For the new predator hunters and a thanks to the experienced members

CallingArkansas

New member
I seldom post here but feel inclined to pass this along to the new, the inexperienced and particularly those much experienced members here who have FREELY past along in these forums the advice, experience and knowledge gained over many years of trial and era, many expensive mistakes, and the countless hours in the field.

I live in a rural area of SW Arkansas. To this day I’ve never personally met what I consider an experienced predator caller, or even someone who is active in the sport at all. I’ve heard a few younger guys mention that they have started doing some calling, or older guys mention that they tried it a little in the past. And I suppose the interest may be increasing since the big chain stores have started stocking a few electronic callers, hand calls and decoys over the last 5-6 years in this area and some young guys decide that it would be fun to do now that deer season is over. Also fur prices here are basically not worth the gas it takes to carry them to the buyer much less spending time to skin and care for a hide. I would love to see fur prices return like I remember them being 40 years ago. I can remember when having a good Coon dog would easily make me enough money to cover all my hunting expenses.

Back to why I started this post:

I started calling predators about 12 years ago. It’s by far my favorite hunting sport. Never had an opportunity to go with someone experienced in calling or who has called at all. I go calling 99.9% of the time by my self. The times someone has tagged along with me I could count on one hand and they had never been before.

The first time I actually tried calling was with a JS electronic 45 rpm record player that I had borrowed from a friend so that I could carry my daughter who was still in primary school crow hunting. We didn’t call up any crows so I decided to set it up in a box in deer stand where my uncle had mentioned seeing a bobcat several times while deer hunting. I had read an article on bobcat calling and remembered it said call during the last hour of day light, call continuously, and they would show up between 45 min and 1 hour. So her and I got in the stand just at the right time with the speaker attached to an audio wire and sitting in a stump underneath. My daughter wasn’t excited about this to much until I told her she was gonna be the caller. I had her sit in the floor by the caller and keep moving the needle back to the beginning each time if finished, and that when I saw one I would let her peak over the side to see it before I shot it. She did just as instructed and that crying rabbit never missed a beat. At exactly 45 mins into the set there is a big Tom standing about ep steps away in there topical belly on the ground stalk. Just as he went behind a big pine tree I had her look over the stand and got my gun ready. BANG we killed what measured out to be an XLarge bobcat. That peeked my interest but not enough to purchase the needed equipment plus none of my hunting buddies showed any interest in it. It did interest me enough to read almost every article I stumbled across about calling predators, but never actually Tried calling again.

Jump forward 14 years later and I stumbled across some articles about calling with an electronic Foxpro caller. Man those articles made it sound like killing predators would be super easy with a Foxpro caller. So with what seemed like such a weird (because none of my hunting buddies even considered it) interest in the sport along with being in better shape financially drove me to order my first predator caller which was a Foxpro Fury G7.

IMPOTANT STATEMENT: I do not work for or in anyway am I promoting Foxpro products. It just happened to be the caller that was used in a lot of the articles I was reading and at that time had many more features than other callers, and as I earlier stated made predator calling sound so simple. The same goes with any other product I may mention in this post.

The Foxpro caller came with information that led me to the Foxpro forums website which I started reading and from there I found out about the Predator Masters forums.

Keep reading. I’m getting to why I feel compelled to write this post.

So after getting the caller I started my quest in becoming the best predator hunter I could be. Although I still didn’t personally know one person that called predators or had interest in such I started calling and again drownding myself in every predator calling article I could find which was unlimited due to free open access to the World Wide Web.

Jump forward two years and what seemed like thousands of sets and I had only called in one coyote and watched it exit without a shot. Now to this point almost every single article I had read was about calling coyotes in open country and my mind set was that every set I made was to try and call them out into the fields. So I then started dissecting these forums to locate all the information I could about why I wasn’t calling in predators.

