By Steve Sorensen
Article published
March 8, 2006
Article published
March 8, 2006
Hunters must tear down the wall between coyote and man
before they can be successful.
Many hunters have never even seen a coyote so it's common to
believe the animal is very rare. The truth is less dramatic.
Coyotes are good at avoiding mankind. And, noisy and smelly
hunters simply increase the gap (wall) between us.
The yodel dog has a long history living with man. They deserve
all the respect we can give them. And hunters in the east are
just beginning to appreciate the presence of this wild, secretive
critter — so much so that merely seeing one is exciting.
Expert lure maker, Kevin Kishel, advises us to apply President
Reagan's famous Tear Down This Wall! imperative to coyote
hunting. The successful hunter will do everything he can to
minimize the wall between coyote and himself.
Kishel, of Kishel's Animal Scents, believes the coyote has
taught him more than any other animal about hunting. Some of
what he says may surprise you.
Many hunters think coyotes are the biggest, baddest and most
aggressive critter in the woods. As a result, experts often advise
hunters to be equally aggressive and challenge the coyote with
loud, long calls.
Kishel is a minimalist. He says, "To kill the eastern coyote, you
have to get little in the woods because the eastern coyote is the
most suspicious, cowardly, shy animal out there."
This might surprise you. Over the years we've hunted wild
canines (wolves, fox and coyote) as varmints — veritable threats
to our livelihood and basic safety. This relentless pursuit should
have made them extinct by now!
Kishel says a coyote's suspicious and shy nature comes from
how closely it lives to man, its greatest enemy. Canines are
rarely seen while man announces his presence loud and clear.
Most hunters smell like soap, cologne, tobacco or body odor.
They crinkle candy wrappers, cough and talk. Many hunters
move quickly and impulsively through the woods and even
careful hunters brush up trees and break sticks as they walk.
Coyotes are cunning and shrewd and not impossible to call.
Kishel says the successful hunter must use a system based on
what the coyote expects because he won't respond to what he
does not expect.
"Abandon all hype and gimmickry. The more tricks and
gimmicks you buy into, the higher you're building the wall
between you and the coyote."
Kishel believes tricks and gimmicks complicate the hunt and
the secret is simplicity. And, his system could hardly be
simpler.
The first requirement is for the hunter to know the animal is
present. That can be accomplished by locating a coyote at
dusk.
"Forget that long lonesome howl; that's good for the movies, but
not for eastern coyotes. Just a couple of short yips, plus a
short, clipped howl will often get a coyote to howl in response."
Kishel's minimalist approach is to call only once. If a coyote
doesn't answer, head to your next site. When you get a
response, leave the area as quietly as possible and return the
next morning at daybreak. Give the coyote little evidence of your
presence as possible.
What about scouting? Other than locating in the evening, Kishel
does little scouting for scat or tracks. Years of experience have
taught him that coyotes are likely to be where they have been
before. That helps maintain the minimalist, low-impact approach.
This strategy is based on common sense. Coyotes are
nocturnal and begin to hunt as darkness falls. So, early in the
evening they'll be within earshot of the place they frequent
during the day. If you get an answer early in the evening it's a
good bet they'll be there in the morning when you return!
Kishel takes most of his coyotes between 8:00 and 11:00 AM
as they're returning from an evening of hunting. The less
successful the coyote's nighttime hunt, the more vulnerable he
will be.
before they can be successful.
Many hunters have never even seen a coyote so it's common to
believe the animal is very rare. The truth is less dramatic.
Coyotes are good at avoiding mankind. And, noisy and smelly
hunters simply increase the gap (wall) between us.
The yodel dog has a long history living with man. They deserve
all the respect we can give them. And hunters in the east are
just beginning to appreciate the presence of this wild, secretive
critter — so much so that merely seeing one is exciting.
Expert lure maker, Kevin Kishel, advises us to apply President
Reagan's famous Tear Down This Wall! imperative to coyote
hunting. The successful hunter will do everything he can to
minimize the wall between coyote and himself.
Kishel, of Kishel's Animal Scents, believes the coyote has
taught him more than any other animal about hunting. Some of
what he says may surprise you.
Many hunters think coyotes are the biggest, baddest and most
aggressive critter in the woods. As a result, experts often advise
hunters to be equally aggressive and challenge the coyote with
loud, long calls.
