Master Coyote Hunting

By Michael Huff

Both veterans and novices will become better coyote hunters after reading this book written by award-winning author and expert coyote hunting guide, Michael Huff. This is the most detailed and comprehensive coyote hunting book ever written, its chapters include everything needed to master the difficult art of locating and luring coyotes to a gun or camera. Included is information on how to find and gain access to productive properties, select the ideal caliber and firearm, effective use of field shooting supports, successful techniques to use electronic and mouth calls, proper operation of lights for night hunting, organizing a vehicle, creating perfect setups to bring in coyotes, advanced hunting strategies and techniques, making long-range shots, selling pelts for profit, field care and taxidermy. The expertise shared will shave years off your learning curve. This is the author's second book and further authenticates his well-earned reputation as a coyote expert, a reputation formed from years of pursuing scholarly research and hunting and guiding for coyotes across the United States of America. His first book is the award winning, "Understanding Coyotes: The Comprehensive Guide for Hunters, Photographers, and Wildlife Observers."

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543967685

Book preview

Taxidermy

Introduction

It is 1 a.m. and I am standing in a lush alfalfa field atop a large hill in farm country. Alternating strips of soybean and corn fill the hillsides. My client tonight is Bill, a soft-spoken gentleman in his mid-60’s. He stands next to me as we sweep the surrounding countryside with handheld red LED lights, searching for a coyote responding to my calling. The wind is consistent, the sky black, and a wispy mist is falling, ideal conditions for hunting coyotes.

Less than 25 minutes into this set, I spot the glowing red eyes of a large coyote abandoning the security of the soybeans to enter the open alfalfa field. I reach over and grab Bill’s arm to silently get his attention. This coyote is a good one. It looks like it will go over 40 pounds, most likely the alpha male, stealthily and silently slipping in to find the intruder in his territory.

Keeping the coyote in my light, I slowly rotate the .243 Win rifle on the standing tripod and silently turn on the shooting light attached to the scope, assisting Bill in quickly getting on the coyote. As I watch the scene unfold, the coyote seems to effortlessly glide across the field. It is now a mere 60 yards away, clearly illuminated. Several seconds pass and I hear the thunderous boom of the 58-grain bullet launching at nearly 4,000 fps.

The shot misses, not surprising since coyotes sometimes seem to have a protective shield surrounding them. At the rifles report, the coyote turns on the afterburners. I bark with my voice and it slows to a trot. It is almost 150 yards away when Bill squeezes off a second shot hitting behind the animal. He is breathing heavy and shaking a little as a huge smile stretches across his face.

I smile too and assure him I can miss as well as anyone. This is his first coyote hunting experience and might make him a lifelong coyote hunter. Still smiling, Bill tells me he will never forget the experience and asks if I will guide him on another hunt next year. He has discovered the magic of coyote hunting!

It matters not if you hunt them in the Chihuahuan Desert of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas or the prairies of southern Alberta, Canada. Coyote hunting is to me and many others, the best hunting experience on the planet.

The book you are about to read is based on a lifetime of experience as a hunter and full-time licensed professional coyote hunting guide. Although most of my outfitting occurs in Pennsylvania, I hunt coyotes throughout the United States. In a few days, I am heading to North Dakota, another stop on my lifelong quest to learn as much about the coyote as one can in a lifetime.

This awesome animal absolutely fascinates me. I invested years learning about them from the scientific research studies of wildlife biologists. Their findings are summarized in my first book, Understanding Coyotes: The Comprehensive Guide for Hunters, Photographers, and Wildlife Observers. Whether you pursue coyotes with a gun, camera, or binoculars in hand, the information is invaluable.

None of us will ever completely know and understand everything about this magnificent animal, but the information in this book will make you a better coyote hunter. May the pursuit of coyotes become a lifelong passion and bring you many years of enjoyment. Good hunting!

1

Acquiring Properties

One benefit of being among the lucky six percent of the earth’s population living in the United States is the abundance of public land open to hunting. Approximately twenty-eight percent of all land in the United States is owned by the federal government, much of it open to coyote hunting.

The largest public landowners include the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation), Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Department of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Approximately half of the land in the West is federally owned. Some states, including Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada, have even allowed residents and nonresidents to hunt coyotes without requiring a hunting license. However, be sure to check state regulations for the current laws when you plan to hunt.

Only approximately four percent of land in the East is federally owned. Yes, there is some state land open to hunting. However, the supply of accessible hunting land is very limited compared to western ground. Maximizing coyote hunting success in the East requires receiving permission to hunt private lands. An organized and systematic approach, along with an investment of time and effort, can help obtain properties to hunt.

