Coyote hunting in general

[Guest]

I have come upon the opportunity to do a former client of mine a favor, and have a little fun in the process. She has a bunch of coyotes which are messing with her dogs, cows, and such, and she'd like as many of them gone as possible. She has a farm of about 400ac, which she shares with her three siblings. They would all like the dogs gone. The area has some pretty steep elevation changes, as well as open and wooded areas, so what I need to know is, how does one hunt coyotes? What kind of calling do I need to learn to do? What kind of bait, if any, do I use? How many dogs should I expect to see in an afternoon in an area that is pretty well populated?

I am assuming I can use my .243 for this, and change out later if I find it really interesting. One last thing, what do I do with them once they're down? Obviously, I'm not going to eat them, and I'm no fur trapper, so what do I do?

 

[JD338]

Hunting coyotes in the east is a lot different than the west and your area sounds similar to mine here in MI.
I call them in with a hand call or my Foxpro electronic caller w/ remote.
You have to set up either down wind or cross wind because they will come in circling down wind everytime to either a call or bait.

If you bait, you can use a fresh road kill. With your rifle, set up 50-100 yds away and wait, similar to deer hunting. Coyotes are most active late in the evening through the night and early morning. I do see a few during the day, just depends on the local food source.
If you hunt at night, your state laws may require you to use a shotgun.
A 12 ga 3" mag #4 buckshot, if legal, is awesome on coyotes out to 50 yds with a Turkey choke. Dead Coyote HeviShot is unbeleivable but expensive. Lead BB will also work. You can make a red light with a MagLite flashlight by coloring a clear peice of plastic with red magic marker. Their eyes will glow red and they won't spook with the red light on them.
Your 243 Win is perfect for coyotes. Your current load will be fine.
I would move the coyote away from your hunting area and dig a hole.
Chances are you will get hooked into another fun and challenging sport.

Predator Masters is also a good place to go and learn.
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ub ... hreads.php


JD338