Predator Hunting - Winter 2015-2016

7/23/2019 Predator Hunting - Winter 2015-2016

1/76

TACTIC

SFOR

DEEPW

OODSBO

BCATS

BRUSH

COUNTRYC

OYO

TES

Access Tough Terrain

Judge DistancesMaster the Wind

CA LL IN AMOUNTAIN L ION

LUR E IN A

GIANT WOLF

WINTER 2015-2016

WHEN THE HUNTERS BECOME THE HUNTED

THE ULTIMATE

CHALLENGE

PERFECTPREDATORS


2/76


3/76

www.NightEyesLights.com (814) 364-9660

HL50-Q HEADLAMP

HL50 HEADLAMP

HL08 HEADLAMP

Dual-Color Beam Headlamp

F-6 GUN LIGHT

High quality, rechargeable, durable, waterproof,and shockproof

Attaches to scope/gun in seconds Weighs only 7 ounces See and shoot over 200 yards with a 40mm scope Unique dual-mode silent remote switch Halo shield included Available in Red or Green

Available in Red or Green Adjustable brightness w/memory Hidden strobe, SOS and ash modes Weighs only 7 ounces w/battery Reects eyes at over 250 yards at 40% bright-

ness Run time is 9 hours at 40% brightness Halo shield included Low battery warning Weatherproof design

Rechargeable

Twin-head design with one beam being either Redor Green (your choice) and the other beam white

Adjustable brightness w/memory Weighs 7.5 ounces w/battery Reects eyes at over 250 yards at 40% bright-

ness Run time is 9 hours at 40% brightness Halo shield included Low battery warning Weatherproof design

Rechargeable

Super bright dual-white LED headlamp Brightness is comparable to the high-beam of a

vehicles headlights Adjustable brightness w/memory Hidden strobe, SOS and ash modes Weighs 10 ounces w/batteries Run time from 2 to 67 hours depending on bright-

ness mode (w/included attached battery holder) Low battery warning Weatherproof design Rechargeable

NEW


4/764 | P R E D A TO R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6


5/76

PREDATOR HUNTING WINTER 2015 - 2016

FEATURES

8 The Cat of Many NamesYou will probably fail but calling in a moun-

tain lion is the ultiimate challenge in predator

hunting.By Jack Spencer, Jr

12 Stealth-Mode BobcatsEverything you need to know about hunting

the ghost of the woods. By John Murray

18 Hunting Giant Wolvesof the NorthA Candian quest. By BJack Spencer, Jr

24 The Mobile Hunters TriadA 4WD truck, a motorcycle and a mountain

bike. By Ted Stotler

28 Calling in the Thick StuffTactics for hunting in the jungle brush.

By Randy D. Smith

34 Predator Hunting on a BudgetAn experiment in putting together an

economy rig. By Cary Rideout

42 Calling the CrowsIts just like coyote hunting except

the target has wings.By Art Isberg

46 Calling the Mountain WindsCareful analysis of breeze patterns is a

key to hunting success. By Hunter Bodenchuk

50 Beast Hogs & Song DogsHow hog hunting and predator hunting

go hand-in-hand. By Bob Humphrey

54 The Quiet WoodsSuppressors are becoming legal for hunting in

many states. How and why to give them a try.

By Brian McCombie and Dick Jones

56 Reaching OutHow to extend your long-range shooting

with confidence. By Doug Howlett

58 Any-Country CoyotesHow to master the landscape in any

terrain that you hunt. By Mark Kayser

62 How Far? How Close?A survey of predator hunters on everything

from driving time to how far they take shots.

By Andrew Lewand

66 Conditioned CoyotesDont let song dogs figure you out.

By Lance Homman

70 Get ComfortableThis predator hunting gear takes the

misery out of a tough hunt. By Mark Kayser

Predator Huntingis presented by the F+W Outdoor Group.

Copyright 2015 by F+W, a Content + eCommerce Company.

Contents

2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 | P R E D A TO R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 5


6/76

EDITORS CALL|James Card

And There I WasWINTER 20152016

Vol. 10, No. 1

700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001

715-445-2214

Editor |JAMES CARD

F+W Outdoors Editors | CHRIS BERENS ALAN CLEMONS

GORDY KRAHN

Contributing Writers | LANCE HOMMAN JACK SPENCER, JR

MARK KAYSER

ANDREW LEWAND

BRIAN MCCOMBIE

RANDY D. SMITH

TED STOTLER

Design Manager | SHARON BARTSCH

Graphic Designer | DANE ROYER

Advertising Sales | MARK BEAUCHAINE SCOTT BUCHMAYR

AMOS CROWLEY

MARGARET ANN HUGGINS

BRAD RUCKS

Advertising Assistant | LORI HAUSER

Predator Hunting Magazine is an annual magazine published

solely for information to readers. The publisher is not liable for

authors or advertisers claims, or for negligence by manufacturers

that advertise. Advertising rates available upon request. Address

correspondence to: Predator Hunting Magazine, 700 E. State St.,

Iola, WI 54990-0001.

Contact F+W about these quality outdoor magazines:

Deer & Deer Hunting

Ice Fishing Magazine

Trapper & Predator Caller

F+W, A CONTENT + ECOMMERCE COMPANY

JIM OG LE,CFO & INTERIM CEOPHIL GRAHAM, SVP, Mfg. & Production

DAVE DAVEL, VP, Advertising SalesSTACIE BERGER, VP Communications

F+W MAGAZINE GROUP

JAMIE W ILKINSO N, VP, Group PublisherDANIEL E. SCHMIDT, Content DirectorMARK LILLA, Production Coordinator

David Koester is a travel writer that has a series of books titled, And ereI Was where he chronicles his travels to far-flung places in Africa, Asia andSouth America.

I get a kick of his choice of words: And ere I Was.ose four words are powerful. It signals the start of what usually is a good

story. Its those words that get people to stop what they are doing, perk up,lean closer, and pull up a chair next to the campfire.

I can only imagine some predator hunters swapping some tales:

And there I was with this coyote five feet awayfrom me and it looked like it had rabies

And there I was, with a dead battery 19 milesfrom the nearest town when I thought I shouldclimb up onto this

And there I was, with the fox in the crosshairswhen I noticed it only had three legs

And there I was, looking into the cave wherethe wounded mountain lion ran into

Heres one of my And-ere-I-Was stories: And there I was, sitting on astump with a compound bow in my lap. I was 14 years old and waiting for awhitetail deer. By mid-morning I had seen a few deer but none of them werein range. Before bagging it for the day, I decided to try my new predator call.It was a simple wooden reed call and I gave it a string of strangled toots, do-ing my best to imitate a small animal dying a horrific death. en I waitedand watched for a fox or coyote to come running in. Nothing appeared. Icalled again and decided to wait another ten minutes before hiking out.

Aer a while I got that feeling that something was watching me, that Iwasnt alone. I slowly turned my head, scanning through the brush and therewas the bobcat. Its body was hidden in the brush and only its head was vis-

ible. I watched the bobcat and the bobcat watched me. It was about 75 yardsaway, too far to shoot with my bow and arrow and I didnt have a bobcat taganyway. It didnt matter. At that very moment I learned that I had the powerto summon one of the wildest creatures of the woods, to draw the predatornear and to look it right in the eyes.

May this season bring many adventures and upon your safe return fromthe field and forest, I hope you have plenty of And-ere-I Was-stories toshare around the campfire.

COPYRIGHT 2015 BY F+W

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.PREDATOR HUNTINGIS A REGISTERED

TRADEMARK OF F+W

6 | P R E D A TO R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6


7/76


8/76

THECATOF

NAMESMANY

8 | P R E D A TO R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6


9/76

Icould smell the piss of the deer-tiger as I crawledalong a steep rock canyon wall littered with territorialscratches, turds and the unmistakable smell of rankurine. is is a well-known historical haven for moun-tain lions to visit and deposit the last remaining mor-

sels of their unlucky victims. On hands and knees, I scouredthe broken terrain; inspecting pugmarks, stride length anddirection of travel. An experienced feline hunter can tell a lotfrom sign if one knows what to look for and how to read intoa cats passing remnants. e cougars solitary and secretivenature oen makes them diffi cult to observe and nearly im-possible to harvest while predator calling.

e elusive mountain lion holds the Guinness world recordfor the animal with the most names in the English language.Puma, cougar, catamount, panther, screamer and painter areothers you have probably heard. I typically refer to them asmountain lions or just lions for short. e years I have spentpursuing mountain lions and discovering the ever abundantamount of deer they kill and consume, I tend to call them bytheir lesser known name of deer tiger as it more appropri-ately best describes these effi cient deer-killing machines.