Mapping Apps

When it comes to coyotes, not all land is equal. Some tracts hold coyotes consistently, some periodically, and some rarely or never. It is important to identify and target specific locations likely to hold coyotes. The process is more akin to a precision rifle shot than a shotgun approach. It is better to have five properties with resident coyote populations than ten spots that periodically or rarely have coyotes.

What is the best way to find land that consistently holds coyotes? Driving around and looking for properties certainly works, but it can be time consuming. Asking friends, farmers and family can identify active locations. Using satellite imagery, mapping software, or apps such as Google Earth or OnX Hunt saves time.

If you are not a savvy computer user, no worries. Google Earth is very user-friendly, even for first-time users. This program is free and can be downloaded onto almost any computer or phone with internet access. Google Earth displays aerial photos of anywhere you are interested in hunting.

Google Earth requires either a street address, town or road intersection. Once you enter this information, the program takes you to the precise location and provides a high-quality aerial satellite image of the area. You have the option to zoom in or out on the image, view surrounding properties, add symbols, write information on your image, identify north, south, east and west, measure distances, view how the sun moves across the property, and many other features. When finished, you can print your image or email it to yourself or others.

Why else is Google Earth fantastic for the coyote hunter? It saves time spent driving and saves on gas money. Second, being able to view a large-scale aerial photograph contributes to a better understanding of surrounding properties. Third, information that cannot be seen from the ground unless walking a property is shown. Finally, being able to print aerial photographs can be a great organizational tool for your itinerary.

OnX Hunt is a great resource for hunters unfamiliar with land boundaries. Like Google Earth, it provides satellite images, but it offers much more. This cutting-edge technology displays property lines and ownership, so you know who owns the land and whether it is public or private. The software also allows users to create custom waypoints, shows where different species of animals exist, identifies camping areas, hiking trails, and much more.

The versatile OnX Hunt software can be used on a computer or smartphone, at home or in the field. It is possible to use the app with or without cellular service. In cases where a user has no cell service, he can download maps for offline use on his mobile devices. It can also be used without cellular service using a select handheld or vehicle GPS units. Just purchase a Mini SD card sold by the company for your particular state and insert into a compatible GPS unit.

For anyone who wants to exclusively use their cell phone when outside of service, some advance planning is required. Prior to an expedition using a high-speed Wi-Fi connection, a user can download and save 5, 10, or 100-mile-wide maps to his phone for offline use.

OnX Hunt gives the user the choice of displaying maps in three different formats. Satellite format displays traditional satellite images, like Google Earth. Hybrid displays topographic lines over satellite images. Topo displays a traditional topographical map, without satellite imagery.

OnX is a powerful and useful resource. It is worth a look for hunters who need a mobile mapping software application.

Getting Permission

After potential properties are identified, it is beneficial to develop a thoughtful strategy to approach landowners. Feeling uneasy asking a stranger for a favor is very normal. I dreaded the process and avoided it for many years. However, living in the eastern United States, it became a necessity. Having now done it repeatedly, I can offer some tips that might be helpful.

Personal Identification Cards

Before speaking with landowners, create a personal identification card. Office supply retail stores produce high-quality business cards for reasonable prices. Consider what to include on the card. Providing personal information translates into a more secure feeling for the landowner. Include basic demographic information: name, address, phone number, email address and vehicle information.

Consider any other information on your card that could increase your chances of receiving permission. If you can provide references, mention so on your card. If you are a volunteer hunter education instructor, mention on your cards. Are you a certified NRA instructor? Do you have current state police and FBI clearances? Are you a member of your state farm bureau? All of these are worth mentioning on your cards. What you include should make landowners feel secure about providing you access to their land.

Approaching Landowners

After compiling a list of potential properties and having business cards, it becomes time to approach landowners. Being yourself is the best way to approach landowners. Slick dressing and game show host smiles and demeanor do not work. What does work is being polite, humble, honest and grateful. As the saying goes, treat others as you would want to be treated.

Have the mental awareness the landowner is doing you the favor. Imagine being in their shoes. How would your approach make you feel if you were the landowner? When greeting the landowner, avoid immediately asking for hunting permission. Introduce yourself and engage the landowner briefly in some respectful social conversation.

Greet the landowner with a friendly hello and consider a feature of the property to compliment. Mention your name and that you are a coyote hunter. In many states, deer hunting is almost a religion. Landowners rarely grant permission to deer hunt. Knowing you are a coyote hunter removes any barriers related to coveted deer hunting. Requests for coyote and groundhog/prairie dog