Spot & Stalk Iowa Coyotes

Spot & Stalk Iowa Coyotes

By Troy Hoepker

I peered out of our kitchen window seeing the burnt orange sky illuminated from the sun’s imminent rise framed between the old red corncrib and our picturesque red barn with Dad’s cattle lot centered inbetween. The school bus came very early to our driveway. Way too early for my liking, but it was a fact of life I was forced to accept as a farm boy living so far from town. I was more interested in nature than the doldrums of school. I stared at the yearling calves in the lot, I began to notice the steam pouring from their nostrils with every breath. I don’t remember what I noticed first just then, the calves congregating, head up on alarm or the coyote slinking along the edge of the feedlot.

Weaving across the snow, the coyote drew the attention of the calves. Soon they herded up, and began to chase the coyote as a herd. Oh, how I wished I were old enough to grab a gun and take up the track instead of climbing aboard the school bus.

Years later however, I would patrol the neighborhood on a regular basis with a fine-toothed comb in search of a coyote. There were times I found some of those coyotes before I had a handcall in my pocket, and when by myself there was one way to put them in the back of the truck. Spot and stalk!

Prime Topography
In this world of predator hunting popularity we live in today, I feel like all the electronic callers have made spot and stalking coyotes somewhat of a dying tradition. Iowa hunters perfected their spot and stalk skills on fox throughout most of the 20th century. Fox were commonly spotted balled up in the countryside and while wary themselves, were also known to be heavy sleepers on occasion as well. Fox are less common to the Iowa rural farm fields than they used to be. Some areas of the state are better suited for this hunting technique than others. When in the mood to take up the track of a coyote or drive around glassing for a bedded canine that might present an opportunity of approach, I’ll seek out the more open rolling farmland areas than those of heavier covered timbered ditches and larger blocks of cover. Areas of lesser cover and habitat equal less places for coyotes and fox to bed down without being seen and present more opportunities for spot and stalk hunting.

When the sun shines, canines love to soak it in. This means paying special attention to southern facing slopes. I’ll glass the south side of fence lines, terraces, sidehills, pond dams and basically any kind of structure that features a southern facing slope. When some snow has melted off darker surfaces first, fox and coyotes alike will use those dry beds to nap while enjoying the sun. Experienced fox hunters will agree that one of the best places to look is on top of a hay bale or on a stack of bales. Coyotes will use them also. They love the visibility they have from that height but I’ve snuck to within mere feet of fox and coyote comfortably snoozing away on top of a bale of hay.

Coyotes can bed anywhere but as a general rule they’ll lay down anywhere from one quarter of a mile to one half of a mile deep into a typical one mile by one mile section. That’s where you’ll find a majority of them, but you never know. Believe it or not, I’ve seen them bedded down soaking up sun in the middle of a gravel road on multiple occasions.

Glassing and Scouting Coyotes
The most important tool you can possess is a great set of binoculars. A curled up canine looks just like a rock, a clump of grass or a bush from a half of a mile away. Even through binoculars there are times you really have to study your focus of attention. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared at a rock through the lenses while adjusting the focus ring just waiting for a twitch of a tail, the perk of an ear or the rise of a head. Locating a bedded canine is the first step and good glass is vital to accomplishing that goal.

While I’m driving country roads I’m also looking for tracks the morning after a fresh snow. Discovering fresh tracks lead me to slow down and really look over the animal’s direction of travel closely. Coyotes like to bed down after the sun comes up so tracks made just before first light oftentimes lead to coyotes finding a bed shortly after. Be an early riser when looking for tracks or bedded animals. It’s the best time to try it.

Best Time to Spot and Stalk
It’s breeding season during January and February so always keep a lookout for not one, but two animals bedded. A male fox will more often bed uphill and facing the female so he can keep an eye on her and coyotes will exhibit this behavior as well.

Canines often bed down near their travel areas when snow drifts up thick in their traditional bedding areas such as CRP grasses, cedar groves or ditches and ravines. Frozen rivers, fence lines, waterways and field edges are all places coyotes regularly travel. Spend time scanning brush piles, terraces and any structure in close proximity to these types of travel areas.

Develop Your Strategy
Once you’ve spotted a coyote, it’s time to formulate a plan of attack. Your objective is to successfully hide your vehicle, approach unseen and unheard and put yourself within shooting distance of that coyote’s position without alarming the animal. Not an easy task on an animal with as keen of sense as that of a coyote.

Most generally, you’ll plan your approach using the hills and terrain as a barrier between you and the coyote. Before you leave the area where you can see the coyote, be sure and look for any land features that will be recognizable near to the coyote’s location. You’ll need some kind of reference point while you move that you can identify from a different angle to know exactly how to triangulate the coyote’s relative position with yours. This helps you keep from being seen on your approach as well as eliminating extra steps by being able to walk directly to a position where you should be able to see your target. Map out your path keeping plenty of distance between you and the coyote and use trees or hills to stay unseen.

Close the Distance
Secondly, check the wind! Make sure your approach path never sends your scent downwind towards the coyote’s location. One sniff of anything human and he’ll be long gone even from long distance. Lastly, consider the ground conditions. Crunchy snow means creating extra distance from the coyote on your approach.

Approaching your pre-designated shot location where you’ll be able to see and shoot the coyote, you’ll need to slow down to muffle your sound and slow your movements. When this involves creeping over a hill or through cover to see your target you want to minimize sudden movements. Place every step carefully. Snap a twig or make any accidental noise and you’ll likely be busted. I like to get binoculars on the target as early as possible and see what the coyote’s head position is. If he is facing you you’ll need to be very careful.

Once you move into position, if the coyote is not alarmed to any hint of your presence then I like to take my time and make sure I get a good solid rest, find a comfortable position to set up and get my heart rate back down to normal in preparation for the shot. Don’t neglect to take the wind speed and direction into consideration. Depending on the distance of the shot you may need to compensate for the wind. You didn’t work this hard to miss the shot when you get there.

Making the Shot
You may get into place and find a shy coyote that is curled up in a ball and doesn’t give you a good shot at the vitals. In those cases, you have a couple of options. You can wait the coyote out till he stands up, or give him a lip squeak and try to pique his interest enough to stand up and present a shot opportunity. If you try the latter, be really subtle with it until he notices. The last thing you want to do is wake him up by giving him an unnatural sound that he doesn’t like.

Lastly, double check your windage and elevation, make sure your breathing is under control and pull the trigger only when everything feels right. There might not be a second chance at this so make that shot count.

Successfully spot and stalking a coyote is hard work. It’s a challenge and a true fair chase hunt. It takes time to accomplish and everything has to go just right in order to put fur in the truck. You won’t have success at this every time, but that is hunting. Because of these reasons, there’s not much that tops the sense of satisfaction you’ll have when you succeed. It’s a hard earned coyote. When your stalking skills pass the test and you do put a sleeping coyote to sleep for good, you’ll have a hunting memory that you will never forget!