Won our 4th tournament we did last week. It was our first win. After watching your series on calling competitions, I just realized I'm learning all the things you just touched on Les! Backing out of a county warning, and hitting them from the outside in. Good spots are good spots, call them again. Down winders are necessary. Hunt like they're there, because you know they are, just being quiet.. Been a fan of you and PQ for years. Matter of fact, my first snow camo PQ hoodie looks more grey than camo now. lol Bout time for another!
Les: Super informative! Thanks for sharing with all of us. Got back from New Mexico and we used hand calls, e-calls, diaphragm howlers, hand held howlers depending on the terrain. We were in heavily called areas and your tips made for a successful 3 days of hunting! Thanks again!
Thank you Robert! I am glad that you enjoyed the information. Congratulations on your calling trip to New Mexico! What a beautiful state for calling coyotes! Keep getting after them! Thanks again. LJ
Les you are my mentor man I love your videos and everything you do man my name is doug Allen I live in Tennessee and want to get into to hunting coyotes any and all tied tricks you could throw my way I would be forever grateful great stuff man thanks and god bless. FAN FOR LIFE !!!!!!!
Thanks for the 4 video series! I'm out of Laramie, WY and started calling a couple years ago. I'm still getting the hang of it, and your videos gave me some great tips that I can't wait to implement in my stands next fur season. Thanks so much!
Successful calling in eastern SD can be really difficult. It was, at one time really good. You can almost trace it to the time the compact disk was introduced to the world. Every vehicle came with a player & anyone could walk into a sporting goods store and buy a disk with all the greatest sounds. Stop anywhere, roll down the windows, crank the volume, low & behold, we are coyote callers. Can you think of a better way to educate a critter. Really liking your channel, keep it up....
your totally correct cavedweller! Many people still put an ecall on the hood of a pickup and call from the pickup! I've never done that, nor will I ever try it. Thank you for watching and commenting! LJ
Thank you Apache! I'm glad you liked them. I may even add to it a little more once I really set down and think about it all! Thanks again and have a good day. LJ
Great info Les.Listening to what your saying confirms im on track with how I do things.One thing I can say is these eastern coyotes are TUFF to hunt ,but we do better than most.Keep up the videos your doing Great !!
Troy, thank you for watching/commenting! I totally agree with you on the Eastern Coyotes/terrain, etc. The number one factor against you is the "wind." In my opinion, they will always use it to their advantage and the wind in the timber is always like the ocean. Back and forth and it just goes out further each time. You need at least 2 people holding guns and one person always needs to be quite a distance away from you where you cannot even see them to the downwind. Thanks again. LJ
I have subscribed and I will give the thumbs up. I appreciate your videos. I like what you said about the man that shoots one gun. My Remington 700 bull barrel 22-250 is a coyotes worst nigh mare I just hate carrying that rock. I think I will look at the 1 3/4 in hundred yard zero. Since the ammo shortage I have switched to a Ruger American 223 and put a Sig BDX scope on it to get more range. I have found that the energy is a little lacking with the 223 at 250+ yards. The 22-250 puts the smack to them. I have actually been taking notes on this series. I am a fan. Thanks Les
Good series!! I am just getting back into coyote calling. Used to with my dad when i was younger but never picked it up myself. I am born and raised Wyoming. Got a few of your calls and have been practicing. Have a contest this weekend i plan to do with my wife and kids. Thanks for all the information!
Some visual learning would be great! Maybe a video with different photographs of good and poor stands. You could talk about the pros and cons of each one. I have recently got into predator hunting and I'm not always confident of the places I pick. Love the videos!
Hey Les great little 3 part series, have been hunting yotes for half my life and finally got the bug to get serious & do some competitions here in az. Thanks a bunch for sharing all that not many will. Just finding when someone is having one seems to be the hard part but I've finally figured that out. If you ever want to kill any by the grand canyon let me know lol.
Good info Les as far as colors go I know coyotes are somewhat color blind and they say red is brown to yotes I know they have sharp vision but is like fluorescent orange and green like the strings on your predator quest sweatshirt and the bright green like on primos trigger sticks and wearing blue jeans something to worry about. Thx for sharing your knowledge
Movement is much more of a concern of mine. Sure they can see you and pick you out...and you will know exactly when they do. But....coyotes rarely just turn and bolt when they spot you. I have had it happen on several instances and mainly when they were above me and looking down on me. Must be able to really pick out your outline. They say that blue jeans do not matter. I'd say with coyotes that are a little more "dumb" than others or perhaps where there is thicker cover and it does not matter. I was on my way home from wyoming and traveling to Nebraska one day and I just could not resist trying to call a coyote or two. I stopped in this sagebrush draw, had a camo jacket on and blue jeans. Ran out in the taller sagebrush and called. A little bit into my calling I saw 2 coyotes ripping in through the sagebrush. Once they hit an opening about 200 yards out, the male slid to a halt. I know for a fact that they saw my blue jeans and it freaked them out. Any other time, I wouldve shotgunned those coyotes. But what do I know.....I did not move and as the coyotes were leaving, I got on my rifle and got the male to take one last look and I got him. Moral of my story.....I call bs to some of what some people claim. Now perhaps we need to dive into what color of blue jeans works best? Faded out blue jeans? Brand new wranglers? 501's? We could go round and round. I have also had camo that stopped coyotes in their tracks. My guess is like you said, must look florescent to the coyotes because I have had coyotes hit the skids when they were running as hard as they could to get to me. Again, just my $.02. I avoid those things at all costs. When I find a camo that works, I wear it until it falls apart. Thanks bNICE and hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting! LJ
Thank you Huff! I will talk about that in a video! That is a good idea, but a little complex as to how my mind works. Thanks again for watching/commenting and have a good day! LJ
Well Toney, it is a money issue. I'd love too, but I am like any american and pay taxes, etc so in order for me to do so, it takes alot of money for me to travel. Hunters Specialties asked me about doing the Deer Classic this year and I have never heard back from them once I told them what it would take for them to get me out there. I've tried and I know that there are alot of fans that would like to see me there. Unfortunately, I am usually traveling to other shows that conflict with the Iowa Deer Classic each year. One of these years hopefully. Thank you Toney! LJ
from start of your hunting in the fall to the end in winter. How you change your setups, walking in, calling. As I've said I'm in the midwest and pretty well nobody that's very experienced pits out any advice on the midwest. I hunt ground that's tight cover and grounds that open for thousands of acres. Loving the youtube man, keep it up!!!!
