I'm fortunate to live in a place where I have typical western hunting areas to the west about an hour, and typical eastern calling situations to the east about the same. I can hunt either/ or and usually do. Each requires its own unique approach.
From those pics, I see open areas bordered by cover, be it tree lines, standing crops, rolling hills, creeks and rivers. In the early season when pup numbers are relatively high, you can pull them into those open areas with relative ease. They don't know any better, and in the very early period, you can even call a number of older coyotes that haven't seen pressure for a number of months and who simply forgot the hazards posed by open spaces. That was then. This is now.
MN is probably like here in that all the deer seasons have come and gone and the coyotes have been pushed around and bugged to the point of being all but nocturnal now. This makes calling at this time of the year tough. Damned tough. Many guys will try this sport now and throw in the towel not knowing why they can't produce results. You can't use early season tactics or approach this game like you would in the early season and succeed. If you do, it's a matter of the blind hog finding the acorn and will not last long.
Where are the coyotes? They're out there, but as far as their approach, think bobcat.
Coyotes will use everything you see in front of you to cover their approach. Tree lines, timbered ridges, rolling hills and drainages all can and will cover a coyote's approach. And they'll use it to their advantage. This is one thing you know about them and can use to your advantage.
Another is their willingness to use the wind to their advantage. They will go downwind. Count on it. And, using what else we know about them, they will use that terrain and cover to mask their movements downwind.
We also know that the days of coyotes running haphazardly across open ground are long gone, so expect and anticipate a slow, methodical response using terrain and wind to their advantage.
If you have a lot of callers working your areas, chances are that most of them are using electronics and the same list of popular cottontail and jackrabbit sounds. Coyotes have learned to be wary of these sounds by now, another thing we know. Try to find out what other guys are using and avoid it like the plague.
Finally, what's going on in the coyote's life right now? Breeding season is almost upon us, so how does that affect their lifestyles? Simply put, the intuitive need to reaffirm territorial boundaries is growing with each day. Whereas the cold has increased their hunger, experience has caused them to shy away from free meals. But, the urge to breed is growing stronger and the need to protect and defend what is theirs grows as well. This is another thing we know.
Now, we need to take everything we know as fact, put it all together and see what it can tell us about what we might be doing now to exploit the coyotes around us.
First, set up your stands to allow the coyotes to use cover and terrain to move toward your downwind side. Whatever you have to do to be able to see downwind, and if possible, the approaches to downwind, needs to be done. Make them feel comfortable in their approach and you'll find that they're coming closer to you without hanging up all the time.
Second, you know that they'll go downwind, so rather than complain about the wind, use it to your advantage and their disadvantage. Again, set up so that they have to show themselves when going downwind. If that means making a 200 or 300 yard shot to get that done, you need to learn to shoot further. And again, give them a comfort level that they like and they'll cooperate more with you.
Key point: Hunt with a partner. Position him in the cover 100-200 yards downwind of you so the coyotes will close on his position while you're calling. I use this often and call it "sniping" where my gunner is the "sniper". It works.
Third, I prefer to use cover corridors that intersect and connect with the cover where I think the coyotes are laying up. Sometimes that means they come right to me, all the way under cover, and never going into open areas. That's why God invented shotguns and number 4 buckshot. Like the Boy Scouts always say, be prepared.
Fourth, you need to be doing what no one else is doing. If everyone else is using cottontail, use something entirely different. Different sound, different cadence , different set up and different time of the day. Wary coyotes have often patterned other people and you need to be outside their box.
And finally, howling. It's an entirely new level, of calling for most recreational callers and requires some study to use effectively. But, a guy can get a long ways with knowing just a good lone howl, a ki-yi and a bark, and more importantly, knowing as much as you can about what they supposedly mean to the coyotes. In short order, coyotes will be much more focused on breeding and territorial defense than they are on eating. Are you ready to exploit this part of their psyche?
All of this is for not if you don't understand the fundamentals of calling, the biggest one being the importance of making a clean entry into the area you're calling. Stalk the stand with as much caution as possible. Don't slam car doors, don't talk, don't walk in the open, etc., etc., ad nauseum. Always approach with the wind in your favor. Anyone who says a coyote isn't that dependent upon wind doesn't know his coyotes. Most coyote calling failures occur long before the first sound is made. Set up is crucial.
Beyond that, it's easy.