how to yote/fox hunt

[HandGunner]

when does the season close for cayote and fox? does it end in febuary like small games? Is a 22lr enough for them? and were do i find cayotes and fox? I live in blaine i have gone to the WMA's around east bethel but not enough to know the area well. Would like to try yote and fox hunting but i dont know were to start yet alone find them.

also any other thngs like coons and rabbits, were to find them and is my 22lr enough? snow creatures basikly

[Neighbor_guy]

Your best bet is to find a mentor. Do you know anyone who does predator calling?

Starting out blind is hard, there is a lot that goes into it. From calling to the set the learning curve will be better if you have someone who can show you the ropes a little bit.

As far as guns, a .22lr will do it for fox, but not very well. If you can find a shot gun that is a better option. I would not want to shoot a coyote with a .22lr unless he is only 20 yards away.

[HandGunner]

no mentors i can find my frands all would like to try it as well... i feel confident in my 22 hitting a head shot at 100 yards but yes i also have a shotty but its not very accurate it only shoots rifled slugs.

so how would u go about finding yotes and fox? when does there season end?

[Powerstroke]

If you have a shotgun that shoots "rifled slugs" then it is safe for pellets. If your shotgun shoots sabot slugs because it has a rifled barrel then you shouldn't use it for pellets.

Look up some videos online or at the store. There is lots of reading out there about how to coyote hunt.

There is no season for coyote, but there is a season for red and grey fox. You can find the details in the hunting regulations in the small game section. Having no season means it is open year round.

[HandGunner]

its a smoothbore i only use it for deer...i dont think id be able to get close enough to a yote for pellets.....

can someone explain finding coyotes as in terms of how do i know if there around the area and how to locate them and what time should you coyote hunt... im on wma land in east bethel not sure if theres yotes around there

[Bass Whacker]

I just moved for school and came up with this idea to locate some hunting areas around detroit lakes. download a coyote howl and burn it onto a cd. go for a drive after dark in the areas you think might hold dogs Pull over to the side of the road shut off your car and play the cd. I had many coyotes answer back.

[Powerstroke]

Do not be afraid of using your shotgun for coyotes or fox. If you follow the threads by member "greyfox" you will see that he is using a shotgun and so is his son Mitch. Rifles can be used and of course they do provide better accuracy at long range, but they have to be a large enough caliber to be lethal.

There is an enter thread about "Shotgunning for yotes" . I shot my first one last year with a shotgun. We were using handheld mouth calls on public land.

I would not use a .22 for shooting such a large animal. You want to kill it quickly like any animal and these critters rarely sit still long enough for a headshot.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Lots of good suggestions on here so far.

Handgunner, there are three main methods for hunting predators.

the first style is calling. Usually guys will setup in open areas adjacent to cover and attempt to lure any area yotes or fox into gun range using prey in distress calls or different yote calls. This can be an awesome way to get animals into shotgun range. a load of 3" #4 buckshot in your shotgun will roll a yote easily at 40 yards (or further depending on your pattern). there are also specialty predator loads containing tungsten for even longer effective shotgun ranges. This method takes a lot of patience; as coyotes can hear you calling from a few miles away and sometimes will travel that far to investigate the call.

there are plenty of videos out there that show the in's and out's of calling.

the second method, which is my favorite, is spot and stalk. Where i grew up in western minnesota, we had access to thousands of acres of farm land and would spend many winter days driving around glassing fencelines, grove edges, rock piles, etc looking for a coyote or fox snoozing in the sun. then it's just a matter of making sure we had permission to access the land and playing the wind; stalking into position, and taking the shot.

the 3rd method is "post and drive". This is another tactic that we employ a lot. again, mostly done on private land with permission, we have access to a lot of farm groves, willow patches, brushy drainage ditches, cattail sloughs, etc. basically any cover that can be walked with posters positioned in likely escape routes or areas where shooting can be accomplished, such as the end of a cattail slough where a guy can shoot across an open field. Many times when i post at the end of a farm grove or slough i will carry both a shotgun and a rifle. i've shot a lot of yotes and fox at 5-20 yards with the shotgun. no way i could find them in a scoped rife when they are that close! but if one does get by and gets out into the open, thats when the rifle is handy.

as far as guns and loads for predators, you can stay as basic (your .22 and shotgun) or as advanced (custom built rifle; bipods, high end scope) as you would like. When we were hunting tournaments every weekend; it would be nothing for our suburban to have 15 different guns in it for 4 or 5 guys. from pistols, .22's and shotguns, to semi auto black rifles and varmint caliber bolt action rifles. the pistols and .22's come in handy for culverts, drain tile inlets, dens, etc. where a wounded animal might hole up at.

As far as using a .22 for predators, yes it can be done, but it's not the best choice. using your shotgun and carrying both slugs and buckshot/dead coyote/BB whatever will give you both short and longer range capability. I'd much rather shoot a yote with an accurate 12 gauge slug gun at 100 yards than i would with a .22 at the same range.

Coyotes can have a huge territory, so going back to the same property time after time may not produce much success. Do some asking around, scouting, and take the time to hit new areas. sooner or later it all falls into place and you'll connect on that first song dog and be hooked.

[motley man]

22 LR is not a good gun for either yote's or fox as it will bounce off many times. If you are not in it for fur use deer rifle. Shotgun is great for night time hunting as they come a running and shots can be close.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

22 LR is not a good gun for either yote's or fox as it will bounce off many times. If you are not in it for fur use deer rifle. Shotgun is great for night time hunting as they come a running and shots can be close.

Bounce off? I probably shot 35-40 fox with my ruger 10/22 before i was old enough to carry a rifle. all shot with CCI stingers. inside 50 yards you have a dead fox. inside 75 yards you might have to snap off 2 or 3 shots. It's really no different performance wise than shooting a big farm cat. Past 75 yards is pushing it though.

[Powerstroke]

I agree that at 50yds or less the .22 can be a good choice, however if I was at 50 yds or less I would rather be shooting a 12 ga. with buckshot or dead coyote. You have more pellets and they are typically traveling with more energy than a .22.