Trad Bow Yotes

[Jackpine Boyz]

Wanted to see if anyone on the forum has had luck with trad equipment on coyotes?  I know a few people that have had opportunistic kills, but curious about tactics that have worked with a coyote as the target species.

I thought it would be quite a hunt to get a yote with a long bow, but those things still seem to figure me out even when I'm using a rifle.

I currently use a FoxPro call in western Wisconsin.  It is not legal to hunt them over bait here.  I've been close to connecting a few times the last couple years, but surprisingly it isn't as easy as it is on TV.
   

[23feetupandhappy]

I believe Thumper Dunker wrote the book on this issue, coyotes don't have a chance with him around  

[Orion]

Coyotes are tough in Wisconsin.  They get hunted quite a bit here and are cautious.  I've never killed one when intentionally hunting for them. Did take some hair off of a few as they came past my deer stands, and killed one out west.

When I hunted for them specifically, it worked best when hunting with a partner.  One person called, the other set up a bit downwind. Also seemed to get better results during the mating season, which should be starting about now.  We called some in, got some shots, but never closed the deal.  Lots of fun though. If memory serves, can no longer bow hunt them at night in Wisconsin.

[kennym]

Pretty tough in MO too, if you call one in and miss, he will be much harder to call again.

The ones I've taken have been while deer hunting, but squeaked most in from a distance.

[YosemiteSam]

Nope.  I quit hunting coyotes.  Been pretty close a time or two, though.  Lately, I see them while hiking.  They're pretty this time of year, too.

A few years ago, I setup with a .223 near a poultry farm.  I jumped them just before dawn on my way to my setup.  After waiting a while, I tried calling them with a typical wounded rabbit call.  One of them circled from behind & downwind.  Somehow, he ended up about 15 yards to my left, trotting away at a quartering angle.  I'll give the yotes some credit -- they're not legendary tricksters for nothing.

I used to come across them quite often while running trails.  Bobcats, too.  Got under 10-yards while running behind a few over the years.  They sure look startled when they finally saw me, though!  

Out here, predators don't seem to be under the impression that they could be prey.  My experience of them is that they can be easier to stalk than prey species since they're not expecting to be hunted.  They always seem more distracted by their own hunting objectives.  But our coyotes also stay moving fairly quickly, always trotting or loping, so keeping up and out of sight is more difficult than with bobcats, who I see mostly on a slow walk, still-hunting style.  If you use good cover and put yourself on an intercept-course with their travel direction, you may get lucky.

[BlacktailBowhunter]

Opportunitistic here. It's in Highlights 2010.

[frassettor]

Oh Thumper dunker .... where are you

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I've called in 67 coyotes so far this season, out of those maybe 10 would have been iffy shots at best. But I'm setup for gun because I do coyote control for a large cattle company and don't need the misses.

I'm sure if I set up different and used hand made blinds or treestands in proven places from years of calling on these farms I could get closer shots. Hitting them at 20yds and over  and countering there reaction times you can't practice. I've seen them turn and be gone before the arrow even got there at that range, lots of respect for them. 15yds and under your odds highly improve but getting them there is the hard part and I've used every decoy and scent you can imagine.

I can draw one in from half a mile away and get him to step on a trap pan the size of a fifty cent peice in the dark but in the daylight calling forget it. It happens though and that's the thrill or challenge so good luck. I did skin a dead newborn calf the other day, dropped way early tiny little thing and I'm fleshing it and mounting it for a calling decoy. I have 3 calf calls on my caller and they worked with out the decoy a few times but just might be a good way to get some really close shots right at calving time.

Have fun!!!
 

Tracy

[KentuckyTJ]

Coyotes are tough. Like said thumper dunker is the tote specialist. I've killed three while deer hunting.

 

[Tedd]

This one only lived a few seconds after the shot but died trying to pull the arrow out.
Tedd
 

[Jackpine Boyz]

Great pics!
Thanks for the feedback.  I don't feel so bad being out smarted by a dog now.

Won't stop me from trying either.

Thumper dunker is the yote king!

I have missed a couple over the years. Most hsppened too fast for me to get a good shot off. One was perfect. The yote was sitting on his butt at 12yds. He was in a position that the treestand was not set up for. My bottom limb hit the tree, and I missed him too!