Thank you siler! I actually am downloading a video right now that answers your question and I made reference to your question when answering it. Should help you out. It is titled "Calling Strategy" and should be online in the am. Thanks for watching and commenting. LJ
Hey Les I love your videos, I just started hunting coyotes less then 2 years ago and from watching your videos it has inspired me to use hand calls more often and call less. Being a newb I am still trying to perfect how you call by watching your hunting videos all the time! is there anyway you could do a video on how you use and make the sounds you make with your hand calls?
Thank you for watching Stillman! Yes I will make a video and go through all kinds of sounds that I make. Thank you for the idea and watching my videos! :) LJ
Thanks for this series. I am not really interested in competition but would like to get into to predator hunting and small game. I live in a big city though so its kind of hard I didn't always live in the city but you go where the money is you know.
love the videos Les, keep em coming. My question wiukd be the same as Fritz as far as what ti use to hide your scent. What do you recommend to hide scent . Do you use scent blockers and such or just pkay the wind. Thanks for all your advice.
les I love your videos I built a Stevens 200 in 22-250 that shoots 75 grain bthp I live in newfoundland here our coyotes are a lot bigger then the rest of the world we get coyotes that are 60 pounds but the part of the Inland that I live on there's not that many I have seen 3 in my life time I am 22 but most guys from my area who have grew up in the woods who are 50 and have never seen a coyote I love to see how much success you could get here I think I got it more or less figure out now but I broke my scope so got to wait a couple weeks to get her back love what you do keep it up
Thank you moomoo! I have always found that the areas where the coyotes are "fewer" and far between.....I kinda enjoy hunting for them. It forces me to really think and try different things. Keep at it and I know you will succeed. That 75 grain should dump them good. I would probably be shooting a 243 just in case of the occassional wolf coming in to the call! Take care and thanks for watching my videos/commenting! LJ
Everything Outdoors with Les Johnson we are not aloud to hunt coyotes with a bullet with a dimater larger then .224 and it's been a big learning curve here where our coyotes have very different behavior so the studys say but I have learned a lot now the biggest thing is you can't be afraid of walking love your stuff thanks for the reply
Everything Outdoors with Les Johnson also I have done shooting compensations with the military at the International compensation and got a gold in a match you done a video on a guy shooting them at 200 yards I'll probably be that guy and maybe a even a bit further then that lol thanks for everything you do for the hunting community
morning java suggestion: howling, when do you use it? do you always start a stand with it? are you using different types of howls during the year, what are you hoping a howl does for your stand?
Steve, thank you for your suggestion. I'm uploading a video right now (Calling Stategy) that goes into some of that. You should get a better understanding whenever you watch it. Thanks again. LJ
Enjoyed all 3 videos. You don't know me, I am from Iowa, a little older than you from your videos (unless you age very gracefully, ;-), and it was my pleasure to be in the contests at Rawlins and St. Francis at the time that you were awarded the Triple crown by Norm. Have killed a few coyotes around Saratoga. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Maybe sometime when I am in Nebraska, I can buy you a cup of Java. Take care.
could u make a video on how to use mouth calls properly. as in what sounds ur making with ur mouth to create the sound coming out, and when u would use that sound. again great video thank u for passing ur knowledge onto us that need some coaching. can't wait to get out there and use some of this information thank u
Thanks again, Les! I know some hunters get really obsessive about their scent. What/how much do you do about your scent? Also, I also love the .22-250. That's what my bolt gun is chambered in. If I ever get "back home", I'll buy you breakfast.
Thanks Fritz, breakfast would be nice! I have called with the wind several times in competitions only because the wind was blowing so hard that I had to do something different in order to get my sound out. I try to always keep the wind in my face or call a crosswind if the wind starts blowing harder. If calling crosswind, I would prefer to always have a shooter straight downwind of me 100-150 yards. In a crosswind scenario, the coyote is 99% of the time going to go straight to your downwind because they know they have the advantage. Many times if you have a hunter down there, you can shotgun alot of them. Thanks again and have a good day! LJ
I am very glad I ran into these videos. I live in Michigan with small parcels of land to hunt and it's tough. It would be great to hear about some of those experiences if you have any advise? Been working on getting lots of permission to be able to cover lots of sets without burning them out. Which leads to my other question, how often can you hunt a paticular spot without tipping coyotes off. Thanks again for another great informational video.
