RE: My heaven....
Mike, I said I'd shoot left handed... not one handed… it was a joke, since I *AM* left handed.
#40fan, it is very uncommon for me to *NOT* hunt a day between 10/15 and 3/15. There are numerous occasions in which I will not shoot, or even carry a gun, but it’s extremely rare for me to go 24 hours without making a stand in the fall/winter months. Last year I missed nearly a month of the best callingdue to illness. My “film crew” consists of myself and a camera-savvy assistant with little knowledge or interest in hunting.
Usually we film hard the first 4 weeks (10/15-11/15) because the coyote populations are highest and provide the best footage. More likely to see multiples coming in, more young/dumb and up-close coyotes for filming in that early season. When filming I'm picky about what I shoot and when... I'd rather have a great clip than a dead coyote. We film hard before the frost and the big game seasons come in… then we start killing.
My regular cameraman (of 3 years) wasassigned toFort Carsonone week before Indiana's fur season openedlast year... and just Monday of THIS week he was shipped from CO to Afghanistan. In his place, my niece's husband tagged alonglast winter and familiarized himself with the equipment. Unlike my previous cameraman, he was only able to hunt locally and fairly sporadically.
I’d estimate that last season Jeremy got out with us on12/14 hunts. Maybe100/120 stands. Given the limited access to his help, I made the best of having him along… and probably triggered 25+ animals on film with him recording. Most of those “stacks” of critters I killed and submitted in January and February were from timeframes in which he was available to film. We took 6 coyotes in 4 hours on one night, 5 others in 3 hours one afternoon. In one stretch he filmed 5 consecutive doubles which was really cool and rare for this area. I tried to be efficient with getting him on coyotes last year, but we sure had our share of “blanks” and “bloopers” too.
I like to give you guys hell on here, but I’m sure I’d have a hard time adapting to the terrain and animals out West. I need a few days to adjust to the variables everytime I travel to new places. Fact is, I couldn’t win a shooting contest or calling contest if my life depended on it. It’d be embarrassing to admit how much time and energy I spend chasing coyotes for no more than I kill.That said, there are very few people who hunt as hard as I do ona daily/weekly/monthly/seasonal basis. Rain or shine, sick or tired, day or night... persistance and experience pay off.
PS: Mike, yes you were a Westerner when you passed the arch in St. Louis.