How to Call Educated Coyotes: Tips from Professional Predator Hunter Byron South

The topic of how to call educated coyotes gets brought up quite a bit among coyote callers and always makes me question….How did they become educated? Can a coyote be educated? There is no doubt coyotes are sharp animals but educated seems a bit of a stretch to me. I believe a more correct term would be conditioned. This may simply be semantics and is probably better off left to another discussion. With that said, your best opportunity to call in any coyote is on your first attempt. In many places in the U.S. like the vast public grounds out west or smaller private properties of the east, this may be almost impossible. Another factor to consider is the time of year. In the early fall, there are many young coyotes that are eager to come to the call. As the fall turns to winter there are fewer coyotes and of those left some may have had a bit of conditioning/schooling. Thus, the term “educated coyote”.

So how do you deal with educated coyotes? I revert to the first paragraph and suggest you first hone your shooting and calling skills so that you do not give them a free education and condition them not to respond. I used to poke fun at other callers and tell them in my neck of the woods we did not pass out educations but rather rides home in the back of the truck. While somewhat funny there is some truth to this. Do your best to be a part of the solution and not the problem. Practice good fundamentals of fieldcraft, calling, and shooting and you will be a part of solving this perceived problem.

Coyotes are like I said “sharp” but also quite simple-minded. You’ll find many posts about their ability to smell, hear, and see. While these abilities far exceed ours, let us not confuse this with intelligence. Even the most simple-minded human possesses much more intelligence than any coyote. Therefore we must use this information to deny the coyote the ability to use their main defenses. Let us also try to identify their other assets and deny them of those as well. Coyotes by nature are extremely wary and suspicious. If anything is perceived to be out of place they will go on high alert and either retreat or not respond at all. Those so-called “educated coyotes” are even more suspicious and wary.

So how do you go about all of this? To defeat their best defenses such as their nose, simply keep the wind in your favor. It is physically impossible for them to detect you if you deny them the ability to either get downwind of you or cross your track. The latter is often overlooked. Second, are his ears…apply common sense here. Be quiet! This is not hard to do. Last but not least, if they watch you approach your stand location, they will not come.

byron hunting coyote

With me so far? Here’s a quick story that will help put this into perspective. You approach your calling location as if the coyote is a well-trained sniper. If they smell, hear, or see you it’s game over. This will help you understand the importance of getting there undetected. To you, it’s just hunting but to him, it is life or death.

Once you’ve accomplished the steps outlined above, you will need a plan to call them. Coyotes respond to different types of calls for different reasons. Examples could be food, mating, being territorial, and curiosity to name the most important. While using vocals are all the rage, (and I like using coyote vocals) they are not my go-to call most of the time. I would choose a particularly good distress sound. An example would be the “Cottontail #1” sound on the Convergent Predator Pro app. Even the wariest coyote is still an opportunist and must eat. Ahhh the Achilles heel. This may be a good time to mention; they don’t have to fight, challenge or mate another coyote to survive, but they must eat.

Another important thing to keep in mind is what I call “jumping through hoops”. This simply means that the easier you make it on them to respond the better the chance they will. To put this in perspective, I like to be as close to the target as possible, keeping obstacles away that would impede their approach. The faster you can get the coyote there the higher your chances are to be successful. You want them to react positively to your efforts without allowing enough time to become suspicious. This is best accomplished by using a very good caller like the Bullet HP Bluetooth Game Call and by playing high-quality sounds such as “BB Raspy CT” on the Convergent Predator Pro app. The sounds used should be designed to elicit predatory instincts. Busy sounds with a lot of excitement, and emotional, terror-like content are great for triggering this type of response.

There are lots of coyote hunters out there today. Many of which try to shortcut the fundamentals and have conditioned coyotes to respond negatively. If you want to be a successful caller you should assume they are all educated, do not shortcut the fundamentals. Do your best to make sure the coyotes ride home with you and are NOT further educated.

