Personally, when Casey mentioned this is a good time to Coyote Hunt, my response was 'Why would anyone want to hunt coyote?' Anyone who knows Casey knows that we then had an hour-long conversation about coyote hunting. If I don't write things down, information is in and out of my brain like a sieve. Not Casey! He seems to have endless memory storage space for all things hunting.
Why would you want to hunt coyotes?
If you are an avid hunter, just want to get your money's worth on your tag, or are even just an antsy person who wants to always be able to get out for something, then coyote hunting might be for you. You can hunt coyote all year long and there are no location restrictions, no tag limits, no checking in - all you need is a basic hunting license. Here is where I throw the disclaimer - please always check in your area for any hunting restrictions on what you can hunt when and what type of equipment you can use.
Another great thing about coyote hunting is that it is simple. You don't need any fancy equipment. It's not really dangerous at all as coyotes are typically scared of humans. You can also choose to make this an active hunt where you go to different setups across your property all day or keep it simple and just hang out for a few hours in one location. Because this hunt is so versatile and simple, it's a great way to introduce new and/or young hunters to the sport of hunting.
PA and MD are pretty overrun by coyotes (hence the open season). As they are predators, too many coyotes mean fewer deer, turkey, and other smaller animals. By taking out coyotes, you are managing the land and helping to increase the deer and turkey populations. You can make money on coyote if you are able to tan the pelt. I'll provide some information and links on this further down for anyone who is interested. You can also eat coyote meat. Look further down for good recipes and advice. Finally, did you know that coyote hunting competitions are a thing? Like a big thing? There are local and national coyote hunting competitions that can land you cold hard cash! More about this later as well.
What equipment do you need? So, I said coyote hunting was easy. You probably already have almost everything you need to coyote hunt. You need a rifle, a blind or shelter of some sort, blaze orange, and camo clothes. Outside of those items, which most hunters have in their stash already, you'll want to consider calls and decoys. This is where I get more detailed for you.
When I started researching this, I knew very little about calls and decoys in general, much less about coyote calls and decoys. I'm now an expert of sorts, so let me share. Casey said he prefers FOXPRO calls and decoys because they are durable and versatile. In my research, I have to say, FOXPRO gets pretty good ratings overall and has a great reputation. They also have a range of options, so you can put as little or much as you want into your calls and decoys and still get quality products and have a great hunt. There are essentially 3 types of calls you can purchase for predator hunting: diaphragm calls, hand calls, and electronic calls. Diaphragm calls are the cheapest ($9-20 range). Hand calls fall in the $25-$50 range, and electronic calls range from about $125-$1000. Decoys are in the $60-$120 range and they are all pretty similar. Decoys work with electronic calls.
Diaphram calls
I associate diaphragm calls with Turkey hunting because Casey has them everywhere as spring turkey is his favorite hunting season. After reading and researching coyote hunting, I think he would probably like that just as much. Diaphram calls take a little practice as you have to create the sounds and really know what sound you are attempting to create in order to recreate them. However, they really are not difficult to use. They are also small and easy to carry around. You can get mouth calls that replicate female coyotes, male coyotes, young coyotes, and animals in distress. If you are going the diaphragm route, I suggest getting a variety. Coyotes are smart animals and they learn from what hunters do wrong. Most hunters attempt to lure coyotes with distressed rabbit calls and the coyotes have learned that a distressed rabbit call means hunter with a gun, so other options sometimes work better, especially in more hunted areas.
While researching diaphragm calls, I found this short video demonstrating one of the diaphragm calls available from FOXPRO. The video shows the basics of how to make the sounds you'll need to use for coyote hunting. I'm not sure what exactly he is calling, but my cats were not happy with it!
As I recommend a variety of diaphragm calls, here is a link to a combo pack that gives you just that so you can use this link to purchase calls or even just help you research more about diaphragm calls for coyote hunting.
Hand Calls Hand calls (just means you hold them in your hand) come in 2 designs, a closed reed design, and an open reed design. Both are relatively simple to use. You can get hand calls to represent coyotes or distressed animals. Again, if you are going to go this route, I would choose a variety for the fact that distress calls are often overused for coyote hunting.
When I was researching hand calls, I came across this video where Call In The Country reviewed the FOXPRO hand calls. He demonstrates what they sound like and a little bit about how he would use them.
Here is a link to some of the calls he demonstrates in this video for you to check out.
Electronic Calls
Electronic calls range from $125 to almost $1000 depending on their features. Electronic calls are nice because you do not have to be able to create the sounds yourself - just hit a button on a remote and let the call do the work. You can also distance the call from yourself, so there is less chance of the coyote making your location. You also can use these electronic calls for more than just coyote or predator hunting as you can download additional sounds to these calls. Even at the low end, they come with 25-35 preloaded sounds and allow up to 300 sounds. At the high end, the number of sounds is essentially unlimited for the recreational hunter. The lower end of the calls has 1 speaker (usually with the option to add additional external speakers), and you can play 1 sound at a time. At the high end, they offer 2 speakers, which allows for features that make it seem like the animal is moving. It can automatically change pitch and play multiple sounds at once. Below, I have posted a link to a video for the Shockwave this is about a $500 call. It's well-liked and the least expensive of the electronic calls with 2 speakers.
Here are some links to electronic calls The first (The Patriot) is one of the lower end electronic calls and the Shockwave is the one demonstrated above.
Decoys
FOXPRO has 3 different types of decoys for coyote hunting - the Jack Jr, Fox Jack, and the Jack Daddy. With a decoy, you will mostly choose the decoy by the electronic call you chose. The Jack Jr and Fox Jack (which has several different models) are very similar. They have a random movement controlled by the remote of your electronic call. The Fox Jack has a whisper-quiet motor and a better movement pattern.
