Predator hunting

[clayton86]

as much as I used to love deer hunting I've lost my passion for it but predators on the other hand I love to call.  Only been out a few times this year but started off strong. Switching from lights to night vision has been a big game changer. 

 

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And Photobucket isn't working again I see 

[Kevin Beachy]

On 11/12/2016 at 10:07 AM, clayton86 said:

as much as I used to love deer hunting I've lost my passion for it but predators on the other hand I love to call.  Only been out a few times this year but started off strong. Switching from lights to night vision has been a big game changer. 

 

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And Photobucket isn't working again I see 

What gun do you use? 

[Rick Howard]

Attaboy.  I haven't even been out yet this year.  It my be January before I go.

[clayton86]

Kevin - I use a mossberg MVP in 204 with sightmark photon 4.6 night vision pushing 35gr Berger hand loads 

 

Rick - what you waiting for the contest lol

[jr231]

What do you do with them after you kill em ? 

[clayton86]

Skin em out got a freezer full of hides waiting for prices to go up or get tanned for a blanket I want to make. I got my hides from last year all tanned up nice hanging in my closet freaking my girl friend out lol. 

[Kevin Beachy]

I am thinking about getting into spot lights and calling. We have got a lot of coyotes on our farm right now, its perty bad.

[Rick Howard]

6 hours ago, clayton86 said:

Kevin - I use a mossberg MVP in 204 with sightmark photon 4.6 night vision pushing 35gr Berger hand loads 

 

Rick - what you waiting for the contest lol

Work.  Work on house.  Fishing.  since I moved I have 0 spots near home.  I gotta drive 2 hours to get to any place I can hunt now.  Gaining access to places to hunt has become difficult in the last several years.  The growing popularity of predarotr hunting has lost me more spots than I can count.  Folks who use to let ya hunt now hunt themselves or opt to let a family member or friend take your place.  Cant blame em.  Just one of those things I guess.

[clayton86]

12 hours ago, Rick Howard said:

Work.  Work on house.  Fishing.  since I moved I have 0 spots near home.  I gotta drive 2 hours to get to any place I can hunt now.  Gaining access to places to hunt has become difficult in the last several years.  The growing popularity of predarotr hunting has lost me more spots than I can count.  Folks who use to let ya hunt now hunt themselves or opt to let a family member or friend take your place.  Cant blame em.  Just one of those things I guess.

Yeah I hear ya. I moved also and am 30-45 minutes from all my spots and I took a new job in Lockport and I live just outside Rochester I leave for work at 330am and don't get home till 6pm I'm usually to tired to go out but I still manage a day or two a week 

12 hours ago, Kevin Beachy said:

I am thinking about getting into spot lights and calling. We have got a lot of coyotes on our farm right now, its perty bad.

Check out some of the predator forums, predator masters and bark at the moon coyote club are two great ones much like here. Bark at the moon is kinda small and mostly NY based Rick is on there as well but if you check either one and look for "pmack" or "kevinD" they make some of the best lights out there blow any store bought light away. If you want hand calls look up red hat calls which is Rick ^^^^ 

[Kevin Beachy]

49 minutes ago, clayton86 said:

Yeah I hear ya. I moved also and am 30-45 minutes from all my spots and I took a new job in Lockport and I live just outside Rochester I leave for work at 330am and don't get home till 6pm I'm usually to tired to go out but I still manage a day or two a week 

Check out some of the predator forums, predator masters and bark at the moon coyote club are two great ones much like here. Bark at the moon is kinda small and mostly NY based Rick is on there as well but if you check either one and look for "pmack" or "kevinD" they make some of the best lights out there blow any store bought light away. If you want hand calls look up red hat calls which is Rick ^^^^ 

I certainly will check them out!

[Rick Howard]

Thanks for the props.

I grew up in Brockport.  Moved to buffalo in 2003.  Then out to Syracuse last fall.

Your in Holley right?  That is a haul from there to Lockport.  

I can comment of gun and cal.  I am a fan of howa m1500 rifles.

Shooting fox I prefer slow moving rounds .  .223 can be a good choice for fox and coyote but I'd prefer slower still for fox. The speed is what ruins pelts.  Not that anything is really fur friendly.  Your still shooting them so you always stand a chance or making large holes.  

For coyote killin I like .243.  Coyote can be tough so I like the heavier faster bullet.  I shot fox with this round too with most being fine pelts.  The potential for mangling them is obviously higher though.

At any rate I prefer varmint style bullets because of the low angle shots.  Varmint bullets will save you some pelts because they won't exit but in reality sometimes they still exit and make a mess and other times they "splash" on entry and make a mess.  So the real advantage is that they are less likely to richochet when taking low angle shots.   

