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Cookie125

Cookie125

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So ever since I called in my first coon, it's all I've wanted to hunt. Yesterday was a great day to do it too. It started my new days off since we rotated post at work and I was able to get out since my daughter was in school. I started at a spot where I was hoping for a bobcat but never saw anything. As I was later following a trail that was solid coon tracks hoping to find a good den tree I found a fresh set of cat tracks that came to a stop then turned around. These tracks needed about 10 more yards for the cat to have been visible to me. I did end up finding a nice big cottonwood tree with a hollow in it. I set up my Hellfire and a decoy then began the calling with coon fight. I had a nice big boar exit a hole much higher than the original hollow that I had seen and he was coming down the tree in a hurry and snarling the whole way till he offered a shot and I took it. At the shot I had another coon stick it's head out of a different hole but it withdrew until I switched the sound to young raccoon distress and it couldn't get out of the tree fast enough. I ran the bolt on my rifle and took aim and put her down with a clean head shot. After getting my coons rounded up I made my way home to pick my daughter up from school. We had a quick lunch and she had a quick nap. We headed back out came across an old abandoned farm stead. We set up the caller and decoy. We had one playing peek a boo out of a broken window but it just never offered a shot. A little bummed we headed home but she's been talking none stop about the raccoon in the house to everyone. She's excites to go out again and I can't wait to take her. I'm addicted
Here's the view walking up to the den tree.


My daughter and I's setup.
 
I call that a good problem to have. I envy you because both of my children have families of their own and live so far away that we are lucky to see them on a major holiday.
 
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On Friday the 20th I took a vacation day to do some hunting. I went to an area that I used to work at and know pretty well to see about calling raccoons and bobcats. I hunted the entire day and wasn't able to get a cat to come to any calls or get a raccoon to poke its head out of its den, until about 4:30pm I finally had one run up to about 2 feet from my call. I made one more stand that night and had one more respond to the call coming in from behind me and I wasn't able to get turned in time to get a shot.


On Monday the 23rd I decided to head back to the same area and try a spot that wasn't able to go to on Friday. I made five sets and the only one that didn't have a raccoon was my first set. The second one I made I had one raccoon show itself and as he was moving down the tree I missed, about five times. When he hit the ground instead of running at the decoy it came at me and as I began to draw my revolver it turned back to the tree never offering me another shot. At this time I found a spot on a dead tree and used it to re-sight in my rifle as it was shooting about 6 inches low. My third stand I had two raccoons come out of their den in a tree about 80yards away and made two great shots on them. As I was about to get up to get them I head growling but wasn't seeing anything and then about 10 yards from my caller I see grass moving but can't see the raccoon. when I finally saw it, it was tackling my decoy and then ran off.


On the fourth stand I had two more make their way out of a den hole in a big cottonwood tree and instead of coming to the decoy the first one moves up the tree and disappears in another hole right before I could pull the trigger. The bigger of the two though made the mistake of stopping before he made it to other hole to look around and I was able to make great shot on him. I let the call go on a little longer after switching to young coon distress to see if I could get the first one to come out but it wasn't having it.

As I made my way to get my raccoon curiosity finally got the better of the first one and it stuck its head out some and gave me the stare down as I gathered up its companion.

On my final stand I had two stick their heads out but neither were interested in coming out and I can't say I blame them. There had already been enough shooting with having to fix my zero and already shooting three raccoons that I think they were just to cautious.
All in all it was an awesome morning and is just fueling this addiction.
 
This past week on one of my days off I went back to a place I used to work to hunt. My plan was to call for raccoons, coyotes and bobcats. I made several unsuccessful stands for the coyotes and cats but while calling for raccoons I had some interesting stands. I started off dry on a couple then had two poke their heads out but not commit. My next spot I was calling a big den tree just down from the overflow of a pond, instead of a raccoon responding I had an opossum come in instead.

After this I made a few more stands with only two more raccoons sticking their heads out but not willing to come all the way out of their dens. I went to mother spot and stopped to call a brush pile close to a pond. Just as I was about to call it quits for the stand I had a skunk come out of the brush pile and head straight to my caller. I made an easy shot on it and was surprised to find that it never did make a stink. I called another set that was between two den trees about 200 yards away and after a minute of calling heard a noise from the closest tree but didn't see anything at first but soon saw what made it. It was a raccoon trying its hardest to get out of the tree and as from the call as possible, it jumped out of the tree from almost 20 feet up and literally hit the ground running and never gave me a shot.
I then backtracked just a tad to get to a trail that led to another promising tree about 150 yards away. I set up and began calli g and within 20sec had a big boar raccoon charging from the backside of the tree straight for my call and after the shot he was stopped about 3yards away from it. This was my biggest for the season and made the walk back to the car real work out. This may very well be my !ast o e for the season as it cloeses on the 15th but its been a fun one learning to call raccoons.




Since he's still going in February, this multi-day coon hunt will appear in the February HOM contest.

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Awesome pics and story, Coon calling is pretty exciting.

A knife, gloves and a piece of string will allow you to skin them where you are and just take the hide with you.
 
To be honest that was my plan on this hunt to skin them where I shoot them.I had string and gloves but for some reason I forgot my knife, so was forced to take him out.
 
Originally Posted By: Cookie125To be honest that was my plan on this hunt to skin them where I shoot them.I had string and gloves but for some reason I forgot my knife, so was forced to take him out.

Makes things way easier.

My Coon hunting partner forgets his knife quite a bit and he has been running dogs for forty years, sometimes I think it may just be on purpose....
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