Some days are just better than others when you go out to hunt coyotes. I can recall a morning hunt when I took out a first time caller where the calling was definitely above par. He got spoiled on his first trip to hunt coyotes. We called a coyote in on our first stand while calling in some thick cedar trees. The coyote came from the wrong direction and busted us, but my hunter was excited to see a coyote. His excitement didn’t let off as the second stand produced the same result. On stand number three we finally came up empty. It began to lightly snow on our fourth stand, but that didn’t hinder us as I was able to call and kill a coyote in a spot that had a little more visibility. We got skunked again on stand number five. The next three stands were all successful in producing coyotes. We had fun letting lead fly in the air as we missed the coyotes on stand six and seven. Then on stand number eight we didn’t let the sixth coyote of the morning get away as I put it down with the shotgun. We wanted to keep calling, but my hunting partner had to get back home.
What was it that made this hunt so great? Yes, the fact that we called in six coyotes in eight stands was awesome, but why were we able to do it? It was because of three reasons. First, the time of year, second, the time of day, and third, the weather.
Time of Year
This hunt took place on the first day of November. The best time of year to hunt coyotes is the fall and winter. I like to get out when it is cold and the fur is good and you get to hunt all day without sweating to death. I usually start sometime around the end of September or the beginning of October and hunt into February or March. This isn’t to say that you can’t hunt coyotes other times of the year, but I have found these months to be the most productive when out calling.
Time of Day
The most productive times of the day to hunt coyotes are the first three hours of the morning and the last two hours before dark. I like to call all day long, but I see more results during the day when the conditions are right. A lot of people don’t realize that it has a lot to do with the sunlight. It is not necessarily when the coyotes are feeding or when they are actually hunting; it’s got a lot to do with the lighting conditions. If you will notice, you can call coyotes all day long with an overcast or dark dreary day opposed to a bright sunny day. The sunlight has a big effect on coyotes, especially pressured coyotes.
The Weather
Weather patterns play a role in how active coyotes are. If it is really windy, raining, or a nasty snow storm they find a place to hole up. I can go out calling before a storm and have success, but I will have more success just after a storm because the coyotes have been laid up. They haven’t been able to get out and hunt so when the storm clears they are out hunting making it a great time to go hunt coyotes.
