Predator Xtreme - Feb 2012
45 www PredatorXtreme com FEBRUARY 2012 15 minute rule often never realize that coyotes are patiently waiting for the right moment to pounce When that coyote suddenly smells or sees an impatient hunter leaving it plants future suspicion in any distress sound Much of my calling takes place in open country In addition to standard calling gear such as mouth calls and an electronic caller I carry a quality binocular My Nikon Monarchs often dictate how long I stay on stand After the standard 15 minute stand I carefully ease my binocular to my face and pick apart the landscape for signs of incoming coyotes hung up coyotes or vacant real estate My observations routinely reveal coyotes sitting several hundred yards away looking for danger or even coyotes walking not running to my stand The openness has provided me with ample examples of coyotes taking their time thus causing me to spend more time sitting and less time walking to the next hunting site Some of you simply dont have access to large blocks of land to hunt Instead of a million acres of Bureau of Land Management in your backyard you only have permission to call on one or two farms totaling less than 400 acres It doesnt pay to race from corner to corner blasting on a dying rabbit call when any coyote with good hearing would likely hear the very first setup of the morning and question the successive blasts of distress Instead of putting on running shoes to cover more country a longer sit makes sense Long sets with curiosity calls including rodent squeaks and lonesome coyote howls can bring a coyote onto the scene of a small property but not likely in record setting speed One small farm I hunted routinely only offered me a square mile of setup opportunities Instead of pushing the envelope I generally planned one stand per visit based upon wind direction Slipping in downwind I generally found a perch and howled like a coyote looking for company This tactic worked approximately 30 percent of the time but the lowkey approach always offered me the opportunity to re visit since I felt my subtle style wasnt leading to overhunting and paranoia in the local coyote community Occasionally if Im in a hurry Ill push my own philosophy of staying longer and lean toward the 15 minute rule but not often Experience spurs me to longer sits since coyote hunting isnt a perfect science Stewart agrees It comes down to the philosophy of generalities he said The 15 minute stand is a standard rule of thumb and not an absolute It should change from stand to stand county to county and state to state Hunters have to be willing to adapt to different calling environments and dog densities Thats the rule you should follow
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