How Do You Blow?

[Bobcat]

When you are using hand calls to call coyotes with a distress call, what type of series do you use? How many series? How many calls in each series? Do you vary the sounds? How long do you call for coyotes?

I know what I do. I would like to hear about your various approaches. I know there is a tendency to call too much....we tend to think nothing is happening if we aren't calling.....not so.

Chime in.............

Bob

[Sabre2th]

That's a very loaded question Bob. But I usually let my wife do it. ;D

[Cronk]

Bob,
You are correct in your belief that most folks call too much. I used to call almost continuos, and I did fairly well the first season or two. After that, the coyotes started getting harder and harder to call. I don't use rabbit calls for coyotes anymore. Well not very often anyway. A cow horn howler is my main tool for coyotes. Coyote howls and puppy distress screams are the norm for me. Even when hunting the brush country with my new Loudmouth caller, I use howls and pup squeals.

Typical stand begins with two or three lonesome sounding howls. If no vocal response, I wait two or three minutes and repeat the howls. If nothing shows after five minutes or so, then I will give em a few pup squeals. I have also extended my time on each stand to about thirty minutes

[jdickey]

:PAFTER YEARS OF USING HOWLERS AND RABBIT CALLS, I FINALLY STARTED USING THE PUPPY WHINE TWO YEARS AGO WITH GREAT SUCCESS. NOW WHEN WE GO OUT, IF NOTHING STIRS IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES, WE ARE PRETTY SURE THERE AIN'T NOTHIN AROUND. THIS PIC WAS FROM LAST SPRING OUTSIDE JONESBORO. CALLED HER IN IN 6.5 MINUTES!

[CoonDawg]

So is this 10 minute starting at the end of the first series? Then do you switch to a different style of call or what?

[Bobcat]

CD,

As a rule of thumb I sit at a stand for 10-15 minutes for fox, 20-30 minutes for coyotes, 30-40 minutes for bobcats, and 1-1 1/2 hours for lions.

When using prey distress sounds, I usually blow a series of six calls while opening my hand on the first 3 and closing my hand on the last 3, wait 10 seconds, repeat, wait 10 seconds, and then wait a few minutes......while being very still......and repeat the sequence. This is ONE way to call.

Like Rich said, some folks just howl, and a lot combine howling and distress sounds. I personally like the combination of howling and using distress sounds.

The way you call will be determined a lot by the area you are hunting in too.

I will let some of the rest of the gang chime in here....

Bob

[ICMCumin]

Sabre2th said:

That's a very loaded question Bob. But I usually let my wife do it. ;D

LOL S2th!

[wabi]

I listened to "how-to" tapes, practiced for hours, tried to imitate the old recorded cassette tapes and called nothing. Then one day I heard a terrible screaming squeal in me backyard. A short (5 or 10 seconds) series of peircing high volume squeals, then silence for a minute, then a repeat. I quietly approached the source of the noise and found my cat had caught a rabbit. He would hold it and it was silent, then he'd release it and as it started to get away he'd grab it again and the squeals would follow! He was treating it like a cat (predator) treats a mouse (prey), "playing" with it, or savoring his catch.
Next time I went to the woods I tried to imitate the sounds the rabbit had made, and a red fox about ran over me within a minute or two. Since then I've called many foxes with this technique. Call like a rabbit in mortal fear for a few seconds - loud & hard! Then be quiet for a minute or two, then repeat. I'll keep this up for 3 or 4 sequences, then be silent for 15 or 20 minutes then repeat. If nothing shows after 5 or 10 minutes after the second sequence I move on.
Never called a coyote, they're here, but localized populations, but I have had red fox, grey fox, feral cats, coons, and even one (I think) bobcat respond. Just got a glimpse of the latter, and he wasn't interested in being a target ;D