Few public service messages hit you more and resonate harder than “Don’t drive distracted. Texts cause wrecks.” Driving distracted is definitely something to avoid. Distracting a predator on your next outing is something you might want to embrace.

There are a variety of ways to distract a predator. You can disperse scent upwind of where you expect a predator to show up. You can even place your e-call away from you and operate with a remote. By directing a predator toward a distraction you can keep attention away from you. More importantly, you also direct it away from your scent stream.

Using Decoys

My favorite method is using decoys and for coyotes they can produce real results. Coyote decoys break down into two groups: predator and prey. The majority of coyote decoys are designed to imitate prey either in a still-life pose or animated with wind, or battery operation. Primos, ICOtec, FOXPRO and other companies manufacture a variety of floppy, fur-covered contraptions to appear as prey in mortal distress. Add batteries, turn it on and it will whirl for hours to distract a coyote away from your position and into your shooting gallery.

You can also put out a coyote decoy to distract an incoming canine. Top options include Montana Decoy’s Kojo coyote, Flambeau’s Lone Howler or the Edge Expedite Yote coyote. They all provide realistic options to con coyotes into believing the howls they heard were real. Plus, during the February breeding flurry it gives coyotes confidence they might find love by visually spying a date when they arrive on scene. Montana Decoy and Flambeau also offer fawn decoys to match the distress bleats of a fawn having a bawling breakdown.

Complementing Sounds With Visuals

If you want to complement prey sounds with prey visualizations and have it all in one package look to a variety of companies like Cass Creek, Edge Expedite, FOXPRO and Cabela's with their SLP Game Call with Motion Decoy. Place out your caller and the sounds, plus the decoy will lure a coyote well away from your hideout.

I was reminded of how well a distraction works on a recent coyote hunt. Forty minutes into the setup I felt I had given my all and as usual I released my decoy dog Sage to wander around to get the ants out of her pants from sitting by me in obedient stillness.

Gathering my gear, I was shocked to hear Sage growl from above me and I followed her gaze to the creek below. Immediately I spied the reason for the soft growl: an incoming coyote! Sage engaged immediately and started down the hill to greet the intruder. I whistled her to a stop and the coyote locked its gaze on Sage, 30 yards below me.

Seeing a window of distracted opportunity, I went from sitting to prone and planted my Nikon reticle squarely on the chest of the coyote who had yet to look at me, but was locked on Sage with a laser stare. Depressing the trigger on my Bergara ended the coyote’s stare as the Hornady SST toppled it on the spot. That’s the beauty of a true predator distraction.