Predator Call

For many years, I have considered carrying a camo net to throw over my truck when calling open, flat country.  A camo net would help hide my pickup and would reduce the distance that I would have to walk away from it when setting up to make a call.  In country where hunters or ranch hands shoot at coyotes from vehicles, coyotes become very shy of them. 

In stead of wresting with a huge camo netting, I have decided to camo my pickup in Mossy Oak Brush.  Mossy Oak Brush is the perfect camo pattern when calling open prairie country.  While reflection off of window glass may remain a problem, it is my hope the camo will be adequate to fool most critters, coyote calling will be the ultimate test. 

Last spring I was hunting bobcats with hounds near Dilley, Texas.  One of the gentlemen in attendance had a small flashlight (just over 4 inches long and an inch in diameter) that would shine down the sendero for at least 200 yards.  I wrote down the name of the light and when I got back to the office found that the company had several different models.  I looked through their catalog and found a tactical light powered by (3)AAA batteries and had a battery life of 136 hours.  They advertised the effective range to be over 700 feet which is perfect for a shooting light.In my opinion, a perfect shooting light is small, lightweight, should not have an external power source and can be easily attached or removed from a rifle.  If the tactical light was the perfect light, all that was needed was a means to attach it to your rifle or shotgun; a  sturdy mounting system that would allow the hunter to attach two round objects that are approximately 1″ in diameter to each other.  The finish of the mounting system should be such that it does not scratch any surfaces.  While we will continue to market the SL-18 Shooting Light for closer range shooting, we feel that the tactical light and bracket will be very popular with the night time predator caller.

See you outdoors,

Gary

“Are there common qualities that all good predator callers possess?”  I was asked this question  a couple of years ago and my first impulse was to answer “No” but after thinking about it, I must say that there are some things that all really good predator callers have in common.

They were all raised on farms and ranches and began hunting very early.   They continue to live in rural areas or where they can be hunting in a matter of minutes.

While they are proficient with handguns and shotguns, the weapon of choice is a bolt action rifle.  They are a little ”old fashioned” and have not joined the fad of semi-auto rifles.  They know it is patience and accuracy, not fire power that puts fur on the ground.

They are “hard headed” and most persistent.  They are confident that what they are doing will work.

When in the woods, they notice things that most hunters are not aware of.  They are good at tracking and reading sign. 

A good predator hunter avoid crowds if possible and enjoys hunting alone.

All really good predator hunters are good “dog” men.  They hunt predators or hogs with dogs.  I am not sure of the relationship other than “dog” men spend so many hours in the woods on a year round basis.

Predator hunting is a rapidly growing sport with many young hunters getting involved.  I am sure that the qualities of the hunter will change and that is a good thing for the hunter described above is a dying breed.   

See you outdoors, 

Gary

Got up early Saturday morning and took Jimmy and Lizzie out to see if we could find a coon or bobcat.  I noticed there was a slight breeze from the north and a nip in the air.  After loading the hounds, I drove past Menard National Bank and the time and temperature read 57 degrees. The dogs obviously enjoyed the cooler temperatures and hunted at a much faster pace.  As the sun broke over the horizon, I realized that my Tshirt was a little thin and had to run the heater in my pickup.  Scenting conditions were great as the cooler air and moisture helped hold the scent on the grass.  I treed 5 coons but did not see a bobcat track.  The cool mornings are a sign of the things to come.  In a month I will start calling for critters rather than chasing them with my hounds.  I will dust off my varmint calls, check my rifle for zero and get ready for another season. 

See you outdoors,

Gary