PREDATE

See that's the thing, no I'm not. It just irks me when my sport(predator hunting) gets a bunch of flack because of irresponsible houndsmen. The landowners who are paying the property tax are the ones who should be able to condemn or condone the legality of unfamiliar dogs on their land. Don't get me wrong, I'm not "against" it, just not for it. I take my hunting rights seriously and am not gonna stand by and let a few people ruin it. Again, I understand not all houndsmen are irresponsible. We could easily compare this issue to hydrofracking. Us New Yorkers are suffering from a few mishaps down in PA.

I share much of the same views on that subject and I'm anything but an anti hunter. I didn't realize they actually let the dogs get the kill. I always thought they were gunned down "firing line style". I don't try to tell people what's right & wrong, but to me it's not all that sporting. I realize some guys abide by the game/property laws, but many don't and that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of law abiding hunters. I guess my stance on this is partly due to being a die hard predator hunter(caller) with a healthy respect for my quarry. Like I've said before, it's just not for me. In the words of Montgomery Gentry, "you do your thing, I'll do mine".

Whew! Monster doe! Oh wait........ is that a baby bump in december?!!!!! LOL

I hear ya' there Joseph. I didn't mean to divert from your original post. I just thought the wraps looked pretty sweet! Actually I might do the"brush" pattern wrap on my .22mag coyote gun and then when the snow flies I can slap some tape over it and not have to worry about the residue. All of my shotguns and muzzy will be getting the wraps. In years past when I used to predator hunt with my old bolt action Marlin 550 12ga. "Gooseneck". I used to sew pieces of white t-shirt around the gun. Took me about an hour, but it served it's purpose. Didn't look horrible either.

I like it! Tell me, does 1 kit come with enough materials for rile, scope, and light? Thanks

Grow, thanks for the testimonial. That's definately something to consider. Do you remember what brand that wrap was?

I have a mod.51 with deerslayer slug & bird barrel. The ejector is acting up and my connection for parts doesn't have anything left. I still use it from time to time, but it doesn't always cycle shells properly. 2 3/4 chamber. If you want pics let me know.

I've been looking into doing something similar. I do not like the thought of moisture getting trapped under the tape, so I considered using some 3M medical wrap(not sticky). Then I could undo from time to time so it doesn't trap moisture. Then I came accross this http://www.mossyoakg...n-wrap-kit.html. For $25 it looks sweet! They also have shotgun skins. Most of the customer reviews are under the shotgun skins, but it should be the same. Using a heat gun or hairdryer it lets you conform it to the gun, making a tight seal. I haven't tried it yet, but soon will!

I use Hi Mountain brand jerky cure&seasoning. Agway carries it. Makes awesome venison jerky out of my dehydrator. I may have to give wild turkey a try. I agree that the cure can make it a tad salty, so I just cut it back a little. The cure also makes it a little more safe for consumption! I even tried trout jerky last year. I liked it, but was pretty oily and I over dehydrated it. Anyone else dabble in fish jerky? if so, what kind of fish is best? I might try pike.

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the .17super mag this spring as well. I don't think it'll be a viable candidate as a hog gun, but for a rimfire, it might surpass the .22mag(which is my predator/varmint caliber).

220 swift

Darn, If predator season wasn't almost over I'd buy one. Are they brand new in box? Do they have a brand name/website so I can view specs?

I hear ya"! I can hardly wait for shark week! Nice yote.

I can see where they might create an issue for big game hunting. Technology is beginning to diminish the "fair chase". As for coyote hunting, I don't think they'll raise much stink about it. After all, it's perfectly legal to release a pack of hounds on a single yote while said hounds are trapsing all over posted property. Then when the hound gets it's toes pinched in a foothold trap, the owner wants to cry and moan about it. Aplogies for my ranting, but coyote baiting alone recieves it's fair share of scrutiny "ooh, the poor, defenseless little animal", they say. Nevermind the coyote that gets ran ragged accross the county to be gunned down "firing squad" style. You may call hunting with hounds "sporting", but just not my style. I call predators and bait them once in a while. Baiting is not easy( unless you're doing it from your living room). Baiting actually differs none from deer hunting. Long hours in the stand, often not seeing a single creature. That is, unless you're doing it from your warm snug bed. Then you can just flip to animal planet!

