Don’t Make a Marginal Call

October 23, 2008

“Don’t make a marginal call” is easier to preach than to practice.  It is my experience that it is difficult to kill a coyote on a marginal stand.  “Okay so the sun is going to be in my eyes a little” or ”I do not see any sign but that sure is a pretty place to make a call” are some of the statements I have made before wasting my time on a marginal stand.  Experience has taught me that it is not the number of stands that you make in a day that will determine how many critters you kill rather the number of good stands you make.  I would rather make only five good calls in one day than to make 15 marginal stands a day.

The characteristics of a good stand or call are to call where predators are present.  This is determined by sign, tracks or scat.  You should never call from a stand where visibility is poor or the wind is questionable.  Many times I have attempted to make calls where I had everything in place except a little cover to hide the hunter.  In most every situation the approaching predator detected my presence and escaped.  By using an electronic caller with remote capabilities and a rabbit decoy or Stick Tease I have managed to get away with less cover.   

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