By John E. Phillips
Many predator hunters fail to see, get a shot at and/or take predators, even if they’re world-championship predator callers if they’re set up wrong. Here are some set-up mistakes that several of the nation’s best predator hunters don’t want you to overlook.
Gary Roberson of Menard, Texas, with Burnham Brothers:
Predator hunters often:
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Don't see coyotes they've called in to setups because of the sites where they’ve set up. I set up above the area I want to call, and if I'm hunting in the South, I call to clear-cuts or grass fields where I can see the entire area.
- Don't identify virgin predator-hunting territory. In areas where coyotes, foxes and bobcats are hunted heavily, the aggressive animals have been so extensively harvested that only the less-aggressive coyotes are left to breed. Your chances of taking coyotes are much better when hunting areas that other predator hunters don't.
- Don't turn off their electronic callers periodically. I turn on my electronic caller, let it play for 20 or 30 seconds and then cut it off to sound more natural.
- Aren't conscious of scent lines. A hunter lays down a scent line going to his stand and also produces a scent stream while calling from his stand. Visually note where scent trails are located, and if the coyote heads for a scent trail, take the shot before the animal reaches that scent trail. For more information, visit www.burnhambrothers.com.
Bob Wozniak of Boston, NY, with Quaker Boy Calls:
A predator hunt may not:
- Use the terrain to his advantage to funnel predators to him. My very best setups are on the edges of wire fences the highway department has built to keep critters off highways. If I'm sitting beside a fence or a sheer rock bluff when a coyote, a fox or a bobcat comes to my calling, the animal will circle downwind of me and hit the immoveable object, which will force the predator to me.
- Keep back-up calls on hand. If you’re using mouth-blown calls in cold weather, the call may freeze up while the predator’s coming in.
- Have a large number of designated setup spots – 20 to 40 - since you won't find predators always in the same places. To learn more, go to www.quakerboygamecalls.com.
Allen Morris of Springville, Utah, with Hunter’s Specialties:
Hunters may make these mistakes and not:
- Leave their vehicles carefully. I sneak out of my pickup and move as quietly as possible until I reach my calling spot to not spook the predators I’m planning to call. I pretend a coyote is listening and looking for me.
- Realize they can't call in animals not there. Scout a region first, know from tracks, scat or fresh kills you’ve located that coyotes and/or other predators live there, and then call.
- Set up at multiple sites to take predators at various times during the day. Most predators feed at night or during the first two hours of daylight and then travel to their bedding places.
- Understand where their calling sounds go. Sound often travels downhill further than if hunters call uphill. Calls also ride the wind. Decide where you think the predators are holding, where your call will go, and where's the best place for you to set up to get your call to the predator. For more information, check out www.hunterspec.com.
Randy Anderson of Butte, Neb, with Primos Game Calls:
Sometimes a predator hunter doesn't:
- Consider the problems associated with setting up in the sun, including it’s glaring or flashing off your equipment. Instead, pick a shady spot with the sun to your back.
- Whistle or bark after spotting a coyote to stop it from running or walking away to get a good shot at a standing target.
- Become part of his surroundings by wearing camouflage and stacking brush around him to keep from being silhouetted.
- Wait enough time between calls. Rabbits don’t squall forever, so coyotes know that's not natural.
- Use more coyote vocalizations and less distress calls to bring in coyotes later in the season. Coyotes will be more skittish and call-shy in the late season, starting in January, so I use more coyote howls rather than predator calls. To learn more, visit www.primos.com.
Gerald Stewart of Waco, Texas, with Johnny Stewart Calls (now a division of Hunter’s Specialties)
I’ve found that a predator hunter may not:
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Hunt with the wind properly, by facing the wind, calling into the wind and constantly monitoring it. Make sure you always have a road or a wide-open space behind you so the predator must expose itself to get downwind of you. Set up so you can spot the predators before they smell you.
- Be familiar with his equipment and know where it is before he starts calling. Before calling with an electronic caller, make sure your equipment is easy to reach. I like to use a portable chair, so that I can sit for a long time without moving. I also keep my gear and my guns in the same places every time I hunt to enable me to reach my equipment without having to look.
- Check his riflescope at each setup before he starts to call. If I have my scope set to look at a coyote coming from far away and that coyote spooks or for some reason doesn't come in, I need to re-check my scope once I change locations, or, I may call-up a coyote at 30 yards and miss the shot. For more information, go to www.johnnystewart.com.
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