With the thick foliage and overgrown fields, seeing a coyote right now may prove to be pretty tricky. That doesn’t keep them from showing up on our roadways. Granted, you may, on rare occasions, have one bolt across in front of you while traveling down some country road, but if you know what to look for, you might be surprised to see how many didn’t avoid an encounter with a motor vehicle. In the past two weeks, I have spotted two dead coyotes on a well-traveled road in our area, but my guess is most people would not have known what that pile of fur and hair was laying on the side of the road. The point is, whether you see them or not, there are still plenty of coyotes roaming about in our local woods and farm fields.

While most hunters are beginning to prepare for the upcoming small game seasons, turkey hunting, and of course, deer hunting, you can bet that if a coyote makes a chance appearance, it will likely fall victim to the hunter’s bow or gun.

Coyote hunting really comes into its own, especially once most of the deer seasons have ended. With the many organized coyote hunts that are available throughout the state, there is even a chance to win some good money. That being said, there is no need to wait until after the deer seasons to hunt up a coyote since even now may be a good time to pursue them.

I’ll admit it, I am not an avid coyote hunter. I’ve done some coyote hunting on a few occasions, but I have nothing to show for my efforts. On the other hand, my wife, Sheila, has her mounted coyote staring at me all the time, reminding me that I have yet to nail one of the critters. However, from what I gather from the real coyote hunting enthusiasts, is that right now may be a pretty good time to chase after them — something I may consider doing.

Even these warm, late summer and early fall days can be pretty productive coyote hunting. Sure, there is a downside to hunting coyotes right now; for one, this warm weather can make a hunt very uncomfortable, not to mention the assortment of bugs and mosquitoes that harass you while hunting, but there are also some positives.

For starters, you will be hunting coyotes when they are probably at their highest numbers due to all the new spring additions. Also, keep in mind these newcomers have yet to be introduced to the hunting process, thus making them more likely to fall victim to a hunter’s gun. It’s a pretty safe bet that the coyotes have not been chased or harassed much all summer, which means that even older, more mature coyotes may let their guard down.

I suspect coyotes are a lot like people. You may want to concentrate your hunting during the cool morning or late day hours when things are cooler — or even nighttime hunting. Spotting coyotes this time of year due to heavy foliage could be a problem in some wooded areas, so now may be a good time to concentrate your efforts in or on the edge of fields where you have good long-range visibility. From what I’m hearing from the guys “in the know,” hunting those field edges with the addition of a prey-in-distress call, some coyote urine sprinkled on a nearby bush, and maybe even a decoy will greatly increase your chances of success.