The cooler Temps of late fall have me thinking of doing some predator hunting.
With my son out of the house and living a couple hours away, I've been reminiscing about some of our successes of the past.
Hopefully I can put together a few trips in the coming months.
Anyone else here enjoy predator hunting?
Damn we had fun...



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Nice!

It's getting about that time!

One day I'd like to call in and shoot my first coyote!

There is nothing better than the look on a yotes face when they realize they [bleep] up.

I'd be interested if a few of them came in every stand and stood broadside so i could shoot them.

That is some beautiful country in the backdrop.

I'd like to get a bobcat at some point, but probably never will.

I kill every yote I can.

I'd assume it's the Alturas hayfield photo you're referring to.

Those are smart, heavily hunted coyotes.
Down here in the Bay Are there's very little hunting pressure from these tofu eating liberals..🤣 ...they almost ask you to shoot them...

Awesome pics. Awesome memories, too, I'm sure. Nothing better than getting out there with family.

My kids are all still young enough to be at home, but I can also see the not too distant future wherein they'll be off on their own.

Nice goin' but ... I don't see how y'all can stand there holding those yotes without a scarf over your nose and mouth. Stinkinest' animals this side of hell around here. I have to sanitize and disinfect the back of the truck everytime we toss a few back there to collect pelt bounties.

Y'all must have those boutique yotes out there ... those smell-good yotes. I've gotten where I take nitrite gloves to even work'em after we down'em, they stink so bad, I don't want my hands or leather gloves polluted.

Nice, congrats on what appears to have been a great hunt

I really enjoy coyote calling. A friend is a fanatic caller and highly successful at it. I’ve joined him in some calling contests. But I prefer non contest calling.

Very nice .... good hunters.

I'm not above taking the occasional coyote when the opportunity arises, but when the vermin population booms, I leave the 'yotes alone.
I despise the rat, mouse and rabbit explosions.
I set a game feeder in my chicken pen to scatter scratch grains early in the morning. The feeder went off and about 30 rats came out to feast on the grain!

I just don't shoot bobcats. They be's bootiful!

Thanks for bringing up those pics Sal. You shared with us many adventures of you and your son over the years and it looks like you two made the most of that time.

The older I get, the more I look back and appreciate the time spent doing whatever with my kids, who are now grown. I look back at times and wish I could turn back the clock, but it just keeps moving forward.

Looks like a lot of fun and memories made. I have plans to try and call in a couple of bobcats when the deer season closes here in Jan. Gonna include it into a squirrel hunt or two with some buddy’s.

That’s what I was thinking!! I bet they’re just as dead laying on the ground!

Sal great pictures. I may be doing some coyote hunting next week as my duck hunting spots got no ducks or are already frozen over.

Just how far are you willing to back up, Barry?

I need someone to show me the ropes, please.
I'd like to take up the sport.

I can show you how, Mark.

Just don't use a .22/250, it has way too much recoil!!!

Some of my best hunts are predator calling trips with my dad and my son. Around here after the general firearms deer season ends the woods are empty. At that time in the big woods I hunt I can walk all day across the country and never hear a man made sound. The winter weather is cold and crisp, the woods bare and silent. And then you start the squalling and crying... the sound and sight of a coyote running through the dry leaves charging in to ambush the hapless critter it hears in trouble or the sight of a bobcat slipping in through the snow are sights only a few dedicated predator hunters know. Makes for some special memories.

With an Air gun!

LOL ! ! !

Shot a nice plush fall yote hear on the farm 20 years ago. Put in the freezer. Stopped by the one active local taxidermist. Asked him how much for a full mount m? And lead time?

His response was that he would take it in. Put it in the bottom of the freezer. And after he had finished every other mount, he would think about starting on the yote…

While I was looking for another taxidermist, we had a power outage and the freezer started to defrost. Decided to pull the yote out and do a DIY Euro mount. Got the skull skinned out and put it on the side burner of the grill to boil. Had to add water to the pot several times. About puked every time I got close enough to add water.

I did eventually get the skull boiled clean. However fully understood why the taxidermist did not want to deal with a dead yote.

I've never considered them to be overly obnoxious unless you pop the guts while skinning but with case skinning it's never much of an issue.
I think cold weather might help too.

I've never considered them to be overly obnoxious unless you pop the guts while skinning but with case skinning it's never much of an issue.
I big bullet hole through the digestive cavity could certainly increase stinkage.
I think cold weather might help control stink too.

I'd like to give it a try, too.

Maybe get someone to show me the ropes, give advice on rifle calibers, bullets, etc.

Ed

New predator hunters always get hung up on the wrong things. The caliber, rifle, camo, calls/caller, ect. don't matter all that much. What does matter is finding predators and learning how to make a stand with the wind direction as a factor that sets the responding predator up in a situation where you can actually kill it.

