John Bair - Utah
In my home state of Utah, as well as bordering states where I do most of my coyote hunting, there is no opening or closing of coyote season. It runs 365 days a year. So, for the sake of this article I will refer to “early season” as mid-June through September. I’ve had many discussions with coyote hunters about the pros and cons of early season hunting. Some don’t like it and that’s fine; to each his own. But for me it is one of my favorite times for several reasons. The weather is usually good, or at least there are no snow banks to get stuck in, and I usually get to hunt in a lightweight shirt. There is also good access to country that is usually snowed in or behind locked forest gates later in the year. Last, but not least, this is the time of year when coyote numbers are at their highest. There are some drawbacks to early season hunting as well. The pelts are not good, and it gets hot in the middle of the day, often limiting your hunting to morning and evening. However, in my opinion the worst thing about early season hunting is the BUGS! On a recent trip to Colorado the biting flies were so bad they about ended the trip two days early. I spent a week scratching and clawing at my swollen hands before they stopped itching, but the coyotes were active so we stuck it out.
There are several effective methods to hunt early season coyotes, but my favorite method, and the method I feel gets overlooked, is the use of coyote vocals. To me there is nothing better than watching a coyote respond to vocals knowing you have tricked them into thinking you are a coyote. My first experience howling in a coyote was about 20 years ago in the mountains of central Utah. I had acquired a howler from a government trapper and couldn’t wait to try it out. My Dad and I climbed a steep hill to a basin full of willows where dad said had seen and heard coyotes earlier that summer. gave a couple long howls and waited for a response in the form of a distant howl back. However, no sooner did I let the howler down to listen before my Dad pointed behind me and said, “coyote!” I stepped back as he raised his gun to make a quick shot on the old male that had shown up in less than two minutes. I have had many similar experiences since that day and learned a few lessons that have helped increase my success.
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