Calling the Big Catere are many methods predator hunters can employ whentackling mountain lions. e easiest and most reliable meth-od is by the use of well-trained lion hounds. I have person-ally treed well over a 100 lions while hunting during the pastdecade with hounds in my home state of Nevada, so I feelconfident enough stating the easiest way to fill a lion tag is byfollowing a proven pack of hounds. Still hunting or trackingin the snow another method, but barely a doable ordeal anda feat seldom accomplished. Sitting on a lions kill can alsobe effective; however, nearly most states do not allow shoot-

ing big game at night when most lions return to their killsto feed. Calling in a lion is possible, but again, this methodalso screams failure, but as with most challenging endeavors,perseverance can prevail even in the midst of compoundingimpossible odds. When I hunt lions in other states that do notallow the use of hounds, calling is my preferred method.

eres really no magic sound when calling for lions, theresonly the hard work of scouting and endless calling, callingand more calling. e best predator caller in the woods is nobetter than an amateur caller if there are no lions in the im-mediate area to hear the sounds emitted from the predator

caller. In many states, hound hunting is not permitted so call-ing is about the only viable option besides getting lucky andstumbling upon a lion. In other states where running hounds

GETTIN G A MOU NTAIN LION

INTO RANGE IS TH E PIN NACLE

OF PREDATOR CALLING

JACK SPENCER, JR

2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 | P R E D A TO R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 9


10/76

are a legal method, not everyone hasaccess to hounds or has funds availablefor a $4,000 to $5,000 guided mountainlion hunt. Many guided lion hunts areno guarantee and most hunts average30 percent to 50 percent hunter success.

If a hunter is dead set to call in a lion

then one is going to have to learn to be amore disciplined predator caller. Youregoing to have to learn to pass on othertarget-rich animals that will respondto your calling more frequently than aprized lion. I can personally guaranteethat you will call in more non-targetcritters such as coyotes, bobcats andfox than lions. I have had coyotes comerunning to my calling stands when call-ing for mountain lions on countless oc-

casions. I have had coyotes 10 yards outbarking at me, raking their feet acrossthe dusty desert floor only to have the

dust they created blow right in my faceby a so gentle breeze. Sometimes itsdamn right humiliating to put up withsuch embarrassment; however, I keepmy eye on the prize and I dont give into some cocky coyote kicking dirt inmy face. e truth of the reality is that

harvesting lion by calling is one of theleast effective methods to fill a lion tagaccording to mandatory harvest check-in data that is oen required by gamedepartments.

They Will See YouI will justifiably go on record to statethat from my observations and success-fully calling in lions in over the yearsthat a lions eyesight is every bit as good

if not better than the sharp eyed ante-lope. Lions have excellent diurnal, noc-turnal, binocular and peripheral eye-

sight. I do my best to blend in a wholelot better than I normally do when I amtrying to coax in lions as they have theability to pick you apart and can catchthe ever slightest of movement.

Last year I had a lion coming intomy calling stand at a decent trot, and at

about 60 yards out, he stopped, squint-ed at me, shied his head in a circularmotion and ran away. By reading thecats body language, the lion obviouslydetected me as I lay motionless tuckedback in the brush. ese cats can spotyou even while camouflaged, snuggledin against dense vegetation matter andnot moving a single muscle. ere isa huge difference between calling ina lion and actually harvesting one. I

called in five lions before I had an op-portunity to fire my first shot.Recently I ventured out one morning

Left: Even snuggled tight against a rock crevice, the mountain lion, more often than not, has

an uncanny ability to see the hunter before the hunter can get a shot off. Middle: Inspecting alion-killed deer. Note the surrounding tracks and scattered debris. Right: A cougar in its primewinter fur make for an incredible trophy and calling one in is the ultimate in predator hunting.

10 | P R E D A T O R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6

[ THE CAT OF MANY NAMES]


11/76

to do a combination of mountain run-ning, predator calling and shed antlercollecting as the morning suns rayspeaked over the distant hills. I found alocation where several canyons meltedtogether with the presence of a few rockpiles that looked catty. With a little

yellow FoxPro call, I let out a series ofprey-in-distress sounds and not longaerwards across a semi-open canyon Ispotted two lions. One of the two lionswas trotting towards my direction withits head up constantly scanning, whilethe other stopped, sat on its butt, andstarted licking itself about 90 yards out.

On this particular outing I was tot-ing my lightweight single-shot H&RHandi-Rifle, so I had to be a little picky

on my shot opportunity. e oncominglion disappeared below me, so I posi-tioned myself where I thought the lion

would show itself. I was off a little off onmy educated guess and the lion showedup 20 feet to my right. rough pre-vious calling experiences, I dared notmove my body with a lion within spit-ting distance. I did no more than shimy eyes towards lions direction and

blinked. e lion immediately ran off.Many times before I have missed out

on these close encounters, but I still hadanother opportunity across the canyonif the other lion would hang around.I looked over to the other side of thecanyon and the other lion was lookingdirectly at me. I cursed myself undermy breath for not having my steadyshooting sticks, but I did my best tocalm down and made the needed shot.

rough the small smoke cloud, I sawthe lion somersault in the air aer thereport of the rifle on the first shot, and

I followed up with two more shots asit flip-flopped itself into a nearby cave.Aer dark crawl into the cave, one largeprime winter mountain lion lay at myfeet. It is an exuberant feeling when itall comes together and the harder thechallenge, the greater the reward.

e mountain lion is the ultimatesuper predator and is the pinnacle ofpredator calling. Calling a lion withinshooting range is an extremely rare featand for those fortunate predator call-ers lucky enough to connect with thesewell-known man-killers, this is the ab-solute grand slam.

2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 | P R E D A T OR H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 11

[ THE CAT OF MANY NAMES]


12/7612 | P R E D A T O R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6


13/76

EVERYTHIN G YOU NEE D TO

KNOW ABOUT HU NTING THE

GHOST OF TH E WOODS

JOHN MURRAY

BOBCATS



14/76

Bobcats are consideredthe rarely seen phan-toms of the woods. Mostpeople are completely un-aware of their existence and

would be quite shocked to realize theactual numbers of these animals that re-side within their area. e truth is that a

bobcat is more likely to see you, ratherthan you seeing the bobcat. Bobcatsare generally quite leery of humans andonce they have a visual sighting of a hu-man, they will not linger within the area.

Not only is a chance sighting of abobcat unlikely, but finding any indi-cating sign of them within the woodsis quite a diffi cult matter. Possessinglarge furry feet, it is almost impossibleto locate tracks, unless there is snowon the ground. Droppings, otherwise

known as scat, are also very diffi cultto find. Bobcats will generally have afew toilet areas within their territory,and if this toilet area is located on theground, they do a pretty good job ofcovering their scat with dirt. Occasion-ally a bobcat will have a toilet area ontop of a rocky outcropping. Remains oftheir prey are not easily found. If a bob-cat does not consume nearly the entireprey that it has killed, it will do a pretty

through job of concealing the remainsby covering it with available forest mat-ter such as leafs.

e bobcat hunter must under-stand the bobcats habits in order to

be successful. Many hunters assumethat a bobcat is nocturnal because oflack of day sightings. Instead of beinga true nocturnal species, bobcats aretechnically considered crepuscularmeaning active in twilight hours. Most

activity begins approximately threehours before sunset and will continueup until midnight. At about the mid-night hour, a bobcat will typically beddown to rest. In the predawn darkness,an hour or so before first light, the bob-cat will become active again and willstay active until about three hours aersunrise. is is the common pattern ofthe bobcat during most of the year.

is movement pattern can varydue to other factors. During the bru-

tally harsh cold winters, bobcats willbecome considerably less active dur-ing the frigid nights because their preyis much more active during the dayhours. Another factor is based on hun-ger. Should a bobcat make a kill andhave a substantial meal at the begin-ning of its activity cycle, the bobcat willbed and rest and will have absolutely nodesire to move again during that peri-od. Sometimes there will be additional

hours of daytime bobcat movementduring periods of storm darkened, ordull cloudy days.

NEVER HEAR THEM COMING

Movement of the bobcat is unquestion-able the quietist movement of any ani-mal that has a comparable body size. Asquirrel, which is considerably smaller,will make more noise. is is an impor-tant fact to remember for the bobcathunter. Most diehard bobcat hunters

will tell you that they never hear a bob-cat approaching. Bobcats are designednot to make any noise that will givetheir position away to a potential dinercandidate. Bobcats have large fur cov-ered feet and no matter what the terrainis, bobcats will rarely make any noisewhen they are moving. is is quite im-pressive for an animal that has a bodyweight that can exceed thirty pounds.

Not only is their movement quiet,but also this movement is also slow and

methodical. Bobcats are always search-ing for prey when they are moving.Effi cient visual stalking hunters thatpossess uncanny eye sight and hearing.Bobcats possess a tremendous amountof patience. Its approach will be slowand will stop oen to look and lay whileconcealing itself within dense brush. Itis a true challenge to see a bobcat if it isnot moving because of the natural cam-ouflage color of the bobcats fur.

A bobcat is a carnivore and will eatpractically everything within its homerange. For a male bobcat, that home


[ STEALTH-MODE BOBCATS ]


15/76

range can exceed twenty square miles.A female bobcats range will be less.When it comes to dining choices, allcreatures large and small are on thediner menu. Moles, chipmunks, mice,rabbits, skunks, porcupines and squir-

rels are readily hunted and eaten. Evenfeathered animals, including manytypes of small birds, and other largerbird species such as woodpeckers,quail, pheasant, grouse and turkey arealso welcome entries on the bobcatsdining list. Deer fawns are also a po-tential meal and a bobcat will not hesi-tate to attack an adult deer, which hasgrown weary of the struggle to movewithin deep snow.

