Always call upwind?

[gunsetc]

Hey guys,
I live in the middle of the oil patch (Andrews), and would like to hear what some of y'all think about this; everyone knows that you should always call with the wind in your face, right?
Well, I'm here to tell you that after 20 years (more or less) calling coyotes, I have come to a different conclusion. Out here, most (I'd say about 80 percent) of the yotes that we call in, come in from downwind! I mean I've called many which have almost ran into me, from downwind! We have discussed this for years, and sort of agree that it must have something to do with the number of people that the coyotes are used to seeing daily. Obviously, they can smell humans for a long distance. We just think that they are not as spooked by human scent around here as in most areas. Of course, we do use some type of scent cover, usually coyote urine, but I figure that we just smell like people with coyote urine.
Anyway, I know that it's weird, but we now mostly call with the wind to our backs, or at least have one guy looking downwind. What do y'all think?
Bob
(gunsetc)

[Cronk]

Bob,
What type of cover are you calling there? Is it tight cover with little chance of seeing much more than 50 yards? When calling real open country, I have had pretty good luck facing down-wind. In this tight cover around here, I try to put an open field to my downwind side. Coyotes in this area (western Iowa) don't like to cross very much open area to come to the call. I am talking daytime calling here now.

[Jbrad]

I always call downwind. Most of my hunting is at night and they always try and circle to your downwind side, so I make sure to have a good open area downwind. I think it has something to do with taking away their sense of vision so they rely more on smell to figure out what's going on.

Later,
Justin

[Byron South]

About the only time I don't call where I can see where my sent is going, is in places where there is a very low probability they can get there. Such as some type of barrier. To be consistent you have to be flexible,and get as many things in your favor as possible. Wind direction is usually the main factor, even before I leave the house. There are also some places that I call with the wind in my face. There is a Pecan grove that has a state hyway running through it N&S. If the wind is out of the East, I hunt the East side. I know for certain nothing is coming from behind me because of the hyway. If anything trys to circle I will see-kill him. I hunt the opposite side in a West wind. You can't alway's get every thing in your favor. Matter of fact, in most stands you'll have to give something up. The wind advantage is the last thing though. I love set up where I feel I know where they are and they have to get in the open to get my wind. I have hunted with guys that have certain ways they call etched in stone. They get very frustrated . Did that make any sence at all .

Good Hunting

Byron

[okcoyote]

HEY BYRON.........................HERE IN OKLAHOMA IT SEEMS THAT THE WIND IS ALWAYS BLOWING AT LEAST A LITTLE FROM SOME DIRECTION. I PREFER A LIGHT BREEZE IN MY FACE MOST OF THE TIME,,,,,,,,,,,,,BUT THIS IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE..I DO NOT MIND CALLIN WITH THE WIND AT MY BACK ....I ALWAYS SMELL LIKE A SKUNK AND TRY TO BE AS SENT FREE AS POSSIBLE (EXCEPT FOR THE SKUNK. WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY ON COVER SCENTS AND AT WHAT POINT DOES IT GET TO WINDY FOR U TO CALL.

OKCOYOTE.

[REM223PA]

I feel that here in PAyou never know what the wind will do you can set up with the wind blowing one way 5 min, later it blowing another way. BUT.
Here is my theory on it. In the beginning I had 100 percent chance of shooting nothing, then I learned how to call, now I have a 80 percent chance, then I learned how to set up, now 70 percent chance, then I got real good at calling, now 60 percent chance, then I found Texas predator posse now 50 percent, do you see my theory, the wind in my face just helps me nock the percentage down. And this works. any thing that can help me be a better predator is a good thing for me.
And yes I to kill them down wind but mostly young one in PA elec. callers you also kill mostly young ones.

SENT,,
Sent to me is like more of a confidence builder to me then any thing.
I think that their nose is so good that if you don’t put on just the right amount you will smell out of place.
You know what I am trying to say is they can smell so good that they know what a raccoon or skunk or any thing ells out there smells like. But adding sent is more a placebo if it makes me feel more deadly then I am more deadly the same with camo I have killed as many deer, coyote and cat in blue Jens and t shirt as in camo but like I sad it makes me feel better with all the camo on. being still is the thing.. but that percentage thing agene!


Did that make any sence at all .

[Hooter]

I'm confused!

