Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Trying to lean to call

Just some stuff from over the last few days

So took my lil fox pro out on my first stand today , read alot on calling watched alot on YouTube,And apparently making up a scenario with your calls is the best thing along with not too much volume and watching the wind so, found it little cross road type deal, pine plantation behind me cut overs to my 8 open field with dead piles to my 12, small pines with under brush to my 2 and a road coming out of another paster to my 3. No wind I could tell at all, and tucked myself under a pine with some small brush round me kinda in a shadow, sun setting on my 9. Placed my call in the middle of this little three way inter section like 30yd in front of me .
Ran the devil hare ,so it would sound like something caught and was killing a rabbit, for like 2-3min let it sit for about 4min then hit a grey fox distress , really foxy place ( actually caught my first grey about 200yd away) and figured a kill noise followed by a predator distress might trigger something so they go " hay someones hurt after food got caught, mabye I can get an easy meal ) ran that for a few minutes then killed it for about 10 and juut sat and watched. Nothing took the bait from what I could see so then I just ran a Cottontail distress for a bit because apparently running vocals just ain't what somone like me should be doing , though I think MFK would argue that lol. Also didn't want to just blast sounds for a hour straight because apparently that's a big no no too.
As usual though no dice , I've just accepted I'm either cursed or just pain bad at killing stuff
But figured I'd post this see if my set up and sequence was too far off or what have you.


Welp went out again this evening, with the hornet this time,found a little stretch probably 100yd long fence on one side under brush and cut over pine on the other , about 30' wide. Even found some fresh poop with bone and hair as I was walking up. Figured it looks like a good place for greys. Still confused a bit when it comes stop working the wind vs terrain features . There supposed to usually hit down wind of the call ,but I want to be down wind, but thin I'll be down wind of the call which is where their gonna come.... Then trying to work the terrain where I'm hidden in a shadow or have the sun at my back to blind them but also have it so they down walk up see me there and go " HAYYYYYY I NEED TO ATTACK THAT THING !"


Welp I prop up under a pine tree snuggle into the under brush a little and start my little call sequence , mainly just rabbit distresses. Nothing much at first, but about about 5min I get there crows come over and start circling losing there friggen minds , they did that for a minute or so till I guess they lost interest. Welp Iet it sit then hit a snowshoe hare distress because honestly it's the b st sounding one I think, and y'all just really eve get "that" feeling come over you that something just came into your area? Think Carlos Hathcock described it as his "bubble" but man I just felt like some was around me. Then a minute later I just hear some kinda racket off to my left . Something was moving back and forth,back and forth, like if you've ever hand one of those really aggressive ankles biter types corner a squirrel or something it was like that. Wouldn't never break cover and come out though. Was 20yd max just back and forth. After watching greys work though thickets that's what I figured it was but guess they finally saw my call sitting in the road and decided not to mess with it. Well now I'm just hyped because I got something interested and I'm looking at every dang shadow and blown leaf aaannnd nothing.
Now it's getting dark and I gotta lil walk so I'm getting ready to stand up and I see this little speck against the red clay , and again it's getting to to time of day where you eyes can play tricks on you a lil bit nope I'm seeing this lil , whatever getting bigger and it's cruising about 5' off the grounds and heading my direction, welp it goes over my call swoops up and lands in the branches of this pine a few feet over and above me. Well I ease my head over and it's some kinda lil hawk. Not real big maybe 2/3 the size of the read tails I've seen out here and he's just staring at my call. Now I'm trying to ease my back pack from b hing me so I can get my phone and take a snap of this little guy because "hay pretty bird" and right as I get it out and start to angle it , little fella takes on off
So as usual with me no kill but was a neat time in the woods .

When a hawk leaves sit tight. I've observed that they leave when a coyote or maybe in this case a fox approaches. If you are calling hawks, stuff is hearing you. That's a good thing. Keep up the good work.

You don't have to lean to call, you can sit upright...

Cheapest way to find what you need experience in is to locate some older Randy Anderson Coyote hunting dvd's. Save some gas and watch them for details. You should then realize those important factors as you go in the fielid. It may take several trips to start developing your style and remember what worked.

I would suggest you go to an area where no hunting is allowed, such as a State Park, and practice your technique there.

Those predators have not been hunted and should be easier to call in, plus, you can concentrate on watching and learning from their body language as they approach. Look at the direction they came from, and think why did they come from 'there' when 'over there' looks better to you? How was the wind?

Watch the wind!

Did that once and had about 30 boy scouts fan out and surround me in short order.

Keep it up, you’re not going to call something in on every set. 50% is good. Keep the wind right and keep trying more sets in different areas. Sounds like you’re on the right track.

I actually see results on about 10-15 % of the stands I make. I'd consider a 20% response to be a very good day.

But there's a ton of night hunting here now, and if anything day calling is getting kinda frustrating...

I've actually lost a lot of my calling sites as the farmers are buying rifles and thermal optics and hunting co-op style