Baiting

Originally Posted By: jkrugerI know you guys like pics , so this female came to my bait last friday at 3:00am. I went downstairs to pee at that time ,and like usual i always look out the kitchen window at the bait pile with the binos. There she wason the bait. So I cranked the window out slow and quiet, loaded the rifle,and put the barrel out. It was @ minus 5 at the time. After taking carefull aim I stroked the .223's trigger and expected to see a bang flop after recovering from the muzzle flash.I checked with the glasses and didnt see anything, so I went back to bed after taking care of business. Convincing myself I missed I thought going out at dawn would be appropriate measure.
Slipping on the snowshoes at sunup I marched my way to the scene to have a look. Sure enough there was a drop of blood ten yds. away from the impact site . She ran down a trail and pile up in the brush 40yds. from the bait. On the scale she was 42lbs. Very round and fat with nice dark fur . No mange this time around.
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Nice going
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I am guessing thats the local puppy mill
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Skunks have been turning over cow patties all over the farm for quite some time. I caught this little stinker in the act at about 8:45 PM this evening, except that it's a different skunk than in the last trail camera photo. This one has a lot more white on him than the previous one.

As to scope performance, the illuminator is lacking, but usable at 60 yards. Hopefully the new lazer illuminator I have ordered will do a better job and extend the range.

The 5X magnification is adequate, but would be nice to have a bit more. I found it a bit difficult to get the red crosshair on the skunk due to the subdued light and the small size of the striped critter. Again, I think a better illuminator would be the doctor's order.

Gen 1 optics, at least in this instance, are adequate enough for closer ranges for sure. I think 5X will make it a bit difficult at extended ranges, but it won't be as bad with a coyote as the skunk since the stinker was a small target.

The only other problem now is I have to get the smell off my boots.


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Well done David
If you dont mind sain...What that scope set you back? I know the Illuminator you have on the way will fix your prpblem. Hopeing!
 
At 5pm last night the alarm went off and I looked out and saw two red fox. After a short wait I got a shot at this guy. This will also be sent to get tanned as I think fox and one of the nicest fur there is.
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Jeff, I got the scope from Sportsman's Guide for $539 member price. It's $599 for non-members. http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/atn-mk-410-spartan-night-vision-scope.aspx?a=506953

The illuminator I have on order is expensive, $350, but if it allows greater distances for shooting, then it's worth it. It has good ratings and I know a guy in South Africa that swears by it. Here is the link:

http://www.nightvisionetc.com/58-luna-optics-elir-laser-infrared-illuminator.html

Scalloper, nice job on the red.

 
David, I swear, I turn my head for a minute and you get all commando on us, LOL. Nice looking setup. Something tells me that we're going to see a lot more critters taken with that rig. As for the smell, I hear a mixture of peroxide, baking soda, and liquid dish soap does a good job. Was that the 6x45 or the 223?
 
Ahhh, you guys are doing good!! I turned the computer on this morning just to see if David got that little stinker and by golly he did!

Scalloper, very nicely furred fox! What did you shoot him with?
 
Corey, that's about as commando as I can get at the moment. While the scope and illuminator I have ordered isn't cheap, it's more affordable than Gen 3 stuff. I'm hoping it will suffice for my needs.

I used the 6x45 - great round.

Jackindistress, the only thing lacking for me at the moment is a decent driveway alert, one that will work with a coyote but that doesn't go off prematurely. I need something that can be silenced and have only a light to indicate a trip.

David
 
8am this morning at the bait pile by my home, Saw him at the bait, grabbed the gun and slipped on my tennis shoes, and a jacket. I had to climb a snowbank that I have pushed up with the tractor. The bank is crunchy so everytime I took another step the fox looked up with the crunch, I finally got high enough to clear the bank and layed out looking over the bank. The fox was getting nervous and was starting to leave, made the mistake of looking back one more time. look at the nose on this guy, may have had a tough time later on. Stag 5.56, 60gr hornady sp hand load.
http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m591/dannyk2/?action=view&current=Fox001.jpg
http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m591/dannyk2/?action=view&current=Fox002.jpg
 
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All you bsit guys????? How is the action on your piles when it is snowing and blowing????????? IT has been nice here the last few days and have had tons of action.......Had 5 on the bait last night, but couldnt pick a target in time............Just wondering with the weather if I can expect much tonight???
 
BrownBear1998,
I didn't have as much activity on my baits as I expected when it was really cold and snowy. The most activity was any evening after it had thawed just a little during the day.

The ice and snow melted off here a little over a week ago and the temperatures were in the 40's and 50's some during the week. I think I had the most activity that I have had all winter at my bait. I killed one Monday, Wednesday and another Friday morning. Also, last week they were all taken after daylight. They were at a bait about 1/4 mile from my house and I didn't have a sensor on it so I don't know how much it was getting hit during the night.

