Going to give it a try.

Ok, so my neighbor and I have decided we are going to try chasing some dogs in the off season this winter. We headed out Friday afternoon for our first adventure. Having never done this before it was a complete new learning curve for both of use. We were able to set up 4-5 different times before it got dark on us and we even had a couple respond to our calls but no sightings. All in all it was not a bad first time experience. What it did do is left me with more questions then answers. I was hopping that I could get some guidance from the pro.

Here is what I would like to know. First off when you get set up how do you determine what type of call to use (a howl, rodent, distressed cottontail, distressed jack rabbit, ect??.)? Secondly what is your call sequence like? Are you calling the whole time you're set up? Do you call for 30 seconds and wait for 5 minutes? Do you mix your calls up or do you use one call type per setup? Sorry for all the questions, I am just trying to get a feel for what we should be doing to maximize our efforts.

400bull

1st off sweet too hear u & your buddy are gonna kick the crap out of some yotes!! not sure where u at located or what type of country u are hunting..& I am NO pro by any means..I kill quite a few yotes every year..I honestly dont think there is any ONE call that works everytime & I dont think there is any sequence for time either I have watched the PROS Randy Anderson & others alot of them use electronic calls & let them run non stop..others play 30 second or minute bursts & wait a few minutes..1st off make sure u & your buddy are well camoed & find a spot that u can see a long ways off 2nd try to set up with the wind in your face also try & setup so that u can watch both front & back approaches depending on time of year yotes will respond to prey calls if they are hungry..howls or barks & pup sounds..if u see or know there are yotes in the general area try starting off with a bark or howl or a pup distress curiousty kills a lot of yotes..whatever call u use & u can mix them up {one sequence I use alot is to do a pup distress usually about 3 or 4 calls & wait a minute & than fire off a challenge bark or howl} last year I sat on a hillside open sage country & was using a jack rabbit distress call had 2 yotes come in & wind me didnt see them {my bad} a few minutes later I see 3 more yotes come in across the canyon from me like 800 yards & they sit down & are looking I was using a foxpro they had absouletly NO interest in the distress so I switched over to a pup distress & the 2nd call all 3 came at a dead run dropped the 1st one at under 10 yards the 2nd at about 50 & missed the 3rd never had another response all day to the pup call but killed 3 more using the distress call...make sure u sit a minimum of 15 minutes at each stand I usually wait 20 minutes hope some of this helps & Good luck

I agree, the sound doesn't matter. Setting up so that you have the advantage does. I like a cross wind, unless I know that there are no dogs begind me.

The most critical thing is calling areas that have dogs in them. You can use the best sequence, best sound out of the best call and if there aren't dogs to hear it, they ain't coming in.

If I can see dogs out aways and they aren't responding to prey calls, I will switch to a male challenge bark, or pup howl. If things get really slow, I go with the pup screams.

Like smitty says, your sound is prolly the least important. Stand location and position is the key. Play the wind, a coyote is a surviver... he will go hungry if he sees, hears or smells something out of place!
Walk in to your stand as quietly as possible, hunker down and try not to move. I usually call pretty quiet for the first couple sequences so I don't blow something out that might be real close. This time of year I mostly use distress calls and maybe a few coyote vocals. Get some good open reed hand calls. You can mix up your volume and sounds.


Traditional >>>------->

>Here is what I would like
>to know. First off when
>you get set up how
>do you determine what type
>of call to use (a
>howl, rodent, distressed cottontail, distressed
>jack rabbit, ect??.)?

I have no set call in mind when I get to a stand. Sometimes I will throw out some howls sometimes not. Usually the end of Jan-March I will use vocals more as they are denning up.
My favorite calls are rabbit distress.



Secondly what
>is your call sequence like?

This also depends I have let it run for 20 min straight and killed coyotes and I have called for 2-3 min then pause for 30 sec to a minute. Most of the time it's the latter of the two.

>Do you mix your calls
>up or do you use
>one call type per setup?

I almost always switch calls unless I don't have time to. Like a coyote coming in on the first call. Once I see one coming in I don't change the call just pause it now and then. You never know what they might like on any given day. I have about 5 favorite sounds and will usually go through all of them before my 20-25 min stand is up.

>Sorry for all the questions,
>I am just trying to
>get a feel for what
>we should be doing to
>maximize our efforts.

No problem let me know if you want to know anything else.


Josh