Top 3 Ways to Coyote Hunt
As with any type of hunting, everyone has their own styles and methods to get the job done. Coyote hunting is no exception and can be boiled down into 3 basic methods of hunting. Now if you’re looking for some type of secret tip that will help increase your success you might want to look elsewhere. This is a basic overview of the ways to harvest a coyote as a function of time and money. I won’t even begin to get into which method is harder because each way has a long list of challenges that need to be met. This is a great tool for any new hunter out there looking to get into coyote hunting. I’ll go over each method and talk about the start up cost and the time investment needed to be successful.
Method #1: Trapping
From a financial standpoint, trapping can be the cheapest way to get started hunting coyotes. The main expense for starting to trap coyotes is purchasing traps. Now this can get expensive if you decide to buy a hundred traps but if you are just getting into it you can start small with 3 or 4 new traps. New traps can run you from $6 all the way up to $20 depending on the size and type of traps you purchase. To go along with these traps you will need some type of scent lure to get them to step into your trap. These lures can run from $9-$20 and there are thousands to choose from. Many long time trappers have their own lure they mix up and have great success with. The time investment in trapping will be substantial. You need to properly prep your traps to eliminate scent and make sure they are in great working order before you -place them in the woods. Traps need to be checked at least once every 24 hours so make sure you factor that in as well. Trapping also takes a lot of time in the woods scouting. It’s not easy to get a coyote to step exactly where you want it to, it takes countless hours and tons of experience. Does trapping still sound like something you want to get into? If so, check out a great guide on how to get started here.
Cost: 1 star (5 stars is most expensive)
Time: 3 stars (5 stars is most time consuming)
Method #2: Calling
With the surge of electronic game calls on the market anyone is now capable of calling in a coyote. There are still numerous hand and mouth calls on the market but most choose to go with the electronic call. Some things to look for when considering an electronic call is speaker quality as well as what calls are in the pre-set memory. Most quality speakers start around $150 and can go up over $400 depending on what you want. Mouth calls are much cheaper but take years to master. The main thing when using an electronic call is to make sure there are coyotes near where you are calling. If there are no coyotes within ear shot then you won’t have much luck. The other thing is scent control when calling. You need to be very aware of wind direction because coyotes are difficult to fool. The time investment with an electronic call is minimal and can be done with a few hours work in a single day. The cost is more than trapping but the trade off is it takes less time. Depending on how close you like to call them in, either a shot gun or rifle will be best. If it’s a rifle you are using, we recommend the AR platform, with an optic like this attached.
Cost: 2 Stars
Time: 1 Star
Method #3: Hounds
The bond of a man and his dog has been around since the first wild dog came near a camp fire. Hunting dogs are no different and can be a very useful tool to kill coyotes. Most people overlook this method because of the huge financial and time commitment needed to be successful. For the average coyote hunter the time and money spent to get a couple good dogs to chase a coyote isn’t worth it. Dogs need to be cared for year around and time needs to be invested in the training. Tracking equipment must be purchased as well to keep track of where the dogs are. The cost to own good coyote dogs is never ending and most that hunt this way to it because they love it not because they benefit from it. The best advice I have for this type of hunting is before you decide to get into this ask to ride along with someone who already has dogs. After you go a few times you will know if this is for you. If you decide this is a method of hunting you want to get into ask the people you went with tons of questions. They will know the best answers for whatever area you hunt in. Due to the large financial and time commitment this method can be extremely rewarding when everything comes together. If you are going to go on a coyote hunt, this is our top choice!
