Going predator calling tommorow

rimfirematt

New member
Hello, I just joined this forum, doing some research for tommorows attempt at calling. I bought a sceery snowshoe in distress call
and a mouse squeeker. I'm new at this stuff but I think I have a good idea of how its done.
I just got a marlin 17vs, tasco varmint scope, harris bipod and a new trigger job. I have
lots of rounds through this gun and I am comfident that I can put a fox or coyote down with it.
I am thinking about going up around sutton, what do you guys think? Also if any body wants to show the newbie
the ropes of this game let me know! Regards, matt from anchorage
 
Howdy Matt . . .

There are some Coyotes in the Sutton area. The .17 HMR is a Fantastic cartridge --- BUT -- it IS a rimfire. Fine on fox --- and will cold-cock Coyotes under 100 yds. with a boiler room or neck hit (spinal only), but NEVER shoot them in the ball joint! Even with those parameters, its VERY marginal on a Coyote. You want to place that little 17 gr. bullet SURGICALLY Every time. That is KEY.

Good luck calling, and before you go ... get that bipod off that rifle; for calling purposes its off balance on the swing and a hinderance.

Let us know how you did. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cas
 
Well today did not go very good. I think I heard one come up behind me! I was having a hard time finding a good spot, also I was hoping to find some tracks or some other sign but last nights warm weather ruined that for me. Okay so what do you think, I tried the wah wah wah wah wahhhhhhhh patern and then wahhh,wahhhh,wahhhh followed by more of that about 5 minutes apart for 15 minutes (3 series) then sat for 15 min doing nothing. Then did just the mouse squueker in short bursts for about 2 min, waited an additional ten then would leave, find new spot and start all over again. Do you think the loudspeaker from the correction center would spook them? I could hear it pretty well along with various gunshots going off everywhere. I would think that the coyotes would pay it no mind though. I do agree about the .17 being a"within" 100 yard range gun. I have shot at least 300 rounds through it at all different positions and am comfident I can whack A coyote in the head at that range, Reasonably sure at 150+ but for ethical reasons I will keep it within 100. Niow where to go tommorow? Eklutna? knik river? hopefully the wind will die down. There was no wind where I was out today. Well I anxiously await some advice!
 
rfm,

The coyotes and fox in that area are used to the loud speaker and the gun range at the facility, but your in a good area they both are plentyful out there to include a few lynx.

I experienced the exact same thing you did today, my first year. The second year I got a lot better at calling them in. The third year I hope to be able to shoot them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Its hard to say what your doing, but if your like I was you more attention to the big things in calling and not the little ones ie cover sent, approach, stayin still. I also over called early on.

Keep with it you'll get one.

Todd
tcwm@gci.net
 
Have you tried working coyote sounds in with your rabbit also with this being the down cycle for rabbits you may have to look for pockets of rabbits and try it there coyotes are not that easy to fool try a male domain howl or the female side of it and if you get an answer then challange them and go to a rabbit that really makes them mad nothing worse than another coyote eating another ones rabbit LOL LOL LOL LOL as to the 17HMR I have heard bouth good and bad but a guy I do know that lives in the SECOND largest state LOL LOL LOL LOL has being doing a lot of work on gray fox and he has had more than a few walk away at 100 yards but it sounds like you have put the time in behind the rifle but would like to hear how it does for you as the season goes on I use the high power 17VLR and it is a real killer well I hope this helps you have a great nite >>>
 
Well still no luck today. I showered with scent killer soap, put on scent killer deodarant, washed my clothes in scent killer detergent, sprayed them with scent killer, Then put on grouse dog training scent as a cover scent (its all I had ). I tried the sceery call and some green thing that I have had for 5 years (I have called in two coyotes in idaho with it). I realy toned down the amount of times I called. Oh well, guess I need to find some coyote howlers, any recomendations? Plus maybe I need to get a video or something. I tried in eklutna today as well. I thought for sure I would see something there. Last winter hunting rabbits there, I would see all kinds of coyote, and fox tracks. I even saw a rabbit on the way in today. I have been hunting rabbits there like three times this fall and I always see a couple (rabbits) there, so food is present but where are the dogs? Also I looked on the dirt trail at sutton but did not see any scat at all, usually I do when I am up there grouse hunting. Today was the only day I have seen a grouse up there since august. I wonder if the dogs are still hangin around? Squerrels seemed to be in abundance though. Any way, guess this is gonna be harder than I thought. I'm sure if I had a boring 12 guage or my .270 I would have got one by now. I have my heart set on getting my first predator with the .17 hmr though. Input is much appreciated!
 
I sit still for about 20-30 min. I call for about 5 minutes out of that. I am reasonably sure I am holding still, my legs and arms fall asleep Cause I dont move. I am unsure of the pattern thopugh that I should be calling with. Is it short excited bursts followed by long drawn out cries? Or just long drawn out cries? I have tried those two ways at at different stands from eachother and at one stand did both kinds.
Also I think you mentioned to somebody else at one time that You wait until the birds come in, Are you talking about magpies and ravens? If so I had lots of those come sit above me while I was calling. I would make sure I was being extra still then. I got to thinking also while I was out there that a
coyote would be hard to see in that brown grass.
 
Hang in there, as I have not gotten a critter either,but feel, I have a better chance this year than last year because of the forum. Keep at it and let us know how it is going. E-Mail me at nancyn2boons@gci.net . I have an idea that we can learn from. If you would like to.
 
If you have birds the predators too will follow. Sometimes the birds will even start squawking more when a predator is around, and sometimes if you watch, when the predator is coming in the birds flying will give away his location.

You seem to be doing things right keep working at it. Most of the time they are slow coming in, but you'll get the one hard charger too.
 
Just my opinion...

Try and call a little more. When I walk in and set-up I sit still for about 5-10 minutes to let everything settle down. Then I imagine a predatory bird swooping down and sinking its talons into a rabbit. The rabbit will be frantic and fairly loud. The rabbit will then start to mellow out and slowly the sound diminishes. This is about a 2-3 minute sequence. Then I sit and look and listen for about 3-5 minutes. Then imagine the bird readjusting its grip on the rabbit which would cause the rabbit to start screaming in protest again. Maybe the bird even starts to tear at the rabbit with its beak during the sequence. This means the call is frantic...settles down to wimpers and then get frantic again. Try to imagine the talons slowly squeezing the air out of the rabbit. As the call goes on the volume dies down and the screaming becomes whimpers. This sequence again last 2-3 minutes. I then start to just whimper with a few screams occationally to simulate the rabbit being eaten alive.

My stands are usually 30-40 minutes long and I am calling for 2-3 minutes and then resting for about 5 before calling again.

The only other suggestion I can think of is not to blow your call but to force air from your lunges with your diaphram this will cause your calls to actually sound like a rabbit running out of breath. Just try and imagine what happens in nature and try to duplicate what you think it would sound like.

Hang in there, sooner or later you'll have a coyote running full tilt in a B-line striaght at ya, and it's a THRILL!
 
Randy has a point a good friend of mine hunts with hawks and the frist thing thing they do is take out the eyes is is preaty weard to watch but with that thought in mind it would work just fine it takes them a while to kill a rabbit and the crying goes on for a while >>>
 
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