Focus on Fundamentals

I have always maintained that if a guy simply focuses on executing the fundamentals, he’ll do pretty good calling coyotes.

The fundamentals being simply:

• Call where there are callable coyotes
• Get to your stand undetected
• Pay attention to the wind at all times
• Pay special attention to the wind in setting up a stand

That’s about it. Do all that right, and nothing else, and you’ll do well.

This Year, It’s Almost Like Starting Over

If you are a regular reader of my modest little blog here, then first of all – thank you! Second of all, you already know that coyote hunting is slow in my area of operations this year. About the slowest I can ever remember it.

Just to put that into some context… In the last ten seasons or so before this one, I had only been blanked out – that is, not even seen a called coyote – on one day that I can remember. Once, in ten years of calling. I’ve had three days like that already this year, lol!

Prior to this year, I had got to where I just expected to get at least a couple coyotes in a day of calling. Just took it for granted. Days of ten coyotes or more, were not rare.

This year, I had one day that I called in seven coyotes. But, I went back again to that spot just recently, and had one of the blank out days just mentioned. Throw out that one good day, and the next best day I’ve had this year is only three coyotes.

So, anyway… In facing some much tougher calling than I had become accustomed to, I have realized that I had become kind of lazy on my execution of the fundamentals and have been re-learning some old lessons.

I’m Actually Enjoying This!

Being forced to work much smarter and a little bit harder for the coyotes I get this year has actually been a lot of fun though!

I have made a real conscious effort to return to simply executing on the fundamentals. And I’ve become a better coyote hunter in the last couple of months. Not better than I have ever been, but better than I have been for at least four or five years.

Part of the fun, has been really focusing on finding callable coyotes. I have covered an awful lot of dusty miles already this season. But, it has paid off. I haven’t found any heavy concentrations, but I have found several pockets that I have been able to get a few coyotes out of. Knowing, first hand, how much barren ground is out there, I am having a lot of fun and getting a lot of satisfaction finding coyotes where they maybe aren’t supposed to be.

I have also been much more attentive to details of wind and stand selection than some of the lazy habits I’d fallen into in recent years. The result, has been that while I’m not calling many coyotes, at least almost none of them are getting away. When I’m really paying attention and putting in the work to setup a stand, coyotes that do show up, leave with me.

Bottom line. The calling has been slow. But I’ve been enjoying it more than ever! And I’m feeling like my game has gotten sharper. Appreciating each and every opportunity I get and working to make sure I can take advantage of those opportunities has me more engaged in the process and enjoying the challenge more than I have in many years.

Being able to still collect one or two most days under the circumstances, has been more satisfying than piling them up has been in recent years too.