This is topic Staying ahead of the learning curve in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by Wily E (Member # 3649) on January 23, 2011, 11:56 AM:
It's easy for experienced callers to fall into the trap of getting discouraged when comparing how things used to be to to the way things are. Nobody has been more guilty of this than I have.
I admit, it is discouraging to see the army of weekend callers and contest hunters and all the newbies out there blasting their e-callers from conspicous places. I quit watching coyote calling shows because they seemed to place more emphasis on calling coyotes in to film rather than trying to figure out how they could kill a higher percentage of what they called. Finding a coyote that hasn't heard standard calling techniques is a difficult task by the time most of them are even prime.
The number of coyotes out there that have been educated to common calling strategies is especially taxing for those of us who have to clean up these messes all year long. Then again, if it were so easy, our job wouldn't be necessary.
We long for the days when we had so much ground and so many willing and eager coyotes at our disposal but let's face reality, those days are gone unless what we do is different than what others are doing or recreational coyote calling losses it's popularity. There's nothing anyone can do to change the fact that many of the calling strategies many of us have used for many years are now in common practice.
To self reflect, how many of us are really self-made men who didn't learn anything from someone else? I certainly learned a lot from those who called coyotes before me and were willing to teach and yes sometimes that knowledge came at a cost.
Interestingly we make disparging remarks towards the same beginners that we once were. Pretty arrogant when one thinks about it.
I don't know about you but I can't say I haven't learned a few things from these internet discussions so why do I begrudge someone else from learning from them as I have?
I admit, I detest the commercialization of the sport of coyote calling particularly when it comes to those who sell the knowledge and experience of others for their own personal gain and noteriety but it's reality just the same. When we pass knowledge on, we lose any control of how it will be used just as those who taught us lost control of how their knowledge would be used.
The fact is, we've all learned from others with equal to more experience than we had.
Rather than wasting time and energy on the army of callers that we currently have to deal with, why not focus on strategies to deal with it? Hey, now there's a thought!
The fact is, recreational coyote calling is not what it once was unless you have exclusive rights to a coyote refuge with willing participants. Emphasis on the "willing participants" aspect because some areas of high coyote population require totally different techniques to gain response even with virgin eared coyotes due to the changes in social behavior of coyotes in higher populations. Some areas you have to be right on top of them to get a response.
The bottom line is in order to be highly successful, we will have to change our focus from common strategies to new strategies that account for calling pressure and changes in coyote behavior that changes from place to place and changes with time.
I can say, with total confidence, that there is not a coyote alive that cannot be called regardless what they have been exposed to. The question I keep asking is with what particular sound and from what type of call and from what direction (source of danger vs. comfort zone) and from what distance. Gaining success now requires knowledge of what a particular group of coyotes has been exposed to.
As I have stated before, there is no doubt in my mind that coyotes, once negatively exposed to it, can differentiate between live and duplicated sounds particularly recorded sounds. This was actually a shocking revelation to me. I had no idea until it slapped me in the face.
At one time I was an advocate of the diversity of recorded sounds but anymore, I think more natural sounds will be the future direction for those demanding higher success. Perhaps by the time these natural sounds become common, we can go back to what has always worked because nobody else will be using it.
Coyotes will always be coyotes from the standpoint of their natural instincts to survive. They adapt their behavior to fit their environment but their basic instincts for survival will remain the same no matter where they reside.
Coyotes will still eat, they will still reproduce, and they will still be attracted to their own kind to some degree.
I just visited with a long time caller who called coyotes in the heyday who is now finding success with totally different techniques. Perhaps he'll share those techniques with you some day. LOL!
~SH~
[ January 23, 2011, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: Wily E ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 23, 2011, 12:18 PM:
Good post, Scott. Some of it just reinforces my attitude that the good old days are gone and the popularity of calling predators is not a good thing.
But, change of subject. If we are to consider getting together, as you suggested, the window of opportunity is narrow. It looks like Vic has his hands full with his move to Florida and I have not heard much from Dave, but if it is to happen, somewhere around his stomping grounds is where it aught to be.
In the meantime, you paint a dreary picture, my friend.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Wily E (Member # 3649) on January 23, 2011, 12:25 PM:
I think I am finally done editing.
It may be a dreary picture but my point is that I think we need to refocus our thought process.
In fact, I think the track that you have been on for many years with night calling is enough change to make that difference. I do not have a lot of night calling experience but I do believe coyotes respond differently at night. In otherwords, a wary coyote in daylight hours may not be as wary at night. Your thoughts?