Bobcats are an opportunist predatorwho will live where they have read-ily available food sources. Dense brushprovides cover and concealment forall of the bobcats food sources. isis where the successful bobcat huntershould hunt. Prime spots are within theheavy cover of thick dense forests thathave plenty of new growth. Edges ofswamps are great locations, as the wetsoil provides great growing habitat fordense clumps of vegetation. If the bob-

cat is spending time inside the diningroom, the bobcat hunter needs to get inthere with the bobcat.

HUNTING METHODS

Bobcat hunting in the dense brush isundoubtedly the most challenging typeof predator hunting. You have enteredinto the realm of the bobcat, who seeseverything thing that moves and hearseverything that makes a noise withinthe surrounding area. is predator,

the bobcat, has a cloaking ability thatmakes it very diffi cult to be sightedand the visibility-reducing brush com-pounds this problem.

Using an attractant call to attract andlure a bobcat within the hunters shoot-ing range is a very effective tactic andwill increase your chances of having asuccessful hunt, as compared to sittingat a stand waiting for a random bobcatto approach. We know that a bobcat

will eat many types of different foods,but the calling hunter should primar-ily focus on using two different calls,

which will be rabbit distress and birdcalls. Each of these calls are time testedand have been proven to attract and

lure most any bobcat within the area.Woodpecker calls will get the attentionof a bobcat, and a turkey call shouldalso be used, especially in areas thathave concentrations of turkeys.

Every season we hear reports ofbobcats approaching turkey hunterswho are using a turkey call to attracta turkey. is is not some random co-incidence that bobcats are respondingto these turkey calls. Bobcats will nothesitate to consume any turkey it en-

counters, whether it is on the groundor roosting within a tree. Bobcats aresuperb tree climbers and many a roost-ing turkey has had their evening restinterrupted by a bobcat.

A bobcat caller can lure a bobcat atanytime during the hunting season, yetthere is a distinct advantage to callinga bobcat later in the hunting season.e onslaught of winter has arrivedalong with the snow that regularly ac-

companies it. is snow cover on theground will make the bobcat muchmore visible within the brush, with the

only exception being new snow that hasstuck to most every available branchand twig within the brush. Late season

periods will also have most vegetationshed its leafs, which increases visibilityalso. A fresh snowfall also revels thosebobcat tracks which would normallybe impossible to find during non snowperiods. Track sightings increases yourodds of success because you have a vi-sual indicator that tells you bobcats arewithin the area.

Night hunting is a tactic used bymany bobcat hunters. Bobcats do aportion of their hunting during the

darkness. Bobcat eyes are highly reflec-tive and will brightly shine when thelight beam of a flashlight is directed atthem. Red or green lens flashlights arerecommended for this night hunting,as a bobcat is far less likely to spookwhen this is shined upon them. ereare some drawbacks to hunting a bob-cat within the dark of the night. If youdont have a hunting partner with youwho is performing the duties of a light

holding spotter, it is quite a challengingtask to achieve a good shot. It is veryimportant to remember that a bobcat



When calling bobcats, the most important thing to remember is that they move very slowly and theycould approach from any direction, including from above.


16/76

can see very well in the darkness and ahuman cannot. is gives any bobcatan advantage of seeing the hunter be-fore the hunter has a visual sighting ofthe bobcat.

SET-UP STRATEGIES

is concept of who sees who first hasdramatic effect on the success of thebobcat hunt. e key to successful bob-

cat calling is to be able to see the bobcatonce it has been lured close. So very of-ten, the bobcats are there, but the callerjust does not see them. Calling in thedaylight hours will level the playingfield for the hunter because the hunterhas increased sight advantage.

e most effective calling times tolure a bobcat are at early morning orlate in the day before evening. Whenthe bobcat hunter ventures into the

brush to a prospective calling loca-tion, it is very important for the bobcathunter to proceed slowly and quietly. If

a bobcat is within the immediate vicin-ity, many bobcats are frightened awayby the oncoming approach of a noisyhunter busting through the brush.ese frightened bobcats will not re-turn to this area for a prolonged periodof time, no matter how skilled that bob-cat hunter is at using attraction calls.

A ideal setup location to chose as astand is where the bobcat hunter can

get his back up against a tree within alocation that can effectively provide athree hundred and sixty degree viewof the surrounding terrain. First andforemost, it is necessary to realize thatthe bobcat can and will come from anyconceivable direction. Do not ever sit.Never. Sitting has a dramatic impacton hampering the hunters ability tobe able to look behind him. Remem-ber that there is a very good possibil-

ity that the bobcat will approach fromyour backside. When at the stand, thebobcat hunter should never make quick

movements, as the keen eye of a bobcatwill readily notice these movements.Move in super slow motion. It is a goodidea to inch your back around the treeslowly, so that you are able to visuallyable to scan other areas.

ese areas of thick dense brush pro-vide limited range of visibility at best.In many of these brush areas, the bob-cat hunter may have a maximum visi-

bility sight range of no more than thirtyyards. Hand held calls work quite wellto lure a bobcat to the hunter, but thehunter can increase the odds by using aremote electronic call. e speaker unitof the remote caller should be placedtwenty five to thirty feet away from thelocation of the hunter. Any approach-ing bobcat will be stalking the sourceof the sound coming from the speakerunit and looking for any movement

of the prey that the bobcat believes ismaking the sound. If the hunter is uti-lizing a hand held call, then the bobcat



Adaptable and aggressive hunters, the bobcat will take to the trees to kill roostingturkeys. They are strong climbers and fast on the ground but their greatest trait isthe ability to perform a slow, patient stalk on its prey.


17/76

hunter is the actual source of the sound.e potential drawback to this scenariois that there is a very good possibilitythat the bobcat will see the hunter first.

LURE THEM IN

A call, either a hand held or remote,takes advantage of the bobcats goodhearing abilities. e bobcat hunter cantake advantage of the keen eye sight

of the bobcat by providing an actualsource for the sound that has attractedit. If a remote speaker unit is used, thehunter can tie a piece of feather or furon a length of fishing line or string andhang it over the location of the speak-er unit. is visual attractor will swayin any breeze and is best utilized byhanging it three to four feet off of theground. is will give a good visual at-traction for a bobcat to key on, which

will be away from the hunters standlocation. Better still, there are remote controlled decoys that provide irresist-

ible fluttering, dancing movements toa visual attractor. When using a handheld call, it is not advisable to use a vi-sual attractor for the sole reason thatthis visual attractor will be too close tothe bobcat hunter. e bobcat may spotthe hunter. Better off to make the bob-cat get as close as possible in its searchfor the source of the sound.

When the bobcat hunter is using ei-

ther a bird or distress rabbit call, it isbest to keep the volume at a minimumrealistic level. e call should not beperformed or played longer than aminute. Aer a minute of producingluring noises, stop and look very care-fully around the surrounding area forany signs of movement. Wait about fiveminutes and repeat the calling sound.If there are any bobcats in the vicinity,they will hear this initial volley of noise

and will have gone into search mode asthey approach. It is now imperative tokeep the attention of the bobcat. e

next series of calling noises should beabout every two minutes and this serieswill be continued at this time interval.

LOCATE AND SHOOT

A bobcat will never or very rarely come

running into the area to investigatethe source of the sound. Almost everytime, the bobcat will sneak in slowly.e bobcat will move slow, stop, layand look, then move again towards thelocation of the sound. Be very, verypatient. e bobcat hunter should stayat the stand for a least an hour duringthe calling process. It can take that longfor a bobcat to come into view. Lookhard for any signs of movement. Manytimes, the bobcat hunter may only seea piece or portion of the bobcat as it isapproaching. Oen, when the bobcatstops moving in its approach, it candisappear completely from the view ofthe hunter, but it is more than likely stillthere. Focus sight on the area where themovement was least seen and wait forany sign of movement again.

As with every bobcat hunter, thechoice for a gun caliber is always a per-sonal preference. It is advised not to use

too little or too large of a gun caliber. Aproperly placed .22 caliber long rifle candispatch a bobcat, but sometimes thebobcat can travel quite a distance aer amisplaced shot. A heavy caliber such asa 30-06 will knock a bobcat to the floor,but will destroy the valuable pelt in theprocess. A good choice is to use eithera .223 caliber or a 12-gauge shotgunloaded with number 4 buckshot. Whenthe bobcat hunter is hunting withinthick dense brush, the shooting range

will be rather close most times.If you are looking for a challenge to

hunt one of natures top predators, getinto the thick dense brush and call in abobcat. If you are successful, you canhold your head high and be proud torecognize that you have called in oneof the most wary of animals within thewild. And that, for any hunter, is quitethe accomplishment.




