10 Steps guide for hunting a Coyote.

If you are considering starting coyote hunting, be assured that you aren’t the only person in the equation with similar thoughts. Coyotes are small, dog-like predators that are very popular across North and Central America. 

However, despite the rising rate of urbanization across America, coyotes are the one species that are growing at a suspiciously high rate. This means that the risk of crossing paths with a coyote is quite high. While you might be in luck and be able to avert them, it isn’t something everyone is lucky to experience.

This is one of the primary reasons why you need to hunt a coyote by following the federal rules and regulations and the state legalities. The last thing you want is to end up getting booked for something you likely didn’t have much idea about.

Since hunting a coyote isn’t the easiest task at hand, we have sorted out all the important tips you need to know regarding hunting a coyote and how you can get started as a beginner. 

Tips to Hunt a Coyote – Beginner-friendly Tips that Work

When you are starting with coyote hunting with no pre-conceived knowledge, the one thing we’d recommend is to be ready to tackle anything that comes your way. From prioritizing your safety to ensuring that you follow through the process without any delays, there is a lot you need to look after.

This section of the guide will walk you through the top tips that can streamline your hunting experience.

1. Check the hunting regulations

As we said before, hunting rules and regulations in the United States might vary from one state to the other. Not only do you have to follow the federal law, but you also need to be equally knowledgeable about the state hunting regulations too. 

So, your first task before starting coyote hunting is to research the laws and regulations. There are certain restrictions on which one can hunt coyotes in the United States, so that’s another factor you need to research.

Also, if you are confused about the hunting sites, you can find them on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s online portal

2. Scope out the location

Coyotes are native to Northern and Central America. Does this mean you will find them freely roaming around anywhere in those areas? Probably no!

So, the next task at hand is to check out the location of the coyotes. Find out the areas they frequent the most. Some of the most common spots include prairies, grasslands, deserts, etc. You’d think that the rapid urbanization would drive them out of their spot but they haven’t budged at all.

Also, they do try to feed on livestock and attack such spots, so that is another location option you can check out for your next hunt.

3. Choose an appropriate weapon

The way you can hunt a coyote is legally regulated. For example, in the state of West Virginia in the United States, hunters can only use .22 mm caliber ammunition to kill and hunt coyotes. That is something you have to be aware of in your state or the state you are planning the hunt in.

Coyotes aren’t large hound animals and typically weigh around 50 pounds or less. So, if you are worried that they will need larger ammunition, you are mistaken. A smaller .22 mm caliber works effortlessly in hunting a coyote, so that’s another thing you need to be aware of.

Also, if you are using shotguns, look for ones with 12-gauge with around 35 yards tight spread and that should take care of the hunting experience.

Related article: hunting with AK 47 in the United States

4. Be silent and vigilant during the hunt

Coyotes aren’t the deadliest animals around but they can get vicious when it comes to hunting them. So, your work is to ensure that you focus on staying silent throughout the hunt. Since coyotes are very cunning animals, they have very sharp eyesight and hearing, making them very hard to hunt.

If you want to spot them and ideally hunt them without distracting them from the area, we’d recommend you stay silent throughout the hunt. Also, if you are hunting in groups, refrain from talking loudly.

Also, settle in a good hunting position around the area because that makes a lot of difference to the hunting result as well. Don’t expect to be able to hunt the coyote right away. Instead, we’d recommend that you wait for some time.

5. Look for the signs of coyotes in the vicinity

So, you have likely found the ideal hunting site. Is that enough? Probably not! Your best bet at hunting down the coyotes is by looking for signs of their presence in and near the hunting site.

You can look for coyote tracks, coyote calls, or even coyote scats in the nearby area to scope out their presence in the area. If you are hunting at night, we’d recommend that you look for small piles of droppings around the area.

6. Use a call

Once you have settled around in the hunting position, you need to wait for around 15 minutes first. Sometimes, if the area is infiltrated with coyotes, you have to wait for some time before you implement the coyote call.

The calls are the small tools that will imitate the sounds of the animal in the hunting area. This will attract the coyotes into the nearby hunting area, providing you with a clear upper hand when you are hunting them.

The distress calls and sounds work the best in luring in the coyote and making them fall into your trap. If you can’t get coyote calls, we’d recommend using rabbit squealers since those work quite well too.

7. Aim for a clean shot

With the hunting spot sorted and the coyote spotted around, your next step is to focus on making the winning shot. Most of the coyote hunting is done for the soft coat. You will seldom come across hunters who shoot for the meat.

So, when you are hunting the coyote for their fur, your aim with the shot is to make it clean and ensure that the impact is clear and fool proof. When you make a clean and precise shot, it reduces blood splatters on the coat of the coyote and ensures that your coat is in its prime condition.

Your best chance at a clean shot is by directly aiming at the vital organs like the heart or the lungs. If you aim at the legs, chances are that the animal will run away and you will end up failing in your mission.

8. Cross-check and double check

We mentioned early on in the guide that coyotes are very sharp and cunning. This means that you are likely going to end up thinking they are dead but they might end up retaliating at the last minute when you go near them. 

So, once you have shot the coyote, take some time to assess things. Look for signs of breathing and movement before you near your step closer to the coyote. If the coyote is only wounded and not dead, you have a chance of getting bitten by them at the last minute.

Also, if you end up getting bitten by a coyote at the last minute, we’d recommend rushing to get medical attention immediately. There are no two ways about this.

9. Act very quickly

Once you have killed the coyote, the next step is to quickly act on taking it out of site and dress the open wound immediately to preserve it before it gets infested with bacteria. The reason why you need to act quickly is that once the bacteria infestation starts, it will become impossible for you to preserve the animal until you decide what you want to do next.

Also, if you are hunting in extremely hot or humid temperatures, you have to act very proactively in that case as well since the bacterial infestation is at its peak during that period as well.

10. Maintain your hygiene needs

Since you are surrounded by a possible corpse of an animal, which is at risk of getting decomposed by bacteria eventually, your work as a hunter is to complete field dressing, transfer it to the site of further preservation and then come back and focus on your hygiene.

This includes thoroughly washing the hands, every nook, and crevice around the finger, and the nails should be clean. Also, use antibacterial soap because that makes a lot of difference too. Additionally, we’d recommend taking a hot shower after your hunting run for personal safety and hygiene.

If you are completely new to hunting coyotes or didn’t know where to start, this comprehensive guide should give you a detailed outlook on it. Always ensure that you are considering your safety before you go ahead and start hunting a coyote. Also, if the experience is entirely new for you, we’d recommend looking into hunting groups that you can go along with.

You may be interested in our other hunting articles: Learn more about hunting.