I think getting together in Dave's area might be our best option but not sure on the timing. A spring hunt (March / April) might be a lot of fun and better weather.
Dave, any thoughts?
~SH~
[ January 23, 2011, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: Wily E ]
Posted by the bearhunter (Member # 3552) on January 23, 2011, 01:49 PM:
do coyotes get educated?? you bet!!!!
jsut finished a 2 day calling contest. the first day, we seen 23-24 and only killed 1.this area gets hit hard by callers,road hunters,snowmobilers. most coyotes that day were totally indifferent to our calls or headed the other way at the first note.second day we went along ways into areas that i'm more familiar with and know most of the ranchers in the area. this area is fairly remote with few roads or people. calling a bunch of them the night before we left, not 1 rancher had had anyone ask for coyotes this year other than me. that made the decision to hunt that area alot easier even though it was 170 miles from base. the difference in responce rate was night and day!!!!. coyotes came in much more readily that day ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
some were indifferent but none we know of ran the other way.ended up killing 6 in about 5 1/2 hours than had to beat feet back to base.
Posted by Possumal (Member # 823) on January 23, 2011, 01:51 PM:
Scott, I think you are dead on correct in your comments. Areas where I had no competition five years ago are now flooded with newbies who have been over to Cabela's or Sportsman's Warehouse and armed themselves with all kinds of hand calls and the ecaller of their choice.
I feel like I am as much to blame in this part of the country as anybody, having posted a lot of pictures on various forums and what I thought was good advice for some of the newer hunters. It kind of reminds me of what happened to bass fishing when BASS came along. It got to the point where you couldn't find a place to launch your boat that didn't have a tournament going on.
Even teaching your grandsons and an occasional new friend has its negative exponential effects as they take their friends and so on. I have to deal with that though as teaching grandsons and now even great grandsons has more positive points connected to it than negative. Take them hunting and you don't have to wonder where they are or where they'll be later on.
All of my permissions to hunt that I get nowadays are exclusive to me alone, as that is the only way I can control when to call and where to call with any measure of confidence. There are a lot of fellows out there asking permission in every county within 100 miles of central Kentucky, so I felt it necessary to take drastic steps.
Posted by Nikonut (Member # 188) on January 23, 2011, 02:03 PM:
Excellent Wily E!
That is extremely well written and brings up many great points.
I think what you have said explains many of the feelings more experienced hunters are dealing with due to the rapid growth and technological advancement in predator calling.
I'm saving this one to my files if that's ok with you!
Nikonut
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 23, 2011, 02:12 PM:
Scott, I'm good for almost anything but currently, I have things scheduled for Nevada, and Oklahoma and Texas, so squeezing something in, in the next couple months or so would take some luck. I have to be back every so often, just to show this cat who's boss.
Totally off subject. Last night I had dinner on the Queen Mary, in Long Beach. Last time I was on board was for a wedding about 25 years ago.
My daughter's daughter is starting the spring semester at CalState Long Beach, and they brought her down from where they live, in San Rafael. So, rather than staying at a cookie cutter hotel, they opted for the Queen Mary. It was interesting to see their rooms, it's a hotel besides having three restaurants on board, and banquet facilities. The thing that struck me was all the wood paneling along the halls and inside the rooms. My guess is maybe a million dollars worth of fancy fiddleback and other burls, but gone, never to be seen again.
Launched in 1936, I guess it was the epitome of luxury back in the day and they have preserved a lot of that in the ship's hardware, the ventilation system and the plumbing in the rooms, it's really quaint. I think they made a good choice and perhaps the girls, (18 &13) will appreciate it from a future perspective. They had their own suite. Today, it's off to the Dorms and the drive back up north. Shelley, (daughter) said they are the exact same dorms she stayed at when she attended Brooks, over twenty years ago. More like 25, I think?
Okay, back to the learning curve.
Well, I can tell you this much, Scott. Hunting coyotes at night couldn't be more different than daylight. Other than a hand call, nothing is transferable from one to the other. We typically spend close to an hour to prepare for a transition day to night or night to day. Put stuff away and drag stuff out. Don't even hunt the same stuff. Well, not always, but there are different things to look for, at night, the way we do it.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on January 23, 2011, 02:31 PM:
Scott as always good post and thanks for shareing...
quote:
The bottom line is in order to be highly successful, we will have to change our focus from common strategies to new strategies that account for calling pressure and changes in coyote behavior that changes from place to place and changes with time.
