend to run in in the first few minutes. If you are lucky enough to get one, don't stop calling, there may be another just around the corner. Stay and call for another 10mins.

- Winter will of course produces the biggest and nicest coats if that is what you want. A coyote "coat" hanger, or soft tan, will make a marvelous addition to your living room or man cave.

- Pay attention to the wind; you want it blowing to your face.

- It's best practice to call up against a large rock, bush, tree, etc. to help break your silhouette and to protect you from a pred. from sneaking right behind you.

- Try not to move when you call. Predators have amazing eye sight and a sneaky/wiser critter can be scanning an open area before running in.

- If no coyote comes in after 30 mins, it's best to just move to your next stand (if hunting bobcat, wait longer). Your next stand can be just a couple hundred yds away.

- Wait about 2-3 mins after you have completely stopped calling, before you move out of your stand. There may be a straggler approaching your call that you didn't see.

- Consider using a decoy. This is a touchy subject amongst avid pred. hunters as both sides can be argued and have valid points. However, I choose to use decoys give the experience I have had in the field. A decoy can be as simple as clump of turkey/pigeon feathers hanging on a string from a branch to a battery powered, quality decoy.

- If calling in a rural area, avoid using distress calls that sound like a person in desperation screaming frantically... you may get a squad of police cars rushing into your call hahahaha. It may or may not have happened to me before. Instead use what yotes normally pick off in rural areas such as cats, rodents, or even puppy distress calls.

- If you plan to buy an electronic call, consider buying from a website that allows you to choose your own calls such as Allpredatorcalls.com. That way you can specifically choose your own calls, rather than having a device that every Joe-shmo also has. Also, carry extra batteries, and a hand call as a backup. I have always used Foxpro, and friends have used other brands such as Lucky Duck.

- You mentioned using a .30 caliber (excellent choice by the way), and didn't care for caliber advice but I thought I should just add some information given other hunters reading this thread may find it helpful:

Headshots:
- 30-40 ftlbs airgun CAN get the job done with the RIGHT headshot out to 30ish yds.
- 45-60 ftlbs out to 50ish, again with a good headshot (and yes, there are good/right and bad headshots).
- More ftlbs than that can produce pelts out to 100yds on a good headshot.

Body shots (behind the shoulder):
- high power .25 & most .30 cal airguns produce enough power out to about 50-60 yds. BUT be warned, you may not always be able to recover your coyote as it may ran deep into the woods and far out before it expires. This happens more often than not, and most hunters don't like to talk about those experiences. Do not expect to find a blood trail.

- .35 cal will produce enough energy to confidently take down yotes out to 150yds-ish with a well placed body shot and the right weight ammo. Also, you are very likely to retrieve the body within 50yds from where the shot was taken IF it didn't drop in its tracks. May or may not produce a blood trail.

- .45 cal+ more likely to drop in its tracks and leave a great blood trail.

I can go on and on as I live to hunt, and life has taught me many things along the way but this should be a great start.

Good luck!

Welcome to HAM and thanks for contributing.

 

[CoyoteHammer]

Nice! We have another coyote hunter on board, welcome to HAM

I can’t wait to put the Foxpro X360 through its paces next weekend
No matter how many we dispatch they keep coming back.

 

[pepi.gets.it.done]

A .25 or anything under about 200 FPE can work on coyotes, but the effective range gets tight. Most coyotes don’t commit to 30–40 yards — they usually hang up at 60–120. That’s why I prefer running .30 and .357 setups in the 300+ FPE range.

I use a flat‑faced slug design because inside roughly 80 yards it has enough authority to break the shoulder if that’s the shot you’re given. The shoulder on a coyote is tougher than people think, and lower‑energy setups often won’t break it cleanly at those distances.

Your odds also go up with a heart–lung shot. The chest is a much bigger, steadier target than the head, which is constantly moving. A broadside lung shot gives you a higher success rate and a lot more margin for error.”

I agree, great things to point out.

 

[JimT66]

Would you shoot a coyote in your yard. It’s perfectly legal here in Florida, but would you?

That's where I shoot all of mine! Backyard, by my chicken house.

 

[Billm]

That's where I shoot all of mine! Backyard, by my chicken house.

My wife has no problem with it. Now I have to decide if I’m willing to sit in the dark with beats visiting. I don’t have a fence and so there’s no warning. Bear spray I guess.

 

[JimT66]

My wife has no problem with it. Now I have to decide if I’m willing to sit in the dark with beats visiting. I don’t have a fence and so there’s no warning. Bear spray I guess.

