Coyotes have to be the ultimate survivor don’t they? Well, maybe they share the title with cockroaches, but I’m pretty sure that if a nuclear bomb hit in the middle of the country, the next day coyotes would be out hunting like normal, and probably reproducing and their numbers rising.

I see them everywhere. One time I lived in a small town in Colorado and while driving to work early one morning one was trotting down the middle of Main Street pretty as you please. Then another time it hit me as funny. About 8 a.m. I was driving to Boise to teach a varmint hunting seminar at Cabela’s. Right when I was getting on the interstate in Meridian, I saw a coyote working the fence line. So these two stories answer the question of where should you hunt coyotes? Answer: Pretty much anywhere.

In the old days, all we had were hand calls to call them. In those days they taught us to call for a few seconds and then set there for five minutes. Since those days we’ve learned that it works better to call non-stop.

You can still call them with a hand call but it works better to use an electronic call. That way you can set the call 40 yards away from you. That way when they come in they’ll be focusing on the call and not on you.

Start off with the volume a little lower in case one is laying nearby and then increase it. A lot of times I like to start off with a howl and then progress to a dying rabbit squeal. But don’t be afraid to experiment. I you live in antelope country try using a Montana Antelope decoy.

Many times I’ve just hid by a fence line or sometimes I’ll carry a piece of camo burlap and lay over two pieces of sage brush and hid behind it. Another thing I really like is the Throwdown Blind made by Ameristep.

It only weighs 1.2 lbs. and folds up so it is easy to pack around when you’re running/gunning.

Coyotes are nearly always going to circle downwind when they get in close so when possible setup so an open field is downwind of you. If it’s brushy then he’ll sneak in, smell you and leave and you’ll never know there was even a coyote in the country.

You’ll want to camo up good. Face net and gloves included and I like to use a cover scent. I use a lot of Tinks scents, like their Predator Mist.

It’s good to have a bipod to rest your gun on. If you don’t when comes in and you throw your gun up you’ll spook them. A couple of weeks ago while coyote hunting with Texas Best Outfitters the guide and I were setting together and a coyote came in hot. I barely turned my rifle around and it spooked. Luckily in a couple of seconds it came back and I got a shot.

Not that you ever know but try to have your rifle pointed the way they’ll most likely be coming in from and to your left side a little. It’s hard to swing to your right (if you’re right handed. Vice versa if you’re left handed).

What rifle is best? ARs are super popular now because you can have fast follow-up shots but I just got a Mossberg Patriot Revere in a 30-06 and slapped on a Leupold 4.5-14 3Xi scope. I’m headed back to Texas in three weeks for a hog/coyote hunt with it. I like ARs for varmint hunting but because I’ll also be hog hunting, I got the 30-06. A .223 just isn’t big enough for hogs. Plus, in a few more weeks I’ll be going axis deer hunting. For ammo I like using Hornady GMX ammo or some fast expanding bullet.

Jr. had a sweet setup. He has a platform on top of his pickup. A ladder folds down and he has seats up top to set on and a padded rail around the perimeter to shoot off of. It’s great for calling off of at daylight and for spotlighting at night but it’s better to be on the ground during the day.

Well, grab yourself a call and go try to snag yourself a coyote.

Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.