Baiting

I went to a local butcher shop and I have been dropping of two five gallon pails and a six gallon pail every few weeks . The next thing is two questions what is a cheap but GOOD quality trail cam ? That's question 1 question 2 the wedsite huntsport.com has some reeeeeeeal nice lights what is the best light set up for a bait pile ? That is cheap good quality
 

The trail camera I use most is a Wildgame Innovations X6C. It takes color daytime photos and video, and IR night time, both photos and video. You can get them for about $100 if you shop around, the last one I got from Ebay.

As to lights, my only experience has been with the infrared lights for night vision use. I too have seen the hog hunting lights on huntsports.com. From everything I have read, coyotes will get used to lights but it may take a while. Right now I have one that is so skiddish over my IR lights, so I can imagine just how much more he would be over a light that actually illuminates the ground.

The thing to do, in my opinion, is get some lights set up soon and begin to condition the coyotes to them. Maybe set the lights up first without turning them on and allow the yotes to get used to that much first and feel comfortable on the bait, then illuminate the lights and allow them time to get used to that as well.

Like all cameras I have had or seen, the X6C isn't perfect. I've yet to see a trail camera that operates the way we all think they should. Seems they all give problems of one sort or another. I like this little camera for the money. I also use an external battery pack (6-volt) to power it since it eats batteries pretty quickly - 8 AAs.
The battery pack isn't cheap (about $50) but it powers the camera quite a while before needing a recharge. With photos only, the battery pack powered one of my cameras over three months this past winter before needing a charge. I ended up purchasing another battery pack.

Here is the Wildgame Innovations X6C. I also mounted just one IR light on the post for night vision use, just trying to see if one light will illuminate well enough for the scope to see. It gives off a faint, red glow much like the trail camera, so I'm hoping the coyotes won't be too alarmed by it since they already are used to the camera's light.

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Earlier I purchased this light (LED) at Wal-Mart, thinking it might illuminate well enough for
shooting. It is bright red and cast a red light upon the ground. One light was not enough
for my purpose, so I would need more to illuminate the way I want it to. I have since gone
the IR route for night vision instead. However, this kind of light might be something for you
to take a look at. It's nothing more than an auto light.

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Originally Posted By: blusamwhat light are you using.??? My one pile is 255 yds from my shooting bench. A bit far for most lights. Been contemplating a 250 Kill Light. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Been putting up hay on my days off and have not got to pursue ole wiley as much as possible. Keep pouring it on them. You can't kill them all. I have been trying for years.
I have not used my 250 kill light out nearly that far but one hunter I know up north of me has a 250 kill light and a Laser G. He says the LG is far better at that distance.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleUpUnderstood Blusam. I hope it works out for you. I don't have night vision, but 6mm06 might be able to make some suggestions on possibly placing 12 volt powered IR lights close enough to your baitsite so that you can see to shoot. I don't think he would be comfortable making a shot of 255 yds at night with his NV scope, but he can give you more knowledge on that himself.

Is it possible that you could place a 120v spotlight about 100 yds from the baitsite? In other words do you have power that close to your baitsite. The spotlight I leave on at the back of my shop would allow me to make a shot 100 yds from it with just my regular scope. That might be another option.

One other thing, and there might be many who bait that feel differently, but a 100 yd shot at night gives a feeling more like shooting at 200 during the daytime. To me it is much more difficult at night. My long baitpile is 145 yds and at night it seems like a 300 yd shot for me.
Guys in this area have a flood light shining right down on the bait and they get some.
I agree with DoubleUp
A long shot at night for me would be less then 150 yds, mostly because I never target practice at night that may help as well.
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
I keep searching and hoping for something with more stealth that will not have any visible light to the eye.



Just get a thurmal imaging gun site, the search is over
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. I understand they start around $10,000
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the coyote is back showing up alot on my game camera about 100 yards from the house i dont have a clear field of view from the house and he shows up daily around 1-4am. thick brush no more than prob 25-40 yard visibility should i build a tree stand and wait him out one night..really dont want to use my foxpro unless its on low volume b/c of neighbors i told them they might hear a shot one night to rid them of a coyote they said thats fine but they dont want a rabbit in distress for 45min. what do you think is the best approach? he visits everyday with bait..but grounf level i would have to be point blank..less than 25 yards to get him i think a nice tree stand would work fine around 2am with a quiet squeaker or foxpro
 
i showed some neighbors with knee biters..chuiwawa`a and such they said they wont mind a shot to get rid of him...
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that always a easy way to get permission to hunt land
 

Question, is the land yours or the neighbors? Would it be possible to cut (some work involved) a shooting lane to where you could see to shoot from a greater distance away?

I've never tried a tree stand, but my thoughts are this - a coyote does look up, quite often at my sites. He sees everything, and usually will look up at the lights that are probably at least 16 feet high in a tree. If you are trying to sit on stand quietly in the dark, it's going to be tough to not move much. Even without moving, you stand a good chance he will see you.

As well, if it's dark, when will you know he is there? Maybe see the red glow from the trail camera? Will you light him up to take the shot? Is he used to a light?

