Many years ago, I was invited to call coyotes out West. Being from a state that is 99% privately owned, the first question I asked was “How many acres you got?”. After a brief pause, he answered “Millions”. You see most of us guys that hunt the Eastern parts of the country are unaware that there are vast amounts of “public land” available for citizens to hunt. Basically, all that is required is a hunting license and a current map of these public lands. It is also a great idea to research the state regulations in the area you choose to hunt. A couple of states don’t even require a license to hunt coyotes. For a guy like me that is from East Texas, where most properties are small and require landowners’ permission this was a very eye-opening revelation. You see, many times I must drive by prime places to hunt simply because I don’t have permission. In many of the Western states, there are very large amounts of contiguous property you can hunt without having to ask or even open gates. With a little bit of scouting, you can spend a whole day or week hunting only prime locations.
With this ease of access comes a cost. Many of the easy to access public lands close to towns and cities are pressured by what I call “weekenders”. If you will spend a little more time and get away from these high-pressured areas your success will go up dramatically.
So how would a guy get started finding a place to hunt coyotes out West? First, you must decide what region you would like to hunt. For instance, do you want to hunt the Southwest desert, the plains regions, or higher country regions? Do you want to hunt at night? Some states allow hunting at night with lights, NV, or thermal, some do not. After researching regulations and having decided on a region, I would begin researching maps looking for BLM lands (Bureau of land Management), as well as National Forest lands. These maps are readily available online. Some states also offer maps that include public lands where coyote hunting is allowed. Another great source of these maps is hunting apps such as onX. I personally use the onX app frequently, even in the East as it will show you private landowners’ names and boundaries.
Once you have narrowed down where you would like to go, I would do a search online and try and find an active online forum where coyote hunters gather to see if you can glean any more pertinent information pertaining to the area you have chosen. I would caution you not to be too specific with any inquiries on these forums as many coyote hunters are not too willing to give away the location of their honey holes.
Planning these Western hunts can be very fun and rewarding. I would encourage you to include a partner or two in these plans. Most of these areas will be somewhat remote. Going alone is not advised. If you decide to camp out be prepared. Most of these areas have maintained dirt/gravel roads and are very accessible by vehicle. You really don’t need to venture off very far from these roads to enjoy great calling opportunities. While considering your plans you will need to decide whether you are going to fly out or drive out. Depending on where you are coming from and going to this could entail several hours to even days of driving and expense. I have flown out West and rented an SUV many times and had great hunts cheaper than I could have driven out. Just look for a motel in a small town close to where you want to hunt. This way you can have a hot meal and shower each day.
If you are an Eastern coyote hunter and only dreamed of calling coyotes out West, then I hope this blog will give you a few tips that will encourage you to do so. Best of all, these DIY Western coyote hunts can also be very rewarding, successful, and done with a small budget.
-Professional Predator Hunter
Byron South