Top Country Tactics Art Isberg
calls will be heard over the greatest dis- tance possible, thus potentially reaching the sharp ears of more coyotes. Coyotes, fox and bobcats all in-
habit mountain country, but far and away it’s coyotes that travel the farthest, do so fastest, and also are in greater numbers than fox or cats. Another plus is that coyotes here often travel two or three to a bunch. These can be family hunters or adult males and females al- ready paired off for mating. I’ve called in more than one coyote at a time on a number of occasions. Only rarely have I ever called in more than one fox, and never two cats, the most notable loner of the three. Coyote is king in high country over most of our nation, so that is your prime target. If something else shows up, consider it a bonus. Mountain hunting is made up of
All varmints hunt longer, hunt harder, and move farther after snowfall. I’m holding a nice bobcat I took calling at midmorning on a bright, sunny day to prove that point.
Even today I can step out my back door and see the jagged, high country of not one but two major ranges, the Coast and Cascades, so close I can count trees on ridges and saddles. This pleasant envi- ronment also means I’ve always been a keen watcher of weather because high country is first to react to it, and thus the animals in it, both predator and big game alike. As a predator hunter with four and one-half decades of experience, I learned long ago that weather changes the timetables and habits of animals that must kill to eat and that, in turn, changes how, when and where I stand my best chance to score when predator hunting.
Ihave lived in close proximity to The thing that sets mountain mountain country all my life.
hunting for coyotes apart from other climes is how important it is to choose the best possible location and eleva- tion to make your stand in and calling efforts from. A poor choice can nearly guarantee failure even before you start. The right location ups odds for success dramatically. Here’s what I like to look for and what has worked for me over a considerable number of years. It will work for you too. STANDS
Regardless of what elevation you
hunt in, and I use the term elevation as meaning anything between rolling hill country or the highest mountains, always choose a spot where you have the most expansive view of all that lies below. Elevation is the key. This simple choice immediately gives you two for- midable advantages even before you put a call to your lips. First, you can see farther in choppy, up and down country and even into cover, and second, your
every conceivable angle and type of cover. That’s why I choose my stands on semi-open saddles, ridgelines or long points above timber canyons, basins, and brushy flats. From here I can see ev- erything that lies downhill and equally important see anything coming up even at long range, giving me time to position myself for an accurate shot. Coyotes on the move uphill are always easier to see simply because they are moving and you are down and still. Another spot I always look for is the confluence of two or more canyons. A stand like this gives you even more country to look over and more opportunities for your calls to pull in high country “dogs.” Try adding several other factors to
your top country stands. One is to keep the sun either at your back or at least off either shoulder. This way a coyote coming at you from below is spotlighted faster, easier to see even at extreme dis- tances, and has the sun in its eyes and not in your rifle scope spoiling a shot. A second plus as daylight comes over the land and nighttime temperature moderates, is that morning air always rises from the bottom up. That means
Whether your “top country” is mountain top high, ridges, saddles, buttes or rimrocks, get elevation to call and shoot from. It gives you an unmatchable edge in all situations.
Page 104 Winter 2013
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