[MossyMO]

This will be my 3rd season of coyote calling. My first 2 years I have been unsuccessful. The first year I tried hand calls which I come close ot having no idea what I am doing and before last season I made a mp3 caller thanks to SDHandgunner's plans.

The first 2 years I lived in Fargo and tried calling a few days during the winter. This summer I moved to a place in the country 25 miles north of Minot.

All summer I have been listening to the coyotes howl and yelp at night. I swearthe numbers are very strong up hear. I have refrained from calling them this summer as I do not want to educate them.

I do want to hit it much harder this year and be succesful at calling. Over the years I have read many threads and also veiwed 20 some DVD's trying to learn all I can.

When is a good time for me to start calling them this fall?

Are their pelts worth anything yet?

There is a fur buyer in the small town I work out of, so bringing them in fresh without freezing them is an option. As for this winter, assuming I am succesful I do not plan on getting into skinning them (do not have the time yet).

Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[FullClip]

I have to say good job on not calling them this summer! I have been doing this about 5 years and it is tough. Ive noticed if you can get out before the pheasant and deer hunters push them around they can be easier to hunt/call but, I wouldnt think they are worth much until mid to late oct. I shot one 2 years ago in early oct and it was pretty light in the fur dept.

 

[MossyMO]

Other thing I have been noticing is they (numerous coyotes) start howling right about pre-dusk from a quarter of uncut sunflower seed to te side of our place and around night fall they are howling from a cut barley quarter right behind here.

I have hunting access to the cut barley quarter and was curious if sitting out tomorrow night by the cut barley quarter might be a good idea with out calling?

Tonight it is a 3/4 moon with no clouds, and the coyotes are still at this time (1:00am) out there howling. I can recognize what sounds like a young one out there also trying to learn to howl, but is just basically yelping.

Over the summer I have found quite a few of their dens and have done my best to stay away. 3 - 4 weeks before I go near them again to see if they are still active dens. As of the last month I have noticed most were no longer active dens. Is this because the sunflower seeds have matured and provinded good cover and when they are cut the coyotes will return to their dens? If so I have 3 dens so far I have found that are within a half mile of where we live; and I am sure there aremore.

Next Spring I want to mount a trail cam on the dens.....

 

[Fallguy]

Sunflower areas are good areas for coyotes it seems. I would get out there and call around the end of September or early October. That cut barley spot sounds like a great place....force the coyote to come out of the flowers and present itself in the open. Get out there while the pups are young and bring a shotgun. You will get your first kill before Thanksgiving this year!

 

[Jaybic]

Mossy Mo,

I gotta go with Fallguy on that one. The best time to knock down your first called kill is coming in the next month or so. Wait until the last hour of the day in late Sept/early Oct and go set up on that sunflower spot about 300-500 yards from where you hear them howl just before dark consistantly.

If you can howl, try a pup howl and if they light up, give it a minute or so and start with the distress and keep your eyes peeled. At least thats the way it worked for me last October but everyones got theyre own way but being that you asked, thats what I would try anyway.

I will bet that in that neighborhood, this will be your year pal! :beer:

Let us know with pics.

Jaybic

 

[MossyMO]

Fallguy and Jaybic
Thanks for the advice, the coyotes are going at it again tonight. I am going to hold off till you guys say go..... I am excited about this year !!!

 

[huntinND]

As of the last month I have noticed most were no longer active dens. Is this because the sunflower seeds have matured and provinded good cover and when they are cut the coyotes will return to their dens?

Coyotes only use dens to raise young pups in the spring. Early in the summer the pups will hang close to the den to escape danger, but by the time they are large enough to run with the adults they will not use the hole at all, but nearby cover. At other times of the year coyotes bed down just like deer. You can bet that this family group will be using that sunflower field as cover until it is harvested.
You probably won't recieve a good price for pelts until late October, but you can probably start keeping pelts in a couple weeks. These pelts will probably sell, but for a lot lower price then a fully prime pelt. My advice for you is to get out there in a couple of weeks and start calling. Get a few coyotes under your belt and get what you can for the pelts. The experience and confidence you get from calling in a few coyotes will benefit you more then getting a few extra bucks later in the year. Good Luck, keep us informed on how you do.

 

[ilike2shoot]

Just remember, its not legal to hunt at night till November 24th. http://gf.nd.gov/regulations/furbearer/index.html#r

That said, a couple friends and I live in Minot and love to hunt (have also been watching a few fox and coyote in another area lately), so maybe we can get something going later in the season.

 

[MossyMO]

I still have not had the time to take time to call, but this morning on my way to work a coyote ran out in front of me across a cut barley field. I stopped to glass him and as I was reaching for my binoc's I thought, why not just watch him through your rifle scope in case it presents me with a shot. As I pulled him up in the scope he came to a broad side stop at what I thought was a little over 400 yards, I placed the crosshairs just over him and let a round go. Re-focusing through my scope I could not see him so I pulled away from the scope to spot him with my naked eye..... nothing.

