Coyote Calls...Try A Fawn Distress Call For Spring And Summer Coyote Calling

The Coyote Calls I use vary depending on the area and the season of the year.

First let's cover area.

If I know an area has not been hunted before I will almost always use a rabbit distress call. On the other hand if I know it has had some hunting pressure from other predator hunters I will probably use a different call.

Now don't get me wrong. I like it that more and more hunters are starting to enjoy predator hunting. But I also know that when hunters are new to calling coyotes they use rabbit distress calls almost exclusively. I also know that there lack of experience makes for a lot of smart coyotes.

Since I know this I will change up my calling when in previously hunted areas. Maybe some coyote vocalizations or a fawn distress or bird distress.

Now let's talk about season

At the time of this post it is mid May here in Missouri. Turkey season is just over and deer are giving birth to fawns.....Ding Ding Ding!

Yep it's time to use the fawn distress call. One draw back to this is you are going to call in some deer as well.

The up side is that those old opportunistic coyotes know what time of year it is too. Coyotes dine on different critters at different times of the year and it is prime time for fawn distress calling.

If you have deer in your area and I bet you do...get out your fawn distress call and get out there and give it a go.

Good Luck and Great Hunting!
Grizz

Coyote Decoy...Here's How I Use Them

COYOTE DECOY

Flambeau make a great coyote decoy. In my opinion they really did their homework when designing it because they have made it in such a way that it can be placed in a standing position, a sitting position, or a prone position.

This matters for a couple of reasons to me. One is the wind. When I am calling in a fairly stiff wind I sit that decoy on it's hind end to make it more stable. Let's it not catch quite as much wind as it does when it is standing.

The second reason is the coyote decoys posture. A standing coyote has the appearance of a more aggressive posture. Where as a sitting or prone position coyote decoy would appear to be a less aggressive posture.

HERE'S HOW I SETUP MY COYOTE DECOY IN A GIVEN CALLING SITUATION

For Instance If I am doing a Challenge Howl

I will stand my coyote decoy up when in this situation. Hey I'm challenging him with my call so why not make my decoy look like a challenger? Works well for getting an alpha coyote all pumped up!

Other Ways I Use The Coyote Decoy

I have played with this decoy just about every way you can imagine. I have even placed fur in it's mouth when making distress calls so it looks like the decoy coyote has already made the kill.

Do you need a coyote decoy to be a successful coyote hunter? The answer is no. But I can tell you from experience that anything I can do to draw an incoming coyotes attention away from me, all adds up to a better percentage of coyotes killed.

Add A Crow Call To Your Arsenal

A new subscriber here named John brought to my attention the use of a crow call along with distress calls when he's out calling coyotes. I used to do this dog gone it, but forgot all about it in my recent years of experimenting with different calling techniques. Thanks for reminding me John!

I'm gonna share with you John's e-mail on how he has used his crow call successfully. Here it is:

"Kevin, Here is how I use the crow call with coyotes. I first use the distress rabbit for a minute or so, then I play the crow call ( a few crows ) then real quick play the distress rabbit, wait about 10 seconds and play the crow call again for about 3 minutes. The way I see it, the coyote thinks a rabbit is hurt and the crow have spotted it and are getting ready to have a easy lunch. The coyotes then move in for the easy kill. The first time I tried it, I called in a pair of males. Using a .308 ( 25 round magazine ) I took both. One sitting about 60 yards and the other ( full run - 3 shots.......they are hard to hit running, but very fun ) The running shot was about 150 yards. Any new ideas from you or the post would be great to hear."

Nice shooting John and thanks for the great info!

I want to tell everyone here that shooting a coyote standing still is the best. But I'm also gonna tell you that just like John I'm not going to pass up a running shot if I know I can cleanly kill a coyote.

I'm also going to tell you that I am a very good shot. I'm not bragging here. I practice all the time and I think any serious hunter should too.

Moral of the story...practice yourself and know your abilities and limits.

One more thing...it's a good story I promise!

I learned to hit moving targets with my rifle a long time ago when my wife was still a good sport about going hunting with me (just kidding hunny).

I would get me some old tires and wire plywood to the inside of them. Then my loving and supportive new bride (26 years ago) would roll those suckers down a slight hill for me while I practiced shooting them on the move. It was a blast and I learned a ton about leading and hitting a target on the move.

I know you're thinking "what a hillbilly". Guess you may be right, but I can pretty much smoke a coyote running inside a hundred yards and further if I can make a safe shot.

Thanks for reading and good luck!
Grizz

I know The Name Of This Blog Is "Coyote Calling Tips" But Would You Try Calling A Bobcat If I Told You Where To Find One?

I can't resist here to tell you a little bit about Bobcats. I love to call those critters too.

Any place I find a brush pile I am looking for Bobcat Sign. I know that here in Missouri bobcats can often be found in them. Above is a picture to give you an idea of what a bobcat footprint looks like. If you have any piles of brush in places you can hunt...check em out. See if you can find any tracks in the dirt around them.

Now when you are trying to call a bobcat, you are probably going to have to be a bit more patient calling. There have been times when I have called them in fairly quickly, but most times they come to the call much slower and more wary than coyotes. Remember bobcats just like house cats are stalking type hunters.

Think about a house cat. Have you ever seen a house cat when they are trying to sneak up on a bird? Bobcats are no different. They are stalkers.

I can't tell you the number of times I've been hunting only to see the hind end of a cat that busted me before I busted him. Which brings me to another point.

When you are calling bobcats you really have to pay very close attention and scan the area very closely. These sneaky little varmints can be setting there watching you and you don't even know it.

My favorite call for bobcats is the Primos Cat Nip Predator Call Just use it like you would any other distress call.

Hope this has been helpful for you. Get out there and get yourself a bobcat. Last season good cats with lots of spots on there underside were worth about $60 here in Missouri and I think the cats from further north where the fur is better brought a lot more.