Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!
Went over to some friend's house last night for some scary movies. One of the guys there wanted people to bring some short films to show as well, so here was my contribution: Click Here to watch "Kitty's Coat"
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Thick Stuff
Last week I found myself down in southern Arizona hunting with my friend Brian. We were hunting in some very thick brush near a riverbed, and we had good success. By the end of the day we had called in two coyotes, killed one, and also called and killed a bobcat and two foxes. As is usually the case, the perceived safety of the thick brush made all the animals feel more comfortable about responding to the call, and also allowed us to hunt area that has probably not been called before.
We had busted through thick brush, crawled on our knees and taken a couple of branch hits to the face when we finally came upon an area with very limites shooting lanes. A small wash ran through the area, and we setup in the bend of it. I stood against a thick river bush facing down one approach and Brian sat behind me, facing the other approach. Our hope was that as an animal came into the stand it would cross an open area, which might only present us with a few seconds to shoot. 8 minutes into the stand our crawling and brush busting was rewarded as a large bobcat crossed about 20 yards in front of me, looking towards Brian and the source of the bird distress noises. I raised my shotgun and the large tom never saw me as 41 pellets of #4 buck slammed home. Here's my shooting lane and what I could see - the bobcat is lying just above my shotgun barrel under the brushline. (click the image to see a larger version)
Hunting the thick stuff will so often give you the opportunity to call to animals that may have never heard a predator call before, and allow those predators to approach from many "safety" areas. Shotguns are a necessity for this type of hunting.
On a warm day, it's really important to get the fur cooled down in an ice chest or to skin the animal before bacteria starts to form, which will make the fur "slip"; meaning that large amounts of hair will fall out and therefore ruin the pelt. Luckily there was a large tree next to the truck that made for a great improvised skinning post.
We had busted through thick brush, crawled on our knees and taken a couple of branch hits to the face when we finally came upon an area with very limites shooting lanes. A small wash ran through the area, and we setup in the bend of it. I stood against a thick river bush facing down one approach and Brian sat behind me, facing the other approach. Our hope was that as an animal came into the stand it would cross an open area, which might only present us with a few seconds to shoot. 8 minutes into the stand our crawling and brush busting was rewarded as a large bobcat crossed about 20 yards in front of me, looking towards Brian and the source of the bird distress noises. I raised my shotgun and the large tom never saw me as 41 pellets of #4 buck slammed home. Here's my shooting lane and what I could see - the bobcat is lying just above my shotgun barrel under the brushline. (click the image to see a larger version)
Hunting the thick stuff will so often give you the opportunity to call to animals that may have never heard a predator call before, and allow those predators to approach from many "safety" areas. Shotguns are a necessity for this type of hunting.
On a warm day, it's really important to get the fur cooled down in an ice chest or to skin the animal before bacteria starts to form, which will make the fur "slip"; meaning that large amounts of hair will fall out and therefore ruin the pelt. Luckily there was a large tree next to the truck that made for a great improvised skinning post.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
My book is now on All Predator Calls.com!
If you haven't bought a copy yet, then you should buy one from All Predator Calls.com! You can find my book on their website by searching for the book title, Ready For Anything, or searching for my name. On their website you will also find a great selection of calls and hunting videos.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Never give up!
A chilly morning this last week found a my friend Jim and I out predator hunting. We were prepared to be out all day, starting in the juniper covered grasslands and planning to eventually move into the thick pines. Our first stand produced two coyotes, who almost simultaneously came into the area, but from different directions. One coyote approached from Jim's side, and one from mine. Both stayed in the thick brush, offering only brief glances of fur as they moved from bush to bush. Both coyotes also moved quickly into the thick brush that was our downwind, and were never seen again. Clearly we had just been given the slip by two "educated" dogs, but our outlook for animal activity in the area was good after such a productive stand.
Later in the day our outlook was not so positive. We hunted hard, made excellent stand setups, produced great call sequences, and yet we saw nothing more. Oh we saw deer and elk, but never managed to get a peek at another predator, though I'm sure we must have called some in. The wind had really picked up and swirled constantly throughout the day, making it hard to pinpoint and accurately monitor the downwind side. We continued to enjoy the hunting experience, but we were getting itchy to get our sights on some predators!
As the sun sank low in the sky, we talked of maybe just calling it quits and getting an early start home. But we've both been in this game long enough to know that when you do that, you'll always be left wondering what could have happened . . . . so we pressed on. As I screamed my final set of rabbit distress and then signaled to Jim that the stand was over, we looked at the horizon which now completely hid the sun. We had, at best, 20-30 minutes of shooting light left, and decided that we would do one more stand. We moved into an area close to the city limits and setup so that I could cover the downwind as Jim began a series of distress calls and lone howls. About 5 minutes into the stand, I spotted a coyote moving hard and fast towards Jim. I raised my rifle and watched through the scope as he charged towards Jim, who gave out a sudden bark, freezing the coyote in his tracks 60 yards away. I continued to watched through my scope as Jim center-punched the yote with a V-Max bullet, sending him to the ground. A few more minutes of calling produced no more animals, but as we ended the stand, we each wore a smile and were very relieved to have a coyote on the ground. Of course we had a great day hunting together and enjoyed our time in the outdoors, but it is always satisfying to get what you've been hunting. Even though we knew to keep going, it's a lesson that can never be learned often enough - never give up!
