It may just be my suspicious, skeptical mind, but I have watched some of the popular varmint shooting programs lately, and have a few observations:

Everything I have read about coyotes includes words like smart, cunning suspicious, hard to fool and hunt.

They sure don't look like everybody is saying when they come running full tilt toward the shooter(s). It appears to me that they may be responding to being fed on a regular basis, and when they hear the dinner bell... Kapow! gottim. (like I say... suspicious mind.)

A lot of the shooting is done at very short ranges, with shotguns, no less! From everything I have read, you don't even see a coyote at less than 253 1/2 yards, even if you are the best caller in the world.

Now, if the scriveners, are exagerating Wiley's capabilities, (would a writer DO that? ) or the shows somehow feature the dumbest critters on the face of the Earth, it sure doesn't look like Coyote hunting is as hard as everybody is saying.What do you guys think?

I should subscribe to cable so I can get the hunting channels. Any way to watch them on-line?

They do seem to have alot better luck than I do. I would imagine hunting large unpressured areas would be a distinct advantage to a coyote caller.

I'd love to see some of those so called expert hunters go hunt the type of woods us regular Joe's hunt !!!

Remember the shows are edited. Who wants to watch a show about guys sitting there seeing nothing for 30 minutes...

sniper wrote:

, it sure doesn't look like Coyote hunting is as hard as everybody is saying.What do you guys think?

Try it....then get back to me and tell me what you think. Watching brain surgery on TV probably doesn't look difficult either...right up to the minute you have to make the first cut.

First of all "everyone" doesn't say its hard. It is common wisdom amongst those of us who actually do it (as opposed to the non doer/talker types) that coyotes can be very smart and often outsmart even the best hunters.

Sure they can be fooled and it happens all the time, but it certainly isn't easy.

Average distance I 've shot coyotes is 50-60 yds. They will come in close provided the hunter knows the wind, doesn't move and gets very lucky.

The distance they will come in depends a whole lot on the terrain and wind.

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The distance they will come in depends a whole lot on the terrain and wind.

I agree also hunting pressure must be considered in the overall picture. Factor in how many times any particular coyote has been called in and what bad experiences it has had with humans in the past. In my experience some coyotes will totally ignore a call while others will jump into your lap. Like all animals, some coyotes are smarter than others, the dumb ones usually don't survive very long.
Speaking of calling videos, I have a good friend that produced a coyote calling video filmed strictly in the south east (mainly Alabama), follow the link in my sig line. The guy (CCP) is a top notch eastern coyote hunter. His team successfully called in and killed numerous coyotes during the filming process but it still took several years to get enough decent footage to make his video. What you see in most videos is the result of many hours spent in the field.




Chet

One of my predator hunting partners epitomizes the successful 'yote hunter. He is on the stand before dawn and has the FX5 setup. When first light is dimly glowing the caller starts. He has favorite calls but, when he figures that call has been busted an unconventional selection is used. The last unconventional call was hamsters, and it brought one in. He will stay on the stand for 1 - 2 hours vice the 10 - 20 minutes that many hunters use. He only started predator hunting a couple of years ago and has 40 some odd coyote kills. He also has sharp eyes, excellent practical shooting skills, good reflexes and after a quick scan can reliably predict where the 'yote will come from. He doesn't use bait dogs or other tricks of the professionals.

Oh, he also learns from his mistakes. I am so envious!

Learning to hunt coyotes watching TV is like learning to make babies watchin porn.

sniper wrote:

Everything I have read about coyotes includes words like smart, cunning suspicious, hard to fool and hunt.

They are stupid when hungry, they are stupid when they think dinner is near by, and they are just plain stupid.

We have since I started hunting have killed them with crossbows at under 50 yards, plenty close for shotguns too. Put some deer scent down, call using young deer sounds and they come right in. I got two this way last fall. My dad and brother got another 3-4 I think last fall with crossbows.

Dimitri

I have to agree that it all depends on hunting pressure and terrain. Around here it is mostly flat, open country with a lot of road "hunters" keeping them stirred up. Young coyotes in their first season are dumb (and seldom last long) but the ones with some experience are ready to poke a hole in the horizon the first time something doesn't look or sound right.

Been calling cayotes for 3 years now, some days it works great, some weeks it dont. Its all film editing man, and haveing lots of places to hunt helps ALOT for getting footage.