Any Varmint hunters here?

[dozer]

I'm going to try for a government dog one of these days soon. My buddy is fairly good at calling them in and they seem to be pretty thick since the forest fire. It may help out the deer. Who knows, maybe an oversized cat may show up. They have been around too.

Is a 45-2.6 to OK for old coydog or should I use a big gun?
Doz

[Trigger Dr]

Dozer,
If'n yall get good bullet placement that squrill gun should do the job even tho it is a little on the lite side.
Good Huntin
Jim

[flatwater]

Dozer-
Shot a big male yesterday at 12 yards. Spotted him at about 600 yards and called him right in. Had .62 muzzleloader, 140grains 2F, patched 348 grain ball. My first coyote with a roundball gun.

I think .62 is adequate for coyotes, based on this one hunt....FW Bill

[Tallperson]

Dozer I have actually had a couple of yoddle dogs turn their heads and look at the smoke just before the slug got to them.... You can almost see the surprise in their expression..... Have a great time and whack a couple for the rest of us... Tallperson

[RMulhern]

Yeah....I shoot 'air' varmit what comes along!! Specially...'coydogs'!!

Here's one what was curious:

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/mulhernric8 ... 10655261/9

[ironramrod]

Dozer,

I've been wolfin' over 40 years, and have shot a lot of them; I can assure you your 45x2.6 will have sufficient horsepower to get the job done. In fact, just about any precision shooting BPCR of .32/40 or larger will work just fine. Lots of stuff to learn, but wolfin' is extremely interesting hunting to be sure.

Regards

[pete]

flatwater; Good for you on the ml coyote. I got one about 12 years ago with a 54 cal. ml. Coyotes are more of a challenge than alot of the so thought of challenging game animals.
I used to hunt for them whenever I could in the winter for fur. I haven't gone out in about 6 years but think I will again this year a little. I don't like fleshing, washing and stretching hides too much anymore.

[jerryl]

I have been researching coyote hunting. I haven't done it since I was a kid. My dad used to take me. I am not concerned about making money from the hides. I want to get more confidence with the 45-70. This last year I did a lot of target shooting and was cocky as hell about my ability with the gun BUT when I got out in the field boy howdy was it different. I want to use coyotes as real world target practice(If I can hit one). I have an electrionic call but want to use more reed calls. What are some good ones that won't freeze up

[Brant Selb]

[quote="jerryl"]I have been researching coyote hunting. I haven't done it since I was a kid. My dad used to take me. I am not concerned about making money from the hides. I want to get more confidence with the 45-70. This last year I did a lot of target shooting and was cocky as hell about my ability with the gun BUT when I got out in the field boy howdy was it different. I want to use coyotes as real world target practice(If I can hit one). I have an electrionic call but want to use more reed calls. What are some good ones that won't freeze up[/quote]

jerryl,

I used to hunt mid winter coyotes and bobcats for pelts in N. Nevada, I have always used a Circe mouth call; three way w. jackrabbit, cottontail and a squeaker reed system. I have used the same call in OR to call Mt. lion and black bear. The only problem I have had with the call was when I took it to Africa in 1989. I took it out one night while in a remote area of the Zambezi valley, my PH grabbed it before I had a chance to start using it and said "Damn Brant!! Are you crazy? We've got real varmints around here! ":lol: They work well.

Brant

[ironramrod]

Jerryl,

Brant S. is exactly right in that the Circe predator call is very good; however, it does tend to freeze up from excess breath moisture, when using it in cold country. In all fairness, however, every closed reed call I have ever seen freezes up in this country in weather like we are having now. The open reed calls (e.g. Tally Ho, Critter call, etc.) are very good at not freezing up even in -20 deg temps. and do a very good job of calling predators.

If you're interested and want to PM me your mailing address, I will send you a current copy of The Trapper and Predator Caller magazine www.trapperpredatorcaller.com that contains lots of good articles and a ton of advertisements of all the major trap and predator calling supply outfits; it's kinda the Buffalo Arms of the fur world. Lots of stuff to learn in this predator hunting business, but it's fun stuff, too. You can also log onto www.predatormasters.com for a lot of good discussion on calling predators.