Where I hunted has a higher percentage of timber, cut overs, and pine plantations. The fields are small cattle pastures, hay fields and some soybean fields. And through all my research her it finally came to me that predators don’t like to frequent open areas during daylight hours if they don’t have to. Duh dummy, I never considered that I hardly ever saw a coyote out wandering a field in the daylight, but I did know that where I hunted had lots of coyote sign and they sang in every direction at night. So I moved into the thick stuff, used every thing I had learned from these forums, and properly equipped myself with what it takes to stay quite, sit comfortably, proper firearms, scent elimination along with the correct use of cover scents etc.. I located many places that I could hunt so I would have plenty of options no matter the wind direction. If the wind ain’t right for a certain spot DONT HUNT IT! That became one of the biggest challenges when I started hunting the woods and thickets rather than the open fields because your access to setting up properly significantly limited my hunting locations. Suddenly, like wham I killed a coyote, two days later another, couple of hunts later I scored a double on a pair of nice bobcats and now 10 years after finally realizing the fields are not productive in my area I’m still crawling in the thickets an occasionally killing some predators.

I felt inclined to write this post and explain how I have learned to confidently call predators, know when I go hunting I have the proper equipment, and how I kept the drive to stay in the saddle for two long years of dry sets. How I have accomplished that is by all of the experienced unselfish members on this form that freely and so many times thanklessly answer to many questions, share with others about how a challenge became a success, written long sometimes endless post to just share advice, knowledge and experience to folks like me that didn’t know anything about calling a predator. I love and enjoy this sport and without you I probably would never have hung in there long enough to experience what is now my favorite hobby. Thank you all.

And for those of you that are new and/or interested in learning the art of calling predators or if you know some young person that has some interest in learning to call predators. This is the place. All anyone has to do is research this site for any questions or scenarios you need an answer to regarding predator hunting technics and equipment. I strongly believe those answers will be found in these forums.


Now there is one thing that hasn’t changed and one I haven’t really pursed other than locally and that is I still have never met or had the opportunity to hunt with another predator hunter. I do enjoy the advantage of no hunting pressure but would like to meet someone to makes some hunts with and more importantly someone experienced in the sport. So if anyone ever needs a partner for a couple days of hunting are wants to meet up and try out some public land areas I’m interested. I’ve been looking at some of the public areas In central and western OKlahoma. I had a friend that just bought me an atlas for those areas but haven’t been able to pick it up yet. I still have a strong desire to hunt in some open country. I believe it would be exciting to get to watch them and their actions a while rather than suddenly having the Predator right in your face, bang it’s over.

Most of the land in my area is either privately owned or leased by hunting clubs and everything is small acerage. So cattle farmers aren’t really excited about letting someone hunt on there little cattle farms where most have there homes as well. Most hunting leases can’t get everyone to agree to let some non memeber on there lease because only a few on each lease are serious turkey hunters so unless they are the club leaders it’s hard to even get a conversation started. So although I have enough places to hunt for a half to full day, most have to be hunted when there is no other hunting season in and taking some risk by which most of the time requires very long walks through the woods. I do have some big river bottom acerage I’m planning to start hunting. The deer hunters tell me they are always hearing Yates and some seeing bobcats.

Send me a PM if someone wants to discuss making a hunt. I will definitely be glad to help with expenses. I have a truck, trailer and side by side if needed.
 
Wow that was quite a read ! Seems I've walked this road too, including many others have I'm sure, lol. No doubt it has been a time consuming journey, you have to love it to make it !

You might consider getting: onX hunt

Costs me $30 bucks a year but should open up new hunting territory for you.

The way technology is advancing in this sport I'm sure we will be hearing or seeing new blood calling in our areas in the very near future. Happy hunting !
 
Originally Posted By: ALPHABURNERwhat is onX hunt?

I have it as an app on my phone.


It's a gps with satellite imagery that shows property lines, ownership info, topography, elevation, public vs private ground, etc.

Can also save your hunting area ahead of time so it'll still work even without signal.
 
Thanks PA Mick I do use the X hunt and yes it is very helpful.
After writing this post yesterday afternoon I decided to drive over to a small hunting lease that I’m allowed to hunt whenever deer season isn’t in. Hadn’t been there this year and it was not far from the house. Made one set that never really felt comfortable and exited after about 15 mins so I could get in one more set before dark. Called in two coyotes and eliminated one. I’ll wait a cpl weeks and try to call in the one I didn’t get a shot at.

Got to luv !!!
 
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