Another Coyote Clinic Student Bags Their First Coyote!

Some of my favorite emails to receive include a message with a picture of a dead predator and a smiling hunter. Daniel, a graduate of the most recent Coyote Clinic, had this to say about his photo:

So the other day I headed out hunting with my sister-in-law and we got this nice male at our second stand.  It was her first time that she came out with me and we got a yote.  I cut back on most of the mistakes that I learned I was making from your class and this is the result. I found that [one of the worst mistakes] I was making was sky lining myself either by how I walked over a hill that I was going to call or even sitting on top of the hill while calling.  

Good job, Daniel!

Are you interested in attending a Coyote Clinic? Shoot me over an email and let me know!

Happy Hunting, and Happy New Year!

Western Whitetail article: Basic Gear for Precision Shooting

The new issue of Western Whitetail has been released (Winter 2013), and on Page 46 you'll find my column called "Make The Shot." In this issue I get into the basic gear that you'll need to get into precision shooting. You can read the article in full by clicking here: http://www.westernwhitetail-digital.com/westernwhitetail/winter_2013/?pg=46

You can also find an advertisement for my company, Independence Training, on page 19.

And right now, until Dec 31, 2013, Western Whitetail is giving away FREE subscriptions to their magazine. A subscription consists of 4 issues - Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter - plus access to back issues. Get yours now before the New Year comes and you have to pay for it! http://www.westernwhitetail.com/product/western-whitetail-magazine-digital-edition/


Happy Hunting . . . . and Merry Christmas!

Edge by Expedite becomes Lucky Duck

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you'll know that I am a huge fan of the Quiver Critter decoy, formally made by Edge by Expedite, which admittedly is an odd name. Students in my Coyote Clinic have seen me where the Edge 'Predator' shirt, which is a really cool shirt design, and have seen me demo the Quiver Critter in the field. Now Edge by Expedite has changed their name, their image, and their packaging and become Lucky Duck, which I think is a much better name and goes back to their roots as a waterfowl decoy and call company. But they're still sticking with their predator hunting line of products, and they've even expanded it to include some really useful and cost-effective tools.

I recently received a care package from Lucky Duck that included their new catalog, as well as Quiver Critters in both the old and new packaging. On the old packaging, yours truly is shown in one photo with a coyote and another photo is of the first bobcat that I shot while using the Quiver Critter (click on the photo below to see a larger version). The new packaging doesn't have any photos on it, but now that I have the new Quiver Critter with the metal stake, I'll have to get some new pictures over to my friends at Lucky Duck so that we can change that. ;-)

Happy Hunting . . . . and Merry Christmas!

Poke It First: Lessons from a deer hunter

The video below is, in all seriousness, why I always poke things that I think are dead with a stick or gun barrel several times before I reach down to touch them, and even then I am cautious. I once reached down and grabbed a 'dead coyote' by the back legs, and when I started to pick him up, he 'came to' and just about gave me a heart attack. He was hit solid but wasn't totally dead - I let go, he ran about 10 feet and dropped dead.

On another occasion, one of my hunting partners had called in and shot a gray fox right on the edge of a canyon. At the end of the stand, my partner retrieved the gray fox and then held it up to show it to me just as it 'got the breath of life.' He yelled, jumped back (fox still in hand), realized that he was still holding the fox and then, in his words, "instinctively threw it over the cliff." We did not go down to retrieve that fox.

Watch the video below, and then have nightmares about those creepy eyes.

Happy Hunting!