Small Game, Predator and TrappingFrom shooting squirrels in your backyard to calling coyotes in Arizona. This forum now contains trapping information..
Well I got out this weekend but with no luck. I only spoted 6 does in the two days i hunted. It had snowed here back on Thursday so there was still snow on the ground. Saturday I was able to hit 5 stands with either a cross wind or the wind in my face. As I had some stands in the woods, I made my way to each one as slowly and quietly as possible. Even on my way to my first stand, walking the edge of a field in the dpression (which would keep me unseen by any yotes in the field) I did see a small gut pile, a bird or something, didnt think much of it other than something is hungry so I figure thats a good sign. I started out with a couple of howles to see if I could get a response back, but nothing. So after a couple of mins of silence I hit the rabbit distress call. from there at each stand I would mainly use the rabbit distress call and pretty much stayed away from the howles. When I headed back to the Jeep, I looked for that gut pile I first found and found a couple feathers near it and just a bloody spot where the pile was, wasnt able to see any tracks as new snow had fell, but my guess was that it was a crow or something that ate it. In the late afternoon hunt, I decided to go to the neighbors property to hunt a couple areas. as I made my way around his pond to hit the trail into the woods, there were tracks all over the icy pond and a deer hide on the back end of the pond near the dam. Felt like I should have hunted there. lol Sunday (different property from Saturday) turned out to be another zero for me. I hit only 4 stands that morning as I was moving thru the crunchy woods as quietly as I could. but still with playing the wind and trying to set up on the edges of the food plots and trails in the woods, I wasnt able to get anything to show itself. Again, I only used a couple of howls all morning and stuck to the rabbit distress call. I feel my biggest concern is getting from stand to stand without being spotted in the woods. But I knew this wasnt going to be easy going into it. I would only blow on the rabbit distress call twice at each location and sit prepared for something to pop out. Do you think this is not enough calling? Kind of feel like my calling sequence wasnt right either but who knows. just want share my weekend hunt with you, looking to get back out in a couple of weeks and hopefully get some to come in.
try calling a little more. maybe 3-4 sequences 2-3 mins each sequence and sit for a min or 2 between the sequences. how loud are you calling?its tough trying be quiet inthat type of terrain. i just try to walk slow and stopoccasionally makes it sound like a squirrel instead ofa herd of cattle walkin.good job on getting out to hunt thats half the battle.
I would say I was calling loud. I think thats going to be the key for me is who much and how to vary my calling tone. I felt like I was set up good and felt that my calling was good in terms of making the right sound but I felt that my sequence was not right. I will call more on stand and maybe start softer and get louder as each set comes up on stand.
My yote weekend in a nutshell