I went out to check the field for the coyote and could not find anything. On my way back I noticed a darker spot in the barley so I check it, just weeds so continued heading back. Then saw another dark spot but figured just weeds and continued; then I thought better check it out. There he was, my shot went directly through the pumper. Hit it in the left side and it was laying directly on right side. It had not move an inch after the bullet hit home. Makes me wonder if the coyote lived long enough to hear the shot.

I must add, thank you to sdhandgunners for his .223, Nosler 55 gr. ballistic tip load. The entry wound is the size of my little finger and at best the exit is the size of my thumb. Very hide freindly round, on this hide anyways.

I plan on checking the actual distance of the shot this weekend, and I will post my findings.

The last week the coyotes are really howling like crazy (sounds like a dozen of them) from my father in laws buffalo pasture. I have every intention of sitting at a fence line, calling and using a shotgun. This coyote today got me really fired up !!!



I had another picture to post of just the yote but the image host I use was not cooperatiing tonight..... I will hopefully, tomorrow post it with the distance this shot was taken.

 

[Fallguy]

Congrats MossyMO!

I knew you would have some luck out at your new home! Fun stuff getting a shot unexpectadly.

I am going to make a game out of this. You said you held "a little over him".
Not sure what you mean personally by "a little", but here is my guess:

After my experiments with my 223 and shooting at various distances I am going to guess the true distance at closer to 300 yards rather than 400. What I have seen with my 223 is that I drop about 11 inches at 300 (I hold about ear height at that point on my silhouettes), and I drop closer to 23-24 inches at 400. Let me know how close I am. :wink:

Again, congrats and get some of those howlers called in!

 

[MossyMO]

Fallguy
I ran it with my tripometer with my pickup today and I think it will be in the ballpark of 450 yards. Which is my personal best shot to beat. A few years ago I took a buck with a broadside neck shot at 450 yards.

Tonight I borrowed a deal that measures distance that has a tripometer and a "bike tire".

I am guessing I had the cross hairs held about 6 to 8 inches (my estimate through the scope) above the yote..... Some may call me unethical or not sportsman like, but I know my rifles out to 300 yards and have experience with them past that.

 

[Fallguy]

Mossy

What is your setup for your 223 (gun, load, etc). What kind of drop are you getting at the various distances? It seems a lot different from mine, and I would like to compare what you are getting. Sounds interesting!

 

[MossyMO]

Fallguy
The .223 is a Ruger M77 Mark II black synthetic stock with brushed stainless steel 20" barrel with a 1 in 12 twist topped with a 6-18X42 Scheels scope.

The load I use is 21.5 grains of Hodgdon H4198 with a 55 grain Nosler ballistic tip. I use Federal premium primers and the overall bullet length is 2.211.

If I have ever measured the bullet drop at different distances I did not write it down, and I should have; I just got use to how it shoots a 100, 200 and 300 yards. Next time I have a chance I will measure the 200 and 300 differences, as I have it sighted dead on at 100; most of my other rifles are sighted to be 2" high at 100 yards.

Ddin't get the yardage of the shot check today either, it was raining and I will wait till the field is drier.

 

[Fallguy]

When you get your findings I am interested in seeing what you got. I have a real hard time buying that your 223 would only drop in the neighborhood of 14 inches at 450 yards (assuming you are holding 7 inches over and you have several more inches from hairline to vital area).

I know with my 223 shooting factory 50 grain V max I drop about 12 inches at 300 and 24 inches at 400. I sight in my gun 1 inch high at 100. I am by no means an expert but have shoot and measured these drops a few times since last April. Could there really be that much difference in our powder loads?

Of course, you at this time are only estimating your distance and your holdover (which by itself is a beast to master). We can also assume in your excitement there could have possibly been a flinch to raise your muzzle up :wink: .

Let us know what you find out Mossy....this is a good learning post.

 

[MossyMO]

Fallguy
Ya those are 100% guesstamates from the hip and flinching is always a huge possibilty.....

 

[Fallguy]

LOL I know how that goes.

 

[Jaybic]

Mossymo,

Congrats on a nice shot. Ive missed plenty closer than that.
:beer:

When it happens to me like that, I just smile and write it off to a lucky woble and dont argue with success.

On the other hand, if you were on a bench rock steady and holdong 8 inches high, it probably would have been a clean miss! My ballistics program from Sierra says that a 55gr NBT at 3190fps(top book speed) drops 38 inches at 450 yards when sighted in at 100 yards! Sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

Now just wait until that first called one runs up and stops about 65 yards out and see how bad the crosshairs wobble. Dang adrenaline anway.

Jaybic

 

[MossyMO]

Thanks guys..... I was able to go out and measure it today and it appears I am not a reliable judge of distances as it was 368 yards, so I was off. That or I was subconsiously trying to beef up my ego !!! I think a range finder is going on my wish list.....

 

[Jaybic]

Still durn good shootin' ifn ya axe me.

Jaybic

 

[Fallguy]

Anything over 200 is a far shot on a small target like a coyotes vitals. Nice job!!!