18/7618 | P R E D A T O R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6


19/76

A CANADIAN QUESTJACK SPENCER, JRNorthof

the



20/76

A

s the aernoon pro-gressed I noticed a coy-ote running out of thetrees across an openingand it didnt stop for hun-

dreds of yards. A short time later a pair

of ravens made some alarm sounds anddive-bombed something in the brush.I guessed a wolf was near. About 20minutes later a pair of coyotes emergednear the same area and they ran out ofthe thick brush and started barking. Idont claim to be the best wolf hunterin the woods or know the most aboutwolves, but when I hear a pair of coy-otes nervously barking I know thatmeans there is a larger species nearby.

I figured if a wolf stayed so close forso long, it was waiting for darkness tohit the bait. I wondered if this was the

black giant that our guide had trail camphotos of and had eluded his huntersfor years.

I have experienced some remarkable

predator encounters while blowingand sucking air on a varmint call try-ing to entice wolves. Ive had grizzlyand black bears come within 15 yards,coyotes within 10 feet and once a curi-ous otter within six feet. I have huntedwolves from Idaho to Alaska with someof the most dismal calling success onecould imagine. Eventually when wolveswould come to my stand they eithermanaged to run past my position or be

sheltered by a forest canopy with veg-etation so thick not even a locked-onrifle could find a shooting hole. Even

threading-the-needle shots couldnt behad. Life is not always easy for a die-hard predator caller while trying to col-lect a wolf pelt.

A fellow wolf hunter directed me toKyler Knelsen of Wingmaster Outfit-ting (wingmasteroutfitting.com) in LaCrete, Alberta Canada. He was experi-encing phenomenal wolf hunting suc-cess by baiting. By placing hunters instands nearby and patiently waiting forwolves to approach the bait, they hadample shooting opportunities. Huntingover bait while placed in a stand con-cept was all too familiar with me per-

sonally on coyotes; however, I virtuallyhad no experience with hunting wolvesover bait. One would think sitting on


[ HUNTING GI ANT WOLVES OF THE NORTH]


21/76

a bait piles in sub zero temperatureswould be a cinch to tag a wolf; however,I quickly learned that is not oen thecase. Knelsen has one of the highestwolf hunting harvest rates in the worldbar none.

To sweeten the deal even more, I washunting with one of my good friendsand war hero Lt. Colonel Roger Capps.

Roger was wounded a year earlier fromsmall-arms fire while piloting Ameri-can troops in a Chinook helicopter in

Afghanistan. He was as happy as I wasto have the opportunity to hunt wolvesin northern Canada.

Knelsen picked us up from our logcabin in the mornings and droppedus off in remote blinds located deepin the bush. He had blinds on and off

the ground that had shooting windowson all sides and most importantly, hadsmall propane heaters. On the first day

the temperature was -41 below. Knelsencautiously reminded us that we shouldnot turn on the heaters before daylight,so the wolves would not see any illumi-nation in the blinds.

e first hour in the blind was ex-tremely cold, but once daylight ar-rived the small heaters made the blindscomfortable. Without the heaters there

was no way one could sit for 10 hourswithout being miserable. I made it twohours once without the heater but the



The guide said it was the largestwolf taken by any of the huntershe has guided over the years.


22/76

weather had heated up to a balmy -10below.

Knelson showed us trail cam photosof 21 different wolves that had visitedsix bait sites during the past few weeks.He also reminded us that while thewolves regularly hit the bait, it was rare

from them to do so everyday. Somemay only visit the bait sites once a weekand even then only come in at night. Aweek before we arrived, a hunter seenfour wolves and shot one; however,Knelsen being the honest man he is,also mentioned that the hunter had satsix days the year before and never sawa wolf.

On the first day I saw 91 ravens andnine coyotes all jockeying one anotherto feast on the frozen remains of beef

bones. e coyotes appeared to be av-erage size except one that looked to bein the 40-pound range and most weredark in color. Knelsen advised notshoot any coyotes or we would likelyjeopardize our chances for a wolf.

Roger had a similar experience and

saw may coyotes and ravens but nowolves. On the second day, Knelsenmoved us to new blinds to keep us frombeing bored. at day 16 appeared atmy blind and I thought many were thesame coyotes that visited the bait, butthen I saw several different groups ofthree and four coyotes show up at thesame time. Knelsen had informed methat three wolves where making therounds to this particular bait site and

that one was a huge black male thatwas shot at three years ago and quicklylearned to hunt at night.

Darkness falls faster in the far north, soI thought I should try something andsooner rather than later. I opened thesmall window to the blind, shoved myhead in the narrow opening and let out

my best subtle wolf howl. I closed thewindow and used my credit card toshave newly formed ice off the window.I had only shaved a small area when Iimmediately saw a wolf running righttowards my stand. Let me be absolutelyclear with this statement, there is nomistaking a big wolf for a coyote.

e wolf looked agitated and itneared the bait but it was looking in alldirections trying to find the one who

dared to howl in his home territory.I didnt hesitate to take the shot andI locked in on him. I still remember



Of six locations with trail cams, the wolves usually cameat night and days would pass before they returned.


23/76

the big yellow shiing eyes and thenthe bullet hitting perfectly behind theshoulder. e big dog whirled aroundand headed for cover. I knew the shotwas good but I decided to give him an-other one on the run for good measure.He made it to the nearby brush line and

over a small rise. Even though the wolfwas running on the second shot, I feltvery comfortable with the first shot andthe second was nothing more than giv-ing myself a piece of mind.

Knelsen arrived at dark and wewalked to where I had last seen thewolf and there the beast lay. He said itwas the largest wolf taken by any of thehunters he has guided over the years. Iam 62 and well over 200 pounds and

I had to really had to muscle the hugeblack wolf to get it off the ground. I useda .243 with light bullets, but Knelsen

recommends at least a .243 caliber asthe minimum with larger calibers be-ing better as he has tracked woundedwolves in the past. One was a wolf shotwith a .308 three times before it was re-covered. Shot placement, regardless ofbullet size, as with all animals, is oen

the key.

Roger ended up harvesting a nice blackwolf the following day. He mentionedthat his wolf came straight to the baitwithout hesitation. In three days wehad two wolves down and later in thehunt I had a huge gray wolf walk veryclose to the bait, but afforded me noshot. e image of the huge gray wolf at

that stand will be etched in my memo-ry for the rest of my life, so I guess themost sensible thing for me to do is go

back and try for him again next year.It is likely that less than one percent

of all the hunters in North Americawill ever harvest a wolf, let alone eversee one. Wolf hunting success can varygreatly. Free-ranging wolves are hard topinpoint because of their nomadic na-

ture; however, wolves are fairly easy tocall and bait only if they are in the im-mediate area. I thoroughly enjoy hunt-ing wolves and I even like eating them.Its not as bad as people might thinkand I am living proof you can eat justabout any predator that walks the earthand live to tell about it.



The wolves are unpredictable. Sometimes theyare regular vistors, or in the case of one hunter,he sat for six days and never seen one.


24/76

The MobileHuntersTriad

A TRU CK, MOTORCYCLE AND A MOU NTAIN B IK E WILL PUT A

PREDATOR HUNTER INTO MORE PRODUCTIVE TERRAIN

TED STOTLER

E

verything was looking good just before firstlight, and then the wind reversed its usualdirection. is meant that breezes wouldnow carry my scent toward instead of awayfrom my planned calling area. As I drove I

considered other roads that might allow me an approach

from downwind. e one road that would allow this re-quired a four-wheel drive vehicle, but I didnt have one.Back then I drove a standard pick-up. at alternativeroad was all dirt and had places that were so steep andrutted that a standard drive could not safely negotiateit. So with my plan foiled by unexpected weather, I justpulled over at the first likely place and began calling atfirst light.

I didnt get lucky and spent most of the day ponderingwhat might have happened if I had 4WD capability. Myplanned choice of a stand that morning was not far from

an old abandoned ranch site. It had a running spring,complete with a resident pack of coyotes. If I could haveapproached from downwind, there was a very good

chance that I would have called in more than one coy-ote at dawn.

My hesitation about the 4WD truck was its extracost and also that its increased capability would onlybe needed on occasionin my mind not worth the ex-pense. On the way home I stopped off a dealership, and

le a few hours later with a new four-wheel drive truck.I have never looked back.

It doesnt take a serious predator hunter long to real-ize the benefits of a true coyote rifle over a deer rifle.e latter will work, but a rifle specifically designed forcoyotes is much better. Likewise, a battery of specializedpredator rifles, one for a perfect day, one to buck thewind, and a shotgun or semi-auto for close fast actionwork, are much better than any single weapon.

e same goes for mobility. Over the years I havetried just about everything, from cheap combat boots to

a new pickup truck. A helicopter is just plain out of thequestion financially, or I would have tried one of those,too. Time in the field has taught me that what is true of



25/76

firearms is also true of vehiclesone will work, morewill work better.

It seems to me that the fully capable coyote hunterneeds both a battery of specialized firearms and a collec-tion of specialized vehicles. is would include a four-wheel drive truck, a light motorcycle and a mountain

bike. e main advantage offered by all of these vehiclesis the time and energy they save opposed to travelingslow on foot, and that time is better spent calling.