Don't know Bill. Them bears are dangerous critters. Just 1 is all it could take.

 

[Billm]

Don't know Bill. Them bears are dangerous critters. Just 1 is all it could take.

I’m not lying, they scare me. The first time was on a Sunday afternoon. My grandson was looking out the back porch door where I sit and shoot. He freaked out and did a backflip over the sofa. I stood up and saw a mama bear charging at the door with two cubs in tow. I yelled and stood high and it veered off. They come from out of nowhere and have no fear.

 

[Solo1]

I’m not lying, they scare me. The first time was on a Sunday afternoon. My grandson was looking out the back porch door where I sit and shoot. He freaked out and did a backflip over the sofa. I stood up and saw a mama bear charging at the door with two cubs in tow. I yelled and stood high and it veered off. They come from out of nowhere and have no fear.

I was riding my mtb on a unused road came to a corner and saw momma and 3 cubs cross the road. Ok they didn’t notice me waited about 15-20 min and figured ok they probably moseyed on road around the corner and momma and 3 cubs all stood up on edge of road! I kept peeking back trying not to be obvious and finally got out of sight talk about scared s”””less

 

[Billm]

I was riding my mtb on an unused road came to a corner and saw momma and 3 cubs cross the road. Ok they didn’t notice me waited about 15-20 min and figured ok they probably moseyed on road around the corner and momma and 3 cubs all stood up on edge of road! I kept peeking back trying not to be obvious and finally got out of sight talk about scared s”””less

A guy was killed here in Florida by a momma bear a few months ago. It chased his dog into the house and killed the guy and the dog. I’m not sure I want to contend with one, just to shoot my airguns. The wife wants a fence up, to at least give us some warning. I contacted Florida Wildlife when the one bear was looking through our window. I figured weekly encounters was a bit too much. They sent me a plastic whistle and refrigerator magnet. All of my grandkids were here one day for an Easter egg hunt. Thirty minutes after they came into the house a momma bear came walking through the yard with a tiny cub hanging from her mouth and another behind her. That could’ve been nasty. Definitely something I keep in mind when shooting.

 

[Grunt64]

A guy was killed here in Florida by a momma bear a few months ago. It chased his dog into the house and killed the guy and the dog. I’m not sure I want to contend with one, just to shoot my airguns. The wife wants a fence up, to at least give us some warning. I contacted Florida Wildlife when the one bear was looking through our window. I figured weekly encounters was a bit too much. They sent me a plastic whistle and refrigerator magnet. All of my kids were here one day for an Easter egg hunt. Thirty minutes after they came into the house a momma bear came walking through the yard with a tiny cub hanging from her mouth and another behind her. That could’ve been nasty. Definitely something I keep in mind when shooting.

I would at least have some kind of fence up.

 

[Chief55]

Yes, a fence helps a lot. We have had one walking along our fence at around 10 am one day and another by our mailbox with 2 cubs late at night. Never had one in the yard but I did leave a gait open for a year to feed the deer and never saw any that year. Did have four 8-point bucks in my yard at one time though. I was trying to buy that land next to me to hunt on, but I got out bid and someone is clearing it to put a mobile home on it, so I stopped feeding the deer. Some millionaire that buys land and keeps it for 3 years just to resell it for 10 times what they paid for it. They don't care about the land, just the money they will make. I never had a chance to get it, and I had dreamed for years about buying it to put a hunting stand on it. It kind of ruined my best chance to hunt because all of the public land is 45 minutes from me and way overcrowded. You can see a deer, but they are ruining as fast as they can.

 

[Billm]

I refused to put a fence up, because we liked the wildlife such as rabbits and deer occasionally coming on the property. But now me and my one neighbor are the only properties unfenced and so our yards are a funnel. The bears are in between I10 and us. On the other side of us is over 500,000 acres of forest and so our yard is a natural thoroughfare lol. Not so funny really and now a fence is becoming a reality.

 

[CoyoteHammer]

