The Other Hunt

Well for those of you who do not hunt any of the spring hunts like javelina, turkey or bear, but still got the hunting bug, get out and call in some varmints. Maybe if you get out and harvest some of these predators, more specifically coyotes, A.G.& F. might appreciate it. Arizona Game and Fish told the G.R.R.C. committee that they would like 50,000 coyotes harvested this year. Well fellow hunters I really don’t think that quota is going to be achieved. Gary McCraw, AZOD Shooting Editor and President of the Phoenix Varmint Callers, told me that there are less than 2000 coyotes killed for the year in the state. Now that figure does have a plus or minus factor included, regardless, I truly don’t believe that we as hunters are having any kind of impact on the coyote population.

I know that there are a few hunters out there who really don’t have much desire to hunt something that they can’t eat. Then I know a lot of hunters who would rather hunt coyotes than eat when they are hungry. That is alright, "To each his own." I hope that maybe I can change a few of your minds for those of you who don’t hunt predators.

First of all our very large coyote population is very hungry. I truly don’t know if there is anything on God’s green earth that a coyote will not eat. With so many out there competing for food they have to broaden their diets. A coyote will eat anything from a piece of plastic with the slightest hint of chicken grease on it, to a 250-pound elk. Fresh meat is the most preferred. Now I know that the coyote plays a very important role in the balance of nature. But that is when their numbers are in check. Other wise they are playing a big role in the decline of some of our game species that are having difficulty surviving. No I am not saying that the coyote is the major factor as to why our deer, antelope and quail are suffering in numbers. But I do find it kind of strange that A.G.& F. wants 50,000 of them harvested per year. Another thing that also occurs is that they eat themselves out of house and home. When that occurs other nasty things happen to them like disease. Now disease does not care who or what it attacks. Without trapping our coyote population has increased to almost uncontrollable numbers. Now with that said, Ladies and Gentlemen of the hunting community try and get out and help control the coyote population.

I guess it will be a little hard to hunt them if you don’t know how. I have hunted them mostly by using hand held calls and calling them to me. Now this is not a method you can just pick up and go do. I will give a basic 101 written instruction on varmint calling. This information will only get you heading in the right direction and by no means replace good field experience.

There are 2 ways to call varmints to you, the hand held call and the audiocassette playing boxes. The Johnny Stewart Call Company makes the audiocassette-playing box that I know of. I have very little knowledge in using these devices but I do know that they are effective. There are many tapes on the market today that have just about every kind of distressed animal recorded on them. The most common is the jackrabbit and cottontail tape. I have seen tapes on the shelves from a distressed woodpecker to the sound of mountain lions mating. Shoot, one of the gentlemen I hunt with has a tape of a distressed chicken. I really like that sound, and it works.

With these call boxes I have seen hunters use them in 2 ways. One method is to have the box right next to the hunter so you can control the volume and turn it on and off when you see fit. The other method is to place the call out away from the hunter about 40 yards and off to one side or the other. This method enables the hunter to be at the ready and allows for a little more movement than usual. And I mean very little movement. It also helps the hunter get the attention off him or her and on the box and having it off to the side helps to get the varmint in a more desirable angle to shoot. The down side is you cannot turn it off or on or control the volume. Unless you have one of the new models that are run off a remote control. Now that is a nice little gadget. You will get the best of both worlds with that machine.

The second and the most effective way but the hardest way to call varmints is using the hand held call. These calls come in a multitude of shapes, sounds and sizes. I have to admit that I am very biased to what calls I use due to the fact that I am a field representative of Modern Call Products, (www.ModernCallProducts.com). But I will not just talk about the best call in the country (In my and many other great hunters opinion). There are 4 different types of popular styles. There is the closed reed, exposed reed, bite down call, and diaphragm call. Out of all these calls the closed reed is the easiest to use and learn. When you are calling and trying to sound like a distressed rabbit remember that rabbit’s lungs are about the size of a tea bag. Don’t blow through the call with a long-winded whine or groan. Keep it short and abrupt. Before you get out in the field, practice. You need to know what the rabbit is saying when it is in distress. The basic sounds or words are "HOW" and "WHY". To practice the "how" sound push it out of your diaphragm not your lungs or air in your mouth. To break it down even further say "uh-ow!". Some of these sounds will be about a ½ of a second and some will be as long as a second. When you are practicing mix it up a little, try about 3 to 4 short burst and mix in a couple of long ones. The "why" sound is done in the same manner. The "how" sound is done more than the "why". A session could be something like the following sequence, "how, how, how, howhaa, why, why, whyyy". It does not have to be just like that every time. Mix it up and put some emotion into your calling. Try to picture in your mind that a young immature coyote is attacking the rabbit you are trying to imitate. Make the sounds coming out of your calls have some fear in them. Another important thing to remember is not to make your intervals too long. Keep them around 1 to 3 minutes and mix them up also. You also have to be quiet for a moment just to see if you can possibly hear the coyotes or see them coming to your calling. Now just because you see them coming in it doesn’t mean you can quit calling. It also doesn’t mean that you have to keep calling. Trying to figure this out will come with time and experience. I recommend that you stay on your stand while calling for at least 15 minutes when you are in good coyote country. Stay 10 to 15 minutes longer if the coyotes look to be a little scattered.

Now you can’t just drive out to the desert and step out of your truck and start calling. You will have to get away from your vehicle and be as quiet as humanly possible. Do not slam your vehicle doors or talk, these predators have some exceptional hearing. You are going to want to get about 300 to 400 yards away from your truck. Make sure that you keep the wind in your face at all times. When approaching the stand location walk in as quiet as possible and try not to walk in the wide open, use the surrounding cover.

Now as far as picking a stand location, get out and do a little homework. Check for tracks around water sources and in washes. If you plan on staying in an area for a couple of days wipe out the tracks you see and check them the following day. This will help you get a better idea if there are any coyotes in the area. It also helps in choosing where you are going to make your stand. When assessing the area take into consideration what is going to be the easiest route for the coyote to come in from. But you also don’t want to handicap yourself either. Look for openings so you will be able to shoot and make sure that they have some cover for them to approach. I like to call in areas that I call "Guyeta" patches. They are washes that have a lot of yellow grass in the middle of them with a good supply of mature Mesquites along the sides. These "Guyeta" patches usually lead into a stock tank. That sure makes things nice and convenient for the coyotes. When setting up in the hill country, approach the draws and or saddles with the wind in your face and climb up over the hill and set up in the draw. Look for an area that will have an opening in the draw that is up from the cover. This also applies to the mountain country. The reason for this: you will give the predator a natural funnel to come up in and this is their natural travel path.

Don’t forget that when you are picking your exact stand spot to get good cover at your back. You will also need to let the area settle before you start calling. This helps to let the animals in the area go back to their routine. One thing I do while waiting for the area to settle, is to scan the area and ensure I will have good shooting lanes.

Like I said this is just a basic 101 type instructional. Look in the future for more advanced information. I will discuss issues and tactics on fox and bobcat. You can also post questions in our hunting chat if you get to a spot that needs a little more definition.

Editors Note: See Louis in Action along with other great hunters in this Arizona Wilderness Productions Video

Good luck and best wishes,

Louis Urquides

Hunting Editor for the Arizona Outdoorsman