A hunter carrying full gear, a pack, a caller, and a rifletravels 3 miles per hour on foot. e time spent walkingto a stand is dramatically reduced by any of the threevehicles. ese vehicles offer other benefits also, such asquieter approach, lower scent signature, and more effec-tive visual concealment.

The Callers Workhorse

A good deer rifle can be used for predators, likewise,any reliable vehicle can be used for getting you on standbut some work better than others. Over the years I have

been calling in just about every type of specialized truckor SUV imaginable, and based on that experience, andwhat I see other experienced callers driving, I wouldhave to say that the best four-wheeled vehicle for preda-tor hunting is the light to medium 4WD pickup truck.

e 4WD pickup truck serves several purposes. It

can negotiate both freeways and dirt roads, and haulanother vehicle such as a motorcycle or mountain bike,hundreds of pounds of other equipment, and harvestedanimals. While many SUVs have 4WD and suffi cientweight hauling capability they lack the asset of thetrucks bed. is open-air feature allows for storage ofthe messier aspects of predator hunting such as blood-ied carcasses, and even more noxious masking scentssuch as fox, coon, or skunk urine. Any of these if spilled,or even stored in a confined area such as a vehicle cab,can become overwhelming and can prove sometimes

impossible to eliminatea sure way to turn wives, chil-dren, or friends into enemies of the hunt. e pickuptruck bed allows not only for constant airing but can


With a slim profile, an off-road motorcycle can navigate tight trails betterthan an ATV and can be loaded into the back of a pick-up truck.


26/76

also easily be hosed down and cleanedin the event of the unavoidable spill.

In the field the 4WD capability allowsfor travel on the worst of dirt roads, andeasily moves over or through most mudand silt-sand areas. e combination of

weight hauling, ease of maintenance,and accessibility to diffi cult terrain,makes the 4WD pickup peerless amongvehicles types. It is the hunters trueworkhorse and main battle pony.

at said, there are times when atruck, because of its size, can be a realliability. One year I had the presidentof a local calling club tell me that hismembership was in agreement that theCarrizo Plains were a real bust, therewere few coyotes and none that couldbe called in. I just couldnt believe that.My hunch was that over-calling and toomany vehicles in the open were puttingoff the local canines. On the Carrizo,like any plains area, there is very little inthe way of foliage or terrain that couldhide a truck, and few things can warnoff coyotes like the sight of a vehicle.

Sure enough a week later I tooka drive to that area and made sure Iparked my truck in a rare low spot in

the terrain that completely concealedit. en I moved off down the wash agood half-mile before I climbed out andset up. I took two coyotes that summermorning in full daylight, one at aboutten oclock. e problem hadnt beenlack of coyotes, but most likely coyotesspooked by vehicle visibility.

ATV Pros & ConsI dont disparage ATVs but one troublewith them is that when traveling far

from home they will need to be hauledby trailer, and compared to the trucktheir total carrying capacity is limited. Ido realize that there may be parts of thecountry where an ATV is just the ticket.Anyone who can hunt a few miles fromhome would be a good example of this.For the caller who takes down two ormore coyotes on one stand, the ATVcan be much more helpful than a mo-torcycle or mountain bike.

e ATVs strong suit is as a scoutingvehicle. Its four-wheeled drive and nar-row width make it capable of accessing

rougher terrain. Like the motorcycleand mountain bike, the ATVs lack ofa roof and outer body allow for wide-open view both up close and distant.

One of the best ways to discover tracksand other sign over a wide area is toride the ATV on dirt roads at slowerspeeds, especially just aer a rainstormhas washed all old tracks away leavingonly fresh signs of passing. Frequentstopping to glass terrain, both close andfar, is much more convenient than in afull-bodied vehicle.The MotorcycleNext to the 4WD truck I have found the

most useful vehicle to be the motorcy-cle. e modern motorbike offers quicktraverse of broken terrain that is notaccessible to the four-wheel vehicle. Infact, a motorcycle will go almost any-place that your feet will take you onlyfaster, and leave you more physicallyrested and vigilant on ambush. Muffl edfor public places, it makes less noisethan a larger vehicle and puts less ex-haust fumes in the air to alarm distant

prey. A motorcycle can also be hauledin almost any truck bed and is large tohaul plenty of gear in saddlebags.

Because it is smaller than a four-wheel vehicle the motorcycle is mucheasier to conceal or camouflage whenparked. Camouflage tape kits can be

purchased from any number of sellersand if you prefer not to mar the surfac-es of your bike there is another way tocamouflage it. I use a section of camonetting that can be neatly wrapped andcarried in my pack. It is lightweight,easy to use and completely hides theotherwise glaring visual liability. Likethe ATV, the motorcycle offers thewide-open view for fast easy use of bin-oculars, and will also serve as well forscouting as actual calling.

My use of the motorcycle has ledme to believe that the ideal is a light-weight, single-cylinder, dual-purposetype. is type of motorcycle comesfactory equipped for both on-road andoff-road use. It has lights and turn sig-nals in order to be street legal, but alsocomes with lower gear ratios and off-road knobby tires for better torque thathelps pull you uphill on steep and loosesurfaces.

More specifically, a 200-450cc engineis probably best. Anything smaller doesnot have adequate power for some ter-


[ THEMOBILE HUNTERS TRIAD ]

Once you get to your target location, ditch the cycle and head out on foot. A camo tarp makes themotorcycle disappear in the desert.


27/76

rain and anything more means extraweight and more diffi cult handling.e typical 200cc motorcycle weighs300-320 lbs. maximum. is means itis also easier to load into a truck bed ormanhandle when necessary in the field.More power and engine size means theadditional weight, which is not goodfor mud or slit and will oen bog down

less firm ground. Motorcycles also offera varied aermarket for racks to carrycarcasses aer successful encounters.

The Stealthiest

Last but not least I would recommenda 10-15-speed mountain bike. e onlyreal drawback to this type of vehiclewould be that it requires more expen-diture of physical energy, but even soits at least twice as fast and half as tire-

some as walking. e gearing allows foreasier mobility over steeper and looserterrain. Also, the mountain bike has

two advantages over every other type ofuseful hunting vehicle. First, it can gosome places that a truck, an ATV or amotorcycle cannot go. Second, it can bethe most quickly and completely hid-den from predator eyes than any othervehicle.

I find it ideally suited to terrain thatis the flattest with the least or lowest

natural ground cover. Laid on its sideit requires no netting or special cam-ouflage paint or tape. In fact, its biggestdrawback is that it is so easy to hidethat the caller needs to be especiallycareful to remember exactly where hele it. If not he may have trouble find-ing it when returning from a stand. Anyincoming coyote or bobcat would haveto pass within 4-5 feet to discover it.

As with motorcycle, the mountain

bike is a great scouting and huntingvehicle, and it is easier to transport ormanhandle in rough terrain than any

other vehicle. In fact, modern moun-tain bikes are so light they can even becarried if necessary. For hunters likeme, who are stealth and scent fanatics,it makes even less noise than walkingand puts out no telltale fumes.

The Bottom Line

Depending upon what part of the

country we hunt all callers need goodreliable transport to ensure maximumsuccess. e vehicles made available bymodern industry are both useful andvaried. In order for the caller to realizehis full potential in the field, and reapan ever more productive fur harvest, heis best served not only a battery of spe-cialized firearms but also by specializedmobility.

2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 | P R E D A T O R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 27

[ THEMOBILE HUNTERS TRIAD ]

A mountain bike is one of the best all-around tools for a predatorhunter that has to cover lots of terrrain. Sometimes it is the onlyoption in areas where motorized vehicles are not allowed.


28/76

TintheCalling



29/76

hick Stuff

T

he ideal predator calling setup comprisesa well-concealed shooter overlooking abroad expanse of open ground with thewind and sun in his favor. Any dog re-sponding to the call can be seen from far

off as it comes in and the shooter has the luxury of wait-ing until his target holds up for a nice stationary shot.Ive watched this scenario played out many times onpredator calling videos. e shooter waits with his riflebalanced in his cross-sticks and his shotgun at his side.Most of the time the shotgun is only used if the predatorhunter has time to make the switch. It makes for enter-taining and sometimes exciting viewing and a lot canbe learned about tactics and shot decisions. ese shotsare seldom misses. When misses are shown it usuallyinvolves a far different situation. e predator comes infrom an unexpected angle, surprises the caller, never

leaves thick cover, or rushes by. A clean shot opportu-nity never presents itself. e caller makes a rushed shotand oen misses. In most of the country I call, the latersituation is usually the norm.

ick cover and heavy foliage dramatically increasethe chances for a lost predator. Such areas can be avoidedbut if that is where the coyotes are then that is where youhave to call them. Sagebrush, tall grass and thick under-growth force new tactics and different shooting styles.

