Kill more coyotes with these post breeding season tactics
The end of the coyote breeding season will soon be upon us. And as hunters, we must adjust to the transition into spring coyote tactics if we are to remain successful. Two important factors come into play that we must look at to keep harvesting coyotes consistently. Let’s take a look at these factors, which will remain in play for the upcoming months.
Spring’s abundance
Spring brings about new life in great abundance. Animals small and large birth their young in the spring of the year. And this must be one focus of coyote hunters. Rabbits, mice, birds, and even whitetail deer all drop their young in the spring. So coyote hunters must match their calling with those calls that coyotes are naturally hearing in the woods.
One reason this is a difficult time for hunters is that coyotes are hearing such a large number of prey. That abundance works against hunters. Coyotes are easily distracted when they have so many sounds to draw their attention. If they have to come a long distance to your call, chances are good that they’ll happen upon other prey in the process.
Some calls that work well this time of year include rabbit distress calls and bird distress calls. One advantage of the bird distress calls is that few hunters use them. So coyotes are not very educated to these calls.
I have several woodpecker distress calls marked as favorites on my e-caller. A cardinal distress is a must. Killdeer works great in areas that hold this vocal bird, so give it a try in area where you’ve heard them. Look for fawns along the roadways and start using fawn distress once with see that sign.
Coyotes are hungry this time of year. Make those calls work to your advantage and set the plan for your coyotes.
Mother’s instincts
Another factor that makes this such a challenging time of year for calling coyotes is the fact that female coyotes will go quiet after breeding season. The female does not want to broadcast her den’s location to strangers. So she remains quiet. This means half of your coyote population is no longer vocal. And that leads to some very tough calling conditions.
During the denning time frame, key in on the motherly instincts of coyotes with calls that replicate unknown coyotes raiding a den. Coyotes are vicious animals, and this call can bring a mother running as she believes her den location has been discovered. This call is a must to have in your arsenal, especially this time of year.
It’s a tough time for hunters, but better days are ahead
Keeping these two factors in mind will help keep you on coyotes over the next few months, which are typically tough for coyote hunters. But embrace the challenge, and you’ll become a better hunter. Before you know it, the young ones will leave their dens. And that’s when you’ll see the highest numbers of ‘yotes all year.
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