AML, Original Manufacturer of the Bullet HP and Sidewinder, Has Completed an Acquisition of Convergent Hunting Solutions

Euless, TX (Oct. 19, 2020)– AML, an American-made manufacturer, is proud to acquire Convergent Hunting Solutions to continue our partnership as a leading solution provider for the game call industry.

“Having worked with the AML team since the beginning of Convergent Hunting Solutions, I’m excited to now have them take us to the next level,” professional hunter Byron South said. “This will streamline everything from developing new products to offering customer support for existing products.”

This strategic acquisition will allow Convergent Hunting Solutions to expand their growth into new markets and ensure quality is maintained while streamlining new product releases and updates.

“AML has been manufacturing the Bullet HP and Sidewinder since their inception and have enjoyed watching the growth in popularity of both products” AML President Mike Kearby said.  “Now we’re excited to be at the helm of the success of these products, and those yet to come, as we lead Convergent Hunting Solutions into a new era.”

AML is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that has been producing the Bullet HP and the Sidewinder since their inception.  Under the direction of Byron South, our engineers developed both products and our manufacturing group produces them.  All the action takes place in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Euless where we will continue to proudly promote our products as Made in America. 

Where experience, innovation, and passion meet, you will find Convergent Hunting Solutions.

Professional hunter Byron South, with four decades of experience hunting across the globe, has helped develop the most forward-thinking predator calls for the modern outdoorsman. The result of his expertise is a line of game calls that are superior in quality and value. From mouth-blown hand calls to smart-phone controlled calls and decoys, Convergent Hunting Solutions leads the way with experience, passion, and innovation. 100% Made in USA. 

Nevada Coyote hunt with Convergent (with videos)

September 2017

Here at Convergent we are always eager to get out in the field and test and evaluate our products. Its hard work but we owe it to our customers to make these T/E trips. Right? Deliberating and planning these trips one must also consider the weather.  September in Texas is still pretty warm (HOT), so it only made since to start north earlier and then migrate south as the weather turns. This coupled with the fact that I love to hunt the high desert of Northern Nevada somehow a plan began to emerge. Funny how that happens. I simply love my job and I won’t apologize for that.

Having grown up in Texas where 99% of the state is private land I love going to these Western states like Nevada where most of it is public BLM land (Bureau of Land Management) or National Forrest. This means that with a map any US citizen can hunt it and avoid deeded private property. There are literally millions of acres out west that is open to hunters. The only problem then lies in your ability to narrow it down to where you want to hunt within these vast areas. This is part of what I like most about going out there. Having been up there a few times in years past I had narrowed it down to a very picturesque area in Northern Nevada. This country has lots of draws leading out of mountains down into foothills and valleys. These draws mean water and in the high desert this attracts game animals and predators. Great place to start looking.

Below you will see three short videos we made during this hunt. Within these videos there are also some great tips that hopefully will help you out. Hope you enjoy.

 

 

Christensen Arms CA-15 VTAC Review

As an avid predator hunter I’m always looking for better tools to help me be more productive. Being that I’ve been around the barn a time or two and not getting any younger I’m also not looking to lag around any extra weight. With this said I’ve narrowed down what I feel I need on every stand. This included my Bullet HP call, hand calls, shooting sticks, and rifle. With these items I can hunt predators anywhere they exist.

The heaviest tool in this line up is also one of the most vital tools needed to close the deal when the predators respond. For years I’ve been on a quest to acquire the perfect rifle for this task. It needs to be light but shootable (Yes that’s a word). It also needs to be short as not to snag on brush going to and from stands. Last but not least, it needs to be very accurate in case a coyote hangs up way out there. As the years have gone by I’ve gravitated to the AR platform. I call them the Mr. Potatohead of guns. The AR’s modular design enables the creative mind to build a mission specific rifle. Through the years I’ve spent countless hours and money tying to assemble the perfect balance and come up with the perfect “calling rifle”. I’ve even worked with major manufactures in the very same quest. With that I’ve come close but still kept looking for ways to make what I had better.

