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Competition Calling Strategy

Competition CallingLevel 3 — Advanced

Prerequisites

Calling SequencesStand Duration and Patience

Unlocks

Competition Partner Dynamics

What It Is

The operational framework for maximizing coyote kills within a competition format — managing stand duration (15-minute standard), stand count targets (25–35 per day), area abandonment rules (3 blank stands trigger a move), authentication protocols, and the specific mindset shift from "hunting well" to "moving fast and killing many." Competition calling is not recreational hunting with a timer — it's a different game with different rules and a body-count metric.

Correct Execution

  • 15-minute stand: call hard for the first 12–13 minutes, make one final calling series, then sit the full 15 in silence to let late-arriving coyotes commit
  • Target 25–35 stands per day in competition — this requires pre-planned routes, fast in/out, and no wasted time between stands
  • No pre-hunt scouting of the specific competition area — scouting reveals your presence and educates coyotes before competition day; rely on general knowledge of the country type and terrain
  • Three consecutive blank stands in good-looking country trigger an area move — 5–10 miles to fresh country rather than grinding an empty area
  • Every killed coyote is immediately authenticated: mouth block inserted, zip tie through body, timestamp recorded per competition rules
  • "Numbers guy" mindset: the goal is to move fast, cover country, kill quickly, move again — not to execute perfect stands

Progression Levels

Diagnostic Tree

Coaching Cues

  • "Twenty-five stands minimum. Less than that and you're not playing the numbers game." — stand count, Les Johnson
  • "Twelve minutes, last series. Fifteen minutes, move. Not fourteen, not seventeen. Fifteen." — stand timing, Les Johnson
  • "Three blanks and you're a tourist. Move the truck." — area abandonment, Les Johnson
  • "Authentication first. Then celebrate. You can't go back." — post-kill protocol, Les Johnson

Common Errors

  1. Over-sitting stands: Running 20–25 minute stands in competition when 15 is the target; each extra 10 minutes per stand costs 3–5 stands per day → strict 15-minute discipline.
  2. Pre-hunt scouting of competition area: Educating coyotes in the exact stands you intend to call; they'll hang up or not come at all → rely on general terrain knowledge and approach the competition area cold.
  3. No area abandonment discipline: Grinding 6–8 blanks in one area because it "should" produce → three blanks, move 5–10 miles, fresh country.
  4. Authentication materials not ready: Authentication gear buried in a pack instead of immediately accessible → authentication materials in a designated, accessible pocket before the hunt starts.

Edges

⚡ Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong

Competition Callers Don't Scout Because Scouting Builds False Confidence

competition-callingcompetition-calling-strategy →

Top competition callers often deliberately avoid pre-scouting the competition area because scouting creates attachment to specific stands and clouds fresh-eye stand selection during the event. Cognitive commitment to pre-scouted spots is a performance liability.

What most people do
Spend competition eve driving areas, marking spots, and building a committed route. Enter day-1 with a pre-planned stand sequence.
What the best do
Enter fresh or with minimal scouting. Read terrain from the vehicle on the drive in — identify stand geometry in real conditions, not from yesterday's scouting. Fresh eyes select stands without confirmation bias.
Why it's an edge: Pre-scouting creates cognitive commitment to specific stands that may be suboptimal on competition day depending on actual wind, recent pressure, and conditions that weren't present during the scout.
How to exploit: On competition day, read terrain from the vehicle, evaluate actual wind, and select stands in real-time. Treat scouted spots as one option, not the plan.
Les Johnson, Competition Tips Part 2 (2017-02-10) — area selection and mobility during competition
💎 Elite-Only Behavior

Three-Blank Area Abandonment Rule

competition-callingcompetition-calling-strategy →

Three consecutive blank stands in an area = move to a different area entirely, regardless of how good it looks on paper. The rule prevents sunk-cost reasoning from burning competition time on educated coyotes.

What most people do
Keep working an area that "should" produce because of density, tracks, or prior success. Run more stands, try different sounds, adjust approach angles. Invest more time trying to unlock it.
What the best do
Apply the three-blank rule as a hard stop. Three blanks means coyotes in this area are educated or absent. Drive 60+ miles to fresh unpressured ground rather than working the area harder.
Why it's an edge: Sunk-cost reasoning ("I've already driven here, there are coyotes here") is the dominant failure mode in competition calling. The hard rule overrides cognitive bias with a pre-committed decision criterion.
How to exploit: Before any competition day, commit to the three-blank rule as a constraint. Log stand results. On blank #3, immediately plan the next area — don't call one more "just in case."
Les Johnson, Competition Tips Part 2 (2017-02-10); Les Johnson, multiple Q&A sessions — area abandonment after blank stands

Sources

  • Les Johnson — 2017-02-10 Competition Tips Part 2: 15-minute rule, stand count, no-scouting doctrine, area abandonment, authentication
  • Les Johnson — 2017-03-23 Competition Condensed Part 1 and 2: numbers mentality, stand efficiency, daily target
  • Les Johnson — 2017-03-30 Competition Tips Part 3: suppressor integration in competition, hand call vs. e-caller tradeoffs