Two Interesting Stories from the World of Predators

In the last several weeks, I have seen a handful of coyotes within the city limits of the small town where I live, usually in the evening time or after the sun goes down. The Arizona Daily Star (click here for full story) has warned that the extreme heat of the summer can drawn coyotes into more urban areas. Things such as your pet's water bowl, a swimming pool, or the temptation of nice shade can make coyotes more apt to head into your neighborhood, resulting in them taking little Fifi or fluffy Mr. Snookums as a snack. Keep your eyes open for coyotes in your area, and scare them off when you can. Even better, use such sightings as a method of scouting for your next hunt! Coyotes often leave the urban areas as some point in time, and when they do, you can be there waiting. The new laws outlined in one of my previous posts about hunting in the AZ city limits makes it even easier for predator hunters to stay close to home and still have the chance to hunt - just make sure you follow all of the rules, have a proper backstop, and be safe!

Elsewhere in the country, mountain lions are saying "No thanks" to the expansion of wolf populations - in fact, they are killing wolves in the Bitterroot Valley in Montana (full story here). While predator-on-predator violence is nothing new, the amount of wolves that mountain lions have killed in the Bitterroot Valley is something to be interested in. Each one was found with the standard puncture wounds in the skull, typical of a lion kill, and some of the kills were not due to any apparent conflict over a food source. What does that mean? To me it means that mountain lions don't appreciate the uncontrolled spread of wolves into their territory anymore than humans do, but unlike humans, they don't need a special permit or a government agency to tell them when they're allowed to take care of business.

 

Happy Hunting!

Coyote Clinic 2012 - Round 2: Success!

Another successful Coyote Clinic has been completed right here in beautiful Arizona! On May 18th and 19th, 12 hunters gathered to learn how to put more fur in the dirt! We met in Gilbert, AZ for the classroom portion, which was graciously held at the Gateway Church and hosted by Gateway Outdoors - a big thanks to Marshall and Harold for that! As usual, each kid in attendance got a predator call and a copy of Predator Xtreme, and everyone else got lots of great information about how to get this predator hunting thing done right!

It was a bit warm down in Florence, AZ for the Field Day the following day, but lots of sunscreen and water kept us all in the game. I didn't get a chance to take any pictures, but one of the students (thanks Eric!) was able to get some great shots during the skinning demonstration. Click on the picture below to be taken to the photo album, which contains several additional pictures of the coyote skinning that we did.

Thank you to all who attended! I enjoyed meeting everyone - Coyote Clinic is one of my favorite things to do every year. Right now I'm planning on doing another one sometime this fall, maybe in October, so keep an eye on this blog if you're interested in attending!

Happy Hunting!

New Arizona hunting laws make things a bit more exciting!

Wow - I have been so busy with training and travelling that I haven't had time to update my most favorite blog! But have no fear, I am still here - expect to see a few additional posts to this blog over the next couple of days, each with great information and new stories.

There have been several new hunting laws here in Arizona, and with new laws always comes some confusion and mis-information. So in order to set things straight, I'm going to outline the changes here:

1) It is now legal to kill mountain lions with shotgun shooting shot.

2) Legislation has passed which will allow the use of suppressors during legal hunting, but this rule does not go into effect until 90 days after the end of session, which sets the date right around the beginning of August.

3) Legislation has passed which removes the restriction on magazine capacity for centerfire rifles and shotguns while hunting, but just as the suppressor law above, it will not go into effect until early August. It is important to note that this DOES NOT remove the restriction while hunting migratory game birds, such as Dove, due their Federal protection status.

4) Dogs can now be used as a legal method of take for coyotes.

5) Archery draw weight minimums have been reduced from 40lbs to 30lbs.

6) Mountain lion season is now a YEAR-ROUND season, for both daylight and daylong hours, and multiple bag limit areas have increased A LOT this year.

7) Night hunting is now legal for coyotes and mountain lions - but certain limitations apply. The Arizona Game and Fish Department calls this "Daylong Hours Hunting" which means night hunting.

• Coyotes - page 83 of the AZ Hunting regs:
• March 1 to May 31
• Only certain units and parts of certain units are open for hunting - this is NOT statewide. Check the AZ hunting regs for more information.
• You can ONLY use a shotgun while taking coyotes at night
• You can use any color light, any voltage, any size, any type (including thermal and night vision) but it CANNOT be operated from or connected to a motor vehicle. This includes running a big extension cord from your vehicle!

• Mountain Lions - page 61 of the AZ Hunting regs:
• Only certain units and parts of certain units are open for hunting - this is NOT statewide. Check the AZ hunting regs for more information.
• You can use a shotgun or a centerfire rifle for hunting mountain lions at night.
• Same light setup rules as Coyotes.
• Some units have a yearly bag limit of 3 lions for daylong hour hunting.

First lion killed at night in Arizona. Dave Martens of Wildlife Callers,

Dan Tone (pictured - he was the shooter), and Deuce the terrier.