Last year I joined a good friend of mine Kerry Carver on a hunt in Northern Nevada.  While there we were also joined by Kerry’s son and his friend Adam. It turns out Adam works for Christensen Arms and was shooting one of their rifles. I fell in love with it. After visiting with Adam I just had to have one.  Wasn’t long after I got home that Adam and I got together and we began laying out what I had hoped was finally the perfect rifle of my dreams.

A couple weeks later the brown truck pulled up and I took delivery. Looking great so far but only time will tell…right? This all happened latter in the season last year so about the time I got really into shooting this jewel the weather began to warm up and good hunting weather ceased. Through the spring and summer though I did respond to a few “animal damage control” jobs where I got to put the rifle through the paces some more.

Well I just got back from another hunt up in Nevada and I’m still feeling pretty stoked about this rifle. In fact after much reflection I think I’m finally satisfied that I’ve found the perfect rifle for my line of work.

If you are like me and are looking for that perfect rifle look no further than the Christensen Arms CA-15 VTAC. These people took the AR platform to the next level in every aspect from the bolt carrier to the barrel to the float tube. This thing screams quality. While dainty to handle it is very rugged and shootable (There’s that word again). A pure joy to carry and shoot. The attention to detail and tolerances are like none I’ve ever seen (And I’ve seen a lot). This translates to sub MOA accuracy that consistently prints tiny groups in the same place with every trip to the range or hunt. The confidence I have in this rifle is very reassuring every time I settle it in my shooting sticks and begin calling.

For more information on this rifle you can click on this link. https://christensenarms.com/ca-15-vtac/

Good Hunting, and God Bless,

Byron South

(Professional hunter and Co-Founder of Convergent Hunting Solutions)

 

 

Silent Legion SL-5R Review

As many of you know I’m a pretty avid hunter. In fact my business revolves around developing and manufacturing hunting products. Fortunately for me this keeps me in the field. As a side benefit to testing and evaluating our own products I sometimes get to test other manufacture’s products.

A few weeks back Ed Schoppman, head man in charge at Silent Legion sent me some of their suppressors for me to wring out. This I can do! At my age (53) I’ve come to like nice stuff but I don’t baby it around. I hunt hard and expect top performance from any tool I incorporate into my hunts. These suppressors leave nothing to be desired in that department. Ed and his team have left no detail untouched with the design and execution of their entire product line. They offer several different models that will scratch any itch you may need scratched.

On a recent hunt in Nevada I took along my Christensen VTAC rifle with the Silent Legion SL-5R attached to the business end. The SL-5R addresses every detail I want in a suppressor. I’m more of a fan of direct thread suppressors as opposed to quick detach (QD) suppressors.  Both certainly have their place and Silent Legion offers both options as desired. All of their direct thread rifle models such as the SL-5R feature a unique design they call the “Suppressor Retention System” (SRS). The SRS completely solves the problem of “shooting loose”, a common complaint of many direct thread suppressors that can lead to point of impact shift and even the dreaded baffle strike. This gives you the comfort of knowing the suppressor is securely locked down to the threads. I like this system a lot and through many hundreds of rounds the suppressor has stayed put.

My Christensen VTAC is lightweight and short on purpose, so it makes no sense to screw a long heavy suppressor to the end of it.  The SL-5R solves this problem too, and is constructed using Titanium and Inconel so it only ads 13 ounces, and at 6.13 inches long it is also very short.  Being short and light often means that you have to live with a bit less performance in sound suppression. This is not so with the SL-5R as it is rated at a solid 30 dB of sound reduction, and as a pleasant surprise the gas blowback is nearly undetectable.

Another really cool feature integrated into the design of the SL-5R is a removable core. Why this is so cool is that this give you the ability to remove the core for cleaning/maintenance or replace it entirely. This could be a very welcome feature being that with the current laws, replacing an entire suppressor can be costly in both money and time.

I also have comfort in knowing that all the Silent Legion cans are made in a facility that is ISO 9001 certified by professionals who have decades of gun industry experience. This guarantees a level of consistency that is very rare in the suppressor world. This is how they are able to stand behind their products with a lifetime warranty.