It is indeed that time of year. Just sucks that the fur market is in the tank and gas prices high. Going to cost me to hunt em, but I guess we've been spoiled the last several years but probably fewer guys out calling with things like they are. Someone gotta do it....might as well be me.

Absolutely 💯

The cougar hunting at Dad's Lounge on Murfreesboro Road used to be pretty good- - - - -haven't tried it out lately!

Why do you need them to stand broadside? Worried about ruining meat? Frontal shot, up the ass hole, quartering to or away, its all the same. Its a coyote. Just let the lead fly

C'mon down!!!

My 220's must be brutal, then!

Just for the record, it's "Wile E. Coyote".

Spelling Nazi

I think some very accomplished callers are pulling some legs in this thread.

Must be Ed.

Ed;
Good afternoon my old friend, I trust that other than needing something new to hunt and be shown how to do it that you're all well.

In all seriousness, I'm sure that our journey back in the day wasn't that unusual in that there was no ether webs and only the occasional magazine article. While I guess calls were "a thing" stateside in some areas, we - a hunting partner and I - were considered at minimum half a bubble off plumb for wanting to do that. I mean everyone else just drove around in their pickup and shot them, so what was our issue?

There might have been snow camo to buy too, but if there was it was beyond our budget in those days of the late '80's as all our "extra" money was going to interest payments on the houses we'd both bought. Remember 15% - 19% interest back when? I know you do my friend. We made our own snow camo and began to learn to speak coyote by much trial and even more error. Frequent error as I recall now Ed...

Anyways in the fullness of time, we decided that .270's and .308 Norma Mags weren't the best coyote rigs because Harry the local trapper didn't like to give us anything for them with the holes which resulted.

Somehow along the way we'd become further ahead on the house payments as buddy got a B78 in .25-06 and being me I put together a .22-250AI on one of the Mauser actions in the safe. By the way, while it did work and still does, I heartily DO NOT recommend anyone build a .22-250AI on a 98 action unless they're looking to learn patience and learn it quickly so to speak.

Here's what a really young me looked like with said homemade snow camo and reworked 98 in a much modified Model 70 stock but it's got a Douglas Premium Air Gauge Match barrel on it! From the good folks at IT&D in Ohio no less, back when Canucks could order such subversive items across the medicine line and no one thought we were attempting some sort of coup.



Funny too that while we did manage to shoot a bunch of dogs back then we didn't take many photos of them or us dog hunting. Likely film development costs or something like that? Again dinosaur problems I suppose.

There's a young fellow who moved in across the gully a couple years back who I've managed to talk into getting into hunting. He and I went out a couple times last winter calling, which was a first for me for at least a decade and my goodness was it ever fun to get out again.

All the best to you all down south Ed and good luck on your remaining hunts, coyote and otherwise.

Dwayne

Dwayne,
It's always a blessing to hear from you.

I have to confess, I AM pulling some legs here.

Killing predators is what I do for a living now. I only took 210 of them last year, so I figured I'd play ignorant (really not playing... :D) and see what I could learn from some of the experts here.

I never stop learning, and even the rankest rookie can teach us "old guys" something. There is no shortage of coyotes around here to practice on, either.

I wish I could post pictures of my work, but there are certain restrictions with my employers, so I honor them and just keep the memories.

I hope all is well with you and yours. I'm happier and healthier than I've been in forty years (or more) and loving life.

Ed

Dewd you & that son of yours sure know how to get after it I’m always impressed nice work

Ed;
Thanks so much for the reply, I appreciate it.

For myself as well the reply is a blessing, so thanks for that and the kind words too.

I want to say I knew you were more than a wee bit serious about predator hunting, but might have misplaced in the memory banks that was what you were doing for a living. Well done!

I've lost all track of the people who might buy hides now - if that's still a thing even I can't say Ed.

My trapper buddies Harry, Willy and Stan are all gone now, but last we heard up here Okanagan coyotes were barely worth the time to skin and stretch them.

I'm so glad to hear you're doing so well, that's nothing short of wonderful news.

All the best to you all once more.

Dwayne

I used to call dogs quite a bit in Idaho and Wyoming. It is a lot of fun.

I got more involved with trapping cats and haven’t called for a few years. I should change that.

Dwayne,

I don't know that anyone is buying coyote hides from southern coyotes now. The fur market is in the tank and until Russia and China become free markets for our furs again, I don't see much change coming.
A fur buyer I know told me last week that he would give me $5.00 for a big prime dog from around here and he's not a cheat or a cheapskate. He's in it for the long haul and really values his reputation. The market is just that bad right now.

It's a shame because I've been finding some really nice thick fur on most of the dogs. If the old timers are right, it's going to get really cold this winter 'cause every mammal around here has put on a thick coat this year.
I haven't run across any mountain lions down here on the plains yet this fall so I can't speak to them, but coyotes, badgers, fox, and bobcats have their long-johns on.

Ed

😁