Gear Philosophy and Mobility

Gear philosophy and mobility is the foundational principle that successful coyote hunting at volume depends on moving faster and farther than most hunters do — and that the only way to achieve that movement is by carrying less. The "commando" philosophy, articulated most directly by Les Johnson, reduces the kit to its absolute minimum: shooting sticks, 2–3 mouth calls, and a daypack. Every additional item is evaluated not by whether it might help on one stand, but whether it slows movement enough to cost stands across the day. More stands equals more coyotes. Gear that reduces stand count is net negative.

Hunter can walk out of the truck fully loaded in under 60 seconds. Kit is standard and memorized — no searching, no assembly at the stand. Shooting sticks carried for every stand; they are non-negotiable for accuracy but weigh almost nothing. Two to three mouth calls carried (one howler, one distress, one combination or backup). Rifle is slung, not cradled. Daypack holds water, rangefinder, wind checker, and ammunition. No tripod chair. No heavy blind or layout blind unless the terrain specifically demands it. Electronic caller may be carried (battery and weight permitting) but is treated as a system component with a defined deployment procedure, not a cumbersome piece of luggage that requires setup time. Everything is evaluated against the question: "If I could make one more stand today, would I leave this behind?"

1. Treating the e-caller as mandatory on every stand: In some terrain (thick timber, very close-range situations), the e-caller is cumbersome relative to its benefit. A hunter carrying it everywhere adds weight and setup time to stands where a mouth call performs equivalently. → Default to "always bring the e-caller." → Evaluate e-caller necessity per stand type; leave it behind when making rapid multi-stand sequences in close-cover terrain.
2. Buying the commando philosophy but not executing it: Hunter intellectually agrees with minimal kit but brings "just one more thing" each trip until the kit is back to 30+ pounds. → Each individual addition seems justified in isolation. → Establish a maximum weight (e.g., 18 pounds) and treat it as a hard constraint, not a guideline.
3. Solving gear problems with more gear: Cold hands? Add hand warmers, gloves, muffs. Dirty scope? Add lens cleaning kit. Each problem solved with an additional item. → Problem-solving instinct. → Solve problems with better gear selection (higher-quality gloves that don't require hand warmers) or technique (keeping scope under a cover cloth) rather than additive items.
4. Neglecting weapon handling under load: A rifle slung on a heavy-geared hunter who reaches the stand out of breath and tangled in straps makes more noise and takes longer to unsling than a rifle on a hunter who has run the same route fifty times with a consistent, minimal load. → Gear evaluation ignores handling efficiency. → Evaluate every kit item for not just weight but handling speed: can you go from walking to shooting position in under 10 seconds?