8) You can now hunt in the city limits during regular open seasons with the appropriate licenses and tags, with certain restrictions:

• You must be 1/4 mile (440 yards) away from occupied structures.
• You cannot shoot from, onto, or across any road.
• You can only use shotgun shooting shot, archery tackle, or rimfire rifle.
• Certain state, county, and municipal parks may be closed to hunting persuant to AZGFD commission rules.
• Be careful with this new opportunity! Don't attract unnecessary attention to yourself or this law will have a short life.

That wraps up the main changes to the laws. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section below. Don't worry about your comments not showing up immediately - I had to set them to "approval only" thanks to some silly spammers and anti-hunters.

And if you want to keep up with some of my other writing, check out the blogs for my training organization, Independence Training. They are Journal of a Sheepdog, which discusses training methods and the survival mindset, and our Equipment Reviews, which cover all kinds of gear related to self-reliance. Just an FYI - some of the entries are authored by John Pinnix, my primary assistant instructor.

Happy Hunting!

Coyote Clinic 2012 - Round 2

Our last Coyote Clinic in January was so popular that we're going to have another one in May!

It doesn't matter whether you're a rookie who wants to learn the ropes or a veteran hunter who is looking for some new tactics, Coyote Clinic is an excellent event for any predator hunter!

Here's what some of our students from our January Coyote Clinic had to say:

"Awesome! Learned many things I have been doing wrong. Shooting portion showed I need to practice gettin on target. I wouldn't change anything and the course content was great."
- Tom C., Phoenix, AZ

"Classroom time was informative. Presentation was not boring. Felt engaged the entire time. Field time was helpful, and allowed me to "see" what you discuss in your book. The shooting exercise was very helpful."
-Loren C., Prescott Valley, AZ

"Amazing class!"
-Bill S., Tucson, AZ

"This class was very informative. The tactics taught changed my whole way of thinking on how to put the most predators on the ground."
-Rick S., Mesa, AZ

This upcoming Coyote Clinic will be held on May 18th and 19th in Gilbert, AZ. This is a perfect primer for the summer time, when you can get out and do some scouting and even a little hunting to be fully prepared for the fall season. Both dates are available separately, but if you get them together then you get a better price, and a more complete and informative package! Reading through some of my past posts you will find stories of past Coyote Clinic students who are putting fur on the ground and are really enjoying predator hunting.

Both days are only $145, and returning students will get both dates for only $80! Why do a refresher? Kids are only $60 for both days, and all current military get $15 off with current ID!

Space is limited, so register today via PayPal or with a credit / debit card. For full information on registration, as well as full course details, click on the links below to open up the info sheets for both the Class and the Field Day.

Coyote Clinic Classroom Info Sheet (PDF)

Coyote Clinic Field Day (PDF)

Happy Hunting!

Arizona Game and Fish Outdoor Expo - Don't Miss It!

Every year I take my family to this event, and every year we love it! And there's no admission or parking fees, so that makes it even better!




http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/showcase.shtml

See you there!

Urban Coyotes

I was headed to a class this morning on a nice sunny 20 degree day, when I spotted this coyote wandering around in some empty housing lots. These lots happen to be right near the center of town, and as I approached this coyote looked pretty sad - wet tail and all!

When I stopped to take a picture, he trotted off, looking back several times with a very confused behavior. I let him go for a bit, until he was out of my field of view . . . .



. . . . and then I started imitating some predator calls from the warm comfort of my vehicle. He sure perked up on the way back! After a few more minutes of driving away, and then calling him back with lip squeaks and barks, I realized I was about to be late for my prior engagement, so I let him trot off, and I wished him the best of luck finding some breakfast.



Even when I'm not out hunting, I sure do enjoy predator calling!

Stormy weather shouldn't keep you home.

Pre-storm and post-storm weather are some of the best times to get out after predators. While not always the most comfortable (i.e. cold, windy, and crappy) predators are often out and on the hunt, eager to come to the call.

I had to do a skinning demo last night for a group of youth, and so despite the stormy weather, I headed out yesterday afternoon in pursuit of predators. While the first 3 stands were a bust, mostly thanks to gail force winds, I soon discovered a nice big canyon hidden from the casual observer. I knew this was my ticket to success, even though it was about a mile hike to get into the canyon. The wind had died down a bit, but the casual rain drop was still falling every now and then.

I setup on the first stand with a good view of my downwind, and in less than 2 minutes I had a fox on stand right in my downwind. Bang, flop, and the skinning demo was on for sure. Not wanting to quit, I headed farther into the canyon and setup again. And this is when things got interesting.

My stand was overlooking a large rocky wash so that I could see both ends of the canyon coming into where I was calling from. Just a few minutes in I get a hard charging fox. The wind had picked up and I was getting darn cold by this point . . . . but those are just excuses for what comes next - I shot low in my excitement to have two animals for the kids to skin! But the fox casually hopped behind a rock, and I was sure he was still around so I stuck it out. Sure enough, he pops up on my right, looking around. But as I move for the shot, he disappears again. I know he's behind me, so I decide to throw caution to the wind and go tactical on this fox. I turn and low-crawl over a couple of rocks, and as I come up over the last boulder, there he stands, not 20 feet away, looking right at me. He's in front of a small bush, so he must've felt hidden and safe, because he didn't run. Either way, my rifle comes up and I smash a 55gr VMAX into his chest, he flips over backwards, but he's still kicking around so I smash another round into him. I think he was dead after the first round, but I've seen enough animals run away to know that you shoot until they stop moving.

