Unless I’m after a rogue coyote, I leave them alone while they raise their young. In Georgia, that means little or no coyote hunting during May, June and July. After that, the pups are almost as large as the adults, capable of surviving on their own. This still leaves a part of spring and summer and all of fall and winter to hunt. Different seasons require different tactics for successful coyote hunting. Be prepared to switch tactics as the need arises to maximize your hunting efforts.
Late Summer
The fur never primes in the South and is practically worthless, so that is never a consideration. In August, however, young of the year are hunting with their parents – some going it alone. It’s the perfect time for a beginner to learn coyote hunting because it’s at this time that one will encounter the dumbest coyotes of the year. I say that tongue-in-cheek since even young coyotes are very intelligent and born with an enormous amount of survival instinct. By the time the young have hunted with the adults for a few weeks, they have accumulated a plethora of instinctive stop signs.
Coyote families are territorial during the summer months, staying closer to the dens than other seasons. After the pups near physical maturity, they might not return to the dens at all, but usually hunt the same general area because this is where they have been trained and the territory is familiar. Considering this, coyotes are likely to be near where you discovered den activity or heard howling and yipping earlier in the year.
Ringing The Dinner Bell
Prey-distress sounds work well during late summer and early fall. Despite being overused, rabbitdistress is still the “go-to” sound and is probably the most effective prey distress for young coyotes. Rabbits are prolific in summer and the coyote pups have likely heard many rabbits scream. Even ifMom and Dad are with them, a pup will likely leave the group and head straight for what sounds like a hot meal. If the mother has been duped before, she might try to head Junior off at the pass but the youngster can now run 35 mph, so he can often get in trouble before Mama can stop him. A really strict Mom might have bitten his flanks for being too aggressive toward what she thought to be a ruse. Such a pup might wait for Mama to check out the source.
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