Home/Coyote & Predator Hunting/Predator Scouting

Predator Scouting

Stand CraftLevel 2 — Intermediate

Prerequisites

Stand Setup

Unlocks

Coyote Ambush TechniqueEnvironmental Indicator ReadingLivestock Depredation CallingNight Scouting and LocatingStand Spacing and Sequencing

What It Is

Locating coyotes before hunting them — the single biggest differentiator between amateur and championship-level predator hunters. Includes night howling with locator sounds, reading sign (tracks, scat), patterning coyote movement loops, and mapping stand locations for maximum coverage. "Winning world championships came from knowing exactly where coyotes were first."

Correct Execution

Hunter systematically howls at night every 2-3 miles along roads. When coyotes respond, location is marked with flagging on the nearest fence post. Hunter returns at daylight to confirm sign and set up. Tracks and scat on dusty roads confirm presence without howling. Coyotes are patterned on 1-3 day movement loops (6-15 mile circuits). Hunter maps which "block" each coyote occupies and when. Multiple stand locations are identified before hunting begins.

Progression Levels

Diagnostic Tree

Coaching Cues

  • "Locating coyotes, finding coyotes that will come to the call — this is where all the success is." — Al Morris, scouting as key differentiator
  • "Tracks and scat are almost as good as howling." — Al Morris, confirming presence
  • "We will mark exactly where we sit, where garvin puts his collar, where I put my collar — I don't leave anything to chance." — Al Morris, preparation standard
  • "I won't hunt unless I know which block those coyotes are in and when they're there." — Al Morris, commitment to intelligence
  • "Coyotes are on a loop — they're on a 6 mile, 10 mile, 15 mile loop." — Al Morris, movement pattern
  • "If it's a really good stand, you can make that stand the same day." — Al Morris, re-hunting after kills
  • "Make 25-27 stands day one, 15 stands day two." — Al Morris, competition pace

Common Errors

  1. Hunting without scouting: Hoping coyotes are present → Night-howl to confirm; check tracks/scat → Al Morris
  2. Scouting only once: Know location but not timing → Multiple howling passes (dusk, midnight, 3AM) to build temporal pattern → Al Morris
  3. Abandoning productive stands: "I already hunted that spot" → Same-day re-hunting works; new coyotes fill in after kills → Al Morris
  4. Not marking stand locations: Relying on memory → Flag exact positions: hunter seat, caller placement, parking → Al Morris
  5. Using dead-end roads: Wasting drive time in-and-out → Build loop routes for maximum stands per day → Al Morris

Edges

🔑 Hidden Causal Lever

Championships Are Won Before Dawn

stand-craftpredator-scouting →

The #1 differentiator between amateur and world-champion predator hunters isn't calling skill — it's pre-hunt scouting. Al Morris put 6,000 miles on a Toyota T-100 in a single scouting season. "Winning world championships came from knowing exactly where coyotes were first." The bottleneck is intelligence, not execution.

What most people do
Drive to an area that looks like good habitat and start calling. Invest time in calling technique and gear.
What the best do
Invest 3-5x more time scouting than hunting. Night-howl to locate. Flag exact positions. Pattern individual coyotes by voice across multiple nights. Know which coyotes are callable before making the first sound.
Why it's an edge: Reframes the entire activity. You're not "going hunting" — you're executing a plan against confirmed targets. Every minute scouting multiplies the value of every minute hunting.
How to exploit: For every hour you plan to hunt, spend at least 30 minutes scouting first. Night-howl the area 1-2 days before. Mark response locations with flagging.
Cross-domain parallel
Military operations — 80% of a successful mission is intelligence and planning. The assault itself is the smallest time investment. Same ratio applies here.
Al Morris, Coyote Hunting 101 (2021)
⚡ Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong

Dead Spots Refill Same Day

stand-craftpredator-scouting →

After killing a coyote pair, new coyotes fill the territory within hours — not days or weeks. The stand is still productive. "If it's a really good coyote stand, you can make that stand the same day — coyotes fill in." Most hunters treat a kill location as "done" and move to new territory.

What most people do
Kill coyotes on a stand, mark it as "burned," and don't return for a week or more.
What the best do
Re-hunt productive stands the SAME DAY. New coyotes from adjacent territories fill the vacuum almost immediately. Good habitat attracts coyotes continuously.
Why it's an edge: Your best stand stays your best stand even after a kill. You've already proven it works — why go somewhere unproven?
How to exploit: After a successful stand, continue your loop but circle back to the same stand 2-3 hours later. Use a different sequence to target the replacement coyotes.
Al Morris, Coyote Hunting 101 (2021)
💎 Elite-Only Behavior

Three Passes, One Truth

stand-craftpredator-scouting →

Howling the same route at dusk, midnight, and 3 AM reveals the complete movement loop. Three temporal snapshots show where each coyote is at each time — early hunting grounds, midnight position, pre-dawn location. This is how you hunt on a schedule matched to the animal's, not on hope.

