Baiting

I take all of our table scraps and old food from the fridge that I don't dare eat and place them in a one gallon milk jug and store it in the freezer until its full. This time of year it's hard with the warm temperatures, but it's difficult for them to eat and takes them some time to get at the food. Giving you an opportunity to get the crosshairs on them.

When the freezing temps get here I use table scraps and make a huge "baitsycle" using a 5 gallon bucket filled with hot water and then froze. This will save you a lot of time with the baiting process. The crows and buzzards finally give up trying to steal your bait after a few minutes of picking at the ice making it last a long time.

Another thing I do is to make a main bait pile or site that is away from where I can see them from, or somewhere that they might be more apt to come into like in the heavy cover. Then I'll place scattered smaller pieces where I can see them from in my shooting lanes. A lot of times they are more likely to come into the scattered baited sites where they feel more comfortable and there is less activity from other coyotes and predators.
 
Originally Posted By: cozwurth06, as far as I know, the fox had the place cleaned up, and the yote went away hungry. He seemed to be really spooked by the IR light on the camera. My only customer last night was a fox. I only put out a couple of eggs last night, so it didn't hang around long. One of my hens was feeling 'broody' and had been sitting on about 20 eggs. After a little over a week, she abandoned the nest, so now all of the eggs are no good for anything but bait. 2-3 a night for the next week, along with whatever else I can find, will be what I put out. The yote will need to get there early to even get a snack the way that fox comes around.
Hi Coz
Back when I was on the farm I used Surplus Eggs like your doing along with any dead hens and it worked well. But the times I didn't set out eggs for bait is when the Fox's started hitting my hen house more because they got use to the treat. So make sure your house is secure from the Night Bandits!! Boy I miss the Farm !!
I had an electric door on mine that would turn on at dusk and off at daybreak, and never had a incident from any critters. Then the critters learned that if they got there just before daybreak and then lay in wait nearby they could have chicken dinner. and since I was not up at that hour they got a lot till I figured out the game.
 
For you guys that are just starting your BP get your site started and then drag a dead Chicken, Squirrel, Rabbit or
other bait in a big circle around the site and then drag it to the pile then out the other side. Im talking 100-200yds around bait pile, this gives a large scent area to be tracked to your site so they can find it quicker.
 
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Originally Posted By: Wallbass45
Hi Coz
Back when I was on the farm I used Surplus Eggs like your doing along with any dead hens and it worked well. But the times I didn't set out eggs for bait is when the Fox's started hitting my hen house more because they got use to the treat. So make sure your house is secure from the Night Bandits!! Boy I miss the Farm !!
I had an electric door on mine that would turn on at dusk and off at daybreak, and never had a incident from any critters. Then the critters learned that if they got there just before daybreak and then lay in wait nearby they could have chicken dinner. and since I was not up at that hour they got a lot till I figured out the game.

Wallbass, I've thought many times about getting an electric door for my coop, but too many other things are demanding money and attention right now. I'm using an 8 x 10 shed as my coop. The small chicken door is on the side, and opens to an enclosed 10 x 20 run between the coop and the shed that will eventually be my shooting base. The lower perimeter of the run is protected with hardware cloth, both on the ground and along the bottom of the sheds. The top is covered with deer netting to keep the hawks out and the chickens in. A coon or possum could climb into the run fairly easily, but the birds are locked in the coop at night. The weak point right now is the window in the back of the coop. There is only window screen covering the opening whenever the window is open. Hardware cloth will be covering that soon enough.

Anyway, there was a bit more activity last night. The fox was back, along with a possum and a racoon. I was surprised to see the racoon and the fox there at the same time. Last nights menu consisted of 3 eggs and about 1/2 cup of dry cat food scattered around.



I'm thinking I know why my hen abandoned the nest, too. One of the eggs got cracked and was rotten. I was gagging when I was setting it out on the bait site this morning...
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Would it be a bad thing to set up a couple of small red LED's to shine on the bait area, or would a red kill-light on my carbine be better? I don't have any night vision stuff yet, and I need a little light to shoot by. I'm sure the yote was spooked by the sudden glow of the trail cam IR LED's, so would a constant small light be better?
 
Coz there doesn't seem to be a shortage of ways to do this baiting. Much of it depends on where one is located and how cold the winters become.

As to your light question. I've shot all of mine over bait using a spotlight shined on the baitpile. It stays on all night, and the animals don't pay any attention to it. I'm using one about 90 watts right now, but from my shop to this bait pile is about 80 yds. I shoot from the house which makes it a 145 yd shot to the bait pile. When I had the bait pile closer to the shop about 30 yds away from it, I used a 50 watt spotlight bulb, but could probably have done just as well with the 90 and it would have been much brighter obviously. You don't have to use red lights and in fact you won't get much light from them. I do use a red xlr 250 for calling but that is a whole different situation.
 

Cozwurth, At least you are having some action at the bait site, something to keep you excited and enjoying. I have enjoyed viewing videos of what comes to the site as much as I have the actual hunts. I always look forward to checking my cameras.