Kishel is a minimalist. He says, "To kill the eastern coyote, you
have to get little in the woods because the eastern coyote is the
most suspicious, cowardly, shy animal out there."
This might surprise you. Over the years we've hunted wild
canines (wolves, fox and coyote) as varmints — veritable threats
to our livelihood and basic safety. This relentless pursuit should
have made them extinct by now!
Kishel says a coyote's suspicious and shy nature comes from
how closely it lives to man, its greatest enemy. Canines are
rarely seen while man announces his presence loud and clear.
Most hunters smell like soap, cologne, tobacco or body odor.
They crinkle candy wrappers, cough and talk. Many hunters
move quickly and impulsively through the woods and even
careful hunters brush up trees and break sticks as they walk.
Coyotes are cunning and shrewd and not impossible to call.
Kishel says the successful hunter must use a system based on
what the coyote expects because he won't respond to what he
does not expect.
"Abandon all hype and gimmickry. The more tricks and
gimmicks you buy into, the higher you're building the wall
between you and the coyote."
Kishel believes tricks and gimmicks complicate the hunt and
the secret is simplicity. And, his system could hardly be
simpler.
The first requirement is for the hunter to know the animal is
present. That can be accomplished by locating a coyote at
dusk.
"Forget that long lonesome howl; that's good for the movies, but
not for eastern coyotes. Just a couple of short yips, plus a
short, clipped howl will often get a coyote to howl in response."
Kishel's minimalist approach is to call only once. If a coyote
doesn't answer, head to your next site. When you get a
response, leave the area as quietly as possible and return the
next morning at daybreak. Give the coyote little evidence of your
presence as possible.
What about scouting? Other than locating in the evening, Kishel
does little scouting for scat or tracks. Years of experience have
taught him that coyotes are likely to be where they have been
before. That helps maintain the minimalist, low-impact approach.
This strategy is based on common sense. Coyotes are
nocturnal and begin to hunt as darkness falls. So, early in the
evening they'll be within earshot of the place they frequent
during the day. If you get an answer early in the evening it's a
good bet they'll be there in the morning when you return!
Kishel takes most of his coyotes between 8:00 and 11:00 AM
as they're returning from an evening of hunting. The less
successful the coyote's nighttime hunt, the more vulnerable he
will be.
Kishel has other common sense advice.
Set up in the thick stuff such as thickets. He
relies on a shotgun rather than a rifle for 25-
30 yard shots.
"Use the thick stuff, the area he (coyote) is likely
to call home. Believe he is there. Wait 10 or 15
minutes to let any disturbance you may have
made settle down. Face downwind. He will
always circle. Most coyotes are taken as they
enter your scent cone while they're circling to
get downwind." Kishel also offers the coyote an
escape route because it gives the coyote
confidence.
Call sparingly. Kishel uses mouth-blown calls.
He's not particular about the brand. He believes
electronic calls are unnecessary and often a
nuisance when trying to move quietly and
quickly.
Call briefly with moderate volume. Many
times a mouse squeaker is enough if you think a
coyote is within a few hundred yards. Otherwise,
use a canine distress call.
Kishel advises, "Call for about 10 minutes, then
shut up for 30 or 40 minutes. Be ready with your
gun up. This stage is much like turkey hunting.
Be patient."
Pay attention to scent. Before entering the
woods, do everything possible to minimize
human odor. This means a clean body, clean
clothes, rubber boots, and cover scent. If you
have a scent-blocking suit, wear it.
Just before calling spritz one or two squirts of
scent into the air. Bobcat urine works well. You
can also try Red Fox rabbit or another coyote.
The spray atomizes the scent allowing it to be
carried downwind. When the coyote hears your
call he's confirmed what he already smelled.
"The scent is the icing on the cake," says
Kishel, "and it confirms that something is
happening that he is interested in."
Most hunters don't realize how difficult scent is
to control. The peanut butter on your breath,
gasoline on your boots, cigarette smoke from
the restaurant, goodbye kiss from your wife and
the pat on your dog's head all hitchhike on you
to the woods.
Shower with a scent-free or eliminating soap.
Wear camouflage clothing that has been
laundered with scent-free detergent and sprayed
with a cover scent. Scrub your rubber boots with
a scent-free soap. You might try Kishel's
technique of wearing clean rubbers over his
boots and duct taping the opening of his boots at
the top so foot odor doesn't escape. It's all a part
of making a low impact — being small in the
woods.