Now with all this said you might think this suppressor would cost much more than its competitors. Well you will be glad to hear that the entire Silent Legion’s line is priced very competitively. In fact, I feel they are the best value in the market today.

So, if you are shopping for a suppressor, I would highly recommend you look seriously at the features, design, and execution of Silent Legion products. That’s what I did and now I’ve joined the “Silent Legion”.

 

You can find more information on Silent Legion suppressors Here

 

Good Hunting, and God Bless

Byron South

(Co-founder of Convergent Hunting Solutions)

 

Predator Masters Hunt/Convention

After hearing Byron South talk about and brag on the Predator Masters Convention I finally got to experience it this year for myself.  Byron and I actually flew out to Nevada the week prior to the convention to get some hunting footage for Convergent Hunting Solutions.  Getting to spend several days hunting with the greats like Byron South and Karry Carver in a place as awesome as the Elko, NV is definitely one of the highlights of my hunting career.

On top of that, getting to talk to and know other avid predator hunters from around the country at the Predator Masters Convention was an incredible experience.  Unfortunately Byron was unable to stay for the convention due to previous family obligation which left me to fill in for him and Convergent Hunting Solutions at the Banquets.  In doing so I made several new friends and learned a lot from the other hunters that have much more experience than do I.

One of the best parts of the convention (other than the hunting) was getting to see the faces on the hunters after they had one some of the Items that Convergent Hunting Solutions donated for the Banquets.  Congratulations to all the winners of the Convergent Products.  Great to meet all of you.

The week in Nevada spent hunting with friends, old and new, is certainly time I can’t wait to spend again next year!

 

Randy Alexander

Convergent Hunting Solutions

Sales Manager

On the Grind with Grid Iron Outdoors

A few weeks back our good friend Mike Pawlawski called and we visited about some upcoming trade shows we would both be attending. Of course as hunters and having our priorities straight, we both realized that we would have some downtime between a couple of these shows.

Mike is the owner of GO Wild Camo and has a show that airs on the Outdoor Channel called “Grid Iron Outdoors”. Mike being a former quarterback in the NFL created this show where he combines his love for the outdoors with friends he has made in the NFL.  As we planned this hunt he called his longtime friend Steve “Wiz” Wisniewski and asked if he would like to join us for some Texas hog and predator hunting. Steve agreed so we began putting the logistics in place.

Steve had a great career in the NFL playing 13 years for the Raiders, qualified 8 times for the pro-bowl and is considered by many to be the best offensive guards in modern football history. What many don’t know about Steve is he is also an accomplished hunter and very knowledgeable about firearms. Above all of this he is also a fine Christian with an incredible story of overcoming adversity through faith that he is willing to share.

With it being August and very hot we knew the animals would not be very responsive during the day so we planned our hunt for late evening, through the night, and into the early morning.  This meant we would also get to test some new Flir thermal devices that Mike had paired with his Ruger rifles.

As predicted the hogs and predators were apprehensive to move much in the oppressive heat but with the help of the Flir thermal sights/cameras and Convergent calls we did manage to get some great footage for Mike’s show.

     Mike and Steve took a break from the hunt to visit with our local High School football team. They both gave a very inspiring pep talk to these kids. This was a real treat for a small 2A rural school.

     Early in the hunt Steve had mentioned that a bobcat was high on his bucket list. With the aid of my Overseer bite call I was thankful to be able to call in this last minute cat for Steve.

Hope you enjoy the story and pics. This show should air sometime in January on the Outdoor Channel.

Good Hunting, and God Bless

Byron South

Days are getting shorter (Time to prep)

All avid hunters begin to notice when the days are getting shorter as we know this signals Fall is coming soon. With the shorter days the deer will begin to swap their dingy, red, summer coat for a beautiful, gray, winter coat. The bucks will shed their velvet, and their necks will begin to swell. As we begin to notice a light morning frost the woods will transform from deep green into striking autumn colors. With this awareness we hunters begin to get filled with anticipation of what a new hunting season will bring and begin the annual ritual of preparing for the hunt.