I haven't used any lights at the bait site other than infrared, but I have experimented some at home in my back yard with various red lights, testing to see how they might work. I agree with DoubleUp, you don't get much illumination from red LEDs. I abandoned my efforts with them and then went to night vision. That's the fun part, but you can do it like DoubleUp does too. He's dropped more coyotes than I have.

I have heard of a couple of people back here within the area that have used regular dusk-to-dawn street lights to hunt coyotes, and have had good success. I think it boils down to having the light on continuously. They apparently get used to it.

I have had coyotes jump and run when a trail camera kicks on, and other coyotes have paid no attention to it. They are individuals for sure. On top of that, I have had a coyote pay no attention one night, only to jump and run the next. Go figure.

The coyote was back at my site last night and got a good meal. A possum showed up earlier, and a raccoon was there just a couple of minutes before the coyote showed up. This coyote nudged both of my trail cameras, which is unusual though I have had it happen before. Just checking things out I guess, and no doubt could smell my scent all over them since I had touched them yesterday evening late.

Below is a video clip of the coyote last night, searching for the small pieces of meat scattered here and there in the grass. Notice how it pays no attention to the trail camera on the right when it turns on, and also how it lingers here and there searching for bait. That's what I want, relaxed at the site, lingering and searching. Also, it paid no attention to the new IR light on the 4x4 post 23 yards away. I'm just biding my time until the new scope arrives and I get things in order. Then......we'll see.

Click on photo to view video.




 
06, you're right about the excitement of just looking to see what is on the camera. That's pretty much the first thing I do when I get home from work now. I left the back porch light on last night, just to see if it made any difference at the bait site. The back door can be seen easily from the site. Videos showed what I think are two different fox. One is very relaxed, comfortable searching out the food. The other is very skittish, and it took off when it sniffed the poo left by the first. Up to last night, the videos showed the fox to be pretty relaxed. Maybe the difference is the porch light?

If I can get out my front door and get to the front corner of my house quietly, I can get a shot at the bait site. I am going to set the driveway alarm sensor out this afternoon to see if the signal will reach inside the house. It is still being used to keep the cats off of the dining room table right now, so mods will have to wait.
 
Ya I am thinking about rebaiting this year again but not running five bait spots it was a little much last year with the ( LDC ) on tampons in trees . That was all a good combo last year .
 

Coz, you never know for sure if the light is the cause of that one spooking or not, but I suspect that maybe the other fox might be dominate. The spooked one may have been somewhat afraid of it.

How far from the corner of the house to your bait site?

Also, movement and noise will be a factor, especially for coyotes. You're going to be moving, trying to get into shooting position. That could be a problem. Any way to shoot from your house?

One thought is to have a bench or something set up to shoot from at the corner of your house, and maybe some barrier in front of the bench to shield some of your movement, ie your legs and lower body. Maybe have sand bags in place and ready. That way you could quietly hunker down to get to the bench, ease the rifle in position and ready for a shot with little movement seen from the bait site. Just considering possibilities.


 

06, I hadn't really thought about dominance between the fox. That's probably more likely than the light.

The current bait site is only about 40-45 yards from the back door. Getting out to a shooting position will be next to impossible. I tested out the driveway alarm at the bait site yesterday and last night. It started beeping at about 9:30 or so, so I got my flashlight and snuck out the front door to get around to the corner of the house. Shined my light at the bait site, and nothing. I shined along the wood line and saw eyes that quickly disappeared. Busted. Unfortunately, there really is no way to shoot from the house. The pool and the swing trellis block view from the only windows near the site. I do have a gazebo out back with two picnic tables. I've been thinking about shooting from there. One or two of those portable blinds should work out fine to block sight of movement. I'll borrow one to see if it will span the gap between posts before I buy anything. The driveway alarm, as it stands now, seems to be pretty much a failure. The camera picked up activity for 1.5 hours before the alarm sounded. I'll have to experiment with sensor position/location, and antenna mods to see if I can get it working well enough to trust.

Last nights menu consisted of dry cat food and a slice of old pizza. I have video of two foxes eating at the same time, so that confirms my thoughts about two from the other night. I did not put any bait out tonight since I set my two foot-hold traps out with some lure in dirt holes. If they avoid the traps tonight, then I will spring them and set out bait again and try to get ready for a Friday night hunt from the gazebo.
 

Not to throw stones at Harbor Freight, but I am aware of another guy on the forums who used one of those sensors and had problems as well. All of my sensors work well - the Driveway Patrol. In case you decide to give one of those a try, you can get one on Ebay for $16 shipped.

As to setting the sensor, you may need to consider the placement of it. I mount mine pretty low to the ground, maybe a foot or so high. I have also noticed that one of my sensors seems to pick up better from the left side more so than the right, so I turn that one a bit sideways. It works better that way.

When I first started, I used one sensor and had possums and skunks walk all over it and not barely trip it. I think the position of it was the main thing. I then decided to add more sensors to the site and ended up using 3 last year. Nothing got through. I now have added yet another one, higher up on the hillside that will catch a coyote coming down to the bait long before he gets to it. I realize that 4 sensors are way more than needed, but the area is covered so well that nothing will get through without detection, plus if I need a sensor for another site, I have extra.