[clayton86]

3 hours ago, Rick Howard said:

Thanks for the props.

I grew up in Brockport.  Moved to buffalo in 2003.  Then out to Syracuse last fall.

Your in Holley right?  That is a haul from there to Lockport.  

I can comment of gun and cal.  I am a fan of howa m1500 rifles.

Shooting fox I prefer slow moving rounds .  .223 can be a good choice for fox and coyote but I'd prefer slower still for fox. The speed is what ruins pelts.  Not that anything is really fur friendly.  Your still shooting them so you always stand a chance or making large holes.  

For coyote killin I like .243.  Coyote can be tough so I like the heavier faster bullet.  I shot fox with this round too with most being fine pelts.  The potential for mangling them is obviously higher though.

At any rate I prefer varmint style bullets because of the low angle shots.  Varmint bullets will save you some pelts because they won't exit but in reality sometimes they still exit and make a mess and other times they "splash" on entry and make a mess.  So the real advantage is that they are less likely to richochet when taking low angle shots.   

Yup Holley just off fancher, the fox with me holding it up I hit with the bergers he was looking back over his shoulder when I thought he was looking at me facing me but I hit him right between the shoulder blades taking out its spine. Big big hole, I was with monk from the forums and he said toss it in the back on top his traps. Foxes lungs were sitting in he traps when I took him out lol. 

[Catt]

Don't fear the night, fear what hunts at night! 

[Rick Howard]

I load the 35 Berger for my .204 also.  My howa does not shoot heavier than that because the bullets are too long for the slower rifling.  The 40 v-max was key holing at 50 yards!  my issue with the .204 is that it was designed to shoot light bullets very fast and blow up prairie dogs.  We, guys in NY centerfire restrictions areas, want a round that's a little heavier and slower but still under the .22 cal restrictions.  I'm not going to build a custom rifle or limit myself to wild cat cartridges though.  So the 35 Berger in 204 is the best I'm gonna do.

[clayton86]

Just checked the tracking numbers on some stuff I ordered. Everything I need for my DIY night vision scanner will be here tomorrow. 

[Rick Howard]

Nice.  Seems thermal and night vision is the future of predator hunting.  You will see things you've never seen before, from what i hear.  I still prefer the daylight though.  Less productive but I don't have to bother with lights and batteries so it's more enjoyable for me.

[clayton86]

13 hours ago, Rick Howard said:

Nice.  Seems thermal and night vision is the future of predator hunting.  You will see things you've never seen before, from what i hear.  I still prefer the daylight though.  Less productive but I don't have to bother with lights and batteries so it's more enjoyable for me.

I think it definitely is a bunch of people from BATM switched over it seems. I know from hunting with Brent and him having thermal on his gun and a scanner coyotes act totally different when there is no light they just come right out into the open no hanging up on the edge of the field or nothing. We called 15 last year in the two nights for the contest and woulda had more then them 5 we did get if it wasn't for them spookin when I went to my gun light. I took the money from taking 4th and bought that night vision so hopefully we do better this year. 

I just need a few adapters and my second IR light from kevinD and I'll have this up and running 

Look like this when I'm done(this is Kevin's set up from BATM) 

[Rick Howard]

I forgot you were hunting with him so yhe u have first hand knowledge.  They do act different in the light.  Sometimes they still come screaming into the lights too.  But I think more often than not the lights waving around cause them some alarm.  Especially older ones that have been around long enough to have been duped but still only missed or been around when a compadre got whacked.  

I think the thermal picks up critters you might not see with the lights too.  I know that might sound  strange but sometimes they are looking the wrong way when the light goes past and leave before you ever knew they were there.  Or you might just miss the flash of an eye shine bioremediation they duck in and out.  Using lights I've had several show up at 50-100 yards and it was like they appear from no thin air in that spot.  Also have had them come by at  Mach 8 and never picked up the eyes until they stopped and looked back.   I heard them run past but never saw them until they'd slowed down and looked back.  

I'd like to get thermal for scanning and night vision for scope but it won't happen.  I'm still happier hand calling in the daylight.  So I'm not sure I'll ever take the plunge.  When I was a kid I hunted at night and we had to lug around a car battery and a spot light with a red cap.  Gun lights were wired.  Constantly fighting battery life and wires got old quick so I quit night hunting and only hunted daylight for awhile.  I went back to the late night a few years ago when a forum member showed me the pmack light.  They were my price range and worked way better than the old spot light Andy car battery.  Now I use Kevin's head lamp and t20 gun light.