Predators: Living the Dream

Living The Dream

Calling multiples in one stand.
by Ron Talbot

Have you ever had one of those magical days calling predators when every call leaves you with an intense anticipation of what might show up?  And then it happens, your vision instantly clears and your attention is focused on the predator in sight.  We all live for this moment.  It’s these intense feelings of accomplishment and the need to succeed that drives us to “just one more call.”  My brother Steve and I call it “Living the Dream.”

One morning last December as we sat in the pickup, the horizon and rim rocks started to take shape.  The sound of freezing rain was steady on the windshield as our breath began to fog the windows. “What should we do?”  We didn’t really want to get out into the rain. We would have been soaked in ten minutes!  I said to Steve, “Let’s wait it out.”  Thirty minutes later the rain slowed to a drizzle and we stepped out into the morning air and decided to go for it.  We set up on an elevated stand that overlooked a large basin of lava rock, cheatgrass and farmland in the distance.  After two short sequences of rabbit distress, I spotted a coyote standing like a silhouette on an outcrop of lava rock 400 yards below.  After some coaxing, he stepped off his perch and slowly trotted in our direction.  Ten minutes later he broke over the hill at 200 yards on a steady run. At 50 yards he pulled up to take a look, only to stare down the pipe of Steve’s 22-250.  Steve’s 55-grain V-max crushed the coyote’s left shoulder and it was over.  I motioned at Steve to stay put as I ripped off a howl and started into another sequence of jackrabbit distress.  The rain had now stopped and I could see another coyote a half-mile or more out in the bottom of the basin.  The coyote was not responding, so I howled again and used some feeding magpie sounds from our FoxPro caller.  The coyote then looked our way and started toward us.  I was concentrating on the approaching coyote when Steve suddenly wheeled his 22-250 in the opposite direction.  I spun my video camera from the coyote on the flat toward Steve.  His smoke pole cut loose again and echoed with a heavy bass-like report.  I knew he had connected but I hadn’t seen it.  Steve held up two fingers and smiled like he had just won the lottery.  He whispered that a second coyote had come from the same place as the first and he had shot it as it turned to leave.  I went back to the coyote on the flat, but he was heading off in the opposite direction. Twenty-five minutes into our call, I hit the howler again and went back to some magpie and raven sounds.  After two more sequences I spotted a coyote coming our way from yet another direction.  I whispered to Steve and told him to get ready.  Now, 45 minutes into calling, a fourth coyote crested the ridge below us at 70 yards only showing us his head and chest.  That was all Steve needed as his bullet ripped through the air connecting with a solid chest punch!  The third coyote was down.

This is the kind of hunting that we all live for.  The feelings and experiences we gain are worth the wait.  You have to stay put and keep calling in areas that might produce multiple dogs.  I have found that gunshots, vehicle traffic and other noises coyotes might hear do not always affect coyotes in a negative way.  Because coyotes trust their sense of smell more than anything else, they will often continue to investigate after a shot is fired.  Remember; don’t be in such a hurry to get to the next stand that you miss a second opportunity.  Unless a coyote sees you or smells you, you are still in the ballgame after the first, second or even third shot.  I realize this is not always the case, but when it feels good, keep on calling.  There are some good arguments to continue the call.  When coyotes are hunting they are always on the move.  A new coyote might move into your calling radius and decide to respond.  The wind might slow or change direction and your call might be able to reach areas that you didn’t previously hit.  Calling large flats and basins that cover a larger area are good places to keep on calling.  On many occasions we have picked up additional coyotes by continuing to call after the first kill, so don’t always be in a hurry to move on to your next stand.

Living in the West and hunting coyotes on the desert brings up one common problem - wind!  I have often heard people say to stay home when the wind is blowing.  I say, “Not so.”  You can call coyotes in the wind, but you may need to adjust your tactics.  Coyotes don’t like to stand out in a twenty mile an hour gale any more than you do.  They will head for cover where the conditions are more favorable.  When the wind blows at home, I’ve noticed that my German shorthaired pointers head for their doghouse.  Coyotes will also head for cover, but can easily be coaxed out, just as my dogs would if I threw a T-bone steak over the fence.  They are opportunistic animals!  Coyotes don’t care if the wind is blowing if they can get an easy meal.  In most situations, you had better be alert when you start calling in the wind because the coyote will likely be close if it responds.  Wind can be inconvenient, but don’t let it ruin a day in the field calling predators.  Some of us have limited opportunities to hunt, so if you happen to have a free day, take the chance.  Change up your tactics and call small draws and hilly terrain that give protection from the wind.  Move only a short distance and call again.  Make your stands shorter and cover smaller areas.  This can save the day if you have to deal with the wind. Don’t worry, the coyotes can hear you.  Remember that dogs have excellent hearing, over twice the range of frequency that humans have.  Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz), or the number of sound wave cycles per second.  Coyotes have erect ears that are run by eighteen or more muscles.  A coyote can tilt, raise, and move its ears to improve its hearing.  A coyote can hear even better than our floppy-eared hunting dogs.

In summary, as you prepare to go hunting this fall and pursue the Wiley Song Dog, consider the tactics discussed in this article.  Don’t be afraid to keep calling after the first, second or even third shot.  Learn to read the situation and experience “Living the Dream” for yourself.

You can see Steve’s amazing triple unfold along with many other exciting hunts on Ron’s new DVD, Varmint Control  Officer, Coyotes Vol. 1.  The DVD contains over 75 kills with 2_ hours of intense coyote calling without all the filler.

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