I am reminded of one situation that occurred not longago. My partner and I were hunting unfamiliar private

land near Black Kettle WMA in western Oklahoma.We came upon a broad and low river valley with highground overlooking sand lovegrass a couple of hundred

yards from the river. Higher, more open ground rose ata steeper angle from the opposite bank. e land wasfull of young, lightly hunted coyoteseasy marks forcalling efforts. We set up near a cluster of small locusttrees. I found a low position at the base of the trees and

did the calling while my partner set up among the treeson higher ground. I was not carrying a shotgun butrather an unfamiliar AR. I was really more interested inmy partner getting the shot. I sat there calling with therifle wedged between my knees blowing on a howler/barker. A young coyote suddenly ran headlong into menot stopping until he was no more than a foot or twoaway. Before I could get the AR into position and thesafety off, he was gone. My partner never saw him untilaer my futile shot attempt. We could only joke aboutme getting caught with my pants down. e problem isthat unless different strategies are used this will happen

over and over. It can get frustrating and a lot of coyotesare getting a good education.

The Set-UpCalling from an elevated site will at least help the huntersee a predator approaching. A caller doesnt have to bereal high but high enough to be looking down on coverrather than through it. I have a portable stool that willget my bottom off the ground by at least a foot or so.is is important on flat open ground of tall grass. Ob-viously the caller is exposing himself so good camo and

tall background cover is an aid. I like to position my-self with even a small tree or slope behind my callingposition or have taller cover in front of me as long as

TACTICS FOR HUNTI NG IN THE JU NGLE BR USH

RANDY D. SMITH



30/76

it doesnt obscure my shooting angles,and I try to use anything that will breakup my outline.

I watch for well-used game trailswhenever possible. Coyotes will ha-bitually follow those trails rather than

break through tall grass. ey will not

try to break through thick brush thatmight entangle them. ey like to moveswily and see where they are going. IfI am using an electronic call, Ill place itnear, above, or right on the game trail.If I have a decoy I will place it where it

can be seen from the game trail upon

approach. If an open area of low coveris near Ill place the call or set up so thatI can get a shot opportunity there andconcentrate on the game trails that leadinto the open ground.

Gun ManagementI nearly always carry both a shotgunand a rifle when I am calling and I al-ways call with the shotgun in my handsand the rifle at my side usually wedgedin cross-sticks. It is a tactical mistakein thick country to do it the other wayround. You nearly always have time toswitch to the rifle for longer shots or atpredators that have hung up but grab-bing for a shotgun and getting a rifleout of the way when a predator sur-prises you is nearly impossible. I carrya shotgun set up differently than mostdo. I have an Aimpro Predator pumpaction shotgun customized from atwelve gauge 590 A1 Mossberg. It hasa 1.5-4X-circle reticle shotgun scopethat is always set on the lowest magni-fication level. Red dot and tactical elec-tronic sights also work well. I prefer theMy primary shooting rig for heavy grass and brush areas in this 12-gauge Aimpro Predator pump

shotgun with a Bushnell 1-4X circle reticle scope. The 3-inch magnum Winchester Coyote loadsteamed with an extra full choke allow for a credible killing range of 60-70 yards.

I prefer to set my electronic call in open areaswhen possible to draw a predator out of cover.

If this is not possible I look for established gametrails as most coyotes will usually follow them.


[ CALLING INTHE THICK STUFF]


31/76

circle reticle scope for quick shots andhave never felt hampered by it and thebatteries never go dead on a scope. isshotgun is equipped with an extra fullchoke and loaded with 3-inch magnumWinchester Coyote loads since #4 buck

and 00 buck is illegal in Oklahoma.is gun is very versatile and lethalout to sixty or seventy yards with thisload yet there is still enough spread inthe pattern for quick shot resolutionsat close range. If I am calling in heavysagebrush or plum thickets the shot-gun is sometimes the only gun I carryas there is seldom a credible long rangeshot opportunity anyway. I focus theshot attempt on the predators head ifpossible with both eyes open to keepmy bearings on the target in relation tothe background. In low light it is easyto become disoriented if you take youreyes off the target.

Tight shot patterns shoot throughbrush or tall grass much better thanrifle bullets do. Aer taking my shotI always try to concentrate on the tar-get to see if it is going down or movingoff. e same tactic should be used if

you have a rifle. At longer ranges a sec-ond round is good insurance if thereis doubt that enough shot reached themark. Coyotes seldom go down froma shotgun hit like they do from a riflehit unless the shot is closer than thirtyyards. ey will spin or stagger giving

the shooter time for a second, morelethal hit. If the predator goes downI always approach or track it with theshotgun at the ready rather than a rifle.Marginally hit predators will bolt fromcover at close range and a shotgun is

more likely to bring them down.

Calling StrategiesWhen I call in thick cover, whetherwith a hand call or electronic call, Igo with very so calls at first. Preda-tors, especially if you have made a

I often use this inexpensive folding stoolwhen calling over flat areas in heavy grass orbrush. It gives me just enough elevation to seeapproaching predators before they are right ontop of me. The .243 Ruger American rifle is heldin reserve for hung up dogs at longer ranges.

Even a slight elevation rise can prove a definiteadvantage when calling heavy cover. The

higher you can get with the least exposure is a

definite advantage in heavy cover.

Coyote taken in thick cedar woods with a scoped 30-30 Marlin.While not generally considered a good calling round, a .30-30 leveraction rifle is deadly and usually produces minimal hide damage.




32/76

stealthy approach to your calling site,are oen very close. Whether or notyou announce yourself with an open-ing howl involves more of a gut feel-ing than anything else. I will howl inmore open country but dont very of-ten in extremely thick cover. If the sea-son is right and coyotes are talkative Imight try aggressive challenge barksbut generally I stick to estrus calls anddistress cries for thick cover. On the

hunt described earlier there were sev-eral young, aggressive coyotes in thefield. I had a lot of good responses fromshort barks and challenge cries frommy mouth calls. In cold weather whencoyotes are hungry Ill stick to distresscalls. If aer five minutes or so I do nothave a response, I will increase the vol-ume to try to cover longer distances. IfI suspect or see a predator approach-ing I will decrease the volume or stop

calling altogether. Coyotes have goodhearing and will usually approach theoriginal sound source location even if

it isnt playing.Call longer and soer than you

would over more open ground. I oencall the thick stuff for thirty minutesand carefully watch the fringes for warypredators. Bobcats also prefer thickcountry and they respond better to lon-ger calling times. I call continuously forbobcats lowering the volume as the catapproaches.

If you have a clear, good shot oppor-

tunity on open ground with tall covercloser to your position take the shot atlonger range. Experience has taught meto take a good open-ground shot ratherthan trying to lure a predator closerthrough thick cover. e closer a pred-ator gets the more likely he will makeout the caller and the easier he canwithdraw without you having a shot.Try vocal barks, yips, or even a heyyou to stop the predator for an open

ground set shot. I very seldom havetime to switch to a hand call to barkthem to a stop unless the ground is very

open. is scenario calls for the rifle. Ifthe dog keeps on coming through openground and back into cover withoutstopping switch back to the shotgunand wait him out.

Finally, work in and out of your call-ing site as quietly as possible. You justmight flush a predator passing in thearea. Again, I carry the shotgun andsling the rifle for approaches and with-drawals. I sling my electronic call and

my chair so that I have both hands freewhile moving. I avoid approaches thatwill take me through thick brush thatmight tear at my equipment, or createunnecessary commotion. e first placeI always look when Ive finished call-ing is directly behind. I cant rememberhow many times a coyote was standingbehind me when I finished my calling.

When moving from one calling site to another it is good practice to sling your rifle and haveyour shotgun in hand. Predators occasionally flush from cover during such transitions and ashotgun is better for quick response shots before the animal in lost in thick brush.




33/76

Get your hands on North Americas

first and foremost whitetail

magazine today!

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

ch issue of Deer & Deer Hunting Northmericas first and foremost whitetail authority ings you the must-know details you need, fromer behavior to rut predictions.

Expert hunting tips, techniques and strategies

Special big buck hunting sections

Deer management insight and research

And so much more!

r & Deer Hunting may include an occasional special, combined, or expanded issue thatcount as two issues. In Canada, add $11 (includes GST/HST). Outside the U.S. and

ada, add $19. Outside the U.S. please remit payment in U.S. funds with order. Pleasew 4-6 weeks for first issue delivery. Annual newsstand rate $58.89

subscribe.deeranddeerhunting.com

Call 800-250-9159, offer A5FDFA

or mail orders to:Subscription Processing,

P.O. Box 421751, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1751

12 ISSUESFOR$19.99

*Subscription price as of 5/31/15.Subject to change.

SAVE 66% OFF THE NEWSSTAND PRICE!


34/76

HuntingPredator

on a Budget



35/76

N

ew stuff is great and nothing beats ashiny new rifle. But a new shootin ironis not always possible. With the ris-ing popularity of predator hunting andmore hunters becoming interested I de-

cided to see if I could put together an economy outfit. Atrue predator-hunting rig that could tune the song dogsbut leave enough cash for the other bills as well.