The coyote's nose is the key to his survival.
Kishel says, "If I take a bite out of an apple, then
throw it on the ground, any deer will know that it
is an apple, and that it's Kevin’s apple. But a
coyote will know that it's an apple, a Macintosh,
that Kevin took a bite of it, that it was bought at
the local Giant Eagle after coming from West
Virginia on a Kenworth truck. Coyotes have a
way, a wit, and a nose that is unsurpassed.
They have learned to cope with everything man
has thrown at them. You have to respect them in
order to be successful."
Coyotes can be hunted a variety of ways. They
can be successfully chased with dogs, called
with breath-operated or electronic calls, and
hunted by posting-and-driving methods. Many
have been taken while deer and turkey hunting.
And, even a summer woodchuck hunter might
get an opportunity. Few hunters have found
foolproof methods for taking eastern coyotes but
enough are successful to prove that it can be
done. Whatever the method, remember that
success comes more often when using a low-
impact, minimalist approach, what Kevin Kishel
calls "tearing down the wall."
Set up in the thick stuff such as thickets. He
relies on a shotgun rather than a rifle for 25-
30 yard shots.
"Use the thick stuff, the area he (coyote) is likely
to call home. Believe he is there. Wait 10 or 15
minutes to let any disturbance you may have
made settle down. Face downwind. He will
always circle. Most coyotes are taken as they
enter your scent cone while they're circling to
get downwind." Kishel also offers the coyote an
escape route because it gives the coyote
confidence.
Call sparingly. Kishel uses mouth-blown calls.
He's not particular about the brand. He believes
electronic calls are unnecessary and often a
nuisance when trying to move quietly and
quickly.
Call briefly with moderate volume. Many
times a mouse squeaker is enough if you think a
coyote is within a few hundred yards. Otherwise,
use a canine distress call.
Kishel advises, "Call for about 10 minutes, then
shut up for 30 or 40 minutes. Be ready with your
gun up. This stage is much like turkey hunting.
Be patient."
Pay attention to scent. Before entering the
woods, do everything possible to minimize
human odor. This means a clean body, clean
clothes, rubber boots, and cover scent. If you
have a scent-blocking suit, wear it.
Just before calling spritz one or two squirts of
scent into the air. Bobcat urine works well. You
can also try Red Fox rabbit or another coyote.
The spray atomizes the scent allowing it to be
carried downwind. When the coyote hears your
call he's confirmed what he already smelled.
"The scent is the icing on the cake," says
Kishel, "and it confirms that something is
happening that he is interested in."
Most hunters don't realize how difficult scent is
to control. The peanut butter on your breath,
gasoline on your boots, cigarette smoke from
the restaurant, goodbye kiss from your wife and
the pat on your dog's head all hitchhike on you
to the woods.
Shower with a scent-free or eliminating soap.
Wear camouflage clothing that has been
laundered with scent-free detergent and sprayed
with a cover scent. Scrub your rubber boots with
a scent-free soap. You might try Kishel's
technique of wearing clean rubbers over his
boots and duct taping the opening of his boots at
the top so foot odor doesn't escape. It's all a part
of making a low impact — being small in the
woods.
The coyote's nose is the key to his survival.
Kishel says, "If I take a bite out of an apple, then
throw it on the ground, any deer will know that it
is an apple, and that it's Kevin’s apple. But a
coyote will know that it's an apple, a Macintosh,
that Kevin took a bite of it, that it was bought at
the local Giant Eagle after coming from West
Virginia on a Kenworth truck. Coyotes have a
way, a wit, and a nose that is unsurpassed.
They have learned to cope with everything man
has thrown at them. You have to respect them in
order to be successful."
Coyotes can be hunted a variety of ways. They
can be successfully chased with dogs, called
with breath-operated or electronic calls, and
hunted by posting-and-driving methods. Many
have been taken while deer and turkey hunting.
And, even a summer woodchuck hunter might
get an opportunity. Few hunters have found
foolproof methods for taking eastern coyotes but
enough are successful to prove that it can be
done. Whatever the method, remember that
success comes more often when using a low-
impact, minimalist approach, what Kevin Kishel
calls "tearing down the wall."
HUNTERS: TEAR DOWN THIS WALL! TAKING EASTERN COYOTES IS
EASIER THAN YOU THINK
EASIER THAN YOU THINK
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