Second Attempt to Hunt Coyotes in Oakdale

My friend and I went out a few days after our first trip to the farm in Oakdale.  This time, we went out early on a Sunday morning.  Upon our arrival, we drove to the other side of the property and attempted to walk into the tree line where we think the coyotes are bedding down.  Going in from this side was much more productive then going at it from the other direction.

We were able to get into the area where the coyotes are at least resting in the shade.  I would not exactly say that this is a den site though.  We saw some fresh coyote tracks, and the tall grass/weeds underneath the trees in this area were laid down as if an animal had recently been lying there.  We kept exploring this area and we came across a fresh kill.  It was the carcass of a ground squirrel.  Numerous flies were all over it and it appeared to have been brought to the location within the last twenty-four hours.

We kept searching the area further and came across a few more places where it appeared that animals were bedding down.  We came across a hollowed out tree that had been turned over onto its side.  The roots were uprooted and it provided a small place for animals to hide and/or rest in the shade.

After searching this area, we decided to set up out in the center of the property and try to call in a coyote with an electronic caller.  A month ago or so, I came across a website which had a link on how to build an e-caller using some parts from Radio Shack and an inexpensive MP3 player.  I set up my make-shift e-caller and activated a twenty minute calling sequence that I had previously downloaded onto the MP3 player.  This was the first time that I used the e-caller.  I was surprised by the results.  It appeared to play the sequence and there was little distortion to the sound coming from the speaker.

My friend and I set up under a set of trees near the fence line of the chain-link fence and waited to see if any coyotes would be called in.  Unfortunately, none came into view.  The e-caller did have an effect on local dogs residing at near-by residences.  The dogs would bark and respond to the different sounds of the calling sequence.

Though we did not see any coyotes coming into view, that does not necessarily mean that one did not hear the e-caller and come to investigate.  Our position was not the best place to be.  We were not able to see a large portion of the property from where we were set up.

As we were leaving the property to go home, we saw some other places where we could set up next time that should give us better lines of sight for viewing and ultimately shooting any coyotes coming in to the call.