A lot of things to consider for sure. In my opinion, it won't be easy. Best bet is to have a longer shooting distance, one where you can see well enough to make a clean kill.

Good luck with him. Keep us posted.
 
Yes the land is mine I want to cut a shooting lane just not right now in the summer. I get loaded with ticks just walking back there to check the camera. about 10ft behind this camera is about a 600acre black nasty wooded swamp
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might just keep an eye on him for a little while.. I got other places to hunt just wondering about a stand
 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Hey Scalloper,

If you win the lottery, please remember that I really need a thermal imaging scope. LOL.


Ya they want crazy money for those things
 
Tree stands work well especially if you equip them with a camo skirt. This hides a lot of movement and you increase your range a lot.
 

This morning at 4:55 AM I had a bit of luck. I took this young female on the bait site at 60 yards.
At the shot, it went down, rolled forward about two feet, wagged it's tail and that was it. The 6x45
really puts a hurting on them.

I had not intended to begin hunting until later in the fall, but I have a male coytoe that is so skiddish
over the IR lights in the tree, that I decided to take him out before he has a chance to educate others.
This female had similar characterestics like the male, in that it is long-legged, skinny and looked up in
the tree where the lights were, so I thought it was the male. I took the lights down the other day,
planning to take the male and then put them back up. Seems the male is still out there somewhere.

I have found that coyotes get used to the trail camera IR and pay little attention to it. So, I decided
to mount one IR light on the post near the camera, hoping the coyotes would not pay much attention
to it either. They don't seem to mind it, but the lights overhead in the tree sometimes scares them.


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This is my setup for night vision. On the tree to the left is the Driveway Patrol inside a plastic box.
It notified me this morning while I was in bed. On the post is the trail camera, and one single IR light
for illumination. The IR light is connected to a deep cycle battery that has now been powering it
nightly for 12 nights and still shows full charge. The IR light has it's own photocell, so turns and on
and off at dusk and dawn. Since the light illuminates all night, and is sitting near the trail camera,
the coyotes get used to it.

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I got video of the kill, but the brightness is not very good since I only had the one IR light for illumination.
The video camera requires quite a bit of light - that's why I placed lights overhead in the tree earlier, for
video purposes.

If you want to use a Gen 1 scope at a bait site, one of these small IR lights will be all you will need
for shooting. As a bonus, when the trail camera (set to video) begins, it too throws a beam of IR light,
which enhances the other light. That's all the light you would need for shooting. The night vision scope
(ATN Spartan 410) sees very well with that one IR light.


48 LED IR light with photocell, DC operated, with adapter can be AC operated - About $11.00 on Ebay

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Driveway Patrol mounted in plastic box, antenna added.

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Driveway Patrol receiver, antenna added, earphone jack added, also an in-line volume control
(available on Ebay) is needed since the unit puts out a piercing sound. I used ear buds this
morning while I was sleeping. The unit notified me that the coyote was on the bait.

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Way to go David. Once you get the jumpy ones out of there, maybe you can get some well lit footage of some fluffy ones this fall. I know you tend to get some pretty black backed coyotes down there. You and that 6x45 are a pair. You don't seem to have trouble knocking them over with it.
 
You have that system fine tuned to do the job for harvest and footage added with your dedication it's a deadly combination.
One skitish male to sort yet.

WELL DONE MATE,
 
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Thanks Everybody. It's been a trial-and-error deal for sure. I've learned a lot over the last two seasons. Still, I'm always looking for a better mouse trap.

DannyK, congratulations on the bear tag. If one of those big boys in the photos you sent, step out in front of you, it's all over. I wish you well. Also, I'm very grateful for borrowing your foam design for getting the rifle and scope out the window of the cabin. That is one neat idea for sure.

Dave, I'll get that skiddish male yet. There is an adult female coming to the site also that most likely has pups, and I don't want to take her just yet. I'm hoping she will bring the pups to the site so they too will know where to get a free meal. So, the male will wait until later in the fall. I don't want to accidentally kill the female.

DoubleUp, thanks for a great job and innovative idea on the Driveway Patrol. Your modification works great.

Aberry223, this night vision stuff is addicting. Despite all the stuff you hear about "save your money and purchase a Gen 3 scope" and "Gen 1 stuff is junk," well, that is baloney - to a point, you just need to understand the limitations of Gen 1 and work within that. Truth is Gen 1 needs a lot of light in order to see, whereas Gen 3 doesn't, or rather doesn't need as much. Using IR lights at a bait site provides just the right ticket to turn a Gen 1 scope into a very nice and usable piece of hunting gear. Away from the bait site, ie away from the IR lights; however, you will find the stories true about a Gen 1. It just can't cut it, even with good illuminators. You can stretch it a bit with a good laser illuminator, but still not what a Gen 3 will see. For bait site hunting only, a Gen 1 scope will work just fine and be all you need. You will be impressed of just how well a Gen 1 scope can see with these tiny IR lights.

