Coyotes...how to anybody?

[wapiti792]

Anybody out there hunting coyotes with trad tackle on purpose? I have shot 2 with my recurve in 2 years deer hunting, but now have a vandetta after I caught one trying to get in the kennel with my tracking dog. She is fixed so they weren't trying to breed her and when I stepped outside the coyote alarm barked and 3 others sprinted off. Now my wife's cat has come up missing, and she cried for 2 days. I have tagged out her in Illinois after killing 2 nice bucks and plan on killing some 'yotes. Anybody got any ideas for me. I wanna do my best to kill 'em with my longbow but will have a back up plan past 100 yards if it comes to that. I own 80 acres of really dense thickets with a couple of 10 acres fields/food plots.

[Fishnhunt]

Wish I had more info to offer. I have never shot one w/ bow altough I have had them in range 3x and decided not to take the shot. 1x on stalk and 2x in the tripod.  In Nov 2008, I was hunting bait (corn feeder) and twice had coyotes come to it while I was tucked back inside thick brush and they devoured the entire helping of corn before deer or pigs would come in.  Thats actually common in TX in the dead of winter. Yotes will eat currant berries, offals, corn, whatever.

Dunno whether its true or not but I've heard that killing em can cause em to breed more (the left behind female breeds more to get the pack back up to fighting strength).  So in that respect I've heard its best to selectively shoot only the problem animals.  And yes they will breed a dog if possible, the resuld being a coydog, but they were prolly trying to kill your dog.

One thing I have started doing to reduce their #s w/o killing them is that anytime somebody shoots a deer or pig at my grandparents place, I dispose of the carcass/offal in a way that will not let the coyotes get any free meals....usually bury it or put it on a pyre.  The way I look at it, the remains are either getting used by the scavengers or the soil/trees.  In this case the soil/trees.

here are some pics of yotes I took at my place last weekend.

[Fishnhunt]

[blueline]

I sit in my blind or in a tree stand, Call with a rabbit distress or bird, even a rodent call. Put out a feather or my favorite a cat toy that moves a feather around and around, that will keep there eyes off of you.  Have fun it is  some of the most exciting hunting you can do....

[hunterace]

you can try wounded animal calls/peeps. my brother called one in during gun season 20min after shooting his buck, he shot the coyote too   . he was just using his grunt call and he swears the coyote was responding directly to the grunt call. i would use a wounded call of whatever animal is most prevalent on your land, like rabbit or something. good luck getting rid of those scavengers

[straitera]

They're clever pack animals always looking for an easy meal. Individuals are either scouts or rogues. Very easy to call them w/mouth or electronic calls especially after dark. They will circle downwind to test the water. A partner or electronic call is a plus. Revenge would require a good fast shotgun IMO. With a bow, you've made the shortlist.

[ChristopherO]

For the first thing if you are serious then forget the longbow and grab your long gun.  If it is dense then a shotgun with #4 BUCK, or something in that range can be very effective.
If you think deer educate quickly then you will be amazed how fast coyotes catch on to what you want to do.  Hunt them like deer in regards to camo, wind direction, scent -the less the best, silent approach to the stand site and movement.  I've spent years calling them in and there is still much more to learn and do to be very successful.
About the comment that they will produce more if you shoot them, that is a debateable theory amongst biologist but no matter.  I and many other folks have found out that once you put a couple down it helps keep the rest of the pack minding their manners better.
Log on to Predatormastersforums.com to learn about this demanding form of hunting.  There are quite a few accomplished coyote hunters in IL that may be able to help you out.
Here is one my wife shot @ 3 in the morning about a month ago.  It was on the drive way only 4 steps from the house.  He was a repeat offender coming up to harrass our dogs.  As you can see in the picture Bear is all stiched up from being tagged by a car bumper a few nights before trying to chase them back to the cornfield.  My little woman put an end to that with buckshot out of her little 20 gauge at 10 yards.  We aren't experiencing any further issues from the rest of the pack.
 

[Earl Jeff]

Put out some leg hold traps for them vermin. there easier to hit that way  :D

[Gatekeeper]

Here is a thought. I haven’t tried this but I bet it will work.

If you have access to a deer carcass (road kill or hunting remains), do a drag around your property leading them to the carcass. Then hang the carcass up high enough so they can bite, chew and tug on it for a couple of days. After a couple of days I would bet they will be coming in regularly to check on it. When you’re ready to hunt the spot lower the carcass, setup close by and wait for them to come in. After the hunt raise it just enough to hold their interest.

