This weekend hunting

[erikwells]

As some of you already may know I am very new to this whole coyote hunting thing but having been skunked twice I'm thinking my third time out will be the charm. If it's not thats ok I'll keep showing up. I will have some time to hunt this weekend and I'll be hunting some private land that I deer hunt on where I have seen sign and coyotes this fall. I do not have the fancy equipment yet however I have a couple of mouth calls and my shotgun (00 buck). I would love to buy a 243 with a great scope however thats not realistic for me this year. My question is will there be enough moonlight for me this weekend? Also in he MN regs it has that with shotgun you can use artificial light. What does that mean? In my head I'm thinking how do I hold my bmillion candle power spotlight and shoot? Wouldn't the coyote absolutly bolt when you turned the light on? Is there a special light that coyote hunters use with shotgun hunting? Sorry for the stupid questions but at this point thats where I'm at. Enthusiastic, optimistic but stupid. Thanks for any tips in advance (still love sitting out there at night).

[169Sportsman]

Lots of info on the web just do some searching. A red light is what you will want to use. Check out elusive wildlife technology lights. Spendy but well worth it. Can be used on your head to scan and shoot a shotgun. Doubt there will be enough moonlight this weekend. Maybe at shotgun range but will be tough to see them coming.

[Jmnhunter]

gary clancy wrote a article about coyote hunting 2 weeks ago in the ODN in MN that i think holds true; to maximize your odds, try to spend your time hunting early morning or evening or by moonlight

[erikwells]

Thanks Jmnhunter, I really want to get out and learn more about coyote hunting. I was listening to an outdoor radio program Sunday night and it really hit home when they said an adult coyote eats 4-5 deer a year and what prolific reproducers they are. The message was if you value your deer hunting you should start managing the coyotes because they are the apex predator in this area (west central minnesota). I'll do some more reading and learning about how to do this. I expect the fishing likly won't be great being the cold front rolling through so I think I'll try getting out hunting just before the sun gets too high and see what I can do and learn. Thanks.

[lichen fox]

Jmn...is right...get out to your first setup before light in the morning, try and keep the wind blowing from where you expect the varmints to come from too you..."in your face, so to speak"...and remember...most hunters blow on their call way too much. A little less calling is much better than a little too much....And, regarding any other sounds or movements you may be incedentely making...the three most important things to remember when predator calling are: 1. Be quiet and don’t move. 2. Be quiet and don’t move. 3. Be quiet and don’t move.

[erikwells]

Thank you Lichen fox. I will provide a report on Monday. I can't sit still for more than 5 minutes except when I hunt for some reason I can sit for hours without moving. I'm a bit optimistic so I'm always thinking it's going to happen and I picture it in my mind. It might be weird but it keeps this dummy sitting and hoping.

[lichen fox]

Don't know what you've used as far as learning how to use your calls, but all you need to do is "think about" what exactly you're imitating...

When a predetor...(fox, cat, coyote, owl, etc) catches a rabbit..."what exactly do you think happens?" Visualize it...when a rabbit is first "hit" by a predetor it's first reaction is to scream...short blasts...over and over...the longer that critter works on that rabbit the rabbit is getting tired and it's injured so along with the now somewhat lower volume screams it's letting out a longer "cry" (longer drawn out call that tapers off...the longer the critter works on the rabbit there is more cries than screams and less volume as the rabbit is running out of breath from the fight...it's dieing...that is what you want to try and imitate...

[KNIGHT]

I live in Otsego, have an e-caller lights and what ever else one may need... let me know if you would like to go out sometime..

[erikwells]

Knight, thank you so much for the invite. I unfortunately or fortunatly grew up in Kandiyohi county out towards Willmar. I am blessed with many old contacts and family that has lived in the area for four generations. I'm lucky enough to have many private areas to hunt from freinds and do almost all of my hunting and fishing there. My parents now reside in New London and I spend most weekends there. If you would still be interested in a little bit of a drive that would be a great opportunity for me to get out and learn. My email is [email protected] if you find a space on your calendar some weekend. Thanks again, Erik. P.s. I try to squeeze ice fishing in on most weekends as well.

[erikwells]

I gave it a run on Saturday a.m. and was setup on the edge of a slough next to some woods. I was out before light and started calling just as I was able to see well enough should I get a shot. Gave it 30-40 minutes with my dying rabbit. It was a no show but a beautiful sunrise.