As close as the bait site is to your house, you will need to figure some way of getting into position without being seen or heard. It may require a bit of experimenting, and the fox probably will help you get the system down just right, in preparation for coyotes.






 

They're there Jeff. I concealed them well. LOL.

Coz, one other thing to consider, yotes can't tell time, so one may show up before your bed time and another may show up just about the time you are sleeping really well.

When I hunt from my hobo shack, I sleep in the bunk with an earbud in one ear. I've learned to keep it in place. When I turn over, I switch to the other ear. Sometimes I'm right in the middle of some very good sleep when the alarm goes off. Sometimes it's only a possum, or a skunk. Problem with possums is that they will get a quick bite to eat, then leave for a while, only to return again and again throughout the night. That makes for a lot of interrupted sleep. My heart always races when the alarm sounds, but often enough to keep my interest level up, it's a coyote.

Be prepared for some sleepless nights.


 
06, I think the claymores would be a little rough on the fur... Does your yelling CLAYMORE! spook 'em?

Batted .500 on my traps last night. Two traps - one fox, and one sprung. Absolutely nothing on the camera, and I don't know why. I saw the glow of the IR several times when I went out to take care of things last night before bed. When I went back out this morning before work, the other trap was sprung. I sure wish I knew what sprung the second trap.

Anyway, the traps are pulled, and a little cat food is spread around. The camera is reset for pictures instead of videos. Hopefully the weather and the predators will cooperate on Friday or Saturday night.

I talked to a guy who was out dove hunting on the adjacent property for a bit when I got home today. He told me that he has seen several coyotes at the edge of my woods, but could not get them to come out to their calls. He was a little surprised to hear that I had video of one in my yard, so close to my house.
 

That's good news Coz, about the coyotes at the edge of your woods. A little bait in the wind and time for them to find it could bring about happy days, or nights that is. But, it might be better to get your shooting setup figured out and in good order first.

As to trail cameras, they are some kind of critter unto themselves. Seems they works great sometimes, and other times don't. It's the nature of the beast in my experiences with several of them and different brands. That's why I generally have more than one camera at a site, generally have two. I have once before actually ran three cameras at a site.

Currently I am using two cameras, a Bushnell and Wildgame Innovations, set at different angles from the bait. For the last several nights, the Bushnell has captured a possum at the site while the Wildgame has yet to get it. I think maybe the Wildgame is angled upward a bit much (since it's mounted low to the ground) and somehow the possum walks past without tripping it. Other times the Wildgame will get a coyote, maybe several videos while the Bushnell gets one or two, and sometimes none. Bait sites can get expensive in a hurry if you set them up right, ie multiple sensors and cameras. But, it sure is fun and keeps this old boy from being dull.

Here's a video clip of a daytime coyote, captured by the two cameras. You have probably seen this before. One camera mounted up close to the bait captured the first scenes, then when angles changed near the end it's easy to see it came from a different camera.


Click on photo to view video.




 
It is getting to the time of year here where I really start paying attention to yote hunting. Yotes are always around here .... it is just hard to do much hunting with all the summer things going on. I put out a dead calf the other night... it did not take long for the yotes to get to it. Usually it takes almost 2 weeks before they get on it. Less than a week this time .... maybe it was because it was and angus and thought they were getting a better cut of beef.
I have been checking out some scopes that have illuminated red dot and was wondering what some of you thought. Sounded like some on here hunting at night over bait may have tried some. Looked a Leupold VXR which looks real nice but a little pricey, then I saw a Bushnell xlt trophy 1.5-6 X42 which looks very interesting. With winter and snow coming I have had chances at night in years past but just could not see the cross hairs. The eyes when your over 50 don't work as good as when you are in your 20's. Thanks for any response --- really hoping this year is better than last year..... both in time spent in the field/woods and yotes getting dirt/snow naps.
 

Hey Jeff, my son has the same scope. I have the Mueller 3x10x44. We both really like the scopes.

My son put the 3x9 on his CZ 375 H&H and the scope held up to it just fine. Later, he replaced it with a Leupold. I then borrowed it and attached it to my .223, sighted it in at home for an Arizona coyote hunt, then removed it and sent the scope and rifle via UPS to Arizona. When I arrived in Arizona and reattached the scope via Burris Zee rings, the zero was unchanged. I didn't even have to remove the scope turrents. We then did some prairie dog shooting. That speaks well for the scope.

An illuminated dot reticle is a good one in my opinion. The dot helps get on a target quickly, much faster than a crosshair, and the good thing about the Muellers (and some other similar brands) is that only the dot illuminates, not the whole crosshair.

Dog Driller, that may be one scope to consider. But, some people hate Muellers and others, like me, love them. I guess some have had bad experiences with them while my son and I have had good experiences. So, it may be luck of the draw, but also Mueller has fantastic customer service from what I have read.

There are other scope brands that have the same illuminated dot configuration as the Mueller, so you may want to check them out. I know that Weaver does, as well as Leupold.


 
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