Later in the day our outlook was not so positive. We hunted hard, made excellent stand setups, produced great call sequences, and yet we saw nothing more. Oh we saw deer and elk, but never managed to get a peek at another predator, though I'm sure we must have called some in. The wind had really picked up and swirled constantly throughout the day, making it hard to pinpoint and accurately monitor the downwind side. We continued to enjoy the hunting experience, but we were getting itchy to get our sights on some predators!
As the sun sank low in the sky, we talked of maybe just calling it quits and getting an early start home. But we've both been in this game long enough to know that when you do that, you'll always be left wondering what could have happened . . . . so we pressed on. As I screamed my final set of rabbit distress and then signaled to Jim that the stand was over, we looked at the horizon which now completely hid the sun. We had, at best, 20-30 minutes of shooting light left, and decided that we would do one more stand. We moved into an area close to the city limits and setup so that I could cover the downwind as Jim began a series of distress calls and lone howls. About 5 minutes into the stand, I spotted a coyote moving hard and fast towards Jim. I raised my rifle and watched through the scope as he charged towards Jim, who gave out a sudden bark, freezing the coyote in his tracks 60 yards away. I continued to watched through my scope as Jim center-punched the yote with a V-Max bullet, sending him to the ground. A few more minutes of calling produced no more animals, but as we ended the stand, we each wore a smile and were very relieved to have a coyote on the ground. Of course we had a great day hunting together and enjoyed our time in the outdoors, but it is always satisfying to get what you've been hunting. Even though we knew to keep going, it's a lesson that can never be learned often enough - never give up!
Error!
I was reading through my book the other day to check on some info I wrote, and while reading through the section on cleaning skulls I noticed an error. It's kind of an embarassing one, actually - on Page 89 and then twice on Page 90 I use a word that has a very different meaning than the one I meant to use. When you clean a skull by immersing it in water and allowing the natural bacteria to separate meat from the bone, it's called "maceration". The process of chewing your food is called "mastication". Any guesses which one I chose? Yep, not just once but thrice I used the term "mastication" instead of "maceration". The upside? If you really wanted to, though, I suppose you could use mastication to clean your skulls!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Poachers are no one's friend
This is what waste looks like. This is what crime looks like. This is the work of someone who does nothing for hunting, nothing for sportsmen, and knows only selfishness. This is poaching.
For the last 4 years I have been watching a certain group of 5 bachelor mule deer bucks grow bigger and bigger. The largest was 4x5 and easily over 200 inches. Last year was the year I decided to get the big boy, but after my hunt was ruined (that story is part of an ongoing saga HERE) I looked forward to going after him again, until last night, when a friend and fellow hunter who hunts the same area showed me this picture and told me what happened.
You guessed it - that's the bruiser. Head cut off in such a manner that the cape will not be fit for mounting. Gut shot twice with a rifle during early archery elk season. Left to rot - not an ending fit for a king. This type of waste is never acceptable, but if he had been killed by a legal hunter at least I wouldn't be so mad. My buddy found him laying less than a hundred yards from the powerline road, a favorite for those idiot road hunters. He has informed the local Game Warden, but I'm not sure what will come of that. I'd love to get my hands on this moron - chances are this isn't his first time, or his last. It's like the saying goes "poachers aren't hunters, they're thieves".
For the last 4 years I have been watching a certain group of 5 bachelor mule deer bucks grow bigger and bigger. The largest was 4x5 and easily over 200 inches. Last year was the year I decided to get the big boy, but after my hunt was ruined (that story is part of an ongoing saga HERE) I looked forward to going after him again, until last night, when a friend and fellow hunter who hunts the same area showed me this picture and told me what happened.
You guessed it - that's the bruiser. Head cut off in such a manner that the cape will not be fit for mounting. Gut shot twice with a rifle during early archery elk season. Left to rot - not an ending fit for a king. This type of waste is never acceptable, but if he had been killed by a legal hunter at least I wouldn't be so mad. My buddy found him laying less than a hundred yards from the powerline road, a favorite for those idiot road hunters. He has informed the local Game Warden, but I'm not sure what will come of that. I'd love to get my hands on this moron - chances are this isn't his first time, or his last. It's like the saying goes "poachers aren't hunters, they're thieves".
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