Zeeks varmint hunting 2019/2020

[Gencountyzeek]

Im goin to post my year of varmint hunting here instead of multiple posts.

Took my son behind the house this evening. First time for him coming out with me for yotes. About 20 mins in i was doin some rabbit distress on a mouth call, spotted eyes coming in. Red fox, got to watch him for awhile. He was figuring somethimg was off and started to head away, i hit the foxpro and a fox distress call. He came back out and sat down looking out towards the call. Just then  yotes sounded off across the street in a corn field. Unfortunately they never came across the street. Good night for his first sit.

[doebuck1234]

Look forward too following this one!!!good luck this season gents

[grampy]

Good luck zeek! I know I'll learn something here!

Looking forward to following along!

[LET EM GROW]

Awesome, Thought about starting one of these myself. Best of luck sir! 

[Gencountyzeek]

11 minutes ago, LET EM GROW said:

Awesome, Thought about starting one of these myself. Best of luck sir! 

Same to you!

[Gencountyzeek]

Hes addicated, wanted to give it another go.

[Gencountyzeek]

Nothin but deer in the field this evening. 3 bucks though so that was good to see.

[Gencountyzeek]

This is 15 yards from my favorite stand. Fellow predators sharing hunting spots...and my bucks remains with 2 wooden stakes through the rib cage to hopefully keep them from dragging it away. Contest this weekend, but may go out tonight to see if i can a shot at 1...or 2.

[Gencountyzeek]

Just got back checkin out a couple new fields i got permission to yote hunt this year. Very excited for the one, 3 big fields seperated by thin hedgerows, with a swamp less than 100 yards in. 

This saturday is goin to be crazy. Goin to be hunting from dusk till dawn sunday morning probably. We have fields to hunt from lancaster, corfu, alexander, darien, bennington, and north java. Weigh in for the predator mini slam is sunday at 1pm at franklinville conservation club. Should be a great time.

[Gencountyzeek]

Went out for a quick sit to watch over the bait pile. Just brought a rabbit in distress hand call out. Ended up calling in 2 red fox. Season dont start for them until friday. Nice night.

[TACC]

Just got back checkin out a couple new fields i got permission to yote hunt this year. Very excited for the one, 3 big fields seperated by thin hedgerows, with a swamp less than 100 yards in. 
This saturday is goin to be crazy. Goin to be hunting from dusk till dawn sunday morning probably. We have fields to hunt from lancaster, corfu, alexander, darien, bennington, and north java. Weigh in for the predator mini slam is sunday at 1pm at franklinville conservation club. Should be a great time.

Keep us posted on the contest results

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[Gencountyzeek]

25 minutes after i came in last night this guy walks by. Still not hitting the bait, but cruising around. 

[Gencountyzeek]

Well, it was good to be out last night. Especially trying out 2 new spots, but wow did the weather turn to crap. We started at my parents place with no luck. Then behind my house. Walking back we scared what i think was a fox outta the field. After 45 mins, walked over to my nieghbors field. Same, nothin...walking back to mine a fox ran across the path infront of us. After that we headed to a new spot i got the ok to hunt. Had eyes in the field as we were walking in, wind was blowing right to them. It took a little while to spook, but we couldnt get a ID on what it was. We didnt have the best setup there with the 3 of us, seeing the eyes right away we didnt get spread out like we wanted. So we decided to back out and come back later since the next field was only a mile away. That next field is a great spot, especially for the east wind we had. The 3 of spread out to cover the 3 adjoining fields there. 45 minutes of nothing. So we went back to the other field. As we were walking out, eyes in almost the same spot. It was a fox but slipped away as we decided to just get setup and call. 10 minutes into the calling i caught eyes crossing the field trying to get down wind of the call. They made it to the wood line and dissapeared. A couple minutes later my buddy signaled me he sees eyes, from my spot a rise was in the way so icouldnt see. Then i catch eyes just inside the wood line by myself and a friend. It was a fox and was working his way towards us. Told my buddy to take him. Im waiting while lighting it up so he can see it. The fox stops and...CLICK! Hes fumbling around with bullets...he never loaded the gun. I tell i got it and bang...flop. One male red fox on the board. Turns out my other friend believes he had a pair of yotes at the back of the field  just wouldnt stop to give him a shot. We went to one other field after that and the wind and rain picked up more so we called it a night. Happy about the new spots i have access to. But now time to get outta bed, didnt get home till 3am. Will be at the weigh in at 1. Will post pics then.

[Gencountyzeek]

Sorry no pics from the weigh in. We were the 2nd team there other team had a red and a gray fox. We went in to have a beer and watch the bills game, another teamed showed up with a yote and 4 fox i believe. When we came out to head home at half time all animals were picked up. Next up the big tourney in January, hopefully we get on some yotes before then.

