2016-17 Predator Hunting

Well I know most people are thinking ducks and deer right now but I’m not. With the weather getting cooler and the leaves changing I am thinking more about distress calls in the morning.

This year I’ll be again diving into night hunting, mostly in IL as lights are legal there. I ordered a Wicked Lights W403IC for that purpose and I’m excited to say the least about using that, and it might get some work for raccoons as well.
Ill be doing day hunts in WI and IL and hoping this year a WI coyote will finally make it’s debut for me. Also hoping, for an IL bobcat tag. Not really great odds of being selected but I figured it was worth getting my name in the lottery since it was only $5.
Still using the Axis 22-250, and Primos Turbo Dogg and hand calls for this year.

Feel free to post your results on this thread as well.

I didn’t call in a single yote last year, despite several tries, but I didn’t put the time into it that I did in years past.

I agree, the early season has been good to me in the past. I recall several years ago, I called the first one in in late October on my first stand of the season. Dang, I still get excited thinking about that female coming in with a full head of steam and running right over the top of the call! Nothing better than shotgunning them.

I don’t know about your area, Nicholas, but I only carry a rifle these days to a couple of very specific stands where I know a long shot could present itself. Otherwise, I’m all about the shotgun on my home turf.

Hopefully, I’ll get a chance for some western MN stands this year when I’m out bird hunting.

I’m still using the plane-jane Foxpro Spitfire. It’s got enough sounds and enough volume for my home ground, it seems to me that they either show up within a few minutes because I picked the right area or they don’t show up at all because I picked the wrong area. I’m not sure the call plays heavily into my wooded territory hunting.

I would LOVE to get a bobcat! I see them on trail cams at my farm, but the only one I’ve ever seen in person was from a deer stand so could not shoot.

Grouse

Well I didn’t end up with a Bobcat tag for IL, congrats to the 500 out of roughly 6500 that were selected.

Two weeks and IL raccoon, fox and 24hr coyote season opens, 12 properties to hunt, some in WI. Going to be some long nights hunting, hopefully come the Sunday afternoon I’ll have a few results to post here.

Well just got back in after a night of hunting…..this weekend kicked my butt…deer were moving coyotes were not.

Friday morning made 3 stands, 2 were iffy with the wind and one the wind was perfect for. Not a thing moved other than two does at the first stand of the morning.
Friday night started promising. Parked at the are of public land I intended to hunt and heard immediately two yotes barking etc. Not too far away. Sub 600yds. Got set up and started calling. 3 sets of deer eyes reflected back and one mystery set that didn’t get close enough to identify or shoot even if had been a coyote due to the rimfire restrictions on IL public land. Made 2.5 stands that night.
Saturday morning, I intended to hunt some public land in Wisconsin. Way more bowhunters out than expected. I knew they would be out but 3-5 trucks in every parking area I had intended to hunt so decided to not be “that guy” and hunted another spot in Wisconsin and didn’t see a thing.
Saturday night or just less than 4 hours ago I hunted two of the spots from Friday morning but now after dark. Not a thing showed except deer again. Third spot I hunted was a new property I just gained permission for and looked promising but again nothing moved.

Not sure why they didn’t move this weekend, maybe the warm temps are making life easy so they can ignore the “easy meal” I present.

At least in MN they have easy pickings with the gut piles right now. Not sure if that is the case in your area.
DT

Well the trend continues for me. I was able to get out and make 5 stands this past Friday night (12/9), with active gun deer seasons still I had to go at night or wear blaze orange. Anyway, nothing showed. I was able to hear a group howl well off in the distance at my second stand of the night but that’s all I had. Hopefully this bad luck will end and one of these days will turn out to be successful.

I was out scouting and found almost no tracks by me. Haven’t heard any sounding off for months

Anybody whacking any preads this season?

I’m dying to scratch my itchy shotgun trigger finger in a nice coyote, but I’ve only been out once so far. I’ve got a spot on my property that a trail cam has been catching a bobcat consistently, so I can’t wait to hit that next time I’m out.

Outside of last week, it’s just too dang warm though.

Anybody send any preads for the dirt nap?

Grouse

Nothing here. Have 2 bait stations out for over a month and nothing but birds on them. Took a snowmobile ride the other day after a fresh snow and no tracks. Not looking good locally for any calling. Time to go fishing.

Jobsite I’m at has a wetlands/marsh next to in the middle of a metro area. Unfortunately, no single projectiles – shotgun only. I just thought it looked so yotey that I had to pull a few calls off of my dash and blow a little hot air. About 30 seconds after a quick Ky-yi 2 coyotes stepped out of the cattails onto the pond ice about 400 yrds out from me. They just looked around in all directions and then trotted off in the opposite direction of me. Looks like if I can get some down time, I’ll have to bust out the shotgun and BB’s and work on some short distance sets along the pond.

Good chance to maybe double down, Randy.

I mean, I’ll shoot ’em with anything that goes bang, but for pure fun, shotgunning them is my favorite. Up close with lots of lead flying, that’s the way I like to do it.

It might have something to do with the fact that I blew my only legit chance at a close range coyote double because I had a rifle with at the time. My therapist says I’ll get over it someday… maybe…

Totally agree about the BB loads. Buckshot is a terrible coyote load IMO. 2 years ago I blasted a yote with an 00 load and the ONLY pellets that hit him took out a foot and 2 pellets in the @ss end. I would never have believed a hole could be that big in a pattern, but with that few pellets, it can happen. Luckily, he holed up in a brush pile and we were able to finish him off, but I was done with buck right then and there. Next coyote went down in a cloud of Hornady BB shot and I’ve never looked back.

Grouse

Well was able to make it out a few times this week, Friday morning made two stands in Central Wi, with no luck. Today I hunted some large chunks of public land in Southern WI, 0-5 here as well. One other truck of callers out that I talked to, and spotted a couple groups of hound trucks out and about. Saw plenty of tracks just didn’t have any responses. Tonight I have 4-5 stands in IL to try out, this is the first weekend night hunting so far I don’t have the full moon, which I think will be in my favor.

Well I was right about moon I think, first stand I called in a double. I missed a perfect straight on shot. Second stand nothing moved, thought I had glimpses of some eyes but not definite. Third stand had one come racing in from behind, and circle almost 3/4 of way around before I stopped him. Missed again, felt more confident in the shot but it wasn’t laying dead so unless he ran off a ways and then fell. Fourth stand went the same as the second.
Until proven different all misses were human errors going to make an effort to get to range soon and check zero etc.

What range are we talking about here, Nick? For the, ummm, “alternative hits” I’m talking about.

You may have hit on the reason why even on stands that could give me a rifle shot, I still sit with the rifle on a bipod and a shotgun in my lap.

Grouse

Well at night I estimated the range at 75-100, but I think in the light beam at night I overestimate the range. And last night was the only time in a long time I haven’t had the shotgun with.