Guide ToddCollick explains how to beat pressured predators that have heard and seen it all.

Q What do you look for in a perfect calling setup?

A First of all, scouting is essential. You can't call coyotes where there are nocoyotes. In southern Michigan, we have a lot of farmland and pockets of coverconnected by fencerows. My most successful setups have been early in themorning, just after sunrise, on days when there's a lot of snow on the ground.Ideally, I look for fencerows that lead into thick cover, swamps or swales. Ifcoyotes are there it shouldn't take long to get a response. If I get nothingafter 20 minutes or so, I pick up and move on.

Q What is your favorite calling sound?

A I've had great success with "feral cat in distress." There is a lot ofcompetition from other hunters in my area and they pretty much all use rabbitdistress calls. Be different.

For instance,when I first started hunting coyotes, I always used electronic calls. Thesedays everyone seems to have one, so I've switched back to mouth calls. Withmouth calls the sound that I produce is different every time. I can make thevolume go up or down and I have more control over the range of emotion in thecalls.

That's not to sayI don't use any electronics. I use a digital call with a remote speaker forground movement sounds, which work great for coaxing animals that have hung upout of range.

Q What's your firearm choice for winter coyotes?

A A Benelli Super Black Eagle II with 3½-inch No. 4 loads. Where I hunt theshooting can be very quick, and it is usually quite cold and snowy. You'rebundled up with heavy clothes and gloves and this makes accurate shootingtough. With a rifle you have to be precise with your shot; a shotgun, thanks toa larger shot pattern, has a built-in tolerance for error.

I typically placea remote speaker playing "ground sounds" fairly close—inside of 40yards—and my shotgun setup is very effective at that range.

Collick, ofDavidson, Mich., is a Hawgs Limited pro staffer and product tester forcompanies like Extreme Dimension Game Calls.