About 4 years ago I was fall turkey hunting alone deep in the woods. I would call and wait for about 15 minutes and then move another 100 yards to the next spot. After about an hour of this I come to a spot where I saw dozens of them roosting the day before. At this point it was about 3:30pm and figured they may come back to roost in the same area. I make my calls as I’m hiding my silhouette behind a large oak tree. I peak around the side and ~100 yards in front of me I see something small, black moving across the ground. I grab my shotgun loaded with turkey load, waiting to fill my freezer, peak around the tree and put my sights on what I thought were turkeys coming down the mountain. Nope! Several small cubs started running back up the hill. My lack of experience at that time didn’t set off the panic button. Instead I was pissed that these cubs messed up my hunt! I grab my gun and backpack, took 2-3 steps and then witnessed something my brain couldn’t process immediately. There was what looked like a giant oil slick object coming right towards me at high speed. It was then that I realized I was in BIG trouble! Momma bear was in full charge. I started stomping my feet breaking the sticks on the forest floor. Momma bear stopped, scanned the area, made eye contact with me and just stared at me. She was only 65 yards away (confirmed the next day). Then her body language changed and loosened up, started walking backwards, came to a stop, then stood up! She was definitely taller than I am. I began yelling at her “don’t effin do it” as I had my sights on her head. She wasn’t going to leave so I had to make a crazy decision. I knew I couldn’t run as I’ve watched ton of bear videos up to this point. Then she started waiving her head side to side and her body language showed she was getting ready for another charge. I prayed out loud that I would be able to see my children again, raised my barrel 20 yards over her head, fired the shot and ran (backwards initially to keep eyes on her) back to camp while every few seconds looking over my shoulder praying she wasn’t coming after me. She ran maybe 10 yards and stopped broadside watching me fill my britches with dookie while making my getaway. When I got home I could have wrung out my underwear, my gear was completely soaked in sweat/fear. That was my first, and last, time I went hunting alone mind you this was my second year of hunting. Learned real quick . Be safe brother.

 

[Grunt64]

About 4 years ago I was fall turkey hunting alone deep in the woods. I would call and wait for about 15 minutes and then move another 100 yards to the next spot. After about an hour of this I come to a spot where I saw dozens of them roosting the day before. At this point it was about 3:30pm and figured they may come back to roost in the same area. I make my calls as I’m hiding my silhouette behind a large oak tree. I peak around the side and ~100 yards in front of me I see something small, black moving across the ground. I grab my shotgun loaded with turkey load, waiting to fill my freezer, peak around the tree and put my sights on what I thought were turkeys coming down the mountain. Nope! Several small cubs started running back up the hill. My lack of experience at that time didn’t set off the panic button. Instead I was pissed that these cubs messed up my hunt! I grab my gun and backpack, took 2-3 steps and then witnessed something my brain couldn’t process immediately. There was what looked like a giant oil slick object coming right towards me at high speed. It was then that I realized I was in BIG trouble! Momma bear was in full charge. I started stomping my feet breaking the sticks on the forest floor. Momma bear stopped, scanned the area, made eye contact with me and just stared at me. She was only 65 yards away (confirmed the next day). Then her body language changed and loosened up, started walking backwards, came to a stop, then stood up! She was definitely taller than I am. I began yelling at her “don’t effin do it” as I had my sights on her head. She wasn’t going to leave so I had to make a crazy decision. I knew I couldn’t run as I’ve watched ton of bear videos up to this point. Then she started waiving her head side to side and her body language showed she was getting ready for another charge. I prayed out loud that I would be able to see my children again, raised my barrel 20 yards over her head, fired the shot and ran (backwards initially to keep eyes on her) back to camp while every few seconds looking over my shoulder praying she wasn’t coming after me. She ran maybe 10 yards and stopped broadside watching me fill my britches with dookie while making my getaway. When I got home I could have wrung out my underwear, my gear was completely soaked in sweat/fear. That was my first, and last, time I went hunting alone mind you this was my second year of hunting. Learned real quick . Be safe brother.

“Just adding some biology here — according to the Minnesota DNR, NPS, and the North American Bear Center, black bears usually have 2–3 cubs, and litters of 4 are already uncommon. All of them also state that cubs stay very close to the sow, usually within a few yards. A sow letting ‘several cubs’ roam 100 yards ahead of her would be completely outside normal black bear behavior.” (just keeping it real)

 

[CoyoteHammer]

I have no idea where she was until I took a few steps away from hiding behind a large oak tree. She winded me but didn’t see me till I made noise. Scariest moment of my life realizing that I was prey for the first time ever. Now I bring a pocket full of slugs

 

[JimT66]

I’m not lying, they scare me. The first time was on a Sunday afternoon. My grandson was looking out the back porch door where I sit and shoot. He freaked out and did a backflip over the sofa. I stood up and saw a mama bear charging at the door with two cubs in tow. I yelled and stood high and it veered off. They come from out of nowhere and have no fear.

And let me guess, if you woulda shot her, they would have put you in the crossbar hotel wouldn't they have? Damn that! Time to set up in an afore mentioned window with the .30 or better, and just heat up bear butt, to run them off. Dark room, good moderator! Good spot to snipe the yotes too! Is how I get mine. They never see it coming.