A few years ago I planned a coyote calling trip with a couple of good friends, one of which was new to hunting coyotes. We made plans for the trip and loaded up all of our gear and travelled a good distance from home for a day of calling. We arrived to the area we were going to hunt just before daylight and began getting our coyote hunting gear ready. As we were about to walk out on our first stand of the morning I noticed one of the guys was going through all of his stuff looking for something. I asked, “what are you looking for?” He replied, “the bolt to my rifle!” He was sick when he realized he wouldn’t be putting any fur down on this trip, at least with his gun.
Because of this reason I always make it a habit to review my coyote hunting checklist before leaving home to make sure I have all of my coyote hunting gear for the trip. I have my stuff organized into five different groups. Listed below are those groups and what I have in each.
Guns
So I don’t end up like the story at the beginning of this article, I verify I have my guns and everything that goes with them.
- Rifle
- Shooting Sticks – BOG-POD SB2
- Mouse Squeaker
- Watch
- Gun Sling
- Rifle Case
- Shotgun
- US Hunter Bipod
- Shotgun Case
The Call Bag
I like to have all of my coyote hunting gear compartmentalized in what I call “The Call Bag”. This originated by having all my hand calls in a small bag and it has grown from there.
- Bullets
- Shotgun Shells
- Electronic Call
- Decoy
- Hand Calls
- Gloves
- Face Mask / Face Paint
- Beanie / Snow Beanie
- Gaiter / Snow Gaiter
- Rangefinder
- Camera
- Coyote Drags
- Chapstick
- Battery Charger
- Sharpie
- GPS
- Maps – Hunting GPS Maps
Clothes Tote
I like to store my camo in a tote for a couple of reasons. 1) It keeps it all in one place and I can just grab it and go and 2) I can throw in part of a sage brush to help keep them smelling like the desert.
- Seat
- Socks
- Base Layer
- Camo Pants / Snow Pants
- Belt
- Camo Shirt
- Camo Vest
- Camo Coat / Snow Coat
- Camo Hat / Snow Hat
Boot Tote
I wear two different boots during the coyote hunting season. A lighter pair for warmer weather and a heavier pair for the fridgid temperatures. Sometimes you might get both on a hunt, so I wear one pair and throw the other pair in a tote to keep them dry.
- Boots
- Snow Boots
Truck
This is the best part of the list… a Predator Down!
- Coyote Tote
- Hitch Skinner
- Latex Gloves
- Knife
- Long Screwdriver
- Tail Stripper
- Tail Zipper
By checking my coyote hunting gear against this list each time I go out I make certain I have everything I need when in the field.