You are correct.

Squirrel

Zhe Wiz, There's nothing wrong with your method. I wasn't implying that. It sounds like you have a good setup. I've done some baiting and logged many, many hours sitting in a ladder stand watching the bait. Just not as productive as stick and move calling IMO. I've become a believer in red filters. They're not totally unaffected by the red either, it just doesn't burn their eyes as bad. A 1,000,000 candlewatt light is highly unnecessary for picking up eyes. Red filters pick up predators eyes best and red is easiest on our eyes. The theory with red is that they can't see past it. Sort of like a shield and it works as long as you don't burn them with the main beam. Green lights them up a bit better for the shot. An idea for your setup could be just to spot eyes with a smaller red light, but don't burn them with it. Keep the main beam above them and just let the bottom of the halo illuminate their eyes. Then when they turn their head or start eating then burn them for the shot with your gun light.

That's cool. I was out for 5 hours last night and only seen eyes for a split second. I've thought about trying a motion sensor, but where's the hunting in that?

If you're seeking fair chase hog hunting you may have to travel out of sate. There are some hogs running around, but not enough to pinpoint their location. I only heard of a couple being taken in NY during deer season(archery-gun) and one was by a law enforcement officer. They are usually targets of opportunity(for now). I expected their population to be growing rapidly, but it seems to not be the case.

The only feral cat I've killed(dispatched) was one that I caught in a foothold trap. He was in bad shape,so I ended his suffering.

I used to eat them and was quite fond of the sweet meat. I was just wondering if the original poster was going to utilize his kill or not. It kinda came off sounding like they were just killing to save a few acorns. I like the little buggers, they can be annoying but without them we'd have way fewer adrenaline rushes while on stand!

Oh yes, Predator talkcast with Brian Downs. I too go back and listen to the older shows on occasion. I actually found out about it on the forum that was started and is run by Andrew Lewand. It's called BarkAtTheMoonCoyoteClub. I've been a member over there since '09 A guy over there actually posted a pic recently of a fox that he got while using coyote vocals. Here's the link to the site. http://barkmoon.proboards.com/

For shotgun I'd recommend sticking with 7 1/2's. Even 6's in my opinion are overkill. I use those for rabbits and grouse. Do you eat the squirrels?

How funny, I just mentioned your videos yesterday, but I must admit I first saw it on BarkAtTheMoon! Like I posted over there, great footage and keep them cameras rollin'! Always nice to see someone having success.

Greybeard, I wish I could give you a better answer, but seeing that I only use mouthcalls, my advice might not be as on point as someone with experience with E-calls. The urine could help, but as you know, there is no silver bullet when trying to call in a K9. Since I only use mouth calls(for now) I am used to picking up eyes that are focused on me. From what I gather, e-callers are placed up/cross windfrom the shooter so that the predator gets intercepted as it tries to scent check. They may be setting up wrong, if the yote is smelling the call, they should be in the line of fire. Also,with remote callers, the predators aren't looking at the hunters, but rather at the call. So they might just not be spotting the eyes. With yotes, that's how they play! Always on edge and leary. I don't take any chances, I'm always checking my downwind side. When using distress calls, sometimes the fox will just be the first on the scene so they can get the meal before the yotes come in and steal it. Coyote vocals are working for me lately. Fox are known to also come in to them. If they are seeing eyes, they should be thankful. Some people I've talked to say things have been slow for them. If the two guys you mentioned are hunting partners, they might do better if they sit farther downwind from the caller to ensure not getting winded. Or they could split up and both scan for eyes from different angles.