Coyotes are easily one of the most difficult and challenging animals to hunt. In order to successfully call in and kill these crafty animals, you must be in an area where they live. Scouting is the most important factor that successful coyote callers use to find success, and you can use it to your advantage as well!
So how do you go about scouting and locating coyotes out in the wild? These coyotes often have many different habits and preferences when compared to their suburban and rural brothers, so here are a few tips to help you get started.
Put Boots on the Ground
The best thing you can do in scouting is getting out there and see potential hunting areas beforehand. You simply can’t kill any coyotes if you are not hunting where they don’t live. If you are in an area and are not seeing, hearing, or finding any signs of coyotes, move on to the next location. The goal here is to see and find potential hunting areas before the season, that way you are not wasting valuable hunting time when the season comes.
Use Online Maps and Tools
For many of us, our time is limited and we usually do not get as much time to scout as we would like. This is where online maps and other tools can be a lifesaver. Many programs, like Google Earth, are completely free and can be used to find places to plan scouting trips to, or even to find places that you can’t see from the roads. You can use it to find potential bedding areas, water sources, stand locations, and anything else that might come in handy for coyote season.
Locating Coyotes While Scouting
When you are actually scouting and looking for coyote hunting areas, there is nothing better than actually locating coyotes wherever you are. You can do this by simply howling or using another loud noise source like a siren to elicit a response from nearby coyotes. This method of locating coyotes is most effective at night and in the early mornings.
A great way to approach your scouting day is to first locate coyotes in the early daylight hours by using this method and then spending the rest of the day looking at the areas you previously heard coyotes in. In no time at all, you should have a collection of different areas you know coyotes have been, and many references of where to start hunting.
Final Thoughts
The hunters that consistently find and call in coyotes are those that spend a fair amount of their time scouting and locating coyotes well before they actually start hunting. If you really want to up your game and start to call in and kill more coyotes, use these simple tricks and start scouting. You will be amazed at the increased results that you will start to see on your next hunts! Don’t forget to read up on Bradley’s Fishing and Hunting tips & tricks all year round!