[koger]

I have hunted them for over 20 years, have killed close to 100, none with trad gear though. They are smart, harder to bowhunt than deer, great noses. I am with Christopher o, get the long gun out. I have taken 2 or 3 deer carcasses and chained them toghether around a log, open fields where I can sit back and get a clean shot.
We started having trouble a year and 1/2 ago, with them bothering calfs, killing a few, and chasing deer where we hunt. Since then I have declared war on them, have taken 37 in nearly 2 years, from 40  yds out to 470. I have baited, trapped, snared them, shot with rifle and shotgun, everything put poison. These 37 were taken with in a 2 mile radius of my house! More yotes than in 8 years of hunting before! Several I have taken were nearly 40 pounds, huge dogs. If you kill several, they will skedaddle to safer parts. Hardly ever see tracks or hear them last  3 months.

[wapiti792]

Koger that's what I'm talkin' about! I am gonna start TOMORROW as my poor wife cried about her pet being gone and I had to explain to my little boy that we live in the middle of a thicket and sometimes the animals get gone...I still am gonna try it with my longbow at least once though  

[HOWITZER]

I've got to go with koger on this one as well, as I am new to trad hunting I am not new to coyote hunting.  I've hunted them day and night with electric calls, mouth calls and every thing in between.  I found the best way to get them, set up a blind over an open field with bait and have no mercy.  I've lost two domestic dogs to them, one beagle and one jack russell.

[Don Stokes]

We began to have a problem with them around my place, but Nature took care of it. I started getting pictures on my game camera of animals with severe mange, and the last picture I got was of one that looked to be completely hairless. They're now scarce around here.

Know where you can find a mangy dog to feed them?   :D

[BDann]

They are a BLAST to hunt!  Get yourself a Haydel Government Hunter Cottontail call, it's got a dying cottontail call on one end, and a squeeker on the other.  It works well in cold weather and is easy to use.  

Calling in predators is addictive, so beware!

[eric101]

Hey,i to am a coyote hunter as well and a friend of koger and he is right about moving and I've never killed one with trad gear because this is my first season hunting with trad bows.But i have with rifle and compounds many coyotes and bobcats.If this is a place you hunt deer or turkey hunt they already know your scent.The thing to remember about the carcass is to not get your scent on it they will not take the bait trap,also stake it to something for they will move it a lot feeding on it.Good luck and hopes this help.

[Thumper Dunker]

Not alot to say any more but They are  hard to get with a bow. they can be hard to get any way. They can see you move from way out there. Super nose and super ears and  smater than any thing. But are a blast to go after.This time of year you can get them buy sounding like another coyote trespassing on thier turf The males hate each other. Check out california predator club or other coyote hunting sights lots of good info.Im sure they was after your dog. Was training my ausie mix to decoy  but he's too agresive. You start hunting them and you might give up deer hunting.

[CUJO]

Set up a good blind in a clearing, use a varmint call, and have a buddy use a fishing rod with a stuffed animal on the end, when you get a visual on the yote start reeling like heck, they will instantly chase it almost right to you. You will only get one or two cracks at each one because they get wise real fast, trust me it works  lol. (unless the Fraser Valley has real stupid coydogs..)

Its almost as much fun as a couple hunters running and barking loud at a black bear to tree em..  LOL  (and yes , that works to sometimes,,,,)

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

I just made an electric caller that cost me around $50! Go to Radio Shack and pick up the following:

An indoor/outdoor bullhorn speaker ($20)
A small amplifier ($14)
and a 16' (or longer) headphone type speaker wire ($6)

Next buy a cheap Mp3 player ($15) and download Mp3 sounds off the internet. I have coyote calls, distress calls, turkey calls and deer sounds (all real recordings of actual animals) that I found on the internet FREE! The e-caller is louder than any mouth call can get and you can set it up to run on its own a considerable distance from your blind.

I'll admit, I haven't tried it yet on the yotes but that is EXACTLY my plan for tomorrow. It'll be my birthday and I can't think of a better way to spend it than playing hookey from work and sitting in the woods. I'd be after the turkeys but the coyotes in my neck of the woods have hammered everything that walks and are left to eating the grapes off of the vineyards.

[bornagainbowhunter]

Looks like you have been getting alot of advice here, and seems to be good advice.  
For my 2 cents, take a 5 gal bucket and bury it with only about 2 or 3 inches still out of the ground.  Put in a dead animal (I know it sounds bad but skunks work really well) and fill the rest of the bucket with dirt. Place a few dead shrubs or trees around it, i like cedar best, to make some pinch points.  At the pinch points put up some wire snares, with a chin stick under the loop.
You can bowhunt it in the evenings, but the real magic happens at night.  I hardly ever spot a yote at the house anymore.

[fireball31]

I reccommend hunting with a partner.  Caller/Shooter.  That way you aren't the focal point of the dogs attention as you draw.  Good luck.  I've been trying for 2 years and have yet to connect.