Thank you bigchev! Yes, hunting small parcels is tough, but if you gain permission on one small parcel, it can sometimes be the right one to call from and kill alot of coyotes. Just keep getting permission and keep a book with everyones name in it. Then if you run onto another person and they act like they do not want to give you permission, you just show them all of the names that have given you permission. I would say to call each place about once every 2 weeks and possibly let it go longer the next time. I sometimes try to mix up the spots where I set up as well and possibly use a different sound sometimes as well. Thanks again and possibly I will do a morning Java on these questions. LJ
If possible, have the dealer or a mechanic turn off the bells, chimes, etc. when one opens the door and the truck/SUV is running or the key is in the ignition. Same with the seat belt chime. Some makes allow this, some don't. Also, if you are in an unfamiliar vehicle, practice quietly closing the door before you get to the first stand.
Robert, that is a great point as well! Be sure and always have the keys out of the ignition before you open a door. I find that my brother and I are whispering before we open the pickup doors...:) Uggghh the things we do to fool a coyote! Thank you for sharing and watching! LJ
Hey Les I have a question about hunting coyotes in the rain? My son and I are hunting a competition this weekend and it's supposed to rain all weekend. We are out west in Nevada. What would you do?? Thanks for the videos we've learned a lot!!
Here is my thoughts: Nevada is desert and therefore probably gets less than 10 inches of moisture per year. So, they say that it is going to "rain" all day. Not a chance of it doing that. Mist and sprinkle at times? I'd say yes. I think a slight mist would actually make the calling good and it would not slow me down. I would concentrate on several different terrains though. Call the sagebrush flats for 4-5 sets and if nothing, I would move to tighter cover. Rocky, willows/creeks, or very tall sagebrush and try to call them to the edges. Thanks. LJ
Jerad, typically when hunting competitions, I did not do any howling. Most competitions are oct, nov, dec and I wanted the young of the year to not be intimidated by a howl. Later in the year it is fine. I did use kiyi's with good results. But....I only used them when I knew there was a group (more than one) coyotes in the area. and I did not use it very often.
Hey les why in a competition setting particularly in western states with a lot of public land do some contest allow hunting on private ground ?We say we are competitive and argue that we are the best but if you have lots of land locked up you really can be a terrible caller and shooter for that matter and still have a shot at winning . Now I've won plenty of contest that allow private land hunting and I only hunt public and win but If I get beat I want to know it's buy a good caller and shooter as well as someone who puts in the time to scout . Not people who have access to farms because of ranching and or paying to lock up land . What's your thoughts ?
Hi Brad! Very good question/concern/comment! Here is my reply: First and foremost, if teams were only allowed to hunt on public, there would need to be a "judge" with them so that they would abide by that rule. If the competition was big and had alot of teams, that would require alot of Judges to travel along. Another way to handle this would be a lie detector, but that would be expensive and time consuming as well. If it was stricktly a "public land" contest, I feel that there would be alot of shadyness in calling a boundary to private, etc. Another big catch to hunting strickly public would probably arouse the Antis if they found out about it. Obviously, this is just my $.02 on this. When the National first started, it was actually called the Red Desert Coyote Roundup and it was pointed and ran towards just calling in the Red Desert (public land). As it grew, so did the teams and when it started, there was only about 5-10 rules. As the years progressed, each "rule" was tried and bent to suit a teams winning or placing, so therefore, more rules had to be put in place. The long and short of all of this is that most teams could not kill enough coyotes from just hunting public and therefore resorted to tying up ranches by "paying" for the hunting rights. I totally agree with you on public land hunting vs. private ranches. While I have been skunked on private lands as well as public, I have never paid for hunting/calling rights for coyotes either. I know teams that did pay for them, but it also gave my brother and I more incentive to beat those teams as well, if you know what I mean? Thank you for watching and commenting Brad! Congratulations to all of your success as well! I admire you for speaking up. LJ
Thanks for the videos Les, very very helpful. My question is how long do you call. So you're doing pup in dress, coyote locator or rabbit in dress. I know you said every 2min and stop and then start up again, but when your actually calling is it 15sec 20sec 1min or longer? How I just started hunting coyotes in Michigan.
Thanks Les, I watch it 4 times. Sounds like you call for 15sec long and then wait 2min and call again. That was very helpful. I can't wait to see more. I've got the bug to hunt them even more now.
I love the videos, you know your stuff! I just would love to here your perspective on eastern coyotes. I'm in upstate ny and it isn't easy. Lots of land available and good various terrain spots, I killed 3 this year but I've been out about 20 times. I hear them close and tracks everywhere on fresh spots, but no luck. Is there a trick to these coyotes around here or what? Everyone hears and sees them when I'm not there tho. I don't smell that bad! 🤔Electronic, mouth calls, etc.. be great to hear what you think. Thanks. Keep makin those videos👍
Thank you Brad! Always remember something......Somedays, it does not matter what you do, coyotes will not respond to a call. Obviously, this is my opinion and take it for what it is. On days where I feel that they are not responding or do not want to show their face, I cut my losses and quit for the day. I NEVER spend a whole day out when I can be doing other things and not educating coyotes to my presence. Many, many many times when people are done calling at a spot and because they chose to get up and leave and not have patience, I feel that coyotes end up showing up at the set and then catching wind of the hunters and therefore end up being alerted to the calling/human presence. Many people do not think about this. Once you alert a coyote to your presence, you've done educated him and your chances of getting him are much much tougher. LJ
Terry, I will be releasing a very indepth video on the shotgun load, choke, etc here very soon. Its about 26 minutes long I believe. Just be watching for it. Thanks for watching/commenting! LJ
If all you had were these 3 videos, anyone who watched could be hunting coyotes with a lot of success right now! I paid a lot of attention to when you talked about calling in the wind. I've mostly gone home when the wind comes up. Not doing that anymore! One thing I have learned, though, is that even though the coyote in Colorado 4 Corners area is the same animal as the one in Jeffry City, WY and the territory looks about the same, they are not the same. It took me months to figure out that a jackrabbit call that loaded the pickup in WY didn't do diddly for me in the 4 Corners. Same goes for out west versus OK or AR or even AL. That said, is there one call that works for you everywhere? And I mean out west, back east, in the timber, or out on open land. Also, since you mentioned cover and camo, is it my imagination or is a coyote less likely to hang up when I'm covering in a swath of burlap wrapped around me versus my best camo outfit? Thinking like a dog, I wonder if he says "that's gotta be a rabbit cuz I don't see any arms and legs of a human'. Last, one of my tricks is to drive an area at night and see how many rabbits are out in the road. A lot of rabbits seems to go along with a lot of coyotes. I don't hunt competition but sure enjoy knocking over coyotes. I'm planning on getting into competitions this year, though. Might have to get decked out in PQ gear! Great videos and PQ is a great show!