I agree 100%... As I have been finding out some of the old basic stuff just dose'nt work very well in some areas, there are certain things or sounds I'm learning to use that are new to me and seem to be makeing a big difference in the responses I get on my stands. I know some guys that don't get a response think the coyotes just are'nt hungry or they are call shy...Rather than try to come-up with an excuse I look for things I can do to change this so they do respond.
I know you asked Leonard about how much different night time coyotes respond vrs. day time and would like to chime in on what little bit I have picked up so far with my coyotes at home...
My coyotes are vocal at nite and are more willing to leave the edge of heavey cover and come across open ground, there comfort level seems to be much higher. Some will respond to prey distress but with the majority it also takes some coyote vocals to get them moveing.
Some of the coyotes will even act or be more aggressive than they would dureing day time calling.. Still learning and haveing a great time doing so...
Posted by Q-Wagoner (Member # 33) on January 23, 2011, 06:46 PM:
Texas Leonard! You are going to have a high chair made before you know it! LOL When are you making that tritrip? Shaw and I are going to be headed down ther soon.
Good hunting.
Q,
Posted by Baldknobber (Member # 514) on January 24, 2011, 08:02 AM:
"A wary coyote in daylight hours may not be as
wary at night."
Now thats a mouthful. Here is my point. Here in Missouri you cannot hunt at night with the aid of a light or with an electronic caller. Last week we had 3 inches of snow and would you believe the luck, we also had a full moon? So I go to three stands alone Thursday night and four stands with my friend Shane Roark on Friday night. These were all places that I had called in the past. I called using a Burnham Bro. mini-blaster, and called at least one coyote on all seven stands. Seven productive stands in a row in the daytime here in Missouri would be unheard of. It was a great time but the conditions are only right for this about once a year.
Leonard was right in saying that your techniques are different at night. We found that you had to be hidden just as well and to let them get within shotgun range, even though we had a rifle also. Two people are better than one when hunting at night with no light. We only killed one coyote, but began to figure it out just before we quit.
[ January 25, 2011, 05:38 AM: Message edited by: Baldknobber ]
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on January 24, 2011, 10:27 AM:
I have to agree with you Scott.None of us are really self made men when it comes to calling coyotes.We all learned from someone.
And yes I get as discouraged as anyone at what has happened and is continuing to happen to the sport of Predator calling.
Commercialization is a double edged sword.Yes you have alot more tools and such at your disposal,and you can shorten your learning curve a considerable amount with all the new gadgets and Technology such as DVD's,Digital Ecallers,rangefinders,decoys,etc. But it also brings everyone out of the wood work corrupting the sport,wanting to make a name for themselves.Then you have the new guys heading to the field with all there new coyote calling gear with hopes of putting 100 coyotes on the ground in a weekend because they saw it done on "the DVD".lol When they really don't have a clue as to what it takes to be a successful caller.So they just educate the hell out of them.Which in turn makes it more difficult for the guys that have the experience and the understanding to kill the numbers they used too.
So what do you do?
Well first off we just started going on road trips further and further away from the "crowds" of new callers.But with the internet and people talking about how great they did here or there.Even some of those areas are getting over run now with callers.
So to be a succesful caller in todays world I feel like you have to be alot more proactive and be way more adaptive to be successful.Especially in areas that do get alot of calling pressure.
I know it sounds like a bitch session,but I will say that with the flood of information and technology in the sport of calling and all the new callers marching afield every year,it has made me a better overall caller.FWIW
Good Hunting Chad
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 24, 2011, 11:11 AM:
Well, at least I found out who this Todd Bledsoe is that has sent me a few emails.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 24, 2011, 11:55 AM:
I may not be self made, because I didn't hammer my plowshare into a shooting iron, or put an engine on my wagon, but starting out, there was damned little information out there. I had to learn it the hard way, trial and error.
You should have seen the aircraft battery we used to bring along, just incase we needed to walk up a cat. I still have it. It's inside an aluminum case I built for it, had a carrying strap and a handle made out of half inch EMT. I bet that battery helped me kill (what?) a few dozen bobcats that I would have had to leave alone because they were just not coming a step closer.
Take mist, for instance. Back in the day, we used to buy a couple filets if fish and let it bake in the sun for a couple days and then put in in one of those lettuce bags with all the holes in it and tape it to our front bumper. Compared to misting, it was a stoneage solution for downwind coyotes.
