Best coyote bait?

[Greybeard]

Circumstances are such that I'm gonna have my brother's cushy deer blind (4' X 6' X 6') on site for the next few months. I recently relocated it about 50 yards from my office door to be able to maybe do a little coyote ambushing in spare time.

We are in an unincorporated area, so discharging firearms can be legal, but I will probably use a cross bow just to keep from freakin' out some of the neighbors with a gunshot. My other self-imposed limitation is that excessive use or volume with mouth calls may really get on the nerves of folks in about 3 houses with back doors (to my west) within 100 yards of the blind.

So, I'm looking for experience/thoughts (Art?) on what might best be used either around our property and/or in a bait pile to most promptly lure the wiley ones to within 20 or 30 yards of the blind (floor is 9' above ground). While there is especially good cover for the 'yote to the south, their main hangout seems to be near a pond which is on another man's land about 300 yards to my east.

Canned sardines have worked great for getting coons into trap, so I can start putting that out regularly to get critters coming in. Any thoughts on what scents or baits might drift further or be more appealing to Mr. Coyote? 25 cent cans of cat food?

Edited to add: I read in other post about "table scraps", but having a teenage son, that rarely happens around our house!

 

[Marshall]

According to "Coyotes in the Hood", a man on a lawn tractor is good bait.

Ooops, It wasn't Coyotes in the hood! I was a thread in the General Discussion Area called, Man fights coyote tooth and nail!

Getting my coyote reading all confused.

 

[dakotasin]

dog food works if you are going to be regular about making sure it is out there and are confident that coyotes are close enough to get into it before the coons and skunks do...

my favorite method is to go out early morning, and shoot a rabbit (cottontails are in season until feb 28, jacks are year-round here). then, i skin the rabbit out and put the hide over my spring contraption (kind of like a rigor rabbit). empty the bladder over the fur, and then i'm all set. seems to work pretty good. a word of warning, though: hawks will take off w/ this. use fishing line to tie a corner of the hide down...

good luck.

 

[Pawcatch]

If shooting the coyotes doesn't work out then you might want to try this www.collarum.com
The collarum is a very humane live-capture trap that is canine specific.I friend of mine in Florida has used these with great success.
If you do get a some then be sure to get the video too.

 

[Art Eatman]

Some friends of mine feed El Cheapo dog food to their two "pet" coyotes, and not over 10 yards from the back porch on the off side of a low rock wall. They put it out about an hour before sundown. It's common for one or two to come for supper within some 15 minutes.

Coyotes will eat most any leftovers.

Sorta guessing, but putting bait out in mid-afternoon will probably have coyotes coming in before raccoons or possums or such. These latter aren't really active in daylight...

I guess the main thing is to do your best to be sure there's only one coyote around. They learn very quickly, and if one is shot and his buddy isn't, I swear that buddy will tell every other coyote in the county about Bad Things. "No, fool! Don't go there!"

Art

 

[Zorro]

Fat House Cat!

Never fails! Most Coyotes like Thai food so use a Siamese cat!

 

[PATH]

Maybe my mother-in-law wrapped in rabbit fur!

 

[Greybeard]

Thanks guys. Some good stuff there - most of it. ' Am off to the grocery store ...

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Not sure how it would work for bait but coyotes favorite treat is WATERMELON. You can almost always find coyotes in melon patches in the fall.

 

[Peter Gun]

I've never met a canine that can resist bacon grease.

 

[Greybeard]

Watermelon suggestion got in too late to make the bait pile after today's run to Walley World. Maybe next trip to grocery store ...

The cottontails around the place are semi-pets, so I decided with crows being far more of a nusiance, they might as well be targeted and be part of the bait pile as well.

Got out of Walmart with some microvaveable popcorn and a couple of cans of whole kernel corn for primary crow bait. Got a 12" metal food pan and dumped a can of "Old Roy" dog food ($1.50 a 6 pack, is that El Cheapo enough?), a can of sardines and a soggy sloppy Joe sandwich that I didn't eat last week. One crow that happened to land in the wrong place at the wrong time today is also in the current "party mix".

Also got to thinking that I can possibly use some low-noise .22 ammo out of a little scoped bolt action Marlin with 24" barrel without terrifying the neighbors too bad. (The closest neighbor has at least 2 cats, including one named "Precious", so if she says anything, I can tell her I'm doing it "for the kitties" )

I did quite a bit of trajectory testing today with both CCI CB ammo and some Remington Subsonics. Shot several groups with each (and various others) at 50 feet and 50 yards. Pretty much settled on the CBs for crows only out to maybe 20 yards. When zeroed at 50', the CBs (around 720 fps I think) drop somewhere completely off 9" pies plate at 50 yards!

The little Marlin .22 really liked the Remington Subsonics though. Very similar point of impact at both 50 feet and 50 yards, so it should be good for head shots on the 'yotes - if I do my part.

Also got some good results with CCI Stingers and Velocitors. FWIW, when zeroed at 50', about 3" and 2" high respectively at 50 yards. Probably gonna need to run Remington Subsonic ammo tho, particularly after dark.