hay less can u do a video on shotguns and how you do them I ant going to lie I wounded one this last hunt or normally miss can u tell us a little how far you Leeds them loads things of that natur
Hi Kevin, I am actually getting ready to release a video on the shotgun load that I use, choketube, etc. I will set it up to release in about 4-5 days. I will also do another video on how to lead them, etc. Thank you for watching and commenting. LJ
Stan your so funny! Thanks for messaging and watching! please email me your address and I will get one out to you! predatorquestinfo@gmail.com Thank you Stan! LJ
Steve, thanks for inquiring! I have had 2 different styles of coffee cups in the past and both of them are cool. A white/orange one and the black/orange one that I usually use. Problem is, when I buy them....it usually has to be at least 72 of each, the price is way over $8 each. I try to sell them for $9 and have had absolutely terrible luck on shipping them. I have lost so much money on them that I quit carrying them. I've sent as many as 4 to one person only to have them write me and say that 3 of them were broken. I've literally lost $100's of dollars trying to sell this product. I love them and would love to sell them, but I believe the shipping companies drop kick boxes that say "Fragile." Sorry. Thank you for watching and commenting. LJ
hello I'm new to coyote calling..I have successfully trapped coyote for two years but want somthing to do after deer season and would like more fur in my shed. what calls would u suggest have an old Johnny Stewart e call have only had one coyote come in and bark at me any help is appreciated
Kyle my deluxe calls are great calls, as are all of my Ruffidawg calls. The closed reed calls are as good as they get for someone that does not know how to blow an open reed call such as the Deluxe or Ruffidawg call models. You could've had the call too loud or it knew that you were there. Keep watching and learning. Thanks. LJ
Watching your videos I started predator hunting at the end of last year 😂 not the best honestly called in a lot more then I've shot . I've shot one ceyote last year and one bobcat just last weekend can't find knew videos geuss your not making and anymore .I hope one day I can be as good as you are even half as good would be awesome not Gunna give up I'm addicted
Who else is this knowledgeable that is willing to share their thoughts this way? Thanks for the video Les. You are a class act!
Thank you Trilandun! I appreciate your comment! Have a good day and thanks for watching. LJ
Les, you have been such an effective teacher for years. Thanks for your genuine approach to sharing your knowledge.
Les I don’t know if you get this message but your the Best. I miss watching you your adventures and wisdom. May God bless you and your family.
Won our 4th tournament we did last week. It was our first win.
After watching your series on calling competitions, I just realized I'm learning all the things you just touched on Les!
Backing out of a county warning, and hitting them from the outside in.
Good spots are good spots, call them again.
Down winders are necessary.
Hunt like they're there, because you know they are, just being quiet..
Been a fan of you and PQ for years. Matter of fact, my first snow camo PQ hoodie looks more grey than camo now. lol
Bout time for another!
Less I have learned so much from your knowledge!! Keep up the hard work!! Best part was hearing your a walleye fisher🎣🙌🏻
Glad your able to do these videos and share. It is very humbling of yourself to share what most wouldn’t. Keep posting and I’ll keep watching.
Love the videos! Do these tactics work the same at night? I’m from Texas and we do a lot of night calling and spotlighting
Les:
Super informative! Thanks for sharing with all of us. Got back from New Mexico and we used hand calls, e-calls, diaphragm howlers, hand held howlers depending on the terrain. We were in heavily called areas and your tips made for a successful 3 days of hunting! Thanks again!
Thank you Robert! I am glad that you enjoyed the information. Congratulations on your calling trip to New Mexico! What a beautiful state for calling coyotes! Keep getting after them! Thanks again. LJ
Les you are my mentor man I love your videos and everything you do man my name is doug Allen I live in Tennessee and want to get into to hunting coyotes any and all tied tricks you could throw my way I would be forever grateful great stuff man thanks and god bless.
FAN FOR LIFE !!!!!!!
Thanks for the 4 video series! I'm out of Laramie, WY and started calling a couple years ago. I'm still getting the hang of it, and your videos gave me some great tips that I can't wait to implement in my stands next fur season. Thanks so much!
