Anyone else enjoy this? We are supposed to get a dusting of snow tomorrow morning, sound like a perfect time to shoot some yotes. I saw 2 last weekend, I'm starting to get the urge to hear the 870 roar.
Yep, I'm gonna get after it this year. Between my place and Dan's, this year I bet we got 50 pics of different predators between 10/1 and just last weekend. Too many IMHO. I had them come in on my turkey sets last spring, and also this fall while bowhunting. I just picked up one of the new Foxpro Spitfires, and actually sold my heavy 20" upper for the AR, have another that should be here Monday that has a lightweight 16" barrel on it. I'm ready and can't wait to get out there.
What calls are you guys using? I've never had any luck, but one of my landowners has seen several yotes and WANTS them gone. He's got some expensive breeds of dogs and he's afraid they'll get carried off. I need to do this for him, so how do I go about it?
I use Johnny Stewart mouth calls. Mess with the calls a little to find the best sounds, set up with the wind in your favor and don't miss!! Primos, Knight and Hale, MAD all have calls as well. We have a LOT of yotes here and few hunters seem to try to call them in. Makes it easier on me. :D
I used to call them in and kill them with just a Primos rabbit squealer hand call. Worked good, but you will get picked off at times with the sound coming directly from you. They will almost ALWAYS circle downwind of you. When using hand calls, this can get tricky. When using the e-caller, you simply setup 50-100 yards downwind of the caller with good visibility and wait for them to end up in your lap. This year I'll be using a Foxpro Spitfire E-caller simply because I can run it with a remote from up to 100 yards away. I've got the following sounds on it right now: Cal's Fed Siren (locator) Challenge Howl Female Coyote Deep Howls Coyote Pair Coyote Pair Yip Howls Coyote Pup Screams Canine Pups Gray Fox Distress Screamn Gray Fox Red Fox + Rabbit Red Fox Pup Juvenile Red Foxes Lightning Jack Showshoe 2 Showshoe HP Adult Cottontail Baby Cottontail DSG Cottontail Grey Squirrel Field Mouse Distress Whitetail Buck Fawn Whitetail Doe + Fawn Distress Lucky Bird Sparrow + Woodpecker I'm also in the process of putting together another memory card for the caller that will have a bunch of 15-20 minute sequences put together, along with a bunch of free sounds from Varmint Al and Western Rivers websites.
How long do you guys call in a certain spot before moving on? Thie gentlemen doesn't own alot of land maybe 15-20 acres, but he's surrounded by a moutain on the back side and ag. on the front. He's seen them run through the field (grass), where should I begin calling? Base of the moutain, ridges, field edges?
If your calling during daylight, and if your predators move like ours in the northeast, I'd be using that field to your advantage. Predators in my area typically won't break out of the timber during daylight. I'd setup so that field was directly downwind of you, then you will force them to come in through the timber on the upwind/crosswind sides. Now during the night (not sure if it's legal to predator hunt there during night hours), they will typically be much more easily called into open spaces. Keep that in mind and watch your downwind and crosswind sides as they try and circle you. I would stress this........if the wind isn't good don't even try. Yotes are MUCH smarter than deer, and have the eyes of a turkey. Blow a set one time due to a bad wind and it's gonna be VERY hard to get a second chance on that animal. Wait for the right wind for your sets. 15-20 acres you can cover well with one or two sets if using a reasonably loud calling setup. I used to make stands of anywhere from 20-45 minutes in length.
I haven't gone out in a couple years, but for a while I went out a good bit. Never really killed much, but it was fun just to see eyes bouncing in thru the dark(almost always night hunted) This year I plan to get back out again much more, and if I didn't have bleepin party to go to this evening, I would be hunting....although the thought has crossed my mind to throw the 22 mag & some camo in the car. The farm where the party is, is IDEAL fox & yote country.
I want to give it a try. I think I would have better luck at our hunting cabin, since we have WAY to many yotes there. We took four during the two week rifle season.
I have been out several times trying to get them with the bow (not easy) The Dam things are comming into my yard lately and getting my two Labs stirred up. My last lab was a HUGH male yellow, He was always getting into fights with them AND LIVED He was costing me dearly at the vet! He is no longer with me Ill try some more before the season ends in Jan.
Yeah, I love calling in Coyotes! I use nothing but mouth calls, howls, challenge and locator howls as well as distress calls! Nothing like it when they come running in or calling back then come running in! Then I force feed them some lead from the .204!
After a late night of shooting the new Destroyer last night, I came home to find another new Christmas present to myself had arrived........... Just recieved the new upper for my calling rifle. I had a really nice Bushmaster 20" HBAR that I loved, but it was waaaay too heavy for the shots we typically get in the northeast, so I wanted something shorter and lighter. I imagine it will also be a lot more practical if I'm ever in a "hit the fan" type of situation at home too. Ended up with a J&T 16" lightweight upper with an E.R. Shaw barrel on it. Had a bit of custom work done on it too, had to get the compensator soldered and then had the barrel blackened again afterwards to cover it all up, and had a Hogue floating tube on the front too. Anyhow, here are the specs: Doublestar lower DPMS LPK ERGO grip ACE Skeleton Stock Timney 3lb solid trigger J&T Upper E.R. Shaw 16" lightweight barrel (1-9") Levang Compensator Hogue Tube (drilled and tapped w/ stud) Burris 1" P.E.P.R. Leupold Mark AR 3-9x40 w/ Mildots Going to try and get some rounds down the tube this Sunday, and if I'm lucky I'll be able to bring it on a few calling sets next weekend. I haven't weighed it, but I'm guessing the whole thing weighs in at under 7lbs loaded. I bet with that barrel, it's gonna be a bit loud.......lol. :D
I use a distressed rabbit CD and play it in a walkman with external speakers. It drives my cat crazy when I play it in the house. He runs around trying to find the wimpering rabbit.:D The coyotes usually come a runnin too. Gonna do a bit more of it this winter as the coyote numbers seem to be pretty high in the neighborhood.
Nice looking rig there Matt. But...my upper wasn't good enough? :D For calling I'm sure that one you have now will be more maneuverable. as for me, I made 3 stands tongiht & called in a fox on my last one. But the bugger come in hard right & was gone in a flash on my swing attempt. I am just happy to call one in. And it was nice to even get out, 1st time in a few years.
I loved that upper Ryan, that was the second most accurate gun I've ever owned (next to the one I sold Matt PA and still try to buy back nearly every time I talk to him ). Was just too heavy to carry in the mountains, and too long to swing in a home defense type of situation. I wanted to keep it, but had to unload to fund this one. I really hope this one will be half as accurate...... Congrats on calling in the fox. I'm hoping to get out next weekend. If I manage to shoot a deer this weekend in PA, the next several weekends I'll get some predator hunting in hopefully.
Daytime only here, and I have never been able to justify a foxpro to myself as sweet as they are since I just dont do it enough....but I love predator calling. I love Tony Tebbe's Calls, enough that I will likely stick with him exclusively from here on out. Worked phenomenal for me last winter...its all in the setup anyway, IMO...not so much the sound unless the yotes are commonly called to.
