Basically, the best time to call coyotes is when you have the time, but the first hours after dawn along with the last few hours before darkness are usually most efficient. However, calling coyote can be done at any moment during the day or night.

Speaking of night, many of the coyotes responding to a call are never seen by the hunter, which means that he will not be able to take a deadly shot, nor can he be always certain of the impact area of a rifle bullet. In addition, in some states it is illegal to hunt at night with an artificial light.

The most recommended months to call coyotes are September and October, when their numbers are highest, while the most difficult time of the year would have to be in February - March, when the populations are low.

In order to find a suitable area for calling these animals, you must start by getting permission to hunt on private land. Start looking for coyote signs - a track has a egg-shape with the two front toenails pointing in-ward, and a set of coyote tracks in snow or sand is normally in a straight line. The most recommended way to search for coyotes is to look for droppings and tracks along roads and trails in the morning after a rain or a snow.

When picking out the hunting area, don’t forget to take into consideration the hunting pressure. To give you examples, in open plains country, these animals are likely to be found in wide open pastures in early fall while later on you’ll find them using rougher terrain, after they’ve been chased by vehicles and dogs.

Moving on to the most important part of the article, how to call coyotes. All the calling should be done in a realistic manner, by starting off with a series of high-pitched screams that imitate a rabbit in mortal agony, blowing the predator call for approximately 60 seconds or less. After a brief pause (less than two minutes), repeat the same procedure but this time try to use less volume. This may fade into a series of weakening bleats with the hand cupping & uncapping over the predator call.

Do not let a false note on the call disturb you - keep on calling with the occasional pause. Not even a rabbit that it’s fighting for his life does not always emit perfect bleats and screams. It is advisable to hold the end of the predator call between the base of your thumb and your forefinger. You should practice opening & closing your four fingers over the end of the coyote call. The air should be brought through the call by huffing the air up from your diaphragm. Remember to keep your hand closed over the end of the call; force a mild amount of air through the call in a steady stream in a single breath. When you are near the end of a single breath, open your four fingers and abruptly stop the sound, rapidly close your fingers over the end of the call and start another cry of the rabbit.