How to Find a Legendary Coyote Stand From Home


What if you could find a coyote stand that never stopped producing? A place where you could take dozens of coyotes and foxes in a single season and return year after year. I found mine. In four years, it’s a one-acre strip that has landed me 117 dead coyotes and foxes.

What does a legendary coyote stand look like?

You are looking for a small, quiet field divided by a stream. It will be nearly treeless and though mowed, otherwise unused. Somewhere slightly above it, there will be a safe place for coyotes and foxes to down over it. You will use Google Earth, a weather tool, and a night of homework to locate it.

Want more help finding a place where a beginner coyote hunter needs nothing more than a red scanning light and a rifle to take a couple of dozens of dogs? Then you will want to follow the step-by-step guide below. So get comfy, open up a new browser, and let’s get started.

Related: https://thepredatorhunter.com/hunting-eastern-coyotes-how-to-become-a-giant-killer

Using a computer to scout for a coyote stand.

The first thing you will need is Google Earth. Once you have it loaded, tap that blue arrow button on the right-hand side, and instantly you’re looking down at your current location. 

From here, you can swiftly scroll down the roads you would have once had to drive. Then, looking down from a mile overhead, you can see every detail of the land inside a 1,000 x 1,000-yard box. To see more land, zoom out. Then, zoom in to count the number of boulders or trees in an acre-sized lot.

Start by finding small fields.

Remember to look for a small fields (5-10 acres) divided by a stream as you scroll. They should be nearly treeless and mowed but otherwise unused. It should also have a road bordering it. A bordering road gives you an access point that provides you with a short, quiet walk to your shooting location.

Now make sure those fields are quiet.

Wood lots should border every other side. Ensure every side of the field is at least 1000 feet from any occupied structure. If the border opposite the road has nothing behind it for miles, that’s much better. On the other hand, if those miles of land have occasional logging roads and snowmobile trails way out in the distance, you’ve found a sweet spot.

Finally, look for a safe overlook for predators to observe from.

The best coyote stand is a quiet, small field in a bowl. Use Google Earth to check your potential fields for elevation changes on at least one border. These elevation changes should allow a coyote (or a fox) a chance to stand at least 50 feet above the field. From here, at night, they will stare down into it the darkness to listen for the sounds of prey moving about at night. During the day, everything below will be visible to them.

Foxes and coyotes have excellent night vision, and they can’t resist looking over the dinner table you just found.

Related: https://thepredatorhunter.com/coyote-calling-sounds-your-successful-pals-keep-secret/

You must play the wind at your coyote stand.

You’ve located the perfect place to set your coyote stand, but there’s still more to do. First, take a picture of the google earth view of the field. You will be marking the photo up as we go forward. Now it’s time to factor in the wind, determine where you will make your stand, and where you will place your caller.

Every hunter knows predator or prey; animal noses bust you and ruin more hunts than we’d like to admit. We are constantly talking about “Wind direction” and saying, “Hunt with the wind in your face,” but most of us don’t go any further than wetting a forefinger and holding it in the air. And that, usually only as an afterthought; 15 minutes after calling and wondering why that big Eastern Coyote never showed up—or worse, took off 500 yards away from us.

Here’s a free tool for finding the prevailing and current wind directions for your field’s zip code.

Using the wind to defeat a coyote’s nose.

Once you have the prevailing wind direction for your field, draw it as a line across your field’s map. Next, you will need to find the best place for your stand and caller locations.

You’ll want the caller 50-100 yards in front of you. Set it with the wind either blowing in your face or to the left or right. Either way is acceptable, just as long as the wind doesn’t blow over you and toward the caller. In other words, it isn’t rocket science.

In a perfect setup, the caller faces one of the elevated locations where the coyote would like to stop and check out the terrain below. Under these circumstances, the coyote or fox hearing your caller will have to either make a straight run-in or attempt to circle downwind to pick up any suspicious scents.


In the event the predator does circle around you, that 50-100 yard space between you and the caller will provide you with a bit of wiggle room and a constantly nearing target to shoot at if it decides to flee.

Be prepared for the wind direction to change.

The wind never ceases to swirl all around you the moment you are snugly in your stand. Setting your caller out 100 yards may make the shot a bit harder, but it can be a game-changer if you get busted.

In this video, a female coyote almost got lucky. The wind suddenly picked up, changed direction, and swept over my back and directly into the coyote’s nose. Consequently, the coyote decided to flee.

As soon as she did, she presented an attractive broadside target. She runs off-camera, but you can see her eyes as she finally tumbles dead in the snow, in her final moments taking one last look in my direction.

Finishing your coyote stand map.

Mark the location of your stand and caller locations on your map, jot the address down, and make a few copies.

Whenever you hunt, give this copy to your trusted contact. Then, if something happens and you don’t return home on time, anyone sent out to search for you will find you in minutes.

Related: https://thepredatorhunter.com/fatal-attraction-4-tips-for-hunting-the-coyote-rut/

All this work will pay off when you begin hunting at this coyote stand.

It may take a few hours to find your legendary coyote stand, but it sure beats the hours and days you might otherwise spend sitting alone in the cold without so much as a Barred Owl asking, “Who cooks for you?”

You’ve now found the one place a coyote, fox, or even bobcat can:

  1. Stand concealed and feel safe while overlooking a small, quiet banquet table fit for a king.
  2. Easily stalk a mowed, pesticide-free grassland of insects, rodents, and rabbits.
  3. Return to night after night to feed in and perhaps set up a den near.

Want proof predators are around?

I’ll tell you a secret: there will be no squirrels in the woods that border your perfect killer stand.

My theory? There are so many predators visiting your field, that every squirrel has been eaten.

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours

Hey, I get it; you don’t believe me.

However, if you are almost convinced having such a stand is possible, I’ll show you mine. The only rule my stand violates is it is close to a residence.

How to find a Coyote stand
A legendary coyote stand.

In that little red box, measuring .92 acres, I’ve killed over 127 fox and coyotes in the last four years.

Obviously, your mileage may vary. Nevertheless, I believe you’ll find the time scouting such a stand quite profitable. And in the end, you’ll put more fur in the truck.

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr.

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr. is a former Marine Sergeant and the author of several books, including two on night hunting coyotes and red and gray fox. He has written several hundred articles on predator hunting for ThePredatorHunter.com.

Recent Posts