[Gencountyzeek]

Heres the official winners. Kinda stinks we had opportunities at a couple more fox and maybe a yote. Good times.

[Gencountyzeek]

Went out last night, started in Bennington. Snow on the ground and lots of slush/rain coming down while calling. So much so that it made our lights almost useless, could not see well. So we packed up and went to a property that i shot a fox at last week. Wind was perfect for thos field, a yote would have to expose itself coming for the call. As we walked into the field we had a doe and 2 fawns watching us that eventually walked away. On the downwind side of the field, behind where the deer were standing i caught eyes then the body of a yote goin away. Signaled my buddy who started kitten cries on the foxpro. I slowly moved my way to a rise were the yote took off from that allows me to see down the far side of the field. I caught eyes half way down the field and they started my way. Within 5 seconds the yote popped out on a rise infront of me 100 yards away. Last steps that yote took in its short life. After the shot the eyes at the back of the field stuck around but wouldnt leave the tree line. My buddy who has more experience than i at this game thought we should leave and hit another field around the corner. I thought we should stay and just be silent for 10 min or so and start calling again. But hes the "pro", so we went to the other field. Nothing. Not a peep in that field. So we head back to the field with the yote hangin around. 100 yards before the driveway a yote crosses the road infront of me and is goin away from where we r heading. Damn...we set back up in the field and about 10 minutes in running some female yote howls we get a howl back. Unfortunately it never came in. Happy to get the first of the year in. Small female btw.

[Gencountyzeek]

Had my son out behind the house tonight for a early sit. Figure i have a fresh gut pile out there from my buck yesterday. No takers but across the street they started to sound off...may head over there when the wife gets home.

[mlammerhirt]

Now when sitting over a gut pile do you call.....or just sit and wait?

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[Gencountyzeek]

9 minutes ago, mlammerhirt said:

Now when sitting over a gut pile do you call.....or just sit and wait?

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I started with some lone female howls. Then waited about 15 mins. Then did some long female howls, thats when they lit up across the street.

[TACC]

Keep us posted

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[Gencountyzeek]

Let my dog out back around 7pm, yotes started barking off the back of my field on my neighbors. I got geared up and went out into my field. Did some barks and howls on a diaphragm call. Got a response from across the street and further away on my side. Put bay bee cottontail on the foxpro. About 1 min in eyes show up in the corner of my field. Watch them and they are coming into my deer carcass bait piles. Its a fox... to early in the set to shoot him, so i put male yote howls on and scare him away. Nothing else comes in but im still getting responses across the street. So i pack up the truck and head over there. Grab the gun, tripod, chair, and call. Start trying to walk quietly. This corn field was just finished getting cut friday. The stalks were left about 3ft tall. Not easy slipping in silently. I am about 50 yards from were i want to set up and theres eyes about 100 yards ahead of me...thats a deer. More to my left and 200 yards out, two sets of eyes. I stop and put the call and tripod down. Bring the gun up and the eyes are now moving...shit! Its a pair of yotes. Now my rifle weighs around 14lbs, thats 1 of the reasons it usually sits on a tripod. Trying to follow them and they stop on the backside of a rise. I can just see the eyes of one of them. I make some pup distress on the diaphragm call hoping to get them up on the rise. Unfortunately they continue behind it and out of sight. Well that sucks, but i set the call out, set the tripod up so i can stand. Call a little and now back across the street the yotes are barking at me...i bark and howl back. This goes on for about 20 minutes, you could tell by the sound they would get close to the road, but then go back. Called it after a half hour and headed home. Was a fun night, gotta figure out a quieter way to get in that field.

[moog5050]

Just curious, I know you are tagged out so perhaps it doesn’t matter but do you worry that yote hunting pressures the deer?

[ATbuckhunter]

Wish I could get you to come coyote hunt where I deer hunt. what lights are you using?

[Gencountyzeek]

8 hours ago, moog5050 said:

Just curious, I know you are tagged out so perhaps it doesn’t matter but do you worry that yote hunting pressures the deer?

The deer could care less actually. Ive had them walk within 30 yards of the call while it was making coyote sounds. 

I have gotten into fields with no animals in it and after calling for 20 minutes deer come out. Getting into yote hunting more i have learned deer are not as afraid of coyotes like i always thought they were.

[Gencountyzeek]

7 hours ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Wish I could get you to come coyote hunt where I deer hunt. what lights are you using?

I use red Wicked Lights. Head lamp for scanning and gun light for shooting. They are great lights, i can pick eyes up at 350+ yards. A thermal scope would be best but cant afford one at this time.