I'm new to shooting/hunting and havve a few questions. Were are some good coyote hunting spots in Washington state? When is the hunting season? What's the best gun for coyote hunting? Thanks in advance for answers.

Welcome to the forum Kevin47. I can't answer the first two questions, you might want to contact your fish and game office. I'm sure they can help you there. From what I hear the yote hunting is pretty good on the east side from Ellensberg East.

As for the best rifle. I've been doing the coyote thing now for a little over 45 years and have been thru a bunch of rifles. At the present I have two that seem to be favorites.

I've had 223's, 22-250's, 220 swifts and now use 243's. My personal favorite now seems to be a Ruger #1B with the 26 inch medium heavy barrel in 243 Winchester shooting Nosler 55 grain bullets at just under 4000 fps. This is topped with a 3 by 9 Weaver Classic scope.

The other rifle I use is a Remington VLS 26 inch heavy bbl with a laminated stock in 243 using the same loads as the Ruger. This is topped by a BSA 6 by 24. It is heavier than the Ruger, but also a little more accurate. Both guns will shoot 5 shot groups in an inch hole at a hundred yards. I have gravitated to the 24 calibers simply because they kill well and can be used for deer also. The 24's also hold up well when the wind is blowing.

I handload and have for a long time so I can tune the cartridges to the gun for good accuracy.

Coyote hunting for me means calling. I use mouth blown calls and usually never call for more than about 20-25 minutes. If nothing comes in by that time then they can't hear the call or their educated and won't come in. I will then move to a new place.

I would recommend getting a tape or disc from Cabala's on yote hunting and calling. This will give you an idea of both what calling sounds like and what your set up should look like. There are also several good books available from Cabala's or Midway on coyote hunting.

Good luck, hunting yotes is a kick in the pants and can be a bunch of fun.

What is the range on a caller? If you call for 1/2 an hour and move how far do you go?

What is the range on a caller? If you call for 1/2 an hour and move how far do you go?

On mouth blown callers range can be from a few hundred yards to a mile. It depends on if and how much wind is blowing.

When I move I usually move from 2 to 5 miles. You want to get some distance from where you last called. Being crippled I can't walk very far so I usually works the breaks of steep canyons or small draws and try to get 300 to 500 yards from my vehicle. It helps to have places where yotes have some cover and need to come into an open place where you can see them.

Try to get the wind in your face and some camo helps. I always use a pair of shooting sticks and have a small bulb type squeaker (mouse) caller that I can hold in my left hand along with the forend of the rifle resting on the sit down shooting sticks. Once a yote starts in they can just plain overrun you. Being able to stop them at 50 to 100 yards can increase your success a bunch. I use a camo turkey vest with one of the built in seats and a sitdown light weight bi-pod.

Any movement can make a coyote swap ends at amazing distances, yet I've had them nearly run over the top of me looking for a meal.

If you want to hear what calling sounds like go to Varmit Al's varmit page and download his actual calling sounds plus he has a lot of good general info on yote hunting and a great plan for an easy to make set of shooting sticks (bipod).

Here is his site. http://www.varmintal.com/ahunt.htm

Sounds like how my set up is shaping up. I'll have to wear blaze during the regular season though. How do they feel about orange? I hope that's not a deterant.

Bru

Nice thing about Idaho is your not required to wear any of that orange stuff. I do usully wear an ornage hat during deer season. I've watched thru binocs at hunters drawing down on me with a rifle and it's scary. I hope their just checking out movement, but you never know. I always suggest checking out any potentional targets with binocs rather than your rifle scope.

I usually hunt coyotes in the late fall, winter and early spring. Bear and turkey season open the middle of next month and the ground squirrels will be starting to pop up about the same time so my focus will be changing. In the next few weeks the 3 by 9 scope on my Ruger #1 will be replaced with the 8 by 32 Tasco target scope and sighted in for squirrels.

Yotes can be hunted and called year round, but it seems something about cold weather makes them hungryier and they respond to calls with more abandon.

Big thing with me anyway is I've found places that are consistant on the canyon breaks. If I take a yote there more will move in within a few weeks. Seems to be a never ending supply and I consider it my duty to try to keep the population down.

I've got one yote hunting book by a fella down in Arizona and for one coyote hunting session he wore a Santa Clause suit and called in yotes all day, so I wouldn't worry about your orange. It's movement that kills you mostly. You'd be surprised at how many folks can't stay still for half an hour.

Yotes got good eyes that's how they stay alive and hunt. Your pitting your calling and be still skills against that. I always try to find some brush behind me to break up my outline.

Good binocs, a rangefinder to establish shooting distances before you start calling and a few good places to set up are all you need.