Official 2023 Predator Thread

[todbartell]

Some of us beat the winter blues by heading out and hunting predators.

If you shoot a coyote this winter and want to share a picture or story, feel free to add to this thread. Any info on guns, bullets, scopes, calls, setups for calling, baiting, etc, can be asked here and maybe we can help out in any ways.

Coyotes, WOLVES, lynx, bobcats, cougars...trappers post up too!

I went out on New Years Day trying for a lynx. No luck with the cats but did call in a coyote, it popped out about 125 yards up the road. I was trying to get a bit fancy and do an ammo swap from the reduced cat load to a full power load. Almost got the bolt closed when it turned and trotted back into the trees. I switched the Foxpro from Snowshoe hare to Coyote Pup distress and within a minute the coyote was right across from the caller 50 yards in front of me. Just as I got my eye in the scope, it was gone. Wind was blowing right at my back. SOB! Always sucks to blow an opportunity

Plan was to go out the next morning for an all-day hunt for Lynx again. That story will continue, but for now it's bed time

[TheObserver]

I'm going to be trying to call Coyotes freqeuntly using a fawn call and a cottontail/rabbit distress. Mountain Lion kind of relying on snow but will try those two calls as well, won't have money for E caller this year but may try to play Mountain Lion vocalizations (I hear this is highest success for calling them in) from a speaker through phone or something.

Got question for bait what is good to use for Coyote's? And is there any places anybody knows of that will give you stuff like a grocery store meat expiring for example?

Also going against my previous thoughts, I have read from many experienced guys and trappers that you can actually bait Mountain Lion?

[todbartell]

Plan was to go out the next morning for an all-day hunt for Lynx again. That story will continue, but for now it's bed time

Headed out for a day of lynx calling. Weather was overcast and -5c

Tried four different spots, no luck.

Around 3pm, made the fifth stand on some fresh lynx tracks and there was scat on the road too. Lots of rabbit tracks around. Set the Foxpro about 50 yards down the road with my old Jack in the Box decoy bobbing around.

Four minutes into the reee reee reeeee of a high pitch cottontail rabbit distress, I spot something step out from the ditch 150 yards ahead. A lynx! It walked out into the middle and sat down facing us, my 8 year old son was urging me to start shootin'! - After a minute or two, it crossed into the bush and was gone. My son says to me "You ruined my dream of getting a lynx!" haha - I told him to be patient, let's see what happens





About ten minutes go by and no more cat. I switch the Foxpro to Woodpecker in distress, and my wife grabs her camera and I creep up the road to the call. I don't see anything, but the bush is thick as hell. I heard a squirrel chattering about 40 yards into the trees, I suspect the cat is somewhere in there. We slowly walk back to the Foxpro and I spot a tuft of hair coming from a cat's ear , hiding behind a pine tree just inside the trees. The lynx was watching us, then turn and look at the Foxpro/decoy, then back to us. My wife was slowly moving around trying to find a better lane for a pic. The cat would see her moving and hide it's head behind the tree, then the head would slooowly coming peeking out, then back in. Pretty funny to see. There was no better pics coming, I whispered to her that if I don't shoot this lynx, we're going to have a mighty disappointed kid. She's not a hunter. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty skinning or packing, but she doesn't like to see animals die. I told her to turn around and I took the rifle off my shoulder.

Now my son is in the truck watching all of this through the binoculars. He couldn't see the cat, but seen Mama taking pics. He said when I unslung the rifle "Ohhh they see it! Daddy's gonna WHAP IT" haha

I turned the scope down to 3x and took aim



After the shot, the door of the truck opens and my son yells "DIDYA GIT'M?!?" - The door flies open and he's charging down the road towards me full tilt looking like he was holding back tears of joy. I knelt down and he plowed into my arms and we had a big celebratory hug. He was on cloud 9

A nice 24 pound female, will get it tanned up for the memories. And enough meat off it for a couple good dinners

[todbartell]

[todbartell]

It's been a winter of too much working for me. I only made two coyote stands in January, and two so far in February. I've been taking my 8 year old son with me, so I haven't ventured too far from the beaten path. Trying to teach a bit of patience, not an easy job He likes to carry the rifle, at least for a couple hundred yards



We had a bit of action on one of the last stands though

11am we are set up in the north pasture. A 15 min hike in, we see some fairly fresh coyote sign on way in. Wind is blowing pretty hard from the west. I set the foxpro about 30 yards upwind of us and we go sit down.

