OhioPredatorHunter
Member
Public Hunting Areas Strategies – Entry Points
This post I will be explaining State Wildlife Areas (SWA) Public Hunting Areas entry points.
Every Public Hunting Area has designated parking spots. Everyone and their brother park in these areas, walk in a few hundred yards and start calling. This method may work in the early season when you’re hunting the young and less educated coyotes/fox. However, most off the time this method is unproductive. Reason is simple. Everyone hunting that particular area all park and hunt from the same location. This educates most of the predators in the area. What we try to do is park and enter from another spot along the Public Hunting Area. You enter from an area where few if any enter from. This ups your odds tremendously. We get a Topographical Map of the area we are planning to hunt. You can order them online. We pay an extra few dollars and have them laminated. We can look at all the terrain, back roads etc. and plan our hunt. We write with dry markers on the map and show direction of entry, wind direction, call placement etc. This ups the game. You can drive around the perimeter of the area and find back roads and different access points. Some spots you can pull off and park. I have even found that people living by the Public Hunting Area will let you park on their property. I stop during the day and ask for permission. I tell them I’m a local coyote hunter hunting coyotes. I tell them I’m saving Whitetail deer, local farm animals sheep, chickens calves etc. and would like permission to park on their property. I also tell them I will call and let them know when we will be parking there. People living out in the country usually have the same thought process and beliefs we do, (if you know what I mean) so most of the time will let you park. I go a step further. I send them a Christmas/thank you card and a gift card at a local restaurant. It’s well received and allows you to park for a small price. Often, the property owners have other friends and relatives that will let us hunt. Guys, it works. Just be courteous and not tear up their yard etc. You end up with good access points, and other places to hunt. Most rural property owners hunt deer. I tell them I will not hunt predators on their property during any deer season. This is well received. Most deer hunters take their deer hunting very seriously.
There’s a Public Hunting Area we hunt that has only one access point. It’s a long gravel/dirt road. When anyone enters the area, you can hear them for miles approaching the parking area. Every predator in the area can hear you coming and going. Other hunters drive in at night. Park and walk in a few hundred yards, start calling. About a half hour later, pack up head back to their vehicle and drive away. That’s what I used to do as well. I remember seeing coyote/fox sign everywhere in that area while scouting, so I knew they were there. I told Dennis Kirk about the area and he gave me his advice. Drive back into the area, park and head out and setup. Call like normal, as you mentioned you probably wont call anything in. After a half hour or so, have one of your hunting partners pack up and drive away. You remain. Coyotes/fox are very curious creatures. They heard your call and know exactly where the sound came from. They are used to hearing vehicles entering and leaving. They will always make their way over and check out what all the commotion was. You are there waiting. I use my thermal and scan. See them coming, and take my shot and drop them. Guys, this method works. Don’t use any call while waiting. The purpose of this stand is to get them coming in after they think you left. You totally catch them off guard.
Good luck guys. Hope this was helpful.
This post I will be explaining State Wildlife Areas (SWA) Public Hunting Areas entry points.
Every Public Hunting Area has designated parking spots. Everyone and their brother park in these areas, walk in a few hundred yards and start calling. This method may work in the early season when you’re hunting the young and less educated coyotes/fox. However, most off the time this method is unproductive. Reason is simple. Everyone hunting that particular area all park and hunt from the same location. This educates most of the predators in the area. What we try to do is park and enter from another spot along the Public Hunting Area. You enter from an area where few if any enter from. This ups your odds tremendously. We get a Topographical Map of the area we are planning to hunt. You can order them online. We pay an extra few dollars and have them laminated. We can look at all the terrain, back roads etc. and plan our hunt. We write with dry markers on the map and show direction of entry, wind direction, call placement etc. This ups the game. You can drive around the perimeter of the area and find back roads and different access points. Some spots you can pull off and park. I have even found that people living by the Public Hunting Area will let you park on their property. I stop during the day and ask for permission. I tell them I’m a local coyote hunter hunting coyotes. I tell them I’m saving Whitetail deer, local farm animals sheep, chickens calves etc. and would like permission to park on their property. I also tell them I will call and let them know when we will be parking there. People living out in the country usually have the same thought process and beliefs we do, (if you know what I mean) so most of the time will let you park. I go a step further. I send them a Christmas/thank you card and a gift card at a local restaurant. It’s well received and allows you to park for a small price. Often, the property owners have other friends and relatives that will let us hunt. Guys, it works. Just be courteous and not tear up their yard etc. You end up with good access points, and other places to hunt. Most rural property owners hunt deer. I tell them I will not hunt predators on their property during any deer season. This is well received. Most deer hunters take their deer hunting very seriously.
There’s a Public Hunting Area we hunt that has only one access point. It’s a long gravel/dirt road. When anyone enters the area, you can hear them for miles approaching the parking area. Every predator in the area can hear you coming and going. Other hunters drive in at night. Park and walk in a few hundred yards, start calling. About a half hour later, pack up head back to their vehicle and drive away. That’s what I used to do as well. I remember seeing coyote/fox sign everywhere in that area while scouting, so I knew they were there. I told Dennis Kirk about the area and he gave me his advice. Drive back into the area, park and head out and setup. Call like normal, as you mentioned you probably wont call anything in. After a half hour or so, have one of your hunting partners pack up and drive away. You remain. Coyotes/fox are very curious creatures. They heard your call and know exactly where the sound came from. They are used to hearing vehicles entering and leaving. They will always make their way over and check out what all the commotion was. You are there waiting. I use my thermal and scan. See them coming, and take my shot and drop them. Guys, this method works. Don’t use any call while waiting. The purpose of this stand is to get them coming in after they think you left. You totally catch them off guard.
Good luck guys. Hope this was helpful.
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