He was a bit of a small fox, and the rounds did some terrible damage, so he didn't come back for the skinning and I didn't feel that a picture was warranted. But here's the picture of the one that got skinned last night by a very excited group of kids:



The young ladies were especially excited to participate, and it was a lot of fun as after he was skinned the kids wanted to dissect him and help me prep the skull for cleaning. Good times were had by all.

And a couple of lessons were re-learned:

1) Just 'cause the weather isn't perfect, doesn't mean the animals won't come in.

2) Everyone still gets excited about making the shot, even after shooting lots of animals!

Happy Hunting!

Double Check the Shady Spots

Bird distress had drawn nothing in for the last two stands, so I decided to try something new. About 10 minutes into the next stand, I switched to fox distress, and not 10 seconds later caught movement to my left - but whatever it was, it was leaving! Giving me only a few glances at what I thought to be a gray fox, it was gone in a few dashes through the shade and random openings between bushes on the far hillside, at least 200 yards away.

Another 5 minutes passed without anything else happening, so I whistled to my hunting partner and good friend, Eric, that the stand was over. As we headed away from the stand and down the canyon, I scanned the hillside, looking for any sign that what I had seen had been real and not imagined, or not some bird fluttering from bush to bush. Suddenly, I spotted something in the shade - it looked like a set of ears outlined against the hillside. It was about 150 yards away and just slightly uphill from where I had seen movement earlier. I stopped and looked hard, waiting for movement. Oh nevermind - it was just a branch. As Eric and I walked on, closer and closer to the branch, I kept my eyes on it. Something about that big branch looked too much like an animal, but in the shade and the early morning light it was hard to tell. Finally I asked Eric for his rifle, which was scoped with a variable optic, since I only had my shotgun. As I shouldered the rifle, there in the crosshairs stood a gray fox, staring down at us!

I can only guess that he felt very confident in his concealment, since he still didn't move, even though he was only 120 yards away and technically in the open. I say to Eric "That's a fox!" Eric replies that he wants to shoot him, so I hand the rifle back to Eric, who got into a steady position, adjusted the scope . . . . and still the fox did not move. Amazing!

Eric flipped the safety off and with a solid shot dropped the fox. We had to do some bushwhacking and serious uphill climbing to get to it, but what we found was a beautiful and fairly large fox - I'd say the biggest one I have seen all season! It was a good shot by Eric, shooting uphill at a steep angle at about 120 yards, and just as interesting to see was that the fox didn't budge the entire time, until Eric shot him, of course.

So what is the lesson that is to be learned here? There are several, actually:

-Always double-check that "stump bobcat", "rock fox", or "bush coyote", because it just may be a real animal! They are masters of concealment, since that's how they survive and hunt.

-Spend more time looking in the shade when you are scanning your area while on stand. This isn't the first time I have killed or seen killed a predator who had snuck in and was sitting in the shade, surveying the situation and deciding on his next move, perfectly concealed.

-Sitting in the shade and not moving is amazingly good concealment, even better than whatever fancy camo Cabela's is currently selling.

-Invetigate areas where you saw movement while on stand. You may find sign of what was there, such as scat or tracks. And maybe the animal will still be standing in those tracks!

-When you are done calling, get up slowly, look around, and leave the stand quietly. You don't know what may still be approaching or watching. I have bagged several predators just by taking the same amount of time and care leaving a stand as I did approaching it.

-Like I've always said, foxes are crazy! They will stick around through just about anything, and just like this one did, they'll often give you a second chance if you screwed up the first one.

-This is the third fox this season that I have seen run away from fox distress, and I have heard from other hunters that they have been having similar results. This is interesting, since fox distress is usually a sure bet for calling foxes. I'll keep an eye on this trend, as it would change the way that foxes are called since it may be an indicator that foxes can be educated to a sound to the point where they would no longer come to it.


It was a fun morning, and the best part of a hunt is getting to share it with someone else. I'm glad that Eric was there to take this shot!

ShootersRealm.com

Chances are that if you use the internet, you've visited a discussion forum of some kind. Whether for guns, hunting, golf, boating, or wax figure making (yes - it exists), discussion forums are a great way to connect with other people from all different regions to discuss your chosen topic.

When it comes to firearms and their use, there are countless forums available out there. Some of them are big, some are small, some are useful, others . . . . not so useful. There is a new forum out there, however, that is really standing out and growing fast - ShootersRealm.com.

The current membership is a great group of people who all have one thing in mind - help each other out. That is something you won't find on too many other forums. So stop by ShootersRealm.com today, take a look around, and register for a membership, which is completely free. You'll find me under the name 'rizzo', of course, so once you get register say 'Hi'!

Happy Hunting!

1017 Yards

While this isn't my style of hunting, it is an impressive shot! Sure answers the question of how to take care of a coyote who holds up way out there.

Click Here to see a 1017 Yard Shot on a Coyote