Summer is tough as nails for pinpointing coyotes and bobcats on one tract I frequent thanks to waist-high pastures, agricultural efforts and thick vegetation in the woods.

I know where I think they should be but in summer there's no way of knowing for sure. With plenty of room to roam, they could be anywhere. I've spied them or their droppings in different locations on the property, which tells me they're active and doing what coyotes do: seeking food in the best places they can get it.

When the pastures are cut for hay it greatly opens my visibility. Take that, sly songdogs! But they still have the woods and soybeans in which to hide. The advantage, of course, is still theirs. And the cut pastures giv them a greater chance hunt rabbits, rats, mice or whatever else is out there.

My trail cameras haven't shown much activity in the usual locations this  summer, which is interesting. Usually, coyotes are seen roaming at night and bobcats during daytime. I got a few shots of a bobcat in late spring, only a few of the fat raccoons (turkey egg suckers!) and a few of the coyotes. I think they've broadened their summer search perimeter.

One Saturday evening in late July, though, the familar sound of an ambulance siren wailed in the distance. Almost immediately the coyotes responded, howling and yipping at the siren until it faded.

Interestingly enough, the coyotes had transitioned from the woods near the cut pastures to a thick fenceline along one that was uncut and adjacent to the soybean fields. The pasture and beans provided the best cover for their hunting and also clued me in about their latest summer roaming.

Their big reveal gave me a chance to set up a couple of new hiding spots. Next time you're out hunting, don't let any opportunity slip past that might help you on a hunt. A wailing siren could be your pal.