Coyote hunting sounds simple—make some calls and take a shot, right? Not exactly. A few small mistakes can ruin your setup before you even sit down. Coyotes are sharp, and they’ll bust sloppy hunters fast. If you’ve been striking out or watching coyotes vanish before you can shoot, you might be making one of these common mistakes. Here are eight habits that cost hunters coyotes and how to fix them so your next hunt goes a whole lot smoother.
Walking Straight Through Your Setup
It’s easy to park and head straight to where you want to sit, but that’s how you leave scent everywhere. Coyotes will cross your path and be gone before you ever call. Use natural cover to sneak into your stand without walking through where you expect the coyotes to travel. Always play the wind walking in, and think about how you’d avoid your own scent trail if you were the coyote.
Calling Too Loud Right Away
Starting your call session by blasting full volume is a quick way to spook nearby coyotes. Soft calling early mimics a real animal in distress and doesn’t scare off close-range predators. Start low, especially in tight cover, and slowly ramp up the volume. This way you catch the close coyotes first without scaring them, then reach out to call in the ones farther out after ten minutes or so.
Not Paying Attention to the Wind
Coyotes live by their nose, and ignoring the wind ruins hunts fast. Even if your camouflage is perfect, the wrong wind direction will blow your scent right to them. Use a wind checker before every stand and set up where the wind blows your scent away from where you expect coyotes. Don’t settle for a bad wind—if it’s wrong, find a better setup or hunt another spot.
Calling Too Often
It’s easy to overdo it when you’re excited, but constant calling teaches coyotes something’s not right. Make your calls sound natural—real animals don’t scream nonstop for 20 minutes. Start with short sequences, then go quiet. Give it a few minutes before calling again. That silence gets curious coyotes to sneak in and keeps your setups from sounding like a broken speaker in the woods.
Sky-Lining Yourself on a Hill
Lots of beginners sit high on hills thinking they’ll see more, but coyotes spot movement against the sky quickly. It’s one of the fastest ways to get busted. Instead, set up just below the crest of a hill or on a gentle rise with cover. This keeps your silhouette hidden while still giving you a good view. Staying low and blending in makes it much easier to catch coyotes slipping in.
Moving Too Much at the Stand
Coyotes pick up on movement faster than anything else. Constantly shifting, reaching for gear, or glassing with big arm movements will get you busted. Set up your gear within easy reach, use shooting sticks to stay steady, and limit movement. A slight head turn or slow scan is fine, but big movements are a giveaway. Staying still is one of the quickest ways to improve your success.
Leaving After 15 Minutes
Plenty of rookies pack up too soon. Not every coyote charges in right away. On slower days, some coyotes take 20 to 30 minutes to show up, especially older ones. Give each stand a solid half hour unless you have a reason to move. Staying longer improves your chances of pulling in cautious coyotes that need a little more convincing to come check out the sound.
Skipping Post-Hunt Scouting
Once the hunt’s done, most folks leave right away. You’re missing a chance to learn something useful. After a hunt, take a quick walk and look for fresh tracks, scat, or trails you didn’t notice before. This helps you fine-tune your next hunt, find better calling spots, or catch patterns you didn’t see during the sit. A little post-hunt scouting adds up over the season.
*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