Another little item I still have is a Motorola 8 track tape deck. I built another aluminum enclosure and mounted it with two speakers, drilled a gazillion holes in the sides and it had a plug because that aircraft battery with the neat spill-proof caps also had a receptacle on top. A regular 110V but it worked just fine for 12vdc.
Nowadays, people can't imagine this because there is so much commercial stuff available. My wife told me that I was nuts not to market these and other things I had to quite literally, make by hand. For one thing, if it gave me an edge, I wasn't about to share it with anybody and besides, I thought the market was limited to less than a thousand people and I knew most of them personally.
Then there was the lights. God, I have made so many lights. Some people, it was a cottage industry because others were not very good at building stuff, and a light was one thing that was indispensable, if you were going to hunt the best part of a weekend.
There is a man who had a business building radios for all the Baja 1000 mile racers. So, naturally, the lights he made incorporated an array of buttons and toggle switches for communicating with the driver; where to turn, where to park as well as commands for after a stand, start the engine and go ahead were separate because a driver can get antsy and drive away with a rifle sitting on top when the guy in the back isn't quite ready. All the buttons had little lights on the dash so a driver could see them and know instantly, what the guy in back wanted him to do, turn around, back up, TURN THE FRIGGIN ENGINE OFF, I HAVE A SET OF EYES THAT JUST LIT UP AT THE SOUND OF THE ENGINE STARTING.....I'm sure there was a button for that?
I have said it a number of times. You guys don't know how easy you have it. Literally. There is nothing you need that you cannot buy. You know what? We had a difficult time finding CAMO! There just wasn't hardly any available. Now look at it.The market is flooded with any type of camo your little pampered heart desires; including SNOW CAMO. Back in the day, I used to wear a green plaid shirt that worked quite well and I didn't feel stupid because I wasn't dressed properly.
Oh yeah, we have to stay ahead of the curve. Don't make me laugh.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on January 24, 2011, 12:07 PM:
I'm still game to try and get something going if we can. April is out for me, have too much going on then already. I might be able to swing some time in Feb. or March though. But I'd need a pretty firm idea of when and and for how long soon so I can block off the time. Too much longer without a plan and I'll probably have those last couple days of vacation time allocated to something else.
I've got a few ideas on where, depending on weather at the time and what you guys want to do (camp or have a roof).
My email is dave at rmvh dot com, might not hurt to try and get our arms around at least the beginnings of a plan if there's going to be any hope of pulling it off this year.
- DAA
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on January 24, 2011, 12:20 PM:
Yeah I hear ya about the camo.Hell there wasn't much camo available even in the 80's let alone the 60's and 70's.Not that you really need it that much anyways.lol
Good Hunting Chad
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on January 24, 2011, 01:04 PM:
Oh, and the subject at hand...
All I can do is agree. Things are tough all over!
But I have to confess, I have not adapted very well. I still do things pretty much like I always have. It just doesn't work as well as it used to, LOL! And it’s not that I haven’t tried new things, but for me, the old tried and true still seems to work best, most of the time. Not as well as it used to, but, it still seems to be the highest percentage play most of the time.
What adaptation I have done, has been something like the longer roadies Chad talked about. I've become, I think, pretty good at finding pockets of relatively unpressured coyotes. My approach to finding them is again "I think" fairly sophisticated. But, that approach is something I don't talk about on the internet, LOL! And of course, I'm willing to put in some miles to do it.
And, as a purely recreational caller, I get to decide on my own priorities. I don't "need" to bust my ass working "tough" coyotes. I have the option of just going somewhere else and finding easier ones. I've gotten pretty good at that.
And I also don’t “need” to put up big numbers, but, after simply making sure I’m having fun, putting up numbers is a priority for me. Keeping score still matters.
But! By this time of year, between weather and ground conditions shortening the field, time having passed for all the other hunters and contests to have their effect, etc., finding the pockets of easy ones on public land is damn near impossible. And my "lack of adaptation" starts to show! The basic fundamentals of hunting, that is, a nose for game and terrain reading skills, stealth, marksmanship etc., are really all I've got going for me this time of year and when those fundamentals aren't good enough, I'm in for some rough sledding...
- DAA
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 24, 2011, 01:55 PM:
Okay, as long as I have Scott and Dave's attention.....for me I can go an time. Unless I have somebody penciled in on my dance card. That's a very old expression, from the days of Cotillions and Magnolias. And, before some wiseguy jumps in, before my time, as well.
