Coyote Facts

Okay, here's some random ramblin's about calling in coyotes - some of it book-learned, some of it from personal observations and some of it learned when I asked them that knew.
As far as calling in coyotes, there are about a million calls on the market - I know because I own about half of them - and while some of them are really good, some of them are pure fucking garbage. But I can guarantee you that even the worst ones have either called in at least one coyote or are capable of doing so.
Why? Because coyotes are some curious motherfuckers. They will come in to a call just to see what in the fuck that noise is. Let me tell you about the very first time I called one in.....
I had practiced for weeks on Les Johnsons' Ruffidog series of calls and thought I was pretty good at it. So I'm up in the hills, get into position, check my wind direction and......... wait. I wanted to make sure everything was right and ready. Finally I bring the call up to my mouth and blow the gawdawfullist noise I have ever heard. It sounded like a cross between a really loud wet fart and a kindergartner trying to play a trumpet. Fuuuuuuuck.
I figured I had ruined this spot for the next 3 years so I immediately got up, picked up my rifle and started to leave only to see the worlds' stupidest coyote coming in at a dead run.
I was so shocked I forgot to shoot. Buck fever on a coyote.
And I'll tell you right now that every time I call in a coyote, I am amazed. Seriously. And the thing is, I ain't bad at it.
Okay. I own a couple of dozen calls ranging from wounded rabbits to howlers to I ain't sure what the fuck that noise is. I own exactly 1 electronic caller which I use more to confuse them than to call.
I have 3 that go with me every fucking time I go out - Les Johnsons' Ruffidog, Todd Sullivans' Rippin' Rabbit and Primos' Female Whimperer. Yeah, I take others with me depending on the hunt, but those 3 go with me every fucking time. As a matter of fact, they never come out of my call pak.
This fucking post turned out to be a helluva lot longer than I figured.
Okay, let's get back to curiosity trip.
I have heard of coyotes coming in to a Big Ben alarm clock (Remember how loud they tick?) suspended from a tree at a crossroads. Don't forget to paint them and turn off the alarm.
I have heard of them coming in to a doggy squeak toy. This doesn't seem to far fetched seeing as it does sound like a rodent.
Shoot a deer, field dress it and then come back and watch the gut pile. Is it the gunshot or the smell that brings them in? I've fired at deer and missed only to have a coyote show up a couple of minutes later.
I've heard of them coming into bird calls. Why not, they eat birds.
I know for a fact they'll come into diesel tractor engines. Tractors turn up ground that turns up mice and worms.
And I swear to God, I've heard of them coming into air horns near logging sites. Air horns mean quitting time and that means lots of disturbed earth.

Getting back to the curiosity thing - I called in a coyote once - using a wounded rabbit call - that had a dead rabbit in his mouth.
Basically what I'm saying is that they'll come in to damned near anything. I truly think that the wind direction has more to do with you seeing a coyote than the quality of your calling.

Okay. I know that a lot of you would like to hunt coyotes and probably more would like to just see or photograph them. I don't consider myself to be an expert on them by any means but if you'd like some help, hit me up. I'll tell you where you can buy some great calls (all for under $15 including shipping) that include instructions and/or DVDs , I'll pass along some hard-learned lessons (no sense in both of us fucking up, right?), and give you some really great links from folks that have been at this a lot longer than I have.
My email is k59lane@yahoo.com  Put coyote in the subject line.