Here's what I use:

Scope: ATN Spartan 410, 5X magnification. If you purchase a scope with less magnification, say less than 4X, believe me, you will be sorry. Things look so much further away at night than they really are or appear in the day time. The Spartan 410 is probably as good a scope as you can purchase for a Gen 1. It has 5X magnification, and the resolution is pretty darn good for a Gen 1.

IR lights: Available on Ebay for around $11.00 each, give or take a little. The lights are 12-volt DC powered, or with an optional adapter, can be used AC. One or two is all you need for shooting only. If you do video work, you will need more. One light on a post or tree beside your trail camera will provide all the light you need in order to shoot. My one IR light on the post is powered by the deep cycle battery. Nothing else is attached to the battery. The battery has a huge reserve capacity, 160 amps I think, and it's been 12 nights already powering that one IR light, and when I checked it this morning, it still showed full charge. So, I can leave the light hooked to the battery for an extended period of time, and it will turn on and off at dusk and dawn, and allow the coyotes to become conditioned to the light. The light gives off a faint, red glow similar to the trail camera. Most of the time coyotes don't pay much attention to the trail camera IR, and my reasoning was that another similar IR light sitting beside the trail camera might not be intimidating. They see it, but generally don't get too scared of it. Sometimes they are a bit skiddish in the beginning, but warm up to the idea pretty quickly. I have found the single light on the post to be a better idea than having the lights mounted overhead. The coyotes do look up, and don't they like the lights being up there, even if they aren't illuminated.

Trail Camera: Your choice, but needs to have IR night vision for video if you want to add more IR light for shooting. I use the Wildgame Innovations X6C and have had pretty good results with it. It records both photos and 30-second video clips, color in the day time and black / white at night. You want the camera set to video so as to give you extra IR light for shooting. You will have 30 seconds of extra light to enhance the other IR light. This morning I took the coyote using only the one IR light. The camera took the video clip and then turned off before I could get into shooting position. If you notice in the photos above, there is a small battery pack (6-volt) to the right and behind the post to operate the trail camera. The battery pack is rechargeable and gives me extended run times since cameras in general are hard on batteries, especially in video mode. One other thing about a trail camera is this, it can be your source for personal video of the kill. You just have to wait until it begins recording before shooting. Some of the newer model trail cameras now have sound too.

Driveway Patrol sensor: Cheap from Amazon, can be modified with antenna, jacks, in-line volume control etc. and the transmitter can be placed in a plastic box to help protect it from the elements as well as to lessen it going off prematurely. The transmitter operates on a 9-volt battery, and the receiver uses C-cell batteries. The transmitter battery will last a long time, but the receiver uses power quickly, so best to take a battery out of that when not in use. DoubleUp helped me with the Driveway Patrol and is the expert on how to modify it. Any questions toward that end, you might want to ask him. I can say this for his modification - if it goes off at night, something tripped it and is on the bait or in the area. It sometimes goes off accidentally due to wind or whatever during the day time, but at night you can bet the farm that something is there.

I have posted these before, but if you're like me, I hate to wade back through endless pages to get to what I'm looking for. So, I will post this again. This will give you an idea of what I have done in experimenting with IR lights and night vision. I have come to the conclusion, after trying so many different lights, amounts of lights etc., that one or two IR lights is all that is needed for shooting. Mount them low to the ground and not overhead, such as near a trail camera a few feet off the ground, position the light / lights to angle slightly toward or away from your position. Best to not have it aiming at 90 degrees - it lessens the width of illumination that you see. I used five lights initially to offer more brightness for video - that is still needed, but for shooting only, you can get by with one light, and two should offer more than enough illumination for a Gen 1 scope.

My advice from experience - keep your bait site at a closer range if you can. Mine is at 60 yards from the cabin. That's about ideal for a 5X magnification scope. I also have a bait site at 125 yards, but it will be tedious to make sure the crosshair is exactly where it needs to be on the tiny-appearing coyote at that distance. Going with a lesser magnification scope will only add to your problems of shooting well, so get as much magnification as you can, ie the Spartan 410. With the bait site being only 60 yards away from my cabin, I have to be cautious of not making noise when moving about the cabin. As well, I chose the site for my cabin and bait site considering wind direction.






I took this coyote back in March 2012. I used 5 lights mounted
in the tree overhead, plus the video camera IR was illuminated.
The lights were clustered / aimed too close together and should
have been angled out more so as to illuminate a larger area of
ground. This coyote did not seem to notice the overhead lights.
Other coyotes are scared to death of them.







This is an example of Trail Camera light vs. overhead lights (5 of them)
and how the overhead ones add to the illumination. The problem I have
found, however, is that some coyotes are very scared of the lights being
overhead. They seem to get used to lights near the trail camera easier.
Again, the reason I used 5 lights overhead was for video purposes. For
shooting I don't need that many nor overhead.







Here is an example of a coyote that sees the overhead lights,
and they weren't even illuminated. I have since taken the lights
down and am now only using that one light on the post at the
trail camera. Trial and error is the best way to learn.






 
Hay their 6mm06 I was on eBay and I found this( led solar powered motion activated light)all so the light is a flood light!!!!!!! is this a good light set up that is cheap for just starting out? And on my rifle I have the XLR 250
 
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