So far all my dates are a little bit to a lot flexible one way or the other. Let's talk timeframes per email. Be sure to copy those involved; and TA, of course. He might have some solid gold input. (just kidding)
But seriously, I always wondered if a lefty turns counterclockwise with his buckethead rig? No, I would go counterclockwise, so they might pirouette clockwise? Does that sound right?
Good hunting. LB
Good hunting. LB
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on January 24, 2011, 02:13 PM:
Dave I agree numbers are not a huge deal for me either anymore.I mean sure I like to kill alot of coyotes and it is a bigger deal for me when I'm calling in Nevada than when I'm calling in Utah.But that's just because I expect to call alot of animals when I'm in Nevada.lol
I kind of gave up on calling in Utah a few years ago to head for greener pastures,felt like my time was better served going on road trips and killing "easy" "high population" coyotes.lol
But with the price of gas and time restrictions for me the last couple years I've made fewer road trips and have just worked over some of the areas here in Utah I had been calling for the last 25 or so years.Definitely tougher calling now than back then with all the calling pressure now but it has been VERY satisfying for me.Seems like I have to work alot harder for those hard to call coyotes and I feel like I'm getting better at as Scott put's it "calling "THE" coyote rather than "A" coyote.I don't kill nearly as many coyotes here as I do in Nevada but I feel just as successful just in a different way.
That being said I am headed west to the Coyote State Next week. Should be fun...
Good Hunting Chad
[ January 24, 2011, 05:00 PM: Message edited by: UTcaller ]
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on January 24, 2011, 04:13 PM:
Vic's moving to Florida? Not that there is anything wrong with that, just never had him pegged as hanging his hat in an area that likely isn't the best coyote state.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 24, 2011, 06:43 PM:
Yep, unless we can talk some sense into him!
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on January 25, 2011, 04:27 AM:
Vic's gonna go call 'gators??? ............... Say it isn't so!!!!
Speaking of camo; Any of you old farts remember the first time that you saw a camo t-shirt?? That was a really big deal at the time. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 25, 2011, 10:03 AM:
Camo tee shirt? Yeah, you were wearing it, koko, and the image has troubled me, ever since.
Posted by smithers (Member # 646) on January 25, 2011, 11:24 AM:
Mindless automatons
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on January 25, 2011, 11:51 AM:
El Bee;
If you don't like the outfits that I wear, stay out of Chipndales on senior's night. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on January 25, 2011, 03:38 PM:
quote:
Speaking of camo; Any of you old farts remember the first time that you saw a camo t-shirt?? That was a really big deal at the time.
Camo!!! I thought they called it "tie-die"back then.. You know the stuff the Hippy's wore.. ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Posted by Wily E (Member # 3649) on February 05, 2011, 12:37 PM:
The intent of my initial post on this thread was not to present a hopeless "gloom and doom" picture of what has happened to the popular sport of coyote calling but rather to point out the realities of the sport so we can deal with them accordingly.
Since technology has made coyote calling virtually idiot proof (electronic callers) and commercialization and the internet has made coyote calling information so readily available, it's more important than ever to know what strategies, if any, are being implemented by others hunting in the same areas you are hunting. This knowledge will allow you to adjust accordingly if need be and gain a higher level of success. That's the first step in staying ahead of the learning curve.
One of the most fascinating aspects of calling coyotes for me has been in learning how coyotes will adapt their behavior to fit certain environments and how that behavior changes seasonally within a given area. You absolutely have to change your style of hunting in certain areas in order to achieve success. It's really fun when you get avid coyote callers together, who don't think they already have all the answers, and start comparing notes.
The more I learn about coyote behavior and how their behavior adapts to various situations, the more I realize how much there is yet to learn. This keeps the game from getting boring. Unfortunately, I have seen many "self proclaimed" coyote calling experts limit their knowledge by assuming that they have all the answers. After all, who wants to share knowledge with someone who thinks they have all the answers? Luckily for most of us, when we start thinking we have coyotes figured out, it's usually only a matter of time before they pull our pants down around our ankles and leave us scratching our heads.
Despite the fact that more and more coyotes have been subjected to an ever increasing amount of calling pressure, the bar for success has risen too. I saw proof of this in St. Francis this year with 7 teams killing over 10 coyotes. The strategies of some of these teams have taken success to another level despite more educated coyotes. That has been very encouraging to me despite our own dismal results this year. LOL!
