How to find easy access calling locations

You don’t need to be a marathon athlete to hunt coyotes.

Anyone, regardless of age, physical abilities or limitations can find a way to hunt coyotes.

I am 67 years old, crushed a foot in an industrial accident decades ago and have an artificial knee. I love coyote hunting and get out as often as my schedule allows. On some of my over night trips I walk five or six miles a day traveling into and out of stands. By the end of the day I’m often hurting. My foot has deep, dull pain and my knee is talking to me, wondering what in the world I’m thinking.            

            As a result, my second day of hunting often involves seeking stands that involve less climbing and fewer steps from truck to stand and back.

            How do you find easy access stands?

            First, let me say that you don’t need to be a hundred miles from civilization to find coyotes. I have one 100% stand that is less than a quarter mile from a small community and even closer than that to the nearest road. I have made this stand five times, called seven coyotes and put five on the ground.

            There is another stand that is about 200 yards from a well maintained gravel road in a big sagebrush flat with a 50 yard wide grassy meadow. There is one juniper tree on the edge of the road. By parking behind that tree and quietly walking to the edge of the opening I can set up and call. I’ve made this stand four times and called in three coyotes and a kit fox.

            Urban coyotes

            Find an area with coyotes. Using all the basic methods discussed in other posts, find an area that has a decent population of coyotes. Bring up the fact that you hunt coyotes at social gatherings and pay attention to all the people who mention that they have “tons of coyotes” by their houses. One or two song dogs can make a lot of noise, but if they are hearing howls, there are at least some in the area.

Coyotes can be frequent visitors to residential areas. They go looking for free meals in the form of pet food left outside, or sometimes, the pets the food is put out for.

            Be aware of where the city boundaries are in the area, where public land can be found, and what legal shooting distances from dwellings are. In Utah you need to be 600 feet away from any building.

            Look for places nearby that have terrain or vegetation where coyotes can bed down. Look for a place to hide your vehicle. Be aware of safe shooting lanes and distances. Don’t do anything stupid that will get you in trouble with the authorities or the neighbors.

This young coyote used the dirt road to approach my call. I’m hunting on a private ranch, which makes it legal to shoot the gawg on their private roadway. This coyote responded to coyote vocals and was about 25 feet from where I was sitting. (you can see my chair in the center/top of the photo)

            Out in the sticks

  Look for hidden gems that can’t be seen from the road. There are often smallish openings in dense forests that can’t be seen from the road. You can use onX Hunt or Google Earth to locate these secret spots.

Don’t overlook the dirt roads. When I first started hunting coyotes I often lamented the fact that the dirt roads always seemed to go right through the best calling spots. I have since realized that just because there’s a road there doesn’t mean you can’t call it.

            Coyotes frequently use these roads to get from place to place and I’m always looking there for tracks and scat. Become familiar with these roadways. Learn where small draws intercept them. These are ideal places to set up and call. Park your truck just below the crest of a hill, walk over the top and start calling. Keep in mind that others may be using these roads for recreation as well and may drive right through your stand. Let them drive by and complete your stand. You never know if a coyote is waiting in the wings for the truck to disappear before coming on in.

            Disclaimer. Be aware of what the regulations are regarding shooting from, onto or over a dirt road in your state. In Utah, by definition, a two track dirt road is considered a road. "Highway means the entire width between property lines of every way or place of any nature when any part of it is open to the use of the public as a matter of right for vehicular travel. ‘

 https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title76/Chapter10/76-10-S508.html?v=C76-10-S508_2019051420190514