Hunting The Hunters

Was it the same coyote? I wasn't sure, but every time I slipped into the rugged pasture and lit up a series of howl calls, a threatening response emitted from the grassland's far corner. Nasty, deep gullies made up that corner of the pasture, the kind of real estate a crafty coyote would snatch up in any territorial land grab.

After being skunked twice by a coyote eager to answer the call but unwilling to commit to a face-to-face meeting, I deviated from my standard operating procedure and decided on a new calling site. Rising extra early the next morning, I drove to the pasture and parked nearly a mile from the nasty cover, then used the darkness to penetrate the heart of the grasslands. Choosing a high knob, I nestled in between two spiky yuccas and waited for shooting light.

At dawn, I broke the silence with a series of howls--welcoming in nature and inviting enough to seduce any coyote. They were answered immediately, but only briefly, and then all was silent. Fifteen minutes later I spotted a coyote 600 yards out moving in my direction, but not in any particular hurry. He soon disappeared into one of the many gullies separating us. At the forty-minute mark, with no coyote in view, I pulled the plug and decided to try a stalk. Creeping up to the first ridge, I slowly peered over the top, and as I swept the landscape I came eye to eye with my stealthy prey.

But instead of ducking and fleeing, the coyote looked intently at my movement. As he adjusted his gaze, I sank back then crawled to gain more elevation. Pushing my rifle through the grass, I found the coyote in my riflescope and settled the crosshairs as he gawked at the shape infront of him. Quickly I took the shot with my Remington 700 chambered in .204 Ruger. Upon recovery, I discovered that the coyote was a thirty pound male with incredibly long guard hairs and worn teeth.

That coyote ranks as one of my greatest hunting accomplishments. I lured him from cover, and I also stalked him when he refused to commit. I hunted the hunter. If you can learn to consistently kill coyotes, you'll become a well-rounded hunter whose success rate in every hunt consistently goes up. So, this off season, do yourself a favor--take up the coyote challenge.

Earning Predatorship

Every time I outwit a coyote, I know I've learned a lesson that will help me get the drop on other game. That's because predators such as coyotes have to kill to survive, and that survival requires them to hone their hunting skills 24/7. For that reason coyotes are not only exceptionally wary but they are also experts in the fine art of evasion, making them the worthiest of adversaries. Their patience and cunning places them near the top of the food pyramid as well--a predatory position that means they can't group together in larger clans to hunt or they'll soon be faced with meager ends. Instead, coyotes and other predators live alone or in relatively small packs.

From puphood onward, coyotes have reason to be guarded. Run-ins with other coyotes, domestic dogs, mountain lions and humans takes its toll. If something looks out of place, coyotes question it from afar--then take the high road if the question lingers.

These experiences make them leary of many calling set-ups, especially those coyotes who have managed to get beyond their second year. To put more than the occasional coyote into your truck bed, you need to be an above average hunter. That means going beyond the calling basics of what you read or watch in the popular media.