Going outdoors on coyote hunting expeditions has become an integral part of many seasoned hunters’ lives.
Similarly, even newbies and hunting enthusiasts who wish to start their coyote hunting expedition must follow in their footsteps to become pro hunters.
However, coyote hunting for the first time might feel like a challenging task if you go hunting without dedicated coyote hunting gear.
Thus to get the most success rate on your first hunting trip, we have curated this reliable guide that talks about all the vital coyote hunting gear, tips, tricks, and essential FAQs.
Contents
How difficult is coyote hunting?
Technically speaking, the geographic range of coyotes was once strictly limited to the North American Great Plains.
However, soon after the 1950s, coyote sightings have dramatically expanded on many terrains. One can now easily find these predators spread across the entire United States continent.
Regardless of the number of these animals, hunting them is a genuinely challenging task that not everyone is an expert at.
We can indeed say that coyote hunting can be challenging for a newbie hunter, given the predator’s cunning nature and superior speed. One needs to be extremely serious and dedicated to hunting their first coyote during any season.
However, with the right tools, practices, and gear, any hunter can successfully tackle their coyote hunting expedition and bring this predator home with utmost pride and joy.
How to prepare for coyote hunting
We highly recommend perusing the following list of tasks that shall help you become fully prepared for your coyote hunting trip:
Finding a mentor
Many novice hunters are often shy to take the help of mentors or seasoned hunters. However, to learn the true nuances of coyote hunting, one needs to access first-hand information, tips, and tricks.
Learning the basics
After finding a mentor ready to teach you the basics, consider learning about the arms and aiming. You cannot hunt a coyote if your aim is not sharp or if you do not have a proper hold over your hunting gun.
Understanding the seasons
Hunters must note that each season brings different challenges and benefits for coyote hunting. Based on the seasons, you must change your hunting strategy, tactics, calls, and setup. If you wish to hunt for their pelts, we recommend hunting in the winters as they sport the most luxurious and thickest coats.
Setup
It would be best to learn the basics of setting up your camp and positioning your hunting rifles. You cannot hide in the bush or on the most open ground as both can be troublesome while hunting coyotes.
Also read: Tips for Bowhunting Coyotes
Studying the hunting regulations
One must note that not every area permits nighttime coyote hunting. The government is extremely strict about these rules, so we recommend reading the rules and guidelines of the sites you wish to game at.
In addition, consult with people who might know the land’s owners. Ensure that you know whether the property is private or public. If the property is private, it becomes essential to take the landowner’s permission before you initiate your coyote hunting expedition.
Scouting the location
We recommend scouting any property during the day if you wish to hunt on a new property. Scouting helps recognize potential setups, safety concerns, wind direction, unsafe shooting spots, etc.
The right set of hunting gear
One can miserably fail if they aren’t backed by proper hunting gear. The right set of hunting gear allows hunters to aim and shoot their game with utmost precision without getting spotted. Kindly refer to our next point where we have discussed these essential coyote hunting gears in detail.
Essential Coyote Hunting Gear
The following are some of the essential coyote hunting gear that one needs for a successful expedition.
Furthermore, you can always upgrade this list based on your preference, choice, and budget.
Hunting gun
The most essential and crucial thing that can make or mar your hunting trip has to be the hunting gun. You need to have an appropriate weapon followed by the correct ammunition. You can easily take down coyotes at a close distance using a shotgun, while long distances strictly need rifles.
A 12 gauge shotgun is our recommended choice for close-distance hunting needs, while the most common rifle caliber suited for coyote hunting are AR-15 223, 22-250, 25-06, and 243. Any deer hunting rifle shall also fit the bill, provided with the correct ammunition and shot training.
Electronic Calls
Without a proper and reliable electronic call, one cannot lure these cunning predators from their den into open ground. These electronic calls offer an extensive range of rings of different animal species. The most common sounds include baby coyote crying, puppy distress, food fighting noises, female mating call, etc.
Additionally, they are comparatively easy to set up, and you can operate them remotely using a remote control. Hunters can then charge their shot when the coyote runs towards the sound to satisfy their curiosity.