Here is the one from Friday Feb. 18, morning:

2-18-coyote-picture1.jpg


My neighbor butchered 4 big sows last weekend and he gave me the scraps from them. The coyotes had them all cleaned up except for pieces of the hides by yesterday morning.

He butchered 2 more big sows yesterday and I put out a big mineral tub full of scraps late yesterday but I have not been up to check on them yet.

I know that a lot of guys just take a road killed dear and put the whole thing out at once, but I cut the bones and meat up into small chunks so that even in sub freezing temps. they can come in and pick up bits of scrap to chew on. You can actually make a deer (or what ever meat you have) last longer by putting out small pieces and let them clean it up before you put out more. The coyotes will soon learn that they have to visit the bait site more often if they expect to find much food.
 
David,
The driveway sensor that I used this year did ok as far as only going off when there was something at the bait. There were a few times when it went off when it was snowing or raining hard but I expected that. The main thing was that it didn't work quite as far as I hoped it would. I ended up having to put the bait about 80-85 yards instead of 100 to 125 like I had originally hoped to be able to. The closer range is good for at night but I would like to have one farther from the house for daytime. I would like to have one about 200 yards from the house next winter so that it is easier to catch the ones that come to the bait during the day.

My plan right now it to buy one of the MURS systems for next year. They are about $170.00 but will work much farther than my little $20.00 unit that I used this year.
 
Jackindistress,

I've been looking at the MURS with some interest too. Just wondering how they will work for small animals down to the size of skunk. Any idea? It would be a good investment for the long run if it works as intended. So many of the motion detectors are designed for people and automobiles, so I want to find one that will work well for coyotes.

Here's another alert that I found this evening. Heard any reports on this one?

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=470404

Also, I have been using your method too of putting out just enough bait to keep them coming, small cuts scattered about. Meat lasts longer that way and also keeps activity going.

 
Originally Posted By: JackindistressDanny, Nice one! Looks like he has a little "acupuncture" going on there. Does that 60 grain stay together and not cause much pelt damage?
Well this is my deer load also, I shot the fox quartering on and the results weren't pretty, I hit it a little high, as you can see in one picture, the bullet blew a hole the size of a softball just above the entrance on the other side, along with a half dollar size hole in the lower ribs, not sure if it was a bone fragment or what, definatly not a fur friendly round for fox.
 
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Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Jackindistress,

I've been looking at the MURS with some interest too. Just wondering how they will work for small animals down to the size of skunk. Any idea? It would be a good investment for the long run if it works as intended. So many of the motion detectors are designed for people and automobiles, so I want to find one that will work for skunk-sized animals up.

Here's another alert that I found this evening. Heard any reports on this one?

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=470404

Also, I have been using your method too of putting out just enough bait to keep them coming, small cuts scattered about. Meat lasts longer that way and also keeps activity going.



David,
I had not seen those. I found the company web site though - same as the product name. They have trail cameras and security devices. US corporate office is in Vermont. Interesting note - you can buy it direct from them for the same price that the Guide has them for. Also found on Amazon and several other places.
 
Jackindistress,

Thanks for the response.........I picked up a truckload of butcher scraps for a crow hunting tournament coming up.....so I will try some of them out there.....what you say makes alot of sense.......FYI I seen you wondering about sensors....I bought the Chamberlain cma2000, I was really skeptical of it as it advertised a half mile range etc.....and you can get em for 60 bucks.......It has worked flawlessy for me. I have it at 126yds Been snowing for two days with no false alarms.....every time a eagle crow lands etc it trips......at night when it goes off everytime accurate.......coyotes, dogs, deer etc......I have been really pleased. I havent had it long enough to know battery life on the sensor I have had it out two and a half weeks on the same lithium batteries in cold temps is all I can tell you. My only worry on this is it flashes a green light on the motion detector when it trips, but another member of the foroum said take it apart and put tape over it, makes sense I might do this. I have killed 3 coyotes over this bait though, and had plenty others to look at in the middle of the night when it has gone off. Just my 2 cents on the unit, for the price I am way happy with it.
 
Originally Posted By: JackindistressAhhh, you guys are doing good!! I turned the computer on this morning just to see if David got that little stinker and by golly he did!

Scalloper, very nicely furred fox! What did you shoot him with?


.223 Superformance. I should have used my .22 mag as the .223 is a little much for the fox looking at the fur damage.
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Corey, that's about as commando as I can get at the moment. While the scope and illuminator I have ordered isn't cheap, it's more affordable than Gen 3 stuff. I'm hoping it will suffice for my needs.

I used the 6x45 - great round.

Jackindistress, the only thing lacking for me at the moment is a decent driveway alert, one that will work with animals but that doesn't go off prematurely. I need something that can be silenced and have only a light to indicate a trip.

David
The Chamberlian can be silenced and has a light.
 
Now baiting is something I'm looking into here in WY. I'd love a set up like you're using but I can't use light on public land here in WY and baiting laws are ambiguos concerning fur bearing mammals. I'd love a forum.
 
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