Parameters

With economy in mind I decided to be open to any typeof actionbe it single, lever or bolt. All would be ac-ceptable if the rifle was in decent condition and useda capable cartridge. Speaking of cartridges I set mysights on a .22 centerfire and not necessarily the currentmarket darling either. Along with the rifle, an accurate

scope would be needed which hopefully the rifle would

be equipped with otherwise this would be an addedexpense. Any well-rounded predator-hunting outfit re-quires a shotgun and I expected this part of the searchwould be the least diffi cult or so I thought. e low costrule made used firearms the only choice and I would try

to complete the rig with all the additional equipment Icould find or scrounge.

Bore Size

e starting point for this experiment was the rifle/scope combination. A used varmint rifle today oencomes down to either a .223 or .22/250 along with thehot .17 and .204 calibers. But I approached the searchwith little concern about whats popular and more aboutprice. e dealers used racks had plenty of choices but Ifound most a tad too pricy. Being on budget doesnt al-

low for much wiggle room and very few rifles met all the

NEW IS NIC E BUT USED IS SOMETI MES THE ONLY OPTION

CARY RIDEOUTPHOTOS BY LORAIN EBBETT-RIDEOUT



36/76

criteria. A Ruger Model 77 in .22/250was a possibility but slipped by as did aRemington 788 in .222. Actually I shotthe Remington several times and theold Bushnell 4X did a fine job aer 40odd years of knocks. e owner how-

ever was unwilling to drop the price

for my research purposes so the searchcontinued.

One rifle I briefly considered was aModel 70 Winchester in the classic .220Swi. e Swi is a legendary cartridgethat set the shooting world on its ear

when it was first offered. With breath-

taking accuracy and a muzzle velocityof 4,000 fps it still ranks as a predatorround worth considering. But speedlike that couldnt help but result in peltdamage so I wasnt interested. Little didI know that .220 Swi would play a part

in my varmint outfit later.

History LessonsIt took much longer to run down a riflethan I expected and aer multiple dis-appointments I fell back on the bestsearch engine ever: WOM, as in wordof mouth! Its amazing how the firearmscommunity works. All you have to do isput out the call and pretty soon some-ones trying to sell you just want youneed. But instead of a stranger it turnedout a local dealer contacted me and Ihustled over to view his offering.

Sitting on the store counter in afrayed ratty old case with a broken zip-per was a rifle. We talked a while and fi-nally he pulled the scoped rifle out andhanded it over. I recognized the SavageModel 340 right away and checked thebarrel markings expecting either .22Hornet or .222 but it was stamped .225Win! Never heard of that one I told the

trader who proceeded to educate mewith a detailed explanation includingvisual materials.

To round out the Savage 340 rifle, the author picked up a well-worn Mossberg500, a classic pump shotgun that could shuck shells faster than grease lightning.


[ PREDATOR HUNTINGON A BUDGET]


37/76

On paper it was pretty much a .22/250Remington with very close ballisticsexcept it had been out of production fordecades. Hmmm. When questioned onammo availability he pulled out a worncardboard with an antique looking Lee

Loader plus powder, primers and bul-lets. He also had four full boxes of Win-chester factory 55-grain PSP ammoplus another of unprimed rounds toboot. I really didnt know much aboutthe Savage 340 itself but once the dealermade it clear the whole works was go-ing home with me we quickly agreedon a price: about what the rifle cost in1970! I asked him to keep an eye out formore ammo and he has since locatedadditional ammo. Having a good rela-tionship with a friendly dealer is vitalfor anyone that is a hunter and work-ing with a local neighbor is better inmy experience then a voice on the tele-

phone or email any day. As an interest-ing aside the Savage was a 340V whichwas the Varmint model and a true hide-hunters gun.

On Closer Examination

e scope proved to be a Bushnell 1.75-5x20 mounted on a set of Weaver 11H1-inch rings sidesaddle style. I contem-plated replacing it but since I was go-ing economy it had to stay. e scopeproved a straight shooter able to placelead into a coyotes vital at 150-200yards. For the woods/farm countryshooting I do this is acceptable. eladder and post iron sights provideclose range back up. e rifle feedsfrom a 3-round detachable clip and asecond spare was in the old gun case.Lock up is tight and the rifling whileused is still in good condition. estock has the marks of rough usage and

I doubt it has ever seen any attention inthe way of linseed oil. Action wise itsnever jammed up and while the offsetscope mount isnt too attractive but it issolid, and once properly screwed downthe rifles accuracy is fine for the field.

Up Close ArsenalBesides a long-range option I wanted ashotgun for those sneaky varmints whodri up close enough to count theireyelashes. A shotgun is the ticket herebut I wanted to see how low I could goin keeping with the project. Once againthe local hunting community came tothe rescue with a contact. An elderlyhunter was selling off a Mossberg 500.Now to say it was battered wouldvebeen a compliment. Not a speck ofstain in the stock and the faintest ofmemories of bluing. e barrel lackeda front bead and the action practically

The Savage 340 in .225 Winchester with a Bushnell 1.75-5x20scope. The author bought it for what it sold brand new in 1970.

2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 | P R E D A T O R H U N T I N G Magaz ine | 37



38/76

worked itself. It turned out the decadesold pump gun was his rough weatherspecial but aer he told me price I dugout my wallet.

Once I got home I broke down therough weather special. It was a stan-

dard Model 500 with a 3-inch chamber(on the plus side) and a 30-inch modi-fied barrel (not on the plus side) thatwas pocked inside and out.

Remember that loose action? WellI have never handled a faster work-ing pump or lever in my life. e darnthing is like lighting with a broken infeel thats tough to describe. It just slamshome the bolt, fires, ejects and reloadslike a corn shucker. e next step wasto load up for fur. I knew that buckshotor heavy non-toxic shot is the recom-mended round for coyotes but in keep-ing with my budget I checked aroundfor other options.

At one time I remember every shot

Although the author got a good deal on a rifle in an obscure caliber, eventually hewould have to reload cartridges to keep up a supply of ammo and keep costs down.




39/76

shell ammo box listed BB as fox loads.Well I wondered if this recommenda-tion still worked. I purchased a box oflead BBs in 3-inch magnum. While pat-terning the load, I expected to see gapsbut at 25 yards it ripped up a test paper

with authority. Pacing back to 35 yardsthe aim point still had decent multiplehits with a decidedly non-modified pat-tern. For varmint work tight chokes aresupposed to be the best but at least inthis old pump the more open constric-tion seems to print very well. It shootstight and a dozen or more lead BBs inthe breathing apparatus of any predatorwill make it game over.

Squeaks, Squawks And SquealsOnce I had the rifle/shotgun combolooked aer it was time to call em up.As luck would have it an uncle of minehad mentioned an old coyote call andI was able to get my hands on it. AScotch Model 1503 Varmint Call circa1970s. e long rubber bellows is at-tached to a hardwood throat and thewhole apparatus is 12 inches. Talk aboutretro! Using this is a serious interactiveexperience but the darn thing is pretty

good at producing a decent series ofsounds. Volume is really good and as abonus it doesnt take two hands to oper-ate. Aer a little experimenting I foundit possible to work from various posi-tions even hanging from a shirt pocketand merely nudging it. I like the big bel-lows and can get the artillery in actioneven as it continues to squeal drawing

the curious predator closer. While thereare countless modern choices in var-mint calls this classic fits nicely in withthe low budget varmint rig.

Clothes Make The Man

Hunters today have the greatest selec-tion of duds imaginable that wick mois-ture away and keep you toasty dry. Butlike most outdoors folk I wear someragged looking clothes. Stained tornand faded are the watchwords of mywardrobe. Aer studying what the wishbooks offered I wondered about maybefudging a bit on my low budget rule.en while mall crawling one day with

my wife, she beckoned me over andheld up a nice camo jacket. It was tooexpensive I said, and then she turnedthe price tag over. e coat was $15 andinsulted AND a decent forest pattern toboot. Turned out it was knock-off but

heck it was $15 and all it lacked wasa zipper tab. I quickly found the storemanager and asked if it was priced cor-rectly. She confirmed it and I made forthe checkout. For a facemask I pickedup a thin mosquito head net and a cou-ple pairs of cotton camo gloves at thefeed store and completed a simple low-priced predator hunting outfit.

ABOUT THE .225 WINIn 1964 the varmint-hunting world was awash in wildcatcartridges and the big gun makers noticed. Winchester hadits .220 Swift in the Model 70 frame but this fine roundwas already 30 years old and the company was castingabout for an updated offering. Over at Remington thelong awaited release of a wildcat round, the .22/250, wassure to be a hit. So Winchester put its own world-beatertogether. But unlike the scorching wildcat Big Ws roundwas based on a different premise. Winchester took theDonaldson .219 Wasp and its own .219 Zipper to producea balanced more than capable varmint round. Rimmed

and looking like a necked down .30WCF the new roundwas called the .225 Winchester. Rather than try to out run

the speedy Remington round, the .225 Win offered a wisecombination of useable power, a round that maintains itvelocity and had excellent reloading qualities. But as weall know the .22/250 had a long head start with legionsof wildcatters familiar with the round and a slight edge inspeed at the muzzle. With only a couple rifles (Winchester70-670/ Savage 340) and Winchester as the sole ammuni-tion maker, the .225 drifted for a decade. Eventually rifleproduction ceased but the round hung on with enthusiastskeeping its name from completely disappearing. As a roundthat never received its due and one that actually makes the

grade, the .225 Win is worth a look for any predator hunterwhether they are on a budget or not.