Mouth Calls
One can never be wrong with an old-school mouth call for luring coyotes. We highly recommend keeping these mouth calls in your gear bag in case of any battery issue or malfunctioning of the electric calls. Many hunters believe these mouth calls are relatively realistic and sound clearer than electric calls.
However, one must note that these calls are often limited to a few sounds, so the chances of attracting a coyote can slim down considerably. Lastly, if you plan on using manual calls, consider practicing them for more quality calls.
Decoys
Coyote hunting is truly a battle of wits, so it boils down to only one question. Can you create a convincing visual for a coyote to get lured to? Many hunters swear by decoys after a call as they are an excellent prop to attract coyotes of any age and sex.
Decoys can cut the waiting time in half. Instead of waiting for the coyote, the coyote comes to you directly. The most practical approach is to choose a decoy that matches your call sound, as the coyote might feel more attracted to this realistic vision.
Coyotes often do not leave their den if they do not spot any visual on the ground. Thus, having decoys is essential while hunting these cunning predators.
Ammo
It would be best to acquire the most appropriate ammunition for precise shots alongside a good rifle. The ideal ammo is relatively quick with incredible knockdown power and minimal skin damage.
The bullet should provide forgiving trajectories but must be weighty enough to penetrate even the windiest setting. All hunters must practice delivering the cleanest and most humane shot towards the coyote. Controlled Chaos .223 Remington is one of the best choices for coyote hunting.
While purchasing your next set of ammo, consider the accuracy and quality of the ammunition before buying it. A practice round will surely help you understand the ammo and your rifle’s capabilities and limits. Lastly, ensure that you take sufficient ammunition on your next hunting trip.
Shooting Support
Even seasoned hunters can agree that shooting with a rifle is challenging and demanding, so to get the most accurate shot, one must invest in shooting support. Shooting support is a simple monopod/ bipod structure that helps to stabilize your rifle for accurate shots.
With such shooting rests, you can concentrate on the shot instead of focusing on the heavyweight of the weapon. Even unsteady surfaces and uneven terrains won’t stop you from getting the most accurate shot. These shooting sticks are incredibly portable and lightweight, so your hunting bag won’t feel heavy.
Hunter Seats & Support
Hunting is a delicate balance of lookout, waiting, and shooting. Since you will be waiting for a long time, having a hunting chair at your disposal shall surely come in handy.
Any good-quality hunting chair or support will provide you with utmost comfort during those tiring hunting expeditions. Moreover, these seats allow you to maintain a lower profile than standing behind a tree or bush.
These hunting seats and supports are incredibly lightweight and foldable, so you do not have to make much space while packing.
Camouflage
There is no doubt that coyotes are vigilant and sneaky when they notice your presence near their den. And once they sense that human beings are surrounding their location, they become extremely alert or escape the site, so it becomes 10x hard to hunt them.
Thus, it is essential to prohibit them from noticing your presence using camouflage clothing. These clothes are made to hide you in your surroundings without alerting the wildlife, and it essentially breaks the pattern and helps you camouflage in the hunting spot.
One must opt for lighter shades if they are hunting in arid areas like the desert or consider darker shades if they are hunting in deep woods. Many hunters even opt to paint their faces for more proper concealment.
The basic camouflage outfit includes:
- Jackets
- Headgear
- Pants
- Gloves
Also read: Coyote Hunting with Dogs
Optics
Hunting at nighttime can help you score a wild coyote compared to daytime. However, it is impossible to see the coyotes in the dark. You need to purchase high-quality optics like flashlights that allow you to have a perfectly lit area for aiming.
Scopes are another piece of equipment that should be in your hunting gear without any second thought. It also helps you keep a watch for other wild predators that might come near your hiding spot.
Even a high-quality pair of night vision binoculars is excellent to spot your target game during the night. A night vision binocular with a high level of magnification will genuinely be a cherry on the cake.
Related questions
What color is best for coyote hunting?
