# My First Real Set



## Chicken_Grease (Nov 30, 2011)

I got up this morning and went out to some areas I mentioned in my New Guy thread. Both areas are big grassy clearings about 200 yards wide by 500 yards long. Both areas are within a mile of a dump. Lots of sign. The wind was blowing right to left down the long length of the field so I set up on the high side of the clearing in the middle so I had 250 yards to my left and right and 200 yards to the tree line in front of me. I used a dirt road to get in. There is an embankment on the high slope with some brush that I was able to get behind and set up to call.

I set my Power Dogg on a stump upwind figuring that if something tried to sweep downwind to get a sniff. I called for 30 minutes and decided to move to another area. On my way out, I noticed some wet spots in my tracks on the road I had walked in on. There was some fresh dog tracks that I assume were coyote tracks. A quick sniff confirmed that it was urine.

It looks like something came in behind me, sniffed my tracks and then peed on them. Kinda funny and encouraging at the same time.


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## sos1inmesa (May 11, 2011)

They are sneaky little buggars! Several occasions I have caught eye of a coyote when he was leaving my location. One time at 100 yards I spotted one leaving my position. Makes me wonder how close he got to me. What part of Washington are you at? For a short while I lived around Olympia.


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## Chicken_Grease (Nov 30, 2011)

I live right by Fort Lewis. Not too far from Olympia.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Sounds to me as though you made a good try of it Chicken_Grease...Would you do it the same next time ?


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## showmeyote (Dec 12, 2010)

Keep after em bud! Just try to think like a coyote. The path of least resistance, what ever is the easiest and smarties way to come to a call. They will almost always hook your wind! By the way Welcome CG


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## Chicken_Grease (Nov 30, 2011)

youngdon said:


> Sounds to me as though you made a good try of it Chicken_Grease...Would you do it the same next time ?


I think I'd do a couple of things different. I put myself in a spot that made for easy shooting but it didn't necessarily allow me to cover the trails and old roads that ran around the field. I think I'd put myself in a better spot to watch trails and roads. All of the sign I saw was on a road or trail, so I should have figured they use those for easy travel. I might also try and put something on my boot soles to cover up the scent more.


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## JTKillough (May 4, 2010)

So long as they are comfortable, a predator will always use the easiest route to it's prey. It's best to stay off of cow or game trails, roads and the like because of this. Try to slip in using a backdoor technigue, stay off trails when possible. I learned this lesson some years back when I was but a wee ladd. After calling what I figured was the best set-up ever for 45 minutes, I pulled out. Backtracked my trail that I used on my way in (also a good idea if you intent to return to the same spot sometime later) and down in the bottom of a wash about 50 yards to right right of the set I spot skidding coyote tracks. You could plainly see where the female had come in and at the point where I had walked across, she hit the brakes and spun around. Busted! And I didn't even know it! How did I know it was a female? A short walk following her trail revealed two sets of pup prints that where closely following her. She turned around, ran back some 50 feet, gathered her two pups and scrammed. Leaving me a missed triple.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

JTKillough said:


> So long as they are comfortable, a predator will always use the easiest route to it's prey. It's best to stay off of cow or game trails, roads and the like because of this. Try to slip in using a backdoor technigue, stay off trails when possible. I learned this lesson some years back when I was but a wee ladd. After calling what I figured was the best set-up ever for 45 minutes, I pulled out. Backtracked my trail that I used on my way in (also a good idea if you intent to return to the same spot sometime later) and down in the bottom of a wash about 50 yards to right right of the set I spot skidding coyote tracks. You could plainly see where the female had come in and at the point where I had walked across, she hit the brakes and spun around. Busted! And I didn't even know it! How did I know it was a female? A short walk following her trail revealed two sets of pup prints that where closely following her. She turned around, ran back some 50 feet, gathered her two pups and scrammed. Leaving me a missed triple.


 Good post JT, you're getting back to the basics of Real hunting, apply the above to all kinds of hunting and a person will be successful.


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## Chicken_Grease (Nov 30, 2011)

Wow, great info guys. Thanks!


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