Successful calling in eastern SD can be really difficult. It was, at one time really good. You can almost trace it to the time the compact disk was introduced to the world. Every vehicle came with a player & anyone could walk into a sporting goods store and buy a disk with all the greatest sounds. Stop anywhere, roll down the windows, crank the volume, low & behold, we are coyote callers. Can you think of a better way to educate a critter. Really liking your channel, keep it up....
your totally correct cavedweller! Many people still put an ecall on the hood of a pickup and call from the pickup! I've never done that, nor will I ever try it. Thank you for watching and commenting! LJ
cavedweller1959 where do you call in eastern SD?
I really enjoy your content always so much info !
Awesome series Les. Gonna be watching it several times to make sure I got it all
Thank you Apache! I'm glad you liked them. I may even add to it a little more once I really set down and think about it all! Thanks again and have a good day. LJ
Great info Les.Listening to what your saying confirms im on track with how I do things.One thing I can say is these eastern coyotes are TUFF to hunt ,but we do better than most.Keep up the videos your doing Great !!
Troy, thank you for watching/commenting! I totally agree with you on the Eastern Coyotes/terrain, etc. The number one factor against you is the "wind." In my opinion, they will always use it to their advantage and the wind in the timber is always like the ocean. Back and forth and it just goes out further each time. You need at least 2 people holding guns and one person always needs to be quite a distance away from you where you cannot even see them to the downwind. Thanks again. LJ
I have subscribed and I will give the thumbs up. I appreciate your videos. I like what you said about the man that shoots one gun. My Remington 700 bull barrel 22-250 is a coyotes worst nigh mare I just hate carrying that rock. I think I will look at the 1 3/4 in hundred yard zero. Since the ammo shortage I have switched to a Ruger American 223 and put a Sig BDX scope on it to get more range. I have found that the energy is a little lacking with the 223 at 250+ yards. The 22-250 puts the smack to them. I have actually been taking notes on this series. I am a fan. Thanks Les
Good series!! I am just getting back into coyote calling. Used to with my dad when i was younger but never picked it up myself. I am born and raised Wyoming. Got a few of your calls and have been practicing. Have a contest this weekend i plan to do with my wife and kids. Thanks for all the information!
Les well done with all your information..makes me excited to hunt coyotes someday.
Hi Paul Huber , thank you for watching and commenting on my channel! I hope you continue to watch and have a great day! LJ
I don't know about everyone else, but for me, your videos are addictive. Cant get enough information. Keep em coming! MAGA
Les, could you please cover the importance of scent control? Coffee, smoke, scent of the truck. Etc. Etc
Some visual learning would be great! Maybe a video with different photographs of good and poor stands. You could talk about the pros and cons of each one. I have recently got into predator hunting and I'm not always confident of the places I pick. Love the videos!
Enjoyed the series
Thank you Brady! Thanks for watching/commenting and have a good day! LJ
Hey Les great little 3 part series, have been hunting yotes for half my life and finally got the bug to get serious & do some competitions here in az. Thanks a bunch for sharing all that not many will. Just finding when someone is having one seems to be the hard part but I've finally figured that out. If you ever want to kill any by the grand canyon let me know lol.
Thank you for the great info
Hey Les, great video's, love watching them. keep em coming.
Good info Les as far as colors go I know coyotes are somewhat color blind and they say red is brown to yotes I know they have sharp vision but is like fluorescent orange and green like the strings on your predator quest sweatshirt and the bright green like on primos trigger sticks and wearing blue jeans something to worry about. Thx for sharing your knowledge
Movement is much more of a concern of mine. Sure they can see you and pick you out...and you will know exactly when they do. But....coyotes rarely just turn and bolt when they spot you. I have had it happen on several instances and mainly when they were above me and looking down on me. Must be able to really pick out your outline. They say that blue jeans do not matter. I'd say with coyotes that are a little more "dumb" than others or perhaps where there is thicker cover and it does not matter. I was on my way home from wyoming and traveling to Nebraska one day and I just could not resist trying to call a coyote or two. I stopped in this sagebrush draw, had a camo jacket on and blue jeans. Ran out in the taller sagebrush and called. A little bit into my calling I saw 2 coyotes ripping in through the sagebrush. Once they hit an opening about 200 yards out, the male slid to a halt. I know for a fact that they saw my blue jeans and it freaked them out. Any other time, I wouldve shotgunned those coyotes. But what do I know.....I did not move and as the coyotes were leaving, I got on my rifle and got the male to take one last look and I got him. Moral of my story.....I call bs to some of what some people claim. Now perhaps we need to dive into what color of blue jeans works best? Faded out blue jeans? Brand new wranglers? 501's? We could go round and round. I have also had camo that stopped coyotes in their tracks. My guess is like you said, must look florescent to the coyotes because I have had coyotes hit the skids when they were running as hard as they could to get to me. Again, just my $.02. I avoid those things at all costs. When I find a camo that works, I wear it until it falls apart. Thanks bNICE and hope that helps. Thanks for watching and commenting! LJ
great videos Les! ive been watching your videos and following you for years! hope to catch up with you one day!
I enjoyed your videos on competitions Less ! Thank you for sharing.
Could you cover how you break down new land you have never seen before ?
Thank you Huff! I will talk about that in a video! That is a good idea, but a little complex as to how my mind works. Thanks again for watching/commenting and have a good day! LJ
Great video and appreciate the info.
Thanks HVAC! LJ
You should come to the Iowa Deer Classic one year and do a seminar Les.
