What We Recommend for Successful Coyote Hunting?

At the World Championship Coyote Calling Contest® (WCCCC®) we are in search of the
perfect coyote call, the perfect rifle/shotgun, the perfect camouflage, the perfect optics, the perfect cover scent, the perfect bipod or tripod, the perfect coyote calling sounds, and more.   It is an exhausting search because there are so many to chose from today. Even the best camera, best lens, and best sound equipment can be a challenge.

The most difficult thing is that the amazing and wonderful coyote keeps changing, getting smarter, getting more and more resourceful every day. They are perhaps one of the toughest wild animals to trick! Therefore the search goes on. Additionally there are now thousands of sportsmen in the field trying their best to trick them too.

So we at the WCCCC® and our many members search….and search….and search! There are now those with the talent to use their individual skills with their mouth to imitate sounds that interest the clever and curious coyote. Amazing!

At WCCCC® we think everyone’s calls, tools, equipment, and attractants are great!  Each one has a special sound or function that will fit each coyote callers special needs.  There is no right call or wrong call.  As they say “coyote calling is like fishing, you should throw everything in the box at them until something strikes!”  We agree!  There is no magic call or product that will give you an edge over ever other coyote caller.  No it takes lots of practice, studying, and luck to trick this great predator.

Before you get your money out and start buying you need to study everything and we mean everything! Stay off the blogs and the many opinions of the armchair coyote callers who go out once per
year and are instant experts!  Consider the following list of things to study;

1. Study the coyote forward and backward.  Know everything about them!
   1. What do they eat in your area? (or where you are going)
   2. When do they breed and for how long?
   3. What are their travel habits in your area? (or where you are going)
   4. Early morning habits- (record movement times)
   5. Midday habits- (record movement times)
   6. Afternoon habits-(record movement times)
   7. Evening habits-(record movement times)
   8. Night habits (even if coyote calling is not approved at night)- (record movement times)
   9. Where do they go in your area? (or where you are going?)
   10. When do they pair up?
   11. Where do they spend their day in your area? (or where you are going).
   12. Learn about the good they do.
   13. Learn about the problems they cause.
   14. Know all the facts inside and out!
       1. They do not mate for life! (no official study has proven this)
       2. They are NOT pack animals by nature
       3. They do not have a secret sense to produce more pups because THEY know coyote populations are low.
   15. Learn about the coyotes health issues like rabies, manage, fleas, ticks, and more.
       1. It is very rare (but possible) that coyote have rabies. Arizona averages one (1) per year as an example.
   16. Learn about the causes of attacks on humans.   When they occur and why. Know the facts and not just rumors.

2. Study your area.  
   1. Know the terrain, the color of the brush, color of the rocks, color of the soil, and color of the trees. Many of these colors change through the year too.
   2. Know the weather, wind patterns, temperature patterns, and more.
      1. What is the predominate wind direction?
      2. What are the wind patterns like; it blows for three days and then stops and then turns around and comes back or what?
      3. What time of the year does the wind blow or not blow?3. Learn the proper approach for you favorite coyote calling station. Go in quite and come out quite to improve call results.

3. Learn the coyote population numbers.

Most Game and Fish Departments have coyote estimates for their state and sometimes by area.

1. Figure coyote numbers of 1 per square mile in areas like Kansas. But this will vary through out the state. That is a total of 82,277 coyotes in Kansas! No shortage!
2. Figure coyote numbers of 1 per 5 square miles in the southwest like Arizona and again this will vary in different parts of the state. That is a total of 227,996 coyotes. No shortage!
3. California claims to have 700,000 coyotes and that is 4.3 coyotes per square mile! They do not want coyote control either! No shortage!
4. The City of Chicago claims to have 2,000 coyotes in the metro area!

As you look at these coyote numbers (estimates), note the total of 1, 010,773 coyotes in just three(3) states! There is NO SHORTAGE of this crafty, dangerous,  and very smart predator.

4. Have equipment that matches the area you are calling coyotes in.
   1. Matching camouflage to area foliage and the time of the year. One style seldom fits all!
   2. Matching cover scent (don’t use pine if there are no pine trees!)

5. Use calling aids when ever you can-they MAY help. They seldom hurt!
   1. Bipods and tripods will greatly improve your coyote calling experience. Get a good one!
   2. Electronic units that hold various wild animal and some domestic sounds are a great addition to coyote calling. It is a talent to learn how to use this new tool successfully. It is rare that it can just be turned on and be instantly successful. Practice with it and learn every aspect of how to control it.
   3. Decoys (artificial) have mixed results and can help or hinder coyote calling success. You must practice with them and learn when and how to use them.   They are not the magic answer to instantly improved coyote calling. In some cases it will make the experience worse.
   4. Experiment with different sounds even if they do not represent wild or domestic animals in your area. Coyotes are curious predators and may come to investigate the strange sound.
   5. Note that different animal sounds from different devices are more effective at different times of the year. Practice and record those sounds, the successes, the failures, and times and dates in a small notebook for future reference.

6. Meet and befriend Game and Fish officials and land owners in your   area. Coyote callers should work as a team with many different folks as they try to help a given area. Do not be stranger or a 007!
   1. Learn where you can help both the Game and Fish officials and the area land owners and managers with coyote issues. Give them your name, vehicle license number, and contact information. Do not be a stranger to them.
   2. Even in large public land areas where permission may not be needed, stop and met the local residence, ranchers, farmers, mailman, UPS driver, and Game officials and let them know you are in the area trying to help. Do not be a stranger to any of them. Wave and smile when you see them.
   3. Obtain good geographic maps of the area you coyote call in. Have the land owners mark property lines and hot spots for coyote problems they are having.
   4. Where required be sure to get written permission for land owners or managers for the areas you coyote call in.