Seasoned hunters know that now is the time to begin that preparation. We will begin to check our rifles, shotguns and archery equipment and make sure they are in tip top condition. We will take inventory of boots, clothes and other gear and make the needed changes. Conversations with friends will be centered around this prep as well with discussion about logistics, weather forecast, new hunting gear and so on.


We at Convergent Hunting Solutions are of course avid hunters as well. As a business that revolves around these seasons we are in constant prep mode making sure we have what we need to help our customers be more successful on their hunts. So with that said we at CHS want to wish you a very successful season and remind you that the more prepared you are the more likely you are to be successful. The days are getting shorter.


Good Hunting, and God Bless,
Byron South
(Co-Founder of Convergent Hunting Solutions)

Are you an Overseer?

 

 

“Hunters” are often portrayed to the uninformed as just killers and takers of game. This perception of us hunters in my mind is just ignorance, and sometimes a refusal for a snowflake to think for themselves and process facts. I could go on and on here but this is not the point of my blog so I digress. My point is just to reaffirm what we are as ‘Hunters”.

Written by: Byron South (Co-founder of Convergent Hunting Solutions)

As hunters we have an inherent love and connection with the outdoors. We survey, study, and learn to be as in tune with this world as we can. With this, we readily accept the responsibilities of conservation and management in order to ensure these opportunities continue for future generations.

Throughout the last several decades our continued efforts have led to greater opportunities, and healthier populations of game animals. These successful efforts have also lead to greater numbers of predators. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, we must remember that it is up to us to maintain a balance. Why us, and not nature, a non-hunter may ask? My answer is, we as hunters are stewards, shepherds, and overseers of nature. Without us, nature has a brutal boom and bust cycle that is not pretty or kind to any involved. We as Overseers see firsthand the results of over or under populations of certain species and because of our connection and concern for balance, we as overseers take action.

So the point of my blog is to simply ask “Are you an Overseer”?

Note* With this theme in mind Convergent Hunting Solutions has developed a line of hand calls called “Overseer”. These calls are designed by master call builder Kerry Carver, and professional predator hunter Byron South.

Visit With Legends

I had a very interesting and event filled week last week and thought I would share it with you guys. It began a few weeks ago when I was invited down to central Texas to meet with and maybe even get a chance to call in a hog or coyote with Tink Natham. Tink is now 72 and has had a very full carrier of bow hunting worldwide. He has successfully hunted just about everything on the planet, including 23 Cape buffalo, elephant, and hippo. Even though the weather was not conducive to a good hunt we had a great time visiting and I enjoyed his stories very much. I’m very glad I went.

On the way back home I passed through Marble Falls and visited with the legendary Murray Burnham.  Murray and his brother Winston were innovators in the game call industry way back in the very beginning of it all. He is a walking history book. I never get tired of his stories of hunting with the likes of Fred Bear, John Wooters and many others. I consider myself very fortunate to have hunted with him and call him my friend. I’m pleased to report that at 89 he is still in great shape and still sharp as a tack.  While there he gave me a handful of arrowheads he has found on his place and his personal Black Magic call. These are things I will keep forever as a reminder of our friendship.

Leaving Marble Falls thinking of the history of predator calling I realized I would also pass through Waco which is home of Johnny Stewart which was also one of the pioneers in the game call industry. Unfortunately I never got a chance to meet Johnny but Gerald (his son) and I have been great friends for many years. I called Gerald and we had a great visit and told a few old stories. Johnny by all accounts was a man that truly loved the sport of calling predators and developed many products and sounds that are still in use today and working very effectively. Gerald has done a great job continuing his dad’s legacy.

Rarely does a guy get to meet his heroes and become friends. These guys have all shaped the industry and the hunting world with their contributions. I’m truly humbled and grateful for their friendship. Great guys all. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Use code "gearup" for 20% off Convergent Game Calls!

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