To begin with, I'm fairly new to coyote hunting in general but I need some extra advice.

I live about 75 from a creek.  It is sage brush country between my house in the creek.  Almost every night between 1am to 5am a pack of yotes follows the creek and travels by my place (yipping all along the way).  A couple nights ago my neighbor (1/8 mile away) had a dog attacked by the yotes.  When they flipped on the outside lights there were about 6 of them in their yard.  They want me to do something about the yotes.

So what's everyones tips for night time yote hunting?  Just set up and wait for them to pass by and them hit them with a spotlight or what?  I thought about live traps (snare traps would probably get the pet dogs) but I was told by a few people that yotes would never go into a trap.  Is there any way to try to hunt them during the day or am I just stuck with waiting till they pass by?

Thanks!

Edited to add: I would really prefer to just trap the yotes for the convenience but are there any traps that would work that wouldn't injure the pet dogs in the area?

First step would be to make sure it is legal to hunt them during this time of year.  Second step would be to make sure youre allowed to hunt them at night (and during what hours).

They are an unprotected animal in this state (MT) so they can be hunted year round, day or night.

Those buggers!  Came home just now and there was one in the headlights within 75 yards.  All I had was a handgun so I put the foot down to try to get closer.  Of course it ran to the other side of the creek where it's owned by somebody else.  There I saw about 5 sets of yote eyes looking at me.  Would've been easy shots with a rifle and a spotlight.  Note to self: Get hunting permission from the landowners tomorrow (won't be a problem at all as they had pets attack in past years as well).

So what's everyones suggestions for night yote hunting without night vision?  I don't have money for a rifle mounted spotlight.  How does everyone hold a spotlight and shoot at the same time?

Can someone please give me advice?  Anyone?  Bueller?

It's gonna be awfully tough to get a coyote into a box trap, and a box trap is really the only way that your neighbor's dogs won't get hurt.

Set up like you're calling them in the daytime. You already know where they hang out, so mount a a bright and inexpensive light (Surefire G2) to your rifle or shotgun, put a red filter on it and use some puppy distress, coyote distress, or good ol' prey distress and wait for a coyote to show up. Scan the area slowly with the red light, kill them when they show up. And I recommend shooting with your setup a few times before actually using it for hunting - if you've never done it before, it can be a little awkward at first.

And why are you restricting yourself to night hunting anyways? Call them morning, noon, and night - you'll thin more out that way, and you can hit them when they are at their various hangouts throughout the day.

Rizzo, I thank you for your advice but I have a few questions.  Do the yotes get spooked by the red light (meaning can I only shine them when I'm about to shoot) or is it safe to scan with the light without having to worry about spooking them?  I may have found a connection to be able to use a spotlight with a red lens.  Would this be too bright for scans?  Also, I just planned on hunting them at night because that is the only time I can hear them yelping while following the creek.  I live within a few hundred feet of a industrial business with a lot of truck traffic and human activity during the day.  I assume those things would keep the yotes away during the day.  I also assume that they are just following the creek to get to better nighttime hunting grounds (which could include the pasture behind me).  Could my assumptions be wrong?

Thanks again for the help!

No the predators don't get spooked by the light. Slowly scan with it, shut it off, scan a little more, shut it off, etc. And a red light is a red light, no matter how powerful. Ideally you want a fairly powerful light, just make sure you have sufficient power for it to run for a while.

Based on your logic I would say night hunting might be the time that the coyotes are in the area, but I bet at dawn and dusk you'd find them nearby as well. And keep in mind that as long as they can hear your call a coyote may respond from over a mile away.

MT regs say that preadators are not regulated other than needing a state lands permit for state land and permission from landowner on private otherwise use of NVG, spotlights, etc. is considered OK

BossMaverick, thanks for posting.  I'm working with FWP to try and create a pet attack/loss reporting system.  I'm currently trying to help an elderly couple in our area (Kalispell) that lost 3 pets in a week to coyotes (2 cats and their Jack Russell).  They just happened to bump into a game warden that knows me and that I'm a trapper and he called me and asked me to help.

I'm currently trying to go through our Regional Information Officer to try and set up a system like the livestock producers have to report predation.  Unfortunately, the powers that be in Helena FWP don't see pet loss to predators as an issue.  They believe it's just isolated incidents.  As one of the Directors of the Montana Fur Bearer Conservation Alliance (we represent trappers, predator hunters, and houndsmen) I'm trying to gather as much evidence as I can to push the issue with FWP.  The anti-trappers are using incidental pet captures to try and ban trapping.  I don't see why reporting pet loss to predators couldn't be used to support it.  Do me two favors if you will?  1.  Please call your regional FWP office and report the pet attacks to the Information Officer.  2.  Drop me a pm and let me know what happened so I can add it to our list.  Maybe we can get something accomplished.

IM sent.

So I tried hunting them a couple times now.  I was having some holwing at 300+ yards at late dusk but they would not come in any closer with the call.  The one was a very very large yote.  I almost wonder if he hasn't been educated in the past and kept the pack away.  Ever since trying to hunt them they have not been quite so active at night, so I spoke them somehow.

I haven't heard them for 3 nights now.  Is it common for them to get spook so easily or do you think there is another reason?

They're "circuit runners".  Sometimes it'll take up to a week for them to get back around to an area.  Be patient, they'll be back, especially if they've gotten food in that area.