Gotta warn you though; this predator business is really addictive. About as bad as Sharps rifles. The first time you're laying there calling and look over your shoulder behind you, and there stands 3 coyotes looking at you about 25 yards away you'll probably be severely bitten by "wolfin fever"; worst part is you may never recover from it. Coyotes (and red fox, too) are very good at playing hardball BTW.

Regards

[jerryl]

Called coyotes for the first time this morning.Started before sun up. Got alot of coyotes howling in the dark but when it got light, it got harder to get them to come in. coyote hunting takes a lot of patients. I had to really fight to set in one spot for 30 mins. It took a good portion of the morning to even see one. I bought a primos package set of calls last night,with an instructional dvd. That was the extent of my learning,for a hunt this morning. But the guy on the instructional dvd said that it was as easy as breathing to use the calls, RRRIIIGGGHHHT! it was still fun and I actually got some to come in, I think those coyotes just wanted to see what kind've idiot was making those noises

[ironramrod]

Jerryl,

Actually the instructional video you got was correct in that the calling part is really very easy. A good share of the calls are made to imitate the sound of a wounded rabbit; something almost every predator knows very well. However, the sounds the rabbit is making, when the coyote has his teeth in his rear end is the "maiden voyage" if you will. What I mean is that the rabbits don't sit around and practice how to make the wounded sounds just right, they just do it when the need arises; same with deer/antelope, etc. Thus, they likely hit some miscues and sour notes, and the predators don't mind at all; they've heard sour notes before.

The much more important stuff is getting yourself set up (camoflaged of course) where you can see and shoot well with minimal blind spots, use your cross-sticks to shoot (both sitting and prone sticks as the need arises), and be able to shoot the eyes out of a snake with your Sharps to 150 yards or so. Practice some real close shooting, too; I've seen more coyotes missed at 25 yards than I ever have at 150 yards. Watch the wind; the nose is the acid test for every predator to check out strange situations. Close to 3/4 of the coyotes/red fox you call in will end up somewhere on the downwind side of you before they are in range; set yourself up so you can deal effectively with that behavior.

Lots more stuff I can PM to you if you're interested; probably shouldn't clutter up the forum with predator stuff.

Regards

[Rickba]

Hey,
Coyote hunting is one of my favorite things. I like to hunt them with my flintlock. It ads to the challenge. I get serious about the Coyote hunt when I need more Jerky. They make good jerky.
Rick

[ArmyBrat]

great to hear your calling stories and the success rates!

Haven't had any opportunities out here in Utah since selling the farm in NC a year ago. I did shoot a buff back in February this year with my spaghetti sharps .40-65- one shot brain pan instant dead kill. Interesting thing happened at the game processor though. He invited me and any buddies to come back in late April early May to shoot rock marmots that pe out his alfalfa fields every spring....so there is a neat opp to try BPCR out an smallgame with my scoped .22 single shot Savage for back up if the BP runs out.

The last year of my stay in NC on the farm I shot 7 grey foxes most at night and a few during the day. They were knocking my laying hen population for a loop and completely decimated my tick eating guinea fowl. I had learned that greys can climb trees while a red fox cannot. Don't know the truth behind that ...we only had greys and toooooo many at that. Sometimes during daylight hours I woudl ghillie suit up and sneak up on 'em sniper crawl style to within 50 yards while they lazed around their den. I got one each time but it was only good for one shot as the spooked ones would stay underground for the duration after a fallen comrade went for the big sleep.

At night I called them to me -sometimes scary close with my first two fingers pressed against pursed lips and making a squeaky kissy sound. I held a maglite against my Saiga .410 ten shot semi auto shotgun loaded with special home loads and would keep the light off until they were close and then shine it only briefly above their heads and then right when they were under 50 yards from me. BOOM-BOOM! Funny they would sound just like cats when hit- I thought "shoot! I just nailed the neighbor's cat" oh well......but then I really knew it was the fox after all. They woudlcome running in full speed at me with a zig-zag bouncy pattern that is unlike cats or dogs. Lots of fun on the farm with a variety of predators ...just no 'yotes.

[Peep Sight]

I wish I had animals around to shoot. I have a feeling someone went around my groundhog fields and stuck a pipe down their holes, if you know what I mean. People saw coyotes, but I have not.

Anyway here is what I hunt with until my sharps shows up




it is a 788 in 22-250 with stock built to my specs(pics do not do it justice).
I have no black powder gun yet, I'm still on the smokeless bandwagon.