Whether you use a handgun or rifle, winter hunts in high country can be the most productive of the year. You can see varmints farther away, blend into the snow background with proper clothing, and generally call animals closer than other times.


to reach your position and that takes time, especially when climbing. Don’t be too quick to move if you don’t see anything in the first 20 minutes. A little patience can pay off handsomely. Get comfortable and give them that chance to reach you. BODY LANGUAGE


Coyotes are fast-moving hunters that cover a lot of ground, but it’s wise to never forget they are always suspicious and wary once closing in on any caller. There are those rare times when one will come charging all the way in at a dead run offering an easy shot, but generally that is not the case. It’s far more likely one will stop a 100 yards out before coming closer. Their erect ears, stretched neck and long stare says the little wolf is still thinking things over for some sign of betrayal. Now you have to hit them with something they cannot resist. This is the point where most coyotes are lost to callers because they either don’t know how to coax them closer, or take a chancy shot when they could have gotten a better one close in.


Two things can be a clincher in this situation. First is to use a small, low tone call easily concealed that does not require movement lifting it to your mouth for blowing. A rubber mouse squeaker pumped in your hand fits this requirement perfectly. The tiny cry it produces can be heard by the sharp ears of a coyote at surprising distances, and certainly at or under 100 yards. If you use an electronic caller it’s easy to switch to any one of a dozen exotic animal cries that work the same way. Some mimic


Page 106 Winter 2013


coyote pups in trouble, rodent squeals, woodpecker wails, raccoon pups cry- ing, kitten distress or even coyotes in a food fight. These calls will break the “stop and stare” routine because they’re so unusual, yet all are natural sounds only very few predator hunters ever use. Curiosity may kill the cat, but these selections will turn the tide on hesitant coyotes, bringing them all the way in. A second superb addition in situ- ations like this is to use a coyote decoy staked out near your calling station. I like mine about 35 yards out from my stand, the head facing directly away from my hide. The value of a decoy cannot be underestimated on “hung up” coyotes. Both two-sided silhouettes and full-bodied plastic decoys are on the market. The foldups are light, easy to carry, picture printed on both sides. The full-bodied offerings also are fairly light, some with faux fur tails that can blow in a breeze and add that magic ingredient of life, a deadly convincer to any coyote coming in. To an approaching coyote, seeing another of his kind already on scene ready to take advantage of an easy meal is too much to resist. It adds a dimension to the calls just described too overpowering to turn away from. SNOW


Winter and the snow that comes with it always have been the preview of big-game hunters out after animals like deer, antelope or elk. This very special time is no less anticipated by predator hunters for all the advantages weather changes bring. Plummeting temperatures, shorter daylight hours,


and a dwindling supply of food itself, all force coyotes to hunt day long, cover more ground doing so, and respond to callers faster in situations they might not earlier. Hunger drives them relent- lessly. Coyotes are not especially large animals, but one moving over an all white background can be seen faster and farther away than any other time of the year. All these things are real pluses for winter predator hunters. On the icy cold, crisp days of fall and winter, calls seem to carry farther, too. Big barreled, high volume calls are perfect for these conditions. One of my favorite stands is to set up on the shady side of a slope, calling out onto an open side hill or flat in direct sunlight. The sun quickly spotlights anything mov- ing over it, while I’m hidden in shade. Another advantage of winter hunting is that coyotes often can be running with pals just the same as wolves do but not in pack numbers. Nevertheless, two or three coyotes running together will try to outrun each other when coming to a caller. If you are trying to decide exactly what area or what elevation to begin your hunting, look for deer tracks, rabbit tracks, their droppings, or smaller animals in the snow. Almost always coyotes will be working this same ground. Pals of mine four-wheel back roads and trails checking for cur- rent coyote tracks in fresh snow. When they find them, they set up there to do their calling in that area. High country coyotes like to travel


after the snow flies through areas of least resistance. One of these is on game trails


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196