By Heath Wood
By the time winter settles in, coyotes have heard it all. January and February are the most popular months for predator hunting for several reasons. One, it’s cold outside, making the fur of coyotes prime for the year. Two, the breeding season for coyotes often peaks during these two months, resulting in more vocal coyotes and slightly more aggressive behavior that can make action packed hunts when calling them into close range. And lastly, most hunters know there isn’t much else to do outdoors than getting out and managing predators to help ensure future fawn and poult survival when spring arrives.
Since these are the peak months for hunting pressure, coyotes have been bombarded with cottontail distress calls, jackrabbit screams, and every variation of sounds in between. While those sounds still have their place, winter often calls for a different approach. When pressure is high, coyotes become cautious, and according to some hunters, call shy. They do not come to the call, as many would expect during such a peak movement time of year. Because of high pressure, the unique, unconventional sounds of your electronic caller can be the difference between empty stands and fur on the ground.
Late season coyotes tend to be hungry, territorial, and curious. They’ve been around long enough to know when something seems off. The goal is to give them a reason to respond without setting off that gut feeling that tells them something isn’t right.
Why Unfamiliar Sounds Work in Winter
Coyotes become educated fast. If they hear the same distress sounds enough times, especially in spots that see a lot of pressure, they will quit charging in. They hang back, they circle, they stand there trying to decide if what they’re hearing is worth the risk.
That’s where unfamiliar sounds come into play. They don’t set off the same alarms. Most of the time, it’s simply because they haven’t been run into the ground. That bit of uncertainty can work for you. Sometimes it’s enough to make a coyote let its guard down and finally commit.
Winter adds another layer to the equation. Food is harder to come by, the breeding season has tensions running high, and coyotes are already on edge. When something sounds just a little off, but not wrong, it’s harder for them to brush it off. Sounds that hint at weakness, opportunity, or something out of place, without feeling like a typical calling setup, tend to get their attention fast.
Often, it’s not volume or aggression that works, but realism and timing. But what is an unconventional sound? It is a noise that can be associated with other sounds in the wild. For example, when a dying rabbit screams for survival, it would obviously attract the attention of nearby wildlife, such as crows. Crows are curious birds and love to draw more attention by creating a ruckus that signals, something is going on. When coyotes are hesitant to respond to normal prey-in-distress sounds, I add in a few crow calls to create more excitement and curiosity that coyotes can’t ignore. This same tactic can be used for many other unique sounds.
Woodpecker Distress: A Rare but Deadly Trigger
Woodpecker distress calls are one of the most overlooked winter sounds, and that’s precisely why they work. In cold months, birds are often among the few visible sources of food. A flapping, frantic bird sound indicates an easy, low risk meal.
This sound will work near timber edges or creek bottoms, where coyotes are likely to find birds. Play this sound at a lower volume than a rabbit distress sound, so the high pitched component does the work. Coyotes often approach cautiously but then break away once they realize the sound is unfamiliar.
Fawn Bleats in January - Breaking the Rules
The sound of a baby fawn bleating in January sounds weird when used to call winter coyotes, but it works. Although fawns aren’t common winter prey, the sound, even though it is not their young, raises curiosity and maternal instincts, especially during breeding season, prompting coyotes to respond.
This sound should be used sparingly, if at all, and at low volume. It’s more about getting a response than achieving realism. Coyotes that usually ignore traditional distress sounds will often come out of cover to investigate something that doesn’t match the seasonal norm.
Vole and Rodent Squeaks: Subtle Sounds for Close Encounters
When snow is deep on the ground, small rodents become difficult to access, but they remain a favorite food for hungry coyotes. Vole squeaks and soft rodent distress calls are highly effective when coyotes are nearby but hesitant.
These sounds stand out in both pressured and calm conditions. Instead of blasting the death cry of a rabbit or the aggressive sounds of a coyote fighting or whining, start quietly and stay subtle. Many coyotes make no sound when they come in; they typically slip through the cover and show up without much warning. This approach really shines in thick stuff, late in a stand when louder sounds haven’t worked, or in areas that see a lot of calling pressure.
Pup Whines and Submissive Sounds
Pup distress doesn’t just have to be a late summer or fall sound. In winter, pup whines and submissive yelps can flip a switch in adult coyotes. Sometimes they’re curious. Sometimes they get territorial. Other times, they just come unglued. Moreover, those sounds will pull a response when nothing else seems to work.
Pup sounds also don’t carry the same edge as challenge howls. They don’t feel threatening. They sound like weakness, not a fight. That’s why they work so well at the end of a stand or on coyotes that hang up and won’t close the distance.
When calling in hard to hunt areas, one of my go to calls starts with a few subtle howls, followed by a long silence, then a rabbit in distress. I play the distress sounds on and off for ten to fifteen minutes. If there is no response, I finish my setup by playing a coyote pup distress call for three to four minutes. I have had more coyotes break from a stall or freeze up with the pups' sounds.
Make Coyotes Talk With A Siren
Coyotes howl in response to loud sirens because the sound resembles the long range noises they hear every day, which sparks their curiosity and territorial instincts. Sirens can work a lot like group howls or distant distress. They will often answer back or drift in just to figure out what they’re hearing. For the coyotes that have been burned by the usual calls, a siren is different. It doesn’t feel threatening, and it’s not something they hear every day.
A lot of times, that’s enough to get them talking. Once they do, you’ve got a starting point. You can figure out where they’re at, ease in closer, and then switch over to a calling sequence that makes sense for the situation.
How to Run Unique Sounds the Right Way
Where most hunters go wrong with odd sounds is overusing them. They work because coyotes don’t hear them every day, not because they’re louder or more aggressive. Think of them as a change up, something to pull out when the usual stuff isn’t working or when you want to add a little interest to a stand.
Start them off soft and let them build. Watch how coyotes react and give them time to commit. When a coyote comes to a sound it doesn’t recognize, it’ll usually creep in and stop a few times to look things over. Don’t get impatient and start flipping through sounds too fast.
Late season coyotes are sharp, hungry, and wary, but they’re also adaptable. When your standard distress calls stop producing results, adding something different can be just enough to make one show up. Unique sounds aren’t meant to replace the basics; they’re just another tool to help you grind through the tricky part of the season.