Hoot

[foxhunter]

hooter, that's because the wind is always blowing 45 mph in carlsbad, and even faster the farther south you go. LOL
early this season i took my nephews out hunting, there was to many of us for one stand. we decided to take turns as i was the only one experienced at calling i took my nephew and his 14 year old daughter out first. on the first stand we walked about 450 yds into the wind. my other nephew and his daughter stayed with the truck. we called in one coyote from straight up wind, it hung up at about 275 and no shot. when we got back to the truck my nephew ask why we didn't shoot the three coyotes that crossed the road just down from the truck. this pattern repeated it self two more times during the days hunt. we called in 9 coyotes that morning and killed 0 but everyone had a great time.
mandy (the 14 year old ) blew two shots at less than 50 yards. once due to the safety being on and the other due to the scope being set on 12X.
i think the moral to this story is i hunt alone most of the time, i shot 45 coyotes from sept. 25 thru dec 25. we could extrapolate from that, that i called in probably some where between 140-165 coyotes . oh well we have to leave some for seed for next season.

bobd

[gunsetc]

Cronk,
Our calling country is pretty varied, but mostly rolling prairie. Some of it is so brushy that when you sit on the ground, you can't see more than a few yards. I try to pick spots where I can be a little higher than the surrounding area, always with a bush (mesquite, usually) at my back, but seldom is any spot perfect. We do have a lot of more open areas, but like you, I call only in the daytime, and many older coyotes don't like to cross a barren area to find that 300 pound rabbit! This part of the oilfield has many , many dirt roads all over it, lots of traffic at times and it seems that our coyotes aren't very spooked by vehicles (unless they stop) nor by the human scent. OF course, the older yotes are always more cautious, but I have had some old, nearly toothless dogs, come in downwind, (when I was focussing upwind) so close that I started carrying my Bennelli 12 ga. Last year (actually 2002), I had 5 come in hard and fast from downwind. I let them keep coming until they were nearly in my lap, then in about 3 seconds, I killed 4 of them with my shotgun. We do, of course have some come from upwind, and if it's open enough country, we kill many of them, as they circle.
Bob
(gunsect)

[Cronk]

gunsetc,
I used to do a lot of calling in Childress and Collingsworth counties, in north texas. On stands where I could see for a long, long ways I called with wind at my back. I noticed that coyotes which managed to circle over into my scent cone would spook and be gone. Most of the time, I was able to kill them before they got into my scent cone. I always try to be aware of where my scent is being carried by the breeze, because if they smell me they are gone.

[xxxcurtxxx]

Hey Gunsetc

I know what you are talking about. It may sound dumb, but I usually don't worry as much about the wind, as I do the location (such as visiability and good cover). I'm from the same area as you, it seems to me that if you want to call in that ol' smart dog, you have to play everything right, but the young dumb pups really only have one thing on thir minds, "dinner bell". I think the youngens hear that sound and their smell sense is just overpowered. I have also noticed that if you use mouth calls, you really never know wich dirction the dog will come in from, but if you use electronic caller, they seem to always come in from the direction you have the horn facing (within in 180 degrees). Does any of this make sense.

[gunsetc]

Hey xxcurtxxx,
I never use an electronic caller anymore. It's not that they don't work; they do; I just enjoy mouth caling more. I've not tried any of the newer electronic calls with computer-generated sounds, but they must be great. For years, I used a cassette caller that I built. I got a tape player with a sliding lever, instead of a turn knob, on the volume, from Radio Shack. I also bought two 5" car stereo speakers. Then I went to a radio-control race track, in Odessa. They had a "pro-shop", with quite an array of components, so I bought two servo motors, a tiny steering link, with knuckle-joints on each end. I attached one end of the steering link to the sliding volume control and the other to the swing arm of one servo. The other servo arm operated a micro switch which was in the hot wire from the power source, (a cellular bag phone battery). I mounted the whole thing inside one of those MTM plastic boxes, with the 5" speakers mounted through the sides of the box. I had one of the radio controllers in hand, and with the call box sitting away from my bush, I could hit one switch and engage the micro switch, to make the player start, then with a lever on the controller, I could slide the volume lever up or down. It worked quite well until the tape player spit it's bits out. They no longer make a compatible player.
I've got another oddity to tell y'all about; an old aquaintenence of mine, Harold Broughton, from Coahoma, and Sonny Anderson, from Luther, used to hunt together. Harold worked in the Fina gas plant (Cosden back then) at Big Spring. He would bring home some of the chemical (I forget the name of it) that they put in natural gas to make it smell the way it does. They used this stuff for cover scent! They figured, as I now do, that area coyotes were used to smelling gas and humans all the time. It worked well, they said. I know that if you can find a good brushy spot around a tank battery, it can be a great place to call from.
Bob
(gunsetc)

[gunsetc]

By the way guys,
Everyone probably already knows this, but Harold Broughton passed away a few days ago. He was a rifle builder, barrel maker, and sevral times world champion bench rest shooter, and an ornery old cuss! He will be missed.
Bob
(gunsetc)

[xxxcurtxxx]

Hey Gunsetc

Yea, I don't use electronic anymore either. It is tons more rewarding calling them in with a mouth call. It sounds like a great contraption you had though. Hey, that is also a good idea about the cover sent. Would it be by chance, Sulfer? There is alot of H2S gas in the oil patch, and seems to always have a hint of sulfer in the air. My wife might not let me in the door with rotten egg smelling aftershave on though ;D... Thanks for the info.

Happy hunt'n

Curt

[SteveCraig]

If I have a choice, I prefer a CROSS WIND . Always watching the downwind side. Bill Austin taught me that in 75/76. Keep your downwind side more open and you will see more critters.
FWIW
Steve