The Jack Daddy can be used as an all in one unit as it also comes with 3 built-in calls or it can be used in combination with FOXPRO calls. The built-in calls are all distress calls, so, as I keep promising I will discuss later, you'll want to have a backup call as distress calls are not always the best for drawing in coyotes, especially in populated areas. Here is some information from FOXPRO on their JackDaddy and FoxJack3 products. These videos show how the products work and what they look like in action.
I've listed some links below for you to check out the different decoys and do your own research. If you choose to get an electronic decoy, make absolutely sure that it works with the electronic call you purchase as well!
Scouting, setting up, and calling for coyotes
Even though Coyotes seem to be everywhere, it is important to know exactly where they are so that you know where to set up. Coyotes have an amazing sense of smell, hearing, and sight and they learn quickly from their mistakes. Little things like slamming a car door or talking while waiting can teach them not to come back to the area or not trust a distressed animal call, etc. The best way to find a coyote is to find a piece of farmland where the owner has been having issues with them. You will often find them on a cow farm where calves are being born. You also want to know where they are bedding down and get into your spot while they are bedded down so they don't know you are there. Finally, it's all about the smell. Stay downwind and be smell free! This is a great article that I found on scouting coyotes in all terrains. The article is from Coyote Hunting 101.
Coyotes are dogs - they are smart, they are aware, and they educate easily. However, they are also impulsive and ridiculously curious. Finally, they are also completely unpredictable. That should all be used to your advantage.
Mostly, what I have learned from my research on calling coyotes is to be patient and flexible. If you are using an animal in distress call and all you hear is crickets, consider using coyote sounds. Maybe they have been trained to stay away from distress calls already. Don't continuously call. As I said previously, Coyotes are curious - so if they hear something they don't recognize, they are going to come to check it out - but if you overdo the calling, you'll teach them that is danger. Consider calling once and waiting a few minutes before calling again. Here are two articles I thought had great information in them on setting up and calling coyotes: Proven Tactics to Kill More Coyotes Setting up and calling coyotes
Advantages of Private Land over Public Land
Pennsylvania has a significant amount of public land for free, so why would you want to spend extra money to lease private land? Well, let me give you some information.
Public land:
Free
Plentiful, but good hunting land can be overrun
Anyone can hunt anywhere, but this can make for dangerous situations with unskilled hunters.
Coyotes might be overhunted
Private Land Can be costly Plentiful and not usually overrun with hunters You know who is hunting near you Animals are rarely overhunted on private land and there is chance no one has ever hunted coyotes on that land.
What do I do when I get a coyote?
Competitions
Coyote hunting competitions are a huge thing in PA. I think the legislation is working on or has already banned these types of competitions in MD, so sorry folks if you are in MD, this part of the blog is not for you.
January Coyote Hunts:
Jan 8-9 - Kinsey Outdoors is hosting a predator hunt starting tonight (you have to be registered by 6pm). There are cash prizes and you can have up to 2 people hunting together. If you are ready to go, this might be worth checking out! Find more information here.
Jan 15-17 - Woodcock Valley Sportsman Association is holding a predatory hunt. The cost is just $35 per hunter. Please check out their website here for more information.
Jan 21-24 - SF - 6th Annual Predator Rundown is open to all of PA. Find out more information on the Facebook event here.
Jan 22-24 - The St. Clair-Treamont Trap and Field club is holding their 20th annual Predator Hunt. The hunt is open to all of PA, but check in is Johnstown. Check out more information here.
Jan 22-24 - Springville Coon Hunters 16th Annual Coyote & Fox Hunt is taking place in the northwest of PA. Find out more information here.
Jan 29-30 - Jerome Sportsmen 13th Annual Adam Deist Memorial Hunt. You can hunt the entire state but must turn in animals in Somerset County. Find out more information here.
Jan 29-31 - District 9 PA Trappers Association Northeast Regional Coyote Hunt is holding their hunt in the Northeast. For this contest, you actually get paid for each coyote you bring in. Email pricee0503@hotmail.com for more information.
There are predator hunts all over the state through February, at least. For more information, please click here.
Coyote Pelts Tanned Coyote pelts can go for $40-$50 in the Eastern US. If you get efficient at tanning, you could make quite a bit of money on this aspect alone. If you do not want to tan the hides yourself, many furriers will purchase the fresh hides from you and tan and resell them. Whichever method you use, make sure to read this article before you go hunting for a quick tip guide on keeping the best hide for a pelt. If you want to tan the hide yourself, it's really not that difficult. You just need some time, patience, and space where you can work. This is a step by step guide to tanning a coyote hide, including all of the ingredients you need. You can gather those ingredients individually, or else pick up a tanning kit like this one:
Eating Coyotes
Many hunters do not eat coyotes, but coyote meat seems to be coming into its own. Like most wild game, it's all about how you cook it. You need to make sure it's cooked thoroughly without killing it again. The key point to consider is when you harvest the coyote. Coyote taken in the winter will be fine, but you'll want to give a second thought to eating coyote caught in the summer because they are eating spoiled meat, so that will reflect in the flavor of their meat. Here is a video from HuntChef eating coyote for the first time. If you like that, then check out this article where the writer posted videos of HuntChef's friends also trying Coyote backstrap.
Here are some more recipes I found.
So, the moral of the story today is to try something new, introduce someone new to hunting with a fun hunt like coyotes, make money off of what is most likely your hobby, and eat what you kill!
Signing off until next time...
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