Well Toney, it is a money issue. I'd love too, but I am like any american and pay taxes, etc so in order for me to do so, it takes alot of money for me to travel. Hunters Specialties asked me about doing the Deer Classic this year and I have never heard back from them once I told them what it would take for them to get me out there. I've tried and I know that there are alot of fans that would like to see me there. Unfortunately, I am usually traveling to other shows that conflict with the Iowa Deer Classic each year. One of these years hopefully. Thank you Toney! LJ
from start of your hunting in the fall to the end in winter. How you change your setups, walking in, calling. As I've said I'm in the midwest and pretty well nobody that's very experienced pits out any advice on the midwest. I hunt ground that's tight cover and grounds that open for thousands of acres. Loving the youtube man, keep it up!!!!
Thank you siler! I actually am downloading a video right now that answers your question and I made reference to your question when answering it. Should help you out. It is titled "Calling Strategy" and should be online in the am. Thanks for watching and commenting. LJ
Thank you man!!! Amazing at what ya do and will always get support from me
I have it set up to play tomorrow at 7 am Central Time! Your name is mentioned so you better watch! :)
Everything Outdoors with Les Johnson watch them every morning when I get off, even the older ones.
watched all 3 a lot of good tips thanks will try and put them to use in a contest I'm entered in coming up
another great informative video!!! thanks!!!
Thank you! Thanks for watching and commenting Working! Have a good day! LJ
Great videos lots of great advice
Hey Les I love your videos, I just started hunting coyotes less then 2 years ago and from watching your videos it has inspired me to use hand calls more often and call less. Being a newb I am still trying to perfect how you call by watching your hunting videos all the time! is there anyway you could do a video on how you use and make the sounds you make with your hand calls?
Thank you for watching Stillman! Yes I will make a video and go through all kinds of sounds that I make. Thank you for the idea and watching my videos! :) LJ
Thank you!
loving these videos Les.
Thank you Patrick! LJ
Your welcome Les. loving the videos, great way to have my coffee and start the day out right.:-)
Thanks for this series. I am not really interested in competition but would like to get into to predator hunting and small game. I live in a big city though so its kind of hard I didn't always live in the city but you go where the money is you know.
love the videos Les, keep em coming. My question wiukd be the same as Fritz as far as what ti use to hide your scent. What do you recommend to hide scent . Do you use scent blockers and such or just pkay the wind. Thanks for all your advice.
Hey Alex, sorry for the late response. I will do a video on Scent elimination in the very near future. Thank you for asking and stay tuned. LJ
Everything Outdoors with Les Johnson okay thanks man , really looking forward to that
les I love your videos I built a Stevens 200 in 22-250 that shoots 75 grain bthp I live in newfoundland here our coyotes are a lot bigger then the rest of the world we get coyotes that are 60 pounds but the part of the Inland that I live on there's not that many I have seen 3 in my life time I am 22 but most guys from my area who have grew up in the woods who are 50 and have never seen a coyote I love to see how much success you could get here I think I got it more or less figure out now but I broke my scope so got to wait a couple weeks to get her back love what you do keep it up
Thank you moomoo! I have always found that the areas where the coyotes are "fewer" and far between.....I kinda enjoy hunting for them. It forces me to really think and try different things. Keep at it and I know you will succeed. That 75 grain should dump them good. I would probably be shooting a 243 just in case of the occassional wolf coming in to the call! Take care and thanks for watching my videos/commenting! LJ
Everything Outdoors with Les Johnson we are not aloud to hunt coyotes with a bullet with a dimater larger then .224 and it's been a big learning curve here where our coyotes have very different behavior so the studys say but I have learned a lot now the biggest thing is you can't be afraid of walking love your stuff thanks for the reply
Everything Outdoors with Les Johnson also I have done shooting compensations with the military at the International compensation and got a gold in a match you done a video on a guy shooting them at 200 yards I'll probably be that guy and maybe a even a bit further then that lol thanks for everything you do for the hunting community
Thank you for your service moomoo! LJ
morning java suggestion: howling, when do you use it? do you always start a stand with it? are you using different types of howls during the year, what are you hoping a howl does for your stand?
Steve, thank you for your suggestion. I'm uploading a video right now (Calling Stategy) that goes into some of that. You should get a better understanding whenever you watch it. Thanks again. LJ
hey les, could you do a video on coyote vocalizations and what they mean and like always great video and advice keep on keeping on man your awsome.
Thanks Michael! I will be doing that in the future! Thanks for watching! LJ
Enjoyed all 3 videos. You don't know me, I am from Iowa, a little older than you from your videos (unless you age very gracefully, ;-), and it was my pleasure to be in the contests at Rawlins and St. Francis at the time that you were awarded the Triple crown by Norm. Have killed a few coyotes around Saratoga. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Maybe sometime when I am in Nebraska, I can buy you a cup of Java. Take care.
Les Johnson doesn't need a suppressed rifle. He doesn't miss!! Hahaha
blah....lol! Ohhh Skeete, Les J. misses! Dont like to admit it but yes he does. :) Thanks for watching and commenting! LJ
40gr to53gr bullets better now52gr in22-250 is king little to no damage good info
could u make a video on how to use mouth calls properly. as in what sounds ur making with ur mouth to create the sound coming out, and when u would use that sound. again great video thank u for passing ur knowledge onto us that need some coaching. can't wait to get out there and use some of this information thank u
Yes Brandon, I will be doing that in the future. Thanks for watching and commenting. LJ
Thanks again, Les! I know some hunters get really obsessive about their scent. What/how much do you do about your scent?
Also, I also love the .22-250. That's what my bolt gun is chambered in.
If I ever get "back home", I'll buy you breakfast.
