In the last installment of our series on calling more coyotes to the gun, here are final five big tips that will help you impress friends and stretch more pelts.

6. Try A Remote Caller

Don’t turn your nose up at technology, but embrace it if it helps your predator hunting. Take advantage of the new generation of electronic calls, particularly models that allow remote operation. By placing the speaker and sound downrange and upwind of your location, you divert the attention of the predator to a spot away from you.  

How many times have you called in a coyote only to have it suddenly get suspicious of your form because it’s in the location of the distress calls? Then it dashes away in the opposite direction the next second. Remote calls allow you to focus the attention of coyotes away from your location as well as to allow you to manage the calls using a television-style remote. You can turn the caller on and off, increase the volume and switch calls in the middle of a stand to turn a reluctant coyote into a comer.

7. Vary The Setup

Although it seems as if hunters on TV and video have access to half of the West – Texas – you and I don’t always have the same sort of access. I find myself calling the same pasture at least two or three times a season, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Unless you can consistently call in and shoot all of the coyotes in a five-square-mile area you’ll have plenty of coyote opportunities, even with only a limited amount of land to hunt.

The key to hunting limited territory relies on variety. Don’t use the same calling site, call and calling rhythm time and again. Doing the same thing repeatedly might work for awhile, but eventually even dumb coyotes will figure out something isn’t right, and avoid.

There are huge numbers of prey-in-distress calls, and when you combine them with coyote vocalizations, you should be able to send a new message every setup for the next decade. If you have trouble being creative, use electronic calls with well-stocked, digitally captured sound libraries for variety.

8. Mix It Up

Articles and books written by professional predator callers of the past cautioned me never to change calls on a stand since it might alert a coyote that something suspicious is taking place. Today I say “bull.” Starting out with a dying rabbit and switching to a woodpecker in distress doesn’t alert a coyote to danger any more than a yellow light at a traffic signal alerts motorists to slow down. On the contrary, most drivers, speed up, and coyotes have the same reaction to multiple calls.

Professional callers like Gerald Stewart and Gary Roberson routinely use two or more calls during setups, with positive results. Roberson often starts out with a rabbit-in-distress, but switches to a higher-pitched call when he spots an incoming coyote in order to alert his calling partners of impending action. On a recent hunt with Gerald Stewart, I noticed that Gerald switched among three different calls, including the sounds of squabbling gray fox. After 20 minutes, a young coyote finally showed up, providing my partner with a quick shot through a tangle of cedars.

9. Practice The Tough Shots

Every coyote doesn’t walk across an opening and present you with a classic broadside shot. On the contrary, they either race in without stopping or they sneak in with the stealth and cunning of a bobcat. To increase your coyote count, practice shots from different angles. Since most hunters try to position themselves high above their calling site, practice shooting steep, downhill shots, noting that bullets generally impact higher than the point of aim.

You can also increase your totals by practicing long-range shots to 400 yards and shots on moving targets. An old tire equipped with a cardboard target and rolled downhill is a great way to increase your percentage of success on runaway coyotes.

10. Keep It Down

Finally, be quiet, especially when leaving a vehicle to hike into a setup site. Coyotes have incredible hearing; they can hear the slightest sound at much greater ranges than we can. Slamming car doors, talking or banging gun cases in the back of truck beds can ruin a hunt before it begins. Have gear organized before arrival, instruct calling partners to whisper and park well away from a calling site to avoid alerting targets.

Place yourself in an area sporting a fair density of coyotes and these tips will ensure your coyote count will increase this coming season. Better yet, it will help decrease the number of excuses you’ll need to explain your lack of success to hunting buddies.