Here are some thoughts I shared with Lance in the emails I sent him previously on this same topic.
Here is a short list of some of the factors I consider in staying ahead of this learning curve:
1. How much calling pressure have these coyotes been subjected to.
As I have stated before, each coyote has an individual level of curiousity and an individual level of caution towards calling based on their previous life's experiences. Curiousity can win over caution and entice coyotes that have been called in before if the setup and calling is more enticing than the caution created by previous bad experiences with those same sounds.
It's almost like we have a balancing scale in front of us. On one side of the scale we have the number of prey specie sounds that have resulted in an easy meal (good experience) and/or we have the maternal and/or territorial instincts kicking in based on the coyote vocalization sounds we use creating curiousity, maternal instincts, and/or determination to defend a territory. On the other side of the scale, we have the number of times these coyotes have been called in and shot at within a certain time frame. We also have to consider the other caution sounds and sights associated with that calling such as vehicle noise and seeing callers approach the stand or skyline themselves. The more time there is between the last bad experience and the last good experience, the more receptive the coyotes should be, in theory.
Without going any further than that, just stop and consider how many different behavioral responses we can expect when just considering the amount of calling pressure.
Let's muddy the waters further.....
2. What type of calling pressure have these coyotes been subjected to.
Have the coyotes been subjected to piss poor recorded or mouth blown redundant sounds coming from human forms skylined against the horizon? Have they been subject to hand calls or electonic calls? Were they subjected to the wrath of the "coyote doctors"? LOL!
In contrast, were these coyotes subjected to top end vocalizations that are virtually impossible for most coyotes to distinguish with the only signs of danger being the boom of a rifle and/or whizzing bullets because the callers due to their stand selection, strategies, and camo were never seen or smelled?
Big differences here in whether or not coyotes become educated. If you have a piss poor recording of a raspy "wabbit scweam" coming from two human forms on the skyline or bare hillside (unnatural appearance), preceded by vehicle noise, and followed by lots of shooting. You have a far more educated coyote than the coyote who cannot draw a connection between the realistic coyote vocalization he heard accompanied with a realistic rabbit he heard followed by gunshots that he could not figure out the origination of. All those coyotes could do was nervously bark at that which they could not figure out. The more realistic the sounds and the better the calling techniques, the less coyotes will be educated.
Now consider how much that variable can change from one situation to the next....
Let's muddy the waters even further......
3. What age and status of coyote are we dealing with?
For the sake of argument, let's put coyotes into four categories. Single adults, paired adults, paired adults with pups, and individual dispersing pups. Each of those categories can react differently to calling pressure. As the season progresses and coyotes are subjected to different degrees of hunting pressure, you will see the dynamics in their populations change. As we get into mating, breeding, and denning, the dynamics of the coyote populations in most areas change even further. So seasons and how they relate to the local hunting pressure has a huge effect on how coyotes will respond to certain calls. At times some coyotes might respond negatively to calling based on the vehicle noise that preceeded it rather than the calling itself due to recent hunting seasons.
There is probably no more difficult coyote on earth to call and shoot than a mature female that has already had the male shot off of her a time or two. She defines survival. It's very common to find old female coyotes with younger male coyotes because the older males have already been killed. I guess young male coyotes like "cougars" too. LOL! Once a female coyote has successfully denned in an area, unless something major changes such as habitat changes, she will usually remain in that area for life. The males usually find her rather than visa versa.
Then you have adult pairs. Most of them will respond readily to coyote vocalizations. Due to my use of coyote vocalizations I consistantly kill more mature adult coyotes in the contests I enter than the competition regardless of the time of year. I have questioned myself many times if I wouldn't be better off focusing on the new crop of coyotes rather than the old crop? No doubt my recreational coyote calling style has been shaped by my livestock protection work.
Young coyotes that are still with the adults may be more or less susceptible to calling depending on what signals they are getting from the adults. In contrast, dispersing young coyotes can be incredibly vulnerable or difficult depending on the sounds being used. Young coyote vocalizations followed by distress calls is USUALLY enticing to younger coyotes. Mature adult territorial calls might raise caution with a dispersing pup that just got their ass kicked by a territorial mature coyote. This is why I error on the side of caution with less threatening coyote vocalizations at lower volume.
The behavior of coyotes within each one of these categories will change seasonally as mating, breeding, and denning takes place due to their social needs.