The floppy Scotch Model 1503 varmint call from the

1970s. Keep an eye out for old predator calls as theystill work in the field but also for their historical value.




40/76

Post-Season Conclusions

Of course no experiment yields 100 percent satisfactory re-sults. It is diffi cult to find ammo for the .225 Win so reloading

is a must. While I never intend to load the round to the max,I am not sure the Savage would be up to the repeated pound-ings anyway. e pointed so point 55-grain bullets that camewith the rifle are a bit fierce on fur pelts and I probably shouldlook at a .224 option that is gentler. Most of the reloading sup-pliers are now offering what are touted as fur-friendly rounds.But being a cheapskate I will likely wait until I reload all thebullets I have in stock now. A higher priced modern scopewould be a smart move as well but the Bushnell does whatIve asked of it so far. e dated Scotch bellows call produces auseful series of attracting squalls but it requires some practiceas any call does. It would likely get me laughed out of a stand

but it works. My rough weather Mossberg is a fine shooterwith the retro choice of lethal lead BBs. I have never checkedto see if it is safe with steel loads and if it becomes law forupland work in my area Ill just set it aside for a deserved rest.Final analysis? e tools are up to the task.

For the person willing to work at it a low cost predator hunt-ing rig that doesnt eat up the greenbacks in todays cash tightworld is possible. ere are some surprising choices once youbegin looking and it might just be a nice enough youll wantto keep. I know I am keeping mine.

As an experiment in spending, the author put together a budget-priced predator-hunting outfit and as this bobcat indictaes, itproves it doesnt take much to get into the predator hunting game.



www.deeranddeerhunting.com/

deer-hunting-magazines

Youll get the full issue with

live links to great hunting

resources online & have all

your issues in one, convenient

place with you all the time with

a digital subscription.

on the go with a


41/76

If youre serious about starting or

growing a business that involves reloading

ammunition, the CERTIFICATE OF BALLISTICS

AND RELOADING online course fromGun Digest

and Sonoran Desert Institute is for you.

Instruction from an accredited institutionGun Digestsproven reloading information

Access to a live instructor

A Hornady Lock-n-Load AP Reloading Press

All in a go-at-your-own-pace online format

Complete this online course from Gun Digestand Sonoran

Desert Institute, an accredited institution founded in 1921,

to grow your business opportunities by reloading

ammunition with authority. Use your certification to start

a business, secure a small business loan, stand out in the

market or to turn that hobby into a career.

ing or

es reloading

BALLISTICS

om Gun Digest

s for you.

institutioninformation

loading Press

nline format

gestand Sonorant

For

Serious

Reloaders

Only

LEARN MORE AT: GunDigest.com/get-certified


42/76

CallingCrows

the



43/76

Everyone is familiar with the old adage, curiositykilled the cat. Somehow I believe theyve pinnedthat moniker of the wrong critter. e reason Ivecome to this is because of what took place on myfront yard just days ago. Lets call it a little experi-

ment I cooked up to prove a point with a group of crows thatregularly cruise up and down my street. I set out full-bodyplastic crow decoys in my front yard next to busy street traffi c.Back inside the house I sat at my offi ce window watching andwaiting but not for long.

Five minutes later the decoys got the crows attention. atswhere their endless curiosity kicks in. Four birds swung overthe lawn making a quick U-turn before dropping down to agentle landing two feet from their plastic cousins. ey eyedtheir artificial brethren to see what they were doing that wasso interesting. It only took a few seconds for the four to realizetheir new pals were frauds and they vaulted back up into theair. But Id proven a point conclusively. e unbridled curios-ity of crows is something they cannot resist and any would-becrow hunter can capitalize on it. ese birds are smarter thanany other American game bird but they can be outfoxed.

Almost all first time shooters and a good deal of veteranhunters crow hunt by passing shooting birds as they movearound each day. However, using crow decoys is a more suc-cessful and more exciting way to hunt these very same fliers.Youll get more shooting, get it at birds in closer for surer killsand have the satisfaction of bringing birds to your decoy setsand your calling skills.

DecoysOne of the most important things never pointed out aboutcrow decoying is that you dont need the huge spreads thatwaterfowl hunters use for ducks and geese. Ten or twelve

full-body crow decoys will pull in live flocks many timestheir number. I like to place mine three to four feet apart andspread them out in a feeding pattern, facing them in differ-ent directions as live birds do when foraging. e clincher tosmall numbers like this is by adding one or two flying decoys.

e Motto Crow, is a ground-staked decoy with wings thatactually flap and adds life-like movement that increases thedrawing power of your field sets. Another winged decoy isthe SilloSocks brand, which is a fabric stretched over a frameand staked on a tall pole. A third option to add power to yourfield sets is that standard full-body plastic decoys oen have

a small hook in the back so they be suspended on tree limbsor wires. ese appear like live birds that have landed and areinspecting their pals below. eir drawing power comes be-

IT S LIK E COYOTE HUNTI NG

EXCE PT YOUR TARG ET HAS

WINGS.

ART ISBERG



44/76

cause they are elevated and can be seen over long distanceswhere field decoys might be missed because of obscuringground cover. ese three simple additions to standard fieldsets give you a real edge on wary birds.

CallingCrows have quite literally dozens of different calls in their for-midable vocabulary from outright calling to squawks, hails,groans and cries. Yet no would be crow caller needs to learndozens of different calls or when to use them if he or she justconcentrates on four or five basic calling sounds. ere are

two ways to achieve these: mouth calls and electronic calls.

Mouth Callsink of your calling in three simple phases and all this ismore easily understood. First is the hail call, when youre try-ing to get distant birds to notice your decoys. e call is blownat the loudest volume with a two second break between eachcall. It sounds like: CawCawCawwww! You can continueto use this call until birds start to swing your way. If they turnoff at some point, go back to it.

Second is the over-here call, aer the crows swing your

way and come closer. is is blown at medium volume. elast note in each call is blown at a lower pitch like: CAwwCawwCaww. Wait several second between each three-note

delivery and watch to see if the birds are continuing towardyou. Should you hear them calling back which they of ten do,you know your calls are solid.

e third is the all-is-well call or what some call the feedingcall. is is blown with the least volume as birds close in. Its ashorter yet more exited call that is blown with a faster tempoin two parts: Caw-Cawwww, Caw-Cawwww, Caw-Cawww.Once the birds are in shooting range, stop calling and tend tobusiness. Youve done your job. Dont overdue it. Master thesecorrectly and you will be calling crows convincingly.

Electronic CallsFor the hunter uninterested in becoming a virtuoso withmouth calls, electronic callers will do all the work for youbut at a higher price. ese calls offer some real advantages.Not only do they have a much larger selection of calls, butalso most of them cannot be matched with mouth calls. Suchchoices as crows-in-distress, crow-fighting-owl, crows-gath-ering, crow-death-cry, and hawk-attack are just a few of doz-ens available. Choices like that can bring in crows that haveeither been called before or even shot over. Starting, stopping,changing calls is achieved by a simple push on a remote con-

trol keypad. at also means no hand movement that mightgive you away when using mouth calls. ese calls can also beset to run non-stop as crows mill around decoys so you can

Crow decoys on the ground will make up your mainspread but also attach some to tree branches and otherelevated perches for a more realistic draw.


[ CALLING THE CROWS ]


45/76

concentrate on shooting and not calling.Speaker location is also important. I like to place mine well

away from my blind off to one side of my decoys. is keepsthe birds attention on that spot and not me.

More expensive calling units now offer dual speakers fora surround-sound effect and optimum volume for reaching

out to distant birds. ese big calls run on battery packs andits wise to keep a spare in your pack while afield. Cold winterweather can sap battery power by almost half with extendedplay, so you always want a back up handy. Carrying weightfor most electronic calls is about three pounds and are easilyhandled in the field.

About RoostsAt days end, crows wing in from all points of the compassgathering in roosts to spend the night. eir raucous callingat these times can be easily heard a mile away. With so manybirds flying into one spot its tempting to shoot roosting sites.Dont do it. Shooting here will only scatter birds and youllhave to start all over again to find new areas theyll frequent.You can capitalize on shooting both pass and decoying if youset up several miles away along the sky paths birds take bothgoing to and from roosting sites at each end of the day. Crowsare birds of habit. ey will follow these routes each day. esmart way to hunt them is to shoot one area for a day or twothen rest if for four or five days before going back. Rotateshooting areas by having several you can move to. ats thesmart way to handle roosting areas.

Timing TipsI learned a long time ago the daily movement and timetableof crows is something well worth understanding for steadyshooting. Any dedicated waterfowl hunter is the perfect can-didate for crow hunting. Why? Because crows use the sameexact schedule as ducks and geese. eyre up flying out ofroosts at first light and make their final fli

Documents

Predator Hunting - Winter 2015-2016