Most coyote hunters opt for the following three lights for a rewarding hunting trip. However, we would like to mention that these lights’ efficacy highly depends on the hunters’ vision, area, and level of darkness.
White Light
We recommend plain white light for noticing the tiniest detail in the wilderness at night. This light also provides excellent camouflage during the hunt as coyotes are colorblind. Hunters can use white light to see the target up to a considerable range; however, note that it shall affect the peripheral vision compared to colored lights.
Green Light
Since the human eye is skillful in picking up the contrast created by the green light, you can see the objects reasonably well compared to the red night. As the human eye is more receptive to green light than red, some people may see better details and clarity. That is why you notice a greener shade in any night vision camera available on the market.
Lastly, some hunters experience higher eye fatigue with this green light than red, so we recommend testing both the lights before settling for one.
Red Light
Red light tends to provide an undoubtedly better eyeshine when compared to plain white or green light. You might see that most seasoned hunters prefer to go with a red hunting light as it is the most traditional coyote hunting light out there. Additionally, it doesn’t cause eye fatigue compared to the green light, so people who do not use it can surely opt for a red light.
Is Camo necessary for coyote hunting?
Yes, we believe that camouflage is essential if you wish to go home with a game. Some hunters do not use Camo; however, their chances of shooting a coyote become very slim, especially if the coyotes locate their presence.
Wearing camouflage will help reap huge advantages as coyotes will have a hard time recognizing your company. Since coyotes are cautious, color blind, and alert animals, they can see more depths and details of the surroundings. However, a camo print helps efficiently break up the hunter’s outline.
Thus, a perfectly natural camo pattern highly eliminates any perception of the human design and allows them to blend flawlessly in the surrounding. Hunters also need to be cautious about their surroundings and the type of greenery they will hunt at.
A light camo will stick out like a sore thumb in deep woods with lots of shade. It would be best to opt for mossy oak or Realtree Camo at places with lots of dark trees. Because of such reasons, we highly recommend opting for a camo setup for successful coyote hunting expeditions.
What are the best coyote hunting techniques?
Many hunters shall bombard you with numerous coyote hunting techniques that may or may not work. However, we would like to mention the three best coyote hunting techniques for a successful hunting trip.
- It would help if you scouted multiple places to secure your stands. You have a higher chance of spotting a coyote in timber-lined areas around chicken or turkey farms. Similarly, vast parcels of land used as cattle feed usually see a lot of coyote sightings.
- Using a variety of calls is one of the best practices that you can carry from the beginning. Using sounds of different frequencies, volumes, and cadences helps get more active responses from most coyotes. Lastly, you can even consider playing new sounds that the coyotes haven’t heard before. It usually builds extra curiosity among the coyotes to help you shoot them quite quickly.
- Focus on twilight hours when you wish to hunt in the day as they are the ideal hours to kill these predators. Similarly, try to track after midnight during the waxing moon as it seems the darkest time.
What is a good coyote hunting spot?
Hunters should note that coyotes do not live everywhere, so they need to be very particular about their hunting spots. We recommend areas with many birds, small game, and other vermin.
Similarly, other excellent spots are brushy creeks, river bottoms, salt marsh edges, marshes, and swamps. Don’t forget to look for scat marks in your hunting spot as they act as physical proof of coyotes’ activity.
Possible hunting spots in the hill country
Gullies, hollows, draws, washes, valleys, and other terrains offer you a good setup on the side to survey the opposite slope without any disturbance.
Possible hunting spots in flat country
Marsh edges, meadows, and cover seams feel like a good spot for coyote sightings. Your calls will surely reach a great distance.
Conclusion
With that point, we have come to the end of our coyote hunting essentials guide. When done with the right gear, we believe that hunting can reap excellent results with ascending fun levels throughout the hunting trip.
Our essential equipment list is adequate for getting any novice coyote hunter started with excellent results. Additionally, we are optimistic that our FAQs shall guide you through the nuances of coyote hunting.
What are you waiting for? Purchase all the necessary gear and head out for some quality hunting expeditions.
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