I began with a female lone howls. After the series of a few howls, a pair of coyotes approx 600 yards to the west fire up and begin to howl and yip. I then went with a breeding sound , then a coyote fight. I’m scanning the west, but don’t see them yet. I switch to a pup distress, and that's when I see movement at the far end of the pasture. A coyote is hard charging in, about 500y out , And a second coyote is 50y behind it! We're about at the 8 min mark into the stand.

The lead coyote barks a few times and then swings to the south into the timber when about 250 yards from us. The other coyote is standing in the pasture surveying our direction. The lead coyote was out of sight for less than a minute and I hear it bark a few times in the timber about 200Y below us. It pops out into the pasture and is heading right to left, angling to the downwind of us.

I'm usually a trigger happy coyote hunter, typically the first time they stop inside of 300 yards, I'm shootin'! But I want to try to exercise some more patience and see if I can get a coyote inside of 100 yards before I shoot. Hudson is pretty revved up, I can see him shaking pretty hard. Hudson shuffled over to keep a better look at the circling coyote, it sees him move.

The coyote slams on the brakes and turns, heading off straight away from us and into the timber. Now the second coyote follows a similar path and comes out of the timber, I had it broadside a couple times stopped at 200 yards. But when the first coyote started to bark it in the timber turned and headed that way. They're gone. Hudson is dejected and begins to cry - The hunt is ruined! haha - I told him - that's hunting. The hunt was a success even without a shot fired.

I went with a more aggressive coyote fight sound, hoping to pull them back in. The Female coyote pops out a few hundred yards downwind, trying to get our scent. She is barking and running around 400y out; the male is a ways behind her and last I see of them is quartering away into the bush about 500 yards away. I start again with female howls, then another breeding sound. Hudson tells me to put on woodpecker distress. Later I find out he was hoping a we’d call in a lynx!

I put on Woodpecker distress, and soon after spot a coyote standing at the treeline 285y away, facing us. The wind was just howling hard, my hood was flappin’ like a sky diver ready to bail out. We’re about at the 28 min mark now. The Female turns and trots away towards the male who was hanging back around 400y on the edge of the pasture. They meet up and disappear into the timber. We stuck around for another 10 mins, but no luck. Hudson was happy to get back to the truck, but halfway back home he said we should go try another spot. We went out the next morning with a friend and his daughter, but it started to blizzard just as we got set up. No action

[HarryToolips]

Priceless memories right there, congrats man! I look forward to seeing more input on this thread..

[todbartell]

"Snow Angels"



Daybreak had me snowshoeing into a field bordering a willow choked swamp. I started with a series of lone howls and had a bunch of coyotes approx 800 yards to the north of me howling back. Then three coyotes much closer howled from the swamp. I could see one on the edge of willow 200 yards away as I slooowwlly moved the tripod and rifle that direction. I switched to a coyote whimper/whine sound and they came in quick single file. The front coyote stopped at 108 yards and the 223 barked, sending the coyote down and flopping around. I reloaded and got on the second coyote, it was just frozen staring my way but there was a small tree blocking a shot. That's when the first coyote began to yelp - the second coyote tore off towards it and was on the wounded coyote within seconds, biting at its back end. It took a few seconds for the coyote to offer a standing shot, the 53gr Nosler sent it into an egg beater death spin. The coyote taking up the rear was long gone. Double Down! I kept calling and had a coyote come to the edge of the willow about 10 minutes later, but it seen me move the gun and it was outta there. A heavy drag back to the truck - male and female in good shape

[Harvest the Land]

Awesome work and story. Are you hunting your own property or someone else's? Or is that crown land? Love the trick of leaning a branch against the pickup to help cut the tag

[HarryToolips]

Right on congrats TB!

[todbartell]

Awesome work and story. Are you hunting your own property or someone else's? Or is that crown land?

Lynx was on crown land, most of my coyote stands are on private