couple questions on yotes

[wtnhunt]

Seems we have yotes pass through mid morning(between 10 am and noon) more often than any other time here. Not sure why, if they are occasionally bedding nearby or what? Maybe someone who knows their behaviour might be able to help me have a better understanding.

Just the other day the kids were out playing and heard one up beside the house, sounded like it was moving along my neighbors field at the edge of the woods away from the house. It was very close(just inside the woods, maybe 40 yards from the house max) when they first heard it. The dogs started barking, that was about 10:30 or so in the morning. Brings me to a question on trying to understand the calls. The yote was barking and yipping some, not howling, when they got me to come out I could tell for sure it was a yote though. Kind of figured maybe it found a dead critter, the wind was blowing across the field into the woods? Really do not exactly understand all the yote language that well and what all the different calls mean.

I ended up getting my shotgun, loaded it with 3 inch turkey loads, #5 shot, and headed back to try to cut it off near the old logging road in the patch of woods. Considered my .223, but was afraid where I was planning on trying to cut it off and where I might get a shot that it probably would not be safe, likely could be in the direction of my neighbors barn or field where he has horses or might be in the direction of the airport, so I opted for the shotgun which I figured in close would work. I got setup just below the ridge with the gully in front of me and the other ridge top about 35 yards across from me. Expected if I was going to see it, that it would run somewhere between me and the other ridge top.

I took the mouthpiece off my kiyi call and used it and within probably 2 or 3 minutes after starting calling, here it comes at a steady pace, just below the other ridge top, probably 30 yards out. I picked the most open spot in the woods on the trail it was running and squeezed off the shot with the yote broadside and I am sure I hit it, but the yote never slowed down and with it moving I am not really to sure about the hit, which brings me to another question. With getting good tight patterns out to about 45 yards, what kind of effective range can be expected on yotes with a 12 gauge with turkey loads? What about 00 buckshot?

[sureshot]

I am not 100% sure this time of year of there vocalization, I do know they will yip when playing or when vocalizing with there family, you here it lots when they are all gathering at nights or mornings, [when the hills come alive]but then they usually end with a greeting howl to show its ok to come in, it could of been a female talking or warning her pups to stay away from the yard, did it sound like a agressive bark and yips?could be just teaching her pups, Iknow there is a couple types of barks and yips, there is the type when calling and they just know something is not right, they start to yip and bark,just a warning, then there is the playing type,it is less agressive and it usually ends with a greeting howl like I said before!really hard to say but I expect it was a warning call, she realized she was to close and warning others that were prob in the area to stay away!

With the seeing them at 10.30 it is really common here,I see most of my coyotes at that time,I think its becouse they are just leaving there hunting area and moving towards there bedding, everyone says best time to coyote hunt is early morning or late night, not for me, I get 75% of my coyotes from 10 to 4, I believe its becouse when they are hunting early or late there sences are so high strung that they really notice that truck door slam at a mile away or that branch you just stepped on, [added to the pressure of being called lots] they will not take a chance coming in, when they are off to bedding or bedded down they hear that screach of the call or thedistress they will instantly get alert, they missed the door slam becouse they were not alert as much as when hunting!

If I was you I would call around noon from the area you see them heading to, Good luck!!

jcwa hopefully has more info on the vocalization, he knows it well and like I said each season is different!

[wtnhunt]

Thanks for answering Bret.

I never heard a howl when this happened the other day, but the yote was not as close when the kids got me to come out and I first heard it. The barks and yips sounded more curious than aggressive to me, but I am admittedly inexperienced at understanding their vocalizations. My first thoughts were that it was a pup, but the yote I saw and shot was fair size, not real sure but it could have been a mature female. Too bad I did not roll it with the shotgun with the turkey loads. Guess next time something like this happens I will either setup an ambush spot where I can use my rifle or try buckshot.

I really need to cut my back field now, think after I cut it, I will try some noon time calling from the deer stand with the .223.

[jcwa]

I don't really have anything to add. I agree with what Bret said.

The turkey load will do the job at close range, but I would suggest BB, BBB or #4.

[WaCoyote]

I don't really have anything to add. I agree with what Bret said.

The turkey load will do the job at close range, but I would suggest BB, BBB or #4.

Do you mean #4 buck???? I'd use BB, BBB, or #4 buck. If you can find copper plated BB's they are out of this world. Stay away from steel, it loses energy too fast. When goose hunting was slow we'd call yotes and we used to use Tungsten BB or BBB goose loads and it worked great. 00 buck would work but with only 9 pellets the chance of a miss or a wounding is good at longer ranges. Guys who only use shotguns for yotes use the above mentioned shells and they're also starting to use a lot of the coyote loads offered these days, one of which is "Dead Coyote" by Hevi-Shot. It's T sized Hevi. With the right choke they claim 70 yard kills with "dead coyote".

I'd have to hear the barks to even give an opinion.

[wtnhunt]

Thanks for the replies guys. So my 30 yard shot with turkey loads on the broadside yote probably did not do much damage?

I do have some federal maximum load 00 buckshot someone gave me that I could probably use, not sure about using my turkey choke with those loads though.

[Modillo]

well bud i would get the old .22lr out and practice for a while and hit them in the head, , the 22's are easy on varmits of that size. my grandpa and i shot many of them with out any messed up hides,

[wtnhunt]

I'd have to hear the barks to even give an opinion.

Heard one again this Saturday morning around the same time, think next time we hear them I will try to maybe record with my video camera, I could upload an audio clip. It was at the edge of the woods and my neighbors pasture Saturday morning about 50 yards from our front door. It was barks and yips, just heard a couple sequences this time and it stopped after our dogs started barking, never heard any howls. Sounded like a young yote to me, possibly this years pup?

Sunday morning about 9:30 I setup the same area I saw the yote the previous week and sat for about 45 minutes but never heard or saw anything other than turkeys and crows. I tried calling, pup distress with the kiyi call.

[Guest Peterbuilt]

cyote smarts

New to the forum, but have seen quite a few cyote's and panthers. The last cyote I encountered fooled me good by distracting me with a decoy, which I tracked (chased) into the woodline. Buck shot hasn't failed me yet. However the othe ended up with a yard bird (chicken). At a distance my .17 HMR does the trick.

[captkb44]

Next Time

The next time you decide to set up and either call or ambush them, I would suggest setting up in a different spot or location if you can. Coyotes are very intelligent animals and if that is the same one you shot at before the likely hood you call him back to that same spot anytime soon isn't that great. The shotgun loads you have will work, but if you get a chance to pick up some of the "Dead Coyote" by Hevi-Shot I would. Its expensive but worth it in my opinion. Good Luck!!!