Pre- Locating

[trappnman]

It seems to be at some agreement that pre locating coyotes pays dividends. So......

1) what time of the day do you try to locate coyotes for the next day?

2) What are you uising to locate them? A howler, a siren, horn, ?

3) whats the standard technique- use the device once, multiple times?

[richc]

Here is my take on the subject of locating. I use a cow horn howler for locating, but a siren would be good also. When locating coyotes on the night before a hunt, I would only use it during denning season. I do this to locate den locations. Any other time of the year, I will not locate on night before the hunt. Why? Let me say for instance that I locate a coyote at 10:00 P.M. That coyote can travel a mighty long ways before daylight. I do feel that locating during wee hours of the morning, an hour or so before first light may have some merit. My Iowa coyotes are mostly shutmouthed during daytime, so vocal answers are not common during the day.

[lb]

Prelocating, for me, means the same thing as scouting. Look for sign, look for cover, consider potential stand locations. You can establish that they are there a week in advance and it's a fairly safe bet that they are still around, and if they aren't you will know that in short order.

When it comes to locating, via howler or siren, that is not "prelocating for the very reason given by Rich. They can travel miles from bedding areas to hunting fields, every night.

The other reason why I don't bother with prelocating with a howler is because that is, or (should be) active hunting. I expect a coyote, that hears my howl, to come to the call silently. In that case, you need to be ready, with a gun in your hands.

So, let's just say you howl and get a response from a distance and drive over there, if there is a handy road in that direction? But, what if you had a closer coyote, within it's own territory, that was approaching your location, and watching you while you excitedly jump in the truck and drive off. Don't think that doesn't happen to howling locators.

Where I see value in "prelocating" is in the case of a long valley that holds a certain amount of coyotes, and you are methodically advancing from one end to the other, with no success. Let's say you don't have any idea where the coyotes are, so you can use a siren or a howler and get an idea where your time is best invested. Bear in mind that in some areas, coyotes are not inclined to respond vocally during daylight hours.

You should be aware that howling can be non productive, if you don't know what to expect, or how to handle responses, vocal or otherwise. This howling is a misunderstood tool, by many. It's something you need to develop by experimentation. Even as I reflect on what I have written above, I realize that it can seem confusing and some people will find much with which to disagree. If we only understood the language of the coyote a little better, things would be so cool.

Good hunting. LB

[trappnman]

Interesting- apparently the consensus is to NOT pre howl...

but lb you bring up a couple of points (threads here at CRU tend to grow wings...but its our style) that interest me.

What you mentioned about scouting, is simply knowing your area well. Knowing where coyotes are, where they will be going, etc. And in most localities, if coyotes can be seen and counted on to be there a week later, chances are they will be there often enough to call it regular- unless special circumstances like changing habitat.

Similar to how I know what coyote locations to set.

You mentioned that if they weren't there, you would soon know it. Does that mean if the coyotes are there, you expect to see them? This indicates that you have a high degree of success expectations. So that makes me curious- how high a % is it, that if coyotes are in the areas, they will respond to..well, lets make this a little tougher question.... to an experienced caller and a rookie caller.

[lb]

Consensus doesn't do a thing for me, but if some others like to "pre-locate" by howling, they are hunting with different methods than what I use. Which is all well and good, I'm not a crusader, I just talk about what I do and what I know.

Yes, if the area holds coyotes, I expect to see them. The degree of success fluctuates due to time of day and weather factors. It also depends on the type of geography. I hunt sagebrush flats at night, and expect to see a lot of animals. I hunt heavier cover on daylights and expect to see animals during the first 3 or 4 hours of the morning. After that, it's hit and miss. Spotty. Ratio goes way down, unless there are serious weather conditions developing.

In some of my better areas, daytime calling, I have called coyotes on every stand and promise myself to quit on the first dry stand, usually around 9:30 or 10? What that should tell you is the value of morning, crack of dawn hunting and apply it to where you hunt.

There are some places where I don't hunt nights because of laws and don't hunt days because it's unproductive. But, I will hunt two, sometimes three different states on a single weekend. So, it's worth the drive, when it's good. I actually cover a lot of ground in a weekend, 800 miles perhaps? I'm a city boy; wish I lived where I could find good hunting, but I do what I have to do to maximize the yield.

I better quit, this is getting pretty deep.

Good hunting. LB

[trappincoyotes39]

I like to prelocate coyotes and I use a siren or a very high pitched howler, "most" of the time I don't get a aggressive response using these two callers and I locate early in the morning well before light and I do "most" of my calling durring the denning season and I can find were the coyotes are and figure out the best way to setup on them without being detected by either smell or sight.

In the fall I will go out right at dark and locate coyotes and then come into the "general" area the next morning and setup were I think the coyotes are comming from using the night prior as a general guideline. I have cold called and killed coyotes but I feel more secure in the fact that I can keep backdooring coyotes to a minimum by pre locating and know a good were abouts of the coyotes and not go blowing in through them to get caught. I call in high pressure areas and feel that prelocating which many don't do and setting up in away that I can't be or limit detection works out best for me.

[qwagoner]

Like trapping, calling is the same in the aspect of location. If you have trapped an area for several years you have pretty well nailed down the hot locations. It applies for calling as well. I don’t need to scout at all if I don’t want to because I know where to go and how to set up in my areas. I like to hit the coyotes hard and fast early in the season before they get too spooky. Pre locating only helps me decide where to concentrate my efforts first.

Pre scouting is helpful if you are unfamiliar with the ground you are hunting. My problem is that if I am out on a hunting trip that is what I am doing. I am hunting not scouting so I look for structure and any and all things related to good coyote habitat. Once I get there I make a few stands to test the water and go from there. While I am hunting I will keep my eyes on cow trails, two tracks, water tanks and drainages for tracks and scat. If the sign is heavy I will continue to hunt but if there is no sign I pick up and move on.

Talking to ranchers is time well spent also. They will tell you where they hear them where they see them and where they kick them out when they are gathering.

In the mornings for the first couple of stands especially it doesn’t hurt to howl. A plane old Disney howl will act as a call to some coyotes but also as a locater to others. If you get a vocal response then you will know where to make your next stand.

I howl preseason on weekends some times to get an idea of where the coyote densities are as well as overall numbers. Like I said above I don’t need to do it but it is something I like to do. It really gets you fired up to hear a family group or two or three firing off.


Good hunting.

Q,

[lb]

"My problem is that if I am out on a hunting trip that is what I am doing. I am hunting not scouting so I look for structure and any and all things related to good coyote habitat."

Yeah, that's my problem, too. Seems like the best way to scout it, is to hunt it? Since I'm already there.

Hi Quinton. It's me, Leonard.