Thanks Fritz, breakfast would be nice! I have called with the wind several times in competitions only because the wind was blowing so hard that I had to do something different in order to get my sound out. I try to always keep the wind in my face or call a crosswind if the wind starts blowing harder. If calling crosswind, I would prefer to always have a shooter straight downwind of me 100-150 yards. In a crosswind scenario, the coyote is 99% of the time going to go straight to your downwind because they know they have the advantage. Many times if you have a hunter down there, you can shotgun alot of them. Thanks again and have a good day! LJ
Thank you
I am very glad I ran into these videos. I live in Michigan with small parcels of land to hunt and it's tough. It would be great to hear about some of those experiences if you have any advise? Been working on getting lots of permission to be able to cover lots of sets without burning them out. Which leads to my other question, how often can you hunt a paticular spot without tipping coyotes off. Thanks again for another great informational video.
Thank you bigchev! Yes, hunting small parcels is tough, but if you gain permission on one small parcel, it can sometimes be the right one to call from and kill alot of coyotes. Just keep getting permission and keep a book with everyones name in it. Then if you run onto another person and they act like they do not want to give you permission, you just show them all of the names that have given you permission. I would say to call each place about once every 2 weeks and possibly let it go longer the next time. I sometimes try to mix up the spots where I set up as well and possibly use a different sound sometimes as well. Thanks again and possibly I will do a morning Java on these questions. LJ
Thanks so much Les. Just finished watching part 3 and learned a lot!
How would someone get one of those awesome coffee cups? Can't find on your site.
Can you touch on using bird and squirrel calls?
If possible, have the dealer or a mechanic turn off the bells, chimes, etc. when one opens the door and the truck/SUV is running or the key is in the ignition. Same with the seat belt chime. Some makes allow this, some don't. Also, if you are in an unfamiliar vehicle, practice quietly closing the door before you get to the first stand.
Robert, that is a great point as well! Be sure and always have the keys out of the ignition before you open a door. I find that my brother and I are whispering before we open the pickup doors...:) Uggghh the things we do to fool a coyote! Thank you for sharing and watching! LJ
love the videos heck yeah
Hey Les I have a question about hunting coyotes in the rain? My son and I are hunting a competition this weekend and it's supposed to rain all weekend. We are out west in Nevada. What would you do?? Thanks for the videos we've learned a lot!!
Here is my thoughts: Nevada is desert and therefore probably gets less than 10 inches of moisture per year. So, they say that it is going to "rain" all day. Not a chance of it doing that. Mist and sprinkle at times? I'd say yes. I think a slight mist would actually make the calling good and it would not slow me down. I would concentrate on several different terrains though. Call the sagebrush flats for 4-5 sets and if nothing, I would move to tighter cover. Rocky, willows/creeks, or very tall sagebrush and try to call them to the edges. Thanks. LJ
Great video
Thank you Shawn! LJ
How do you feel about leading your calling set with a lone howl or any other vocals for that matter?
Jerad, typically when hunting competitions, I did not do any howling. Most competitions are oct, nov, dec and I wanted the young of the year to not be intimidated by a howl. Later in the year it is fine. I did use kiyi's with good results. But....I only used them when I knew there was a group (more than one) coyotes in the area. and I did not use it very often.
Hey les why in a competition setting particularly in western states with a lot of public land do some contest allow hunting on private ground ?We say we are competitive and argue that we are the best but if you have lots of land locked up you really can be a terrible caller and shooter for that matter and still have a shot at winning . Now I've won plenty of contest that allow private land hunting and I only hunt public and win but If I get beat I want to know it's buy a good caller and shooter as well as someone who puts in the time to scout . Not people who have access to farms because of ranching and or paying to lock up land . What's your thoughts ?
Hi Brad! Very good question/concern/comment! Here is my reply: First and foremost, if teams were only allowed to hunt on public, there would need to be a "judge" with them so that they would abide by that rule. If the competition was big and had alot of teams, that would require alot of Judges to travel along. Another way to handle this would be a lie detector, but that would be expensive and time consuming as well. If it was stricktly a "public land" contest, I feel that there would be alot of shadyness in calling a boundary to private, etc. Another big catch to hunting strickly public would probably arouse the Antis if they found out about it. Obviously, this is just my $.02 on this. When the National first started, it was actually called the Red Desert Coyote Roundup and it was pointed and ran towards just calling in the Red Desert (public land). As it grew, so did the teams and when it started, there was only about 5-10 rules. As the years progressed, each "rule" was tried and bent to suit a teams winning or placing, so therefore, more rules had to be put in place. The long and short of all of this is that most teams could not kill enough coyotes from just hunting public and therefore resorted to tying up ranches by "paying" for the hunting rights. I totally agree with you on public land hunting vs. private ranches. While I have been skunked on private lands as well as public, I have never paid for hunting/calling rights for coyotes either. I know teams that did pay for them, but it also gave my brother and I more incentive to beat those teams as well, if you know what I mean? Thank you for watching and commenting Brad! Congratulations to all of your success as well! I admire you for speaking up. LJ
Thanks for the videos Les, very very helpful. My question is how long do you call. So you're doing pup in dress, coyote locator or rabbit in dress. I know you said every 2min and stop and then start up again, but when your actually calling is it 15sec 20sec 1min or longer? How I just started hunting coyotes in Michigan.
Timothy, watch my Missouri Live Coyote Hunt. Pay attention to what I do. LJ
Thanks Les, I watch it 4 times. Sounds like you call for 15sec long and then wait 2min and call again. That was very helpful. I can't wait to see more. I've got the bug to hunt them even more now.