Maybe a chance to do some sittin' out there late tomorrow. Got a little riggin' to do first with red shrink wrap on little battery operated lantern to set near bait pan ... Seems like I picked up on that idea from another Texas geezer that hung out a lot over at TFL ...

 

[Art Eatman]

Just remember that a coyote runs about forty pounds or so, alive on the paw. With a .22 rimfire, a head shot is pretty much mandatory.

You wound him, and you'll hear more racket than from a larger cartridge!

From your description, something like a .22 Hornet would be ideal.

Ever notice how a single sharp sound, even if loud, doesn't really draw much attention if it's not repeated? Folks indoors got the TV on; windows are closed against the cold in winter, and to let the A/C work in summer...

Art

 

[Stinger]

Aren't crows a protected species?

Stinger

 

[Pawcatch]

Aren't crows a protected species

Stinger,crows just have a federal season on them.It's just not legal to shoot them during the nesting period(I think).

 

[Greybeard]

Yep Art, 22 Hornet is what the animal control lady in little city of Highland Village to our east settled on for certain circumstances when the 'yotes were taking over the streets in broad daylight a couple of years ago.

Actually I have possibly close to the "perfect coyote gun" already, so you guys might just get me to thinking harder about breaking it out ... Old but very accurate Savage Model 24. .222 on top and 20 gauge mag on bottom. Scoped and zeroed with those expensive little V-max disintegrators. Have used both barrels before quite effectively on coyotes, but not quite so close to civilization ... It is supposed to be in the 70's here tomorrow, so maybe I'll see the neighbors out in their back yard for a little chit chat ...

Crows here, if considered a "nusiance", "health hazzard" or such can be fair game year round.

A bigger problem in DFW area is often Grackles or "city crows". Just big agressive black rats with wings. Also fair game year round under the right circumstances. Problem is it's often illegal to discharge firearms where they commonly hang out - and there are grillions of 'em. Especially this time of year, they create a worse mess than pigeons. Big poop problem when they decide to congregate/roost around public buildings, shopping malls, etc. Saw on TV the other night that city officials in Ft. Worth trying to make 'em go elsewhere with 12 gauge and "bird bomb" shells. Also showed guy blasting unmentionable white stuff off concrete with pressure washer while soccer moms stood in background making faces I talked with an exterminator a couple years back who said he would take on the task of getting rid of pigeions, but that he had nothing to offer even some very rich neighborhoods with grackel problem - except sympathy.

Have I digressed a long way from "coyote bait" or what? Good night guys.

 

[PDshooter]

This has always worked for me!

 

[PDshooter]

OPPS!!!!!!!!!

This has always worked for me!

 

["big time" joe]

bobcat piss;

bobcat urine has always worked for me. an old timer once told me that weather or not you have them in your area or not it never fail. coyotes hate bobcats so if you know they're around try some you'll be happy.

 

[X-Rap]

I don't know what kind of cover your approach to the blind has but at the close ranges you are hoping to shoot at and the undetermined time that they are likely to respond I would go with the call in addition to bait.
My personal observation on crows is that they must be so foul and nasty that nothing will eat them. I have shot them and they lay and rot till the wind spreads the feathers.
If a skunk is available throw that out there and half bury it, leave the back and tail exposed. If you can find a dead sheep or at least the skin try that as bait.
Don't place you bait to far out in the open but more along some sort of cover line that will allow them to approach without exposure, this gives the dog confidence and you will have a better chance of knowing how he might come in.
As Art said, if you miss one you will be ratted out. I personally would use the carcass bait pile in a big open country type situation that would let me see activity from a great distance then cover my approach to within range by a hill, wash or the like.
When calling i don't know how effective a permanent type stand would be.
Good luck.

 

[~z]

Looks like somebody needs a dead cow. Best bait ever! Easy to freshen up if it starts loosing its "flavor". Just spray it with water or jump on it once or twice.
~z

 

[JESmith]

+1 on Watermelon patches. If there is a coyote around, he'll be there. One coyote can go thru an entire patch in an evening. Those amazing noses know which ones are ripe too. Hmm... maybe I ought to make one a pet, put a leash and muzzle one him, and take to him to the farmers market on weekends???

 

[Dravur]

How about a Roadrunner!

Makes great bait and is reusable.....

 

[fireman 9731]

Any roadkill that you can find should work great. (if you can stomach gathering it)

I use deer mostly. Stake it well or it will disappear overnight. And keep a steady supply as best you can for a while before you hunt it. The longer you keep bait out before you start hunting it, the more and more critters will get used to it, and will keep coming around longer once you start hunting it.

good luck!

 

[DRYHUMOR]

fox urine will work, road kill rabbits

see if your local butcher will save scraps and bones for you.

 

[buck460XVR]

GB....I live in an area like you described. Rural but with small subdivisions or clumps of houses intertwined with woods and open areas. The main attractions for the local 'yotes in the area is the cats and small dogs that everyone seems to have. Now I have nuttin' against small dogs, but...........