I want one bad!!!!

Bisch

[the rifleman]

Calling is one way to hunt them.  My best advice is to pay close attention to your set up.  This is in my opinion the most critical step.  You absolutely need to set up where the yote has no cover down wind of you-- they will always circle downwind if they can.  Any brush, trees, or low places downwind of your set up and all you will accomplish is to educate them--- their learning curve is very small--it only takes once...
You don't need to spend big bucks on a caller.  My two go to mouth calls are cottontail and pup yipes.  My best success has been March and April around here.
Remember that he will be looking for prey and any movement he catches from you and he's gone.
That said calling is very good way to hunt them, but when we really want to put the dent in the population we drive them.

[Jerry Russell]

We do a great deal of predator hunting using e-callers and electronic decoys here in Georgia.  I have been at it for decades and and can count on one hand the number of quality trad bow shot opportunities we have had on coyotes.
Getting them that close is VERRY difficult but a standing shot under 20 yards almost never happens.  I have killed a few with a trad bow but all were opportunistic kills while deer hunting.  Our coyotes circle down wind 99.9% of the time and getting one closer than 100 yards with a mouth call is nearly impossible.  

They are heavily pressured here and sometimes a squeak or any type of calling will send them tearing out from several hundred yards away.  

I have hunted western coyotes a few times as well and they are a completely different animal.  MUCH less wary and easy to call. The eastern dogs are crazy spooky.  

If a man wanted to try it I would strongly suggest  an e-caller and a decoy with a remote to distract them should they come close enough.  Honestly though, using a trad bow I would stick to hunting unicorns to up your chances of success vs trying to kill a called coyote.

[Charlie Lamb]

I think a lot of bowhunters miss a great opportunity to call coyotes. By always having a varmint call in your kit you can take advantage of the coyotes hunger.

I have no luck shooting at coyotes from a tree. They seem to see me at great distance every time. I've done much better from the ground.

Think about how much you get out hunting during the deer and turkey season. Why not call from your stand after you've given your spot a good sit.

Give it a good half hour. Forty five minutes is even better. When you are ready to get down, call for thirty seconds and stay put for a little while longer. You've nothing to lose and you never know what might come in.
   

[Thumper Dunker]

I gotten a few that been called in with a bow.
I do not like the E callers at all too much trouble and they have heard all those sounds.
Work on  their curiosity, territorial or hunger. They will come in. They are starting to pair up now. This time of year I like to make like another coyote intruding on another's  spot.
Good time to get the big guy's now.  I have not chased them much this year ,too much other stuff going on. Good stuff not bad stuff.  There's all kinds of places on the net that you can learn to speak coyote. If you can talk to them you can talk them in. Getting a shot or hitting one is another story. Learn to shoot real fast and accurate. No 10-20 standing broad side shots.
 I don't think there is another animal more fun to hunt.
 
   
   

[Sixby]

I coyote hunted for a living for about 10 years. The best setup is a double man with a man placed downwind of the caller. He gets the shots. I suppose that you could use an electronic caller the same way but I always used a mouth call. Circe reeds in a home made call. I have never killed one with a bow but no doubt I could have killed a lot as I got many close shots. As close as jumping on my boot shots. LOL.
Charlie hit the nail on the head by working the stand a long time. Coyotes average seven minutes but many coyotes killed after thirty minutes on the stand.

God bless and good luck, Steve

[joe ashton]

Last season I shot one.  A totally random opportunity.  I was in a tree over a game trail waiting for deer.  A coyote came walking down the trail and I took the shot... 5 minutes later a deer came down the same trail, it stopped to smell the arrow from the coyote and I shot it too.
Cool,  both the arrows were, oh, maybe a foot apart, stuck in the dirt.

[knobby]

I shot two in one morning on an early November deer stand. I blew the easiest shot on a third one that same morning. Never did see a deer that morning.

[YORNOC]

I'm heading out now, have my lighter limbs on due to the cold, all tuned in and ready. Although I have been hunting them late season for a few years now, I consider myself pretty terrible at it. Im learning by the hard knocks rule.