What most people do
Howl once at dusk, confirm presence, show up in the morning.
What the best do
Three passes on the same route at different times. Build a temporal map: "This coyote is at the creek at dusk, on the ridge at midnight, and in the wheat field at 3 AM." Hunt the wheat field at first light.
Why it's an edge: Converts a location-based hunt into a time-based hunt. You're not asking "where is the coyote?" — you're asking "where is THIS coyote at 6 AM?" and already knowing the answer.
How to exploit: On your next scouting night, drive the same 10-mile route at dusk, midnight, and 3 AM. Map responses at each time. Look for patterns: same voice, different locations = movement loop revealed.
Al Morris, MWW Coyote Hunting Tips (2025)
🔑 Hidden Causal Lever

Hunt the Prey, Not the Predator

stand-craftpredator-scouting →

75% of a coyote's diet is small ground-dwelling mammals. The real bottleneck in stand selection isn't "coyote country" — it's PREY density. Where mice and rabbits concentrate, coyotes hunt. The food source locations predict coyote locations better than habitat alone.

What most people do
Look for "good coyote habitat" — brushy draws, timbered edges, typical predator terrain.
What the best do
"75% of a coyote's diet is small ground-dwelling mammals. You want to learn where those animals are." Look for crop fields, alfalfa, sage flats with high rodent activity. Coyotes are hunting THERE.
Why it's an edge: Shifts stand selection from predator-centric to prey-centric. The coyote's food source is more predictable and visible than the coyote itself.
How to exploit: Scout for rodent sign — burrows, runways in grass, hawk activity (raptors hunt the same prey). Set stands near the densest prey habitat, not just where it "looks like coyote country."
Cross-domain parallel
Marketing — don't look for customers; look for where your customers' PROBLEMS are concentrated. The pain point predicts the buyer location.
Al Morris, Predator Hunting Basics (2019)
🔑 Hidden Causal Lever

Barometric Pressure Is the Real Forecast

stand-craftpredator-scouting →

Coyotes respond to barometric pressure drops BEFORE storms arrive, not to current weather conditions. Pre-storm movement windows = peak calling periods. "Coyotes are very tied to weather... not the weather going on RIGHT NOW but the weather that's COMING IN. The only way they know that is barometric pressure changes."

What most people do
Check current conditions — wind, temperature, precipitation. Cancel hunts when weather looks bad.
What the best do
Watch the forecast for incoming pressure drops 24-48 hours out. Hunt the pre-storm window when coyotes are actively feeding/moving in anticipation.
Why it's an edge: The "bad weather coming" window is when most hunters stay home — and when coyotes are most active and responsive.
How to exploit: Check barometric pressure trends, not just weather forecasts. A dropping barometer 24 hours before a storm front = peak hunting window. Hunt aggressively in that pre-storm gap.
Tony Tebbe, Predator University (2024)
💎 Elite-Only Behavior

Shoot Males Only, Farm the Population

stand-craftpredator-scouting →

Tony Tebbe kills only males, leaving females to raise pups. This maintains population density for next season's hunting — sustainable harvest vs. population collapse. "If we do shoot a coyote, we shoot only the males so the female can raise the puppies... as an outfitter I'm selfishly wanting a good population come fall."

What most people do
Shoot every coyote that presents a shot. No selection.
What the best do
Selective harvest — males only for sustainable population management. Female survival = pup survival = next season's huntable population.
Why it's an edge: Transforms a consumptive activity into a renewable one. Your hunting area gets BETTER over time as the population stays stable instead of crashing and recovering.
How to exploit: Learn to sex coyotes at distance (males are typically larger, broader chest). When doubles come in, prioritize the male if you can only take one. On guided operations, establish a males-only policy unless managing for other game species.
Tony Tebbe, Predator University (2024)

Sources

  • Al Morris, Coyote Hunting 101, Soulful Hunter Podcast (2021) — Night howling method, Johnny Stewart 161 tape, flagging system, loop patterns, 6,000-mile scouting season, educated coyote concept
  • Al Morris, Great Coyote Locating Technique (2021) — Clay Owens locating method: coyote siren + select button tapping, pre-dawn scouting confirmation
  • Al Morris, MWW Coyote Hunting Tips (2025) — "Know exactly where those coyotes are," pre-hunt howling pattern (dusk/midnight/3AM), individual voice recognition