Calling all inventors and innovators

[DX Bear]

Some may call us cheap, I prefer frugal.

Though I would love to have the latest and greatest equipment, gadgets and gear. It is not always feasible for my bank account or justifiable too the spouse.

I try to make what I can with what I already have. We all know the lists of the predator hunting gear must-haves.

I want to see your inventions and innovations. Homemade calls, lights, shooting sticks, chairs, trucks, skinning tools, camo, etc...

I will go first. I made a very simple coyote drag with some paracord and a piece of dowel I had laying around the other day. I drilled a hole in the center of the dowel, folded the paracord in half and slid it thru the hole. Tied a not and then attached some rings to the end. It seems to work well and cost me basically nothing. Any penny saved on gear can be used for gas to get me out more.

Drag invention by Jordan Eyring, on Flickr

 

[Kino M]

Looks like it should work, thanks for sharing and welcome to the forum.

 

[AWS]

I make a lot stuff. Set up my hunting truck with solar panels, furnace, bunks, table pretty much made it so I can leave on a hunting trip for as.long as I want to stay without having to stay at a campground or eat in a restaurant so other than gas it is just like being at home well even better than that as I can sleep.rightl where I'm going to hunt.

I make custom.drags, decoy poles, fleshing beams, stretching boards, knit custom shooting mittens, have sewn insulated camo vests. I ve sewn tents, built dog trailers, customized my boats, build my own rifles(won the egg shoot with one I put together).

If I want it and can't buy it for what I can build it for I make it.

Trailer hitch and fur shed fleshing beam

Home away from home

coyote targets for a shoot I used to put on

Hunting boat I built from a 1976 Alumacraft jon boat, bought it new in 76 and have been modifying it to fit my needs ever since. It won the Oregon Waterfowl festival 1st place "Motorized Duck Boat" in 94. I've been killing critters out of it for almost 50 yrs. I have it set up for fishing and shooting carp this summer and will hunt coyotes and ducks out of it this winter.

 

[JTPinTX]

Man, I make and modify all kinds of things. There probably isn't enough bandwidth here for me to post pics of all my crap, lol. Ill try and dig around though and find a few pics. But it seems like most of what I do I am building instead of buying, if I can. Of course mostly here lately I have been making lots of calls. I cut and stabilize my own wood for that, and the last month I have started casting tone boards and acrylic blanks too.

Inventing is not the term that commonly gets used with my stuff though.

 

[AWS]

My version of a drag

This came up in another thread and I thought I'd post it here for everyone.

Materials:

Some type of cord, I get at Homedepot, just a little heavier than paracord.

Handle material, I like 3/4" PVC Conduit but have used 1" dowel, conduit is easier to make.

Optional clear nail polish dabbed on the knots makes them not unravel.

I use 10-12 feet of cord I want the cord long enough that I can tie it around my waist and the coyote/fox won't drag on my ski tails or for multiple coyotes(I've drug up to three out at the same time). I use these for skinning in the field also, loop the cord around a hind foot, throw the handle over a branch and hoist the critter up and tie off.

Drill a hole in the handle just slightly larger than the cord. Push the cord through and tie a double wrap granny knot to make a fat knot that won't pull back through. Make a bowline loop in the other end. You have a drag.

In use note red wood handle by his belly.

I make a loop and put it around the upper jaw and then a half hitch around the lower jaw that way they will slide right through the brush without hanging up. for multiple critters just make another loop about three feet up the cord that way the critters will follow one in front of the other.

Just wrap the cord around the handle and put it in your pocket. I have one in each of my scabbards and in my caller bags.

 

[K9TXS]

I know this isn't a setup for coyote hunting, but it works great for my gear on prairie dog trips.

 

[DX Bear]

These are some really cool designs. PVC pipe wouldve been better material to make the drag with. That is a seriously awesome fleshing board. I love that it attaches to the truck like that. Would make it much more convenient. Thank you to everyone for the awesome replies.

 

[jim1974]

First post on the forum, I am in the process of making a drag out or paracord (optimistic as I haven't been predator hunting yet) I will get pics when I get home. I am also going to be making my e-caller as well. Thanks for the add

 

[Vance]

My Drag is just a short piece of rope and a base of a small deer antler. It's short enough that it lifts the front of the dog off the ground, makes dragging easy. I got the chance to use it on two dogs at once the other day and it worked beautifully.

 

[derbyacresbob]

I came up with a hard packing foam camo pillow to support my head when I was laying on my back 10 to 20 yards from my Foxpro to call coyotes in close enough to use a shotgun.
As I got older it was to hard for me to sit up quickly so I mounted my camo hard packing foam camo pillow to a piece of plywood. So it was like a ramp or a recliner. I also made it adjustable so I can get the height that I want in grass or in front of small bushes.
IMG_1315 by , on Flickr
IMG_1312 by , on Flickr
I used rope to make a carry sling, the rope holds the adjustment board in place when I am carrying it.
IMG_1392 by , on Flickr
I got to watch this young man kill a coyote double while using the ramp and pillow on his first day of coyote calling. There was very little grass and no cover. I saw the two coyotes running hard from about 500 yards away the young man didn't see the coyotes until they were about 70 yards from him.
IMG_9110 by , on Flickr

The two pictures below are my son and I just using the camo hard packing foam pillows.
PICT0011 by , on Flickr
IMG_0715 by , on Flickr

I can't see very good while laying down like this. Quite often I can hear the coyotes feet hitting the ground before I see them.