Let's muddy the waters further.....
4. What type of habitat are we dealing with.
Coyotes are more confident in approaching calls when they have the habitat that allows them concealment to approach the caller unseen. All other things being equal, habitat that offers concealment to approach the stand will result in more calling success with more coyotes in more areas as far as responding to the calls is concerned. That doesn't mean you necessarily see them. That's why the downwind calling strategy is so good in those situations but it will cost you more coyotes than it will gain you if you have misjudged the hunting pressure.
Waters muddy enough yet? Let's muddy them further....
5. What time of year are we dealing with and what is the human disturbance level in a particular area.
Naturally the more coyotes are exposed to people, the more they learn to adapt to them. Coyotes, regardless what forms of human exploitation they are subjected to still have to survive. That means they eat, they drink, they breed, and they socialize with their own kind no matter where they are. Meaning, there is always a way to turn them on.
To understand coyote reactionary behavior to calling, we have to understand what other forms of human distrurbance they have been subjected to since "call shy" coyotes requires associating calling to fear of humans. Hunting seasons create fear of humans in many coyote populations before most callers get into high gear. When I fur trapped coyotes and skinned them out, I was absolutely amazed at the number of coyotes that contained pellets from bird seasons. Stop and think about how those coyotes would react towards humans after that experience. Out west it's grouse, antelope and deer seasons. East river it's pheasant seasons, duck seasons, and deer seasons. These hunting seasons expose a lot of coyotes to a lot of bad experiences with humans. This is important to consider because, as has been mentioned in previous discussions, "call shy" coyotes may not be so much "call shy" as they are shy of "PEOPLE WITH CALLS".
In other areas with less hunting pressure, coyotes might react positively to human activities especially when those experiences lead to food.
Let's muddy the waters even more....
6. What is the prey availability of the area.
It should go without saying that the more times a coyote heard a rabbit squeal or other prey that resulted in a meal, the more times they can be tricked by calling using that same sound if it sounds realistic.
When it comes to understanding coyote behavior, as we continue to muddy the waters with more and more variables, perhaps you can start to understand why I have such a low tolerance level for those who think they know so much more than they actually do. When you consider all these variables that we know are factual occurances, it should make perfect sense that most half baked theories on coyote behavior in reaction to calling are worth exactly what most people pay for them.
Bottom line, we can't make any sense of coyote behavior without considering the many variables that shape that behavior.
Next time I would like to go into reading coyote reactions to calling to help determine the pressure they may have been subjected to.
To be continued as time allows....
Elbee, check your email. Finally got this slow computer fixed.
~SH~
[ February 05, 2011, 12:45 PM: Message edited by: Wily E ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 05, 2011, 01:39 PM:
OKAY, 10-4 and thanks for that analysis, I'm sure it will prove helpful to virtually everyone, except Tim, of course.
Now, listen up, this is a salient point. You can only muddy waters so much before it is properly called mud; as in, clear as mud.
What do you do with mud? Why you form it into bricks and add a little straw and you can build houses with them. As in, mi adobe hacienda, senor.
Let's get more creative with the metaphors, next installment, okay?
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 05, 2011, 01:53 PM:
quote:
OKAY, 10-4 and thanks for that analysis, I'm sure it will prove helpful to virtually everyone, except Tim, of course.
Youre wrong Leonard, I did happen to glean a few nugets from Scott..
Thanks Scott....
Posted by Wily E (Member # 3649) on February 05, 2011, 03:41 PM:
7.What is the coyote population in the area.
How coyotes react to calls and calling can definitely depend on the coyote populations within given areas.
Case in point, I have seen habitat, human disturbance, and coyote populations create a situation where you had to be extremely close to get coyotes to respond.
Think about it, if coyotes in a higher population area responded to every coyote that howled or prey noise, they would spend most of their time chasing eachother around.
I have been in places in other states where you could look in any direction and see coyotes but getting them to respond to a call was virtually impossible. According to their reaction, it had nothing to do with calling pressure but they simply weren't interested regardless what you threw at them. Could have been the coyote population, could have been the habitat, could have been the food/prey available, but I didn't see any signs of calling pressure such as coyotes running in the opposite direction when they heard the call, circling wide down wind, or warning barks. These coyotes simply were not intersted.
Would be fun to watch some of the industries "so called" experts try their hand at these coyotes.
Coyote Down can attest to what I am talking about.
~SH~
[ February 05, 2011, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: Wily E ]
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