My predator calling mentor told me that you only see about half the 'cats that come to your call, they just don't take the bait and back off without you ever seeing them. He also thought that you needed to let a good piece of 'cat cover rest at least a week between sets to avoid educating them too much.
I have my most success calling 'cats in tight cover where the is a creek running through the cover. That allows me to set up the decoy and caller on one side of the creek and hide myself on the other side. I think that the physical obstacle between me and the decoy makes the 'cats feel more comfortable. My primary 'cat calling rifle for tight cover is a Remington 597 in .22 MAG shooting 33 grain plastic tipped bullets. Good penetration in, but not out,, good expansion, and 100% energy dump inside the body.
I find that calling 'cats has a lot in common with turkey hunting.
