Before you can become serious about coyote hunting, you have to get serious about understanding your prey. Coyotes, as a species, are very adaptable, and they can pretty much survive in all sorts of environments including suburban and urban settings. Humans have persecuted the coyote and yet it still expands its territory. The urban environment offers the coyote abundant supplies of water, food, and shelter.
Before we go into the coyote behavior, it will help to know something about the animal itself. The coyote is from the same family as the dog, the red fox, the wolf, the grey fox, and the swift fox. It can weigh over 50 pounds, with a top height of about 15 or 16 inches. The male is always slightly bigger than the female. The coyote will protect his living area from other coyotes and other species including dogs and cats. This natural coyote behavior does not show the coyote to be overly aggressive. Although the coyote is a predator, it is also an opportunistic feeder. So part from eating mice, squirrels, raccoons, ducks, and domestic pets, it will also eat vegetables and fruit.
The best-known trait of the coyote is its howling and yelping cry, which is often done in a series of ear piercing, high-pitched bayings. It will also growl, bark, squeal, and wail. Coyotes are especially vocal at dusk and dawn and are usually very silent during the daytime. There can be quite a racket if there is more than one coyote in the area. One coyotes loud howling will set off another coyote, and so forth, until there is a cacophony of sound. Coyotes communicate with their cries and yelps. Some sounds may be aggressiveness towards another coyote that is invading its territory. Other sounds may signify a female coyote in heat, there will also make different sounds when they are at play.
One of the most unique characteristics of the coyote is its well-developed hearing and smell. Hunters are always advised to make themselves as odorless as possible and to always try and set themselves up downwind of the coyote when they are hunting. Another coyote behavior which is fairly impressive is the stamina and speed at which it can run. At full tilt, the coyote can reach speeds of up to 35 mph. Even Greyhounds will take a long time to catch a coyote at full speed.
The coyote behavior has flaws which open it up and allow the hunter to get an edge. One of these flaws is that it can be called out. The hunter will use imitation calls to either simulate another coyote invading its territory, or an animal which is injured and dying. Another flaw is the coyote�s ability to sleep very deeply. This will allow the hunter to approach very closely before waking, if it is done as quietly then the hunter has the edge. Another weakness is constantly turning its head to look back when it is being pursued. When a coyote is shot at it will flee for a certain length of time, then it will inexplicably stop to try and measure the distance between itself and the pursuer. Although this is unusual behavior,