I love the videos, you know your stuff! I just would love to here your perspective on eastern coyotes. I'm in upstate ny and it isn't easy. Lots of land available and good various terrain spots, I killed 3 this year but I've been out about 20 times. I hear them close and tracks everywhere on fresh spots, but no luck. Is there a trick to these coyotes around here or what? Everyone hears and sees them when I'm not there tho. I don't smell that bad! 🤔Electronic, mouth calls, etc.. be great to hear what you think. Thanks. Keep makin those videos👍
Thank you Brad! Always remember something......Somedays, it does not matter what you do, coyotes will not respond to a call. Obviously, this is my opinion and take it for what it is. On days where I feel that they are not responding or do not want to show their face, I cut my losses and quit for the day. I NEVER spend a whole day out when I can be doing other things and not educating coyotes to my presence. Many, many many times when people are done calling at a spot and because they chose to get up and leave and not have patience, I feel that coyotes end up showing up at the set and then catching wind of the hunters and therefore end up being alerted to the calling/human presence. Many people do not think about this. Once you alert a coyote to your presence, you've done educated him and your chances of getting him are much much tougher. LJ
Great videos Les. I was also interested in shotgun loads and chokes used. And also maximum range.
Terry, I will be releasing a very indepth video on the shotgun load, choke, etc here very soon. Its about 26 minutes long I believe. Just be watching for it. Thanks for watching/commenting! LJ
biggest fan ever....
Thank you Garrett! Hope your stacking them up in Wyo! LJ
If all you had were these 3 videos, anyone who watched could be hunting coyotes with a lot of success right now! I paid a lot of attention to when you talked about calling in the wind. I've mostly gone home when the wind comes up. Not doing that anymore! One thing I have learned, though, is that even though the coyote in Colorado 4 Corners area is the same animal as the one in Jeffry City, WY and the territory looks about the same, they are not the same. It took me months to figure out that a jackrabbit call that loaded the pickup in WY didn't do diddly for me in the 4 Corners. Same goes for out west versus OK or AR or even AL. That said, is there one call that works for you everywhere? And I mean out west, back east, in the timber, or out on open land. Also, since you mentioned cover and camo, is it my imagination or is a coyote less likely to hang up when I'm covering in a swath of burlap wrapped around me versus my best camo outfit? Thinking like a dog, I wonder if he says "that's gotta be a rabbit cuz I don't see any arms and legs of a human'. Last, one of my tricks is to drive an area at night and see how many rabbits are out in the road. A lot of rabbits seems to go along with a lot of coyotes. I don't hunt competition but sure enjoy knocking over coyotes. I'm planning on getting into competitions this year, though. Might have to get decked out in PQ gear! Great videos and PQ is a great show!
yes the 22-250 is a flat shooter
hay less can u do a video on shotguns and how you do them I ant going to lie I wounded one this last hunt or normally miss can u tell us a little how far you Leeds them loads things of that natur
Hi Kevin, I am actually getting ready to release a video on the shotgun load that I use, choketube, etc. I will set it up to release in about 4-5 days.
I will also do another video on how to lead them, etc. Thank you for watching and commenting. LJ
hey yote whisperer, this is stan on my daughters computer, where can I find replacement reeds for my Ruffidawg jr ? Thanks another great video.
Stan your so funny! Thanks for messaging and watching! please email me your address and I will get one out to you! predatorquestinfo@gmail.com
Thank you Stan! LJ
90%chance and the way our winter has gone it could happen. We should get a couple breaks here and there I hope!
any chance you will come to newyork to hunt coyotes?
Cool coffee cup ! Are they available to purchase or is that a personal one you had made ? Thanks Steve
Steve, thanks for inquiring! I have had 2 different styles of coffee cups in the past and both of them are cool. A white/orange one and the black/orange one that I usually use. Problem is, when I buy them....it usually has to be at least 72 of each, the price is way over $8 each. I try to sell them for $9 and have had absolutely terrible luck on shipping them. I have lost so much money on them that I quit carrying them. I've sent as many as 4 to one person only to have them write me and say that 3 of them were broken. I've literally lost $100's of dollars trying to sell this product. I love them and would love to sell them, but I believe the shipping companies drop kick boxes that say "Fragile." Sorry. Thank you for watching and commenting. LJ
hello I'm new to coyote calling..I have successfully trapped coyote for two years but want somthing to do after deer season and would like more fur in my shed. what calls would u suggest have an old Johnny Stewart e call have only had one coyote come in and bark at me any help is appreciated
Kyle my deluxe calls are great calls, as are all of my Ruffidawg calls. The closed reed calls are as good as they get for someone that does not know how to blow an open reed call such as the Deluxe or Ruffidawg call models. You could've had the call too loud or it knew that you were there. Keep watching and learning. Thanks. LJ
A+
Thank you for watching and commenting ray! LJ
Watching your videos I started predator hunting at the end of last year 😂 not the best honestly called in a lot more then I've shot . I've shot one ceyote last year and one bobcat just last weekend can't find knew videos geuss your not making and anymore .I hope one day I can be as good as you are even half as good would be awesome not Gunna give up I'm addicted
thumbs up
Would really like to talk to you about what im having trouble with if you do what how do i contact you?
well less it's just a dream to meet u and would be awsome to go on a hunt
Thank you Kevin! Hopefully someday we will meet! Thanks again for watching and commenting! LJ
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