GC
Well-known member
"The harder I work, the luckier I seem to get!"
That old saying that I posted above reflects my personal views on many things in life, such as career, marriage, raising children, ect. To include my hunting. I usually take a nice mature whitetail buck each year in the miles upon miles of rugged National Forest Ozark timber. Most of the time I do that while still hunting through the timber. I've developed a technique and style that I enjoy and it works well for me. Many guys post pictures in a local sporting goods shop and I do so too. It cracks me up to be in there and some fellow look at my pic's knowing that I hunt public ground in the National Forest and tell me I'm the luckiest guy he knows. I just smile and nod my head, "yeah, that's me - lucky for sure." They don't ask about the time spent in the woods scouting before the hunt, poring over topo maps in the evenings, wearing out boot leather in the timber learning the land and it's critters, time on the firing range, buying the best gear I can afford and prepping it for the hunt, decision making about set-ups, weather, rut phase, food/water sources, other hunters pressure, ect... Typically the first question is, "Where'd ya run into this one at?"
Another example is fishing. If I run into another fisherman on the lake and he's having a good day, I don't ask, "whadcha catch em' on?" I'd rather know the depth the fish was caught on. I'll piece together the rest with that critical information. The lure style and color is less critical than the depth. Active feeding bass aren't usually so picky as to pass any of a half dozen different types of lure thrown to them. FIRST I GOTTA FIND THEM! THE CATCHING IS THE EASIEST PART OF THE EQUATION!!!
Same for calling predators. Typically new callers want to know, "what's the best sound?" "what's the best gun" "what's the best camo" New callers are gear oriented, instead of being worried about WOODSMANSHIP! That latter is what'll get you close to game, not so much the camo, rifle, even the sounds.
Once a long time ago I had a yahoo who was invited into our deer camp by an outer fringe friend. The new guy came with two new flashy Weatherby magnum rifles, scopes as long as the barrels, and all new hunting duds. He was arrogant and a total [beeep] from the beginning. He began to pick on a young fellow in camp. The "dude" loved to talk smack about the young guys ancient Winchester M94 .30-30. The old rifle was silver from the blueing being worn off, the stock had many a nick or mark and was devoid of all finish. All earned honestly through the years being carried in the timber from this young fellows family. As the new guy became more annoying I quietly made the statement that I'd bet $100.00 on the young hunter making meat on opening morning - and the dude wouldn't. He quickly jumped all over that and puffed up really angry. Short story, the next morning just after daylight I heard the .30-30 pop twice and later as I drug my deer off the mountain ridge to the meat pole in camp I saw a nice fat forhorn hanging, and, the young hunter stirring the fire. He was tagged out. The dude failed to tag all week and welched on the bet. The kid grew up in the timber and knew how to hunt. The old M94 was an extension of him, ammo wasn't wasted and meat mattered. He was and still is a hunter. Dude blows smoke around town about his elk trip to the western mountains every year, funny thing is - he never brings in a pic to hang in the sporting goods store.
WOODSMANSHIP matters and it takes long hard hours afield observing, trying and failing, and studying every encounter, successful or failing, to earn the title of a "woodsman." THE DECISION MAKING AND WORK THAT TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE SHOT ARE WHAT MATTER THE MOST IMHO!
Now, this isn't directed toward any one person or situation on this post. Please, don't take personal offense. I offer this ramble as my opinion and for thought to the crowd in general. A critical personal examination honestly does us all a little good from time to time. Yes, that certainly includes me! Personally I don't think eastern coyotes are different to call than western coyotes - ALL OTHER THINGS EQUAL. Some eastern states certainly have a lower population than some western states and that must be factored in. Terrain and human influence must be factored in. However, I think if you get next to an eastern coyote and set-up correctly, you'll call him all things being equal. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IMHO, IS WHAT I MAKE OF MY SITUATION!
That old saying that I posted above reflects my personal views on many things in life, such as career, marriage, raising children, ect. To include my hunting. I usually take a nice mature whitetail buck each year in the miles upon miles of rugged National Forest Ozark timber. Most of the time I do that while still hunting through the timber. I've developed a technique and style that I enjoy and it works well for me. Many guys post pictures in a local sporting goods shop and I do so too. It cracks me up to be in there and some fellow look at my pic's knowing that I hunt public ground in the National Forest and tell me I'm the luckiest guy he knows. I just smile and nod my head, "yeah, that's me - lucky for sure." They don't ask about the time spent in the woods scouting before the hunt, poring over topo maps in the evenings, wearing out boot leather in the timber learning the land and it's critters, time on the firing range, buying the best gear I can afford and prepping it for the hunt, decision making about set-ups, weather, rut phase, food/water sources, other hunters pressure, ect... Typically the first question is, "Where'd ya run into this one at?"
Another example is fishing. If I run into another fisherman on the lake and he's having a good day, I don't ask, "whadcha catch em' on?" I'd rather know the depth the fish was caught on. I'll piece together the rest with that critical information. The lure style and color is less critical than the depth. Active feeding bass aren't usually so picky as to pass any of a half dozen different types of lure thrown to them. FIRST I GOTTA FIND THEM! THE CATCHING IS THE EASIEST PART OF THE EQUATION!!!
Same for calling predators. Typically new callers want to know, "what's the best sound?" "what's the best gun" "what's the best camo" New callers are gear oriented, instead of being worried about WOODSMANSHIP! That latter is what'll get you close to game, not so much the camo, rifle, even the sounds.
Once a long time ago I had a yahoo who was invited into our deer camp by an outer fringe friend. The new guy came with two new flashy Weatherby magnum rifles, scopes as long as the barrels, and all new hunting duds. He was arrogant and a total [beeep] from the beginning. He began to pick on a young fellow in camp. The "dude" loved to talk smack about the young guys ancient Winchester M94 .30-30. The old rifle was silver from the blueing being worn off, the stock had many a nick or mark and was devoid of all finish. All earned honestly through the years being carried in the timber from this young fellows family. As the new guy became more annoying I quietly made the statement that I'd bet $100.00 on the young hunter making meat on opening morning - and the dude wouldn't. He quickly jumped all over that and puffed up really angry. Short story, the next morning just after daylight I heard the .30-30 pop twice and later as I drug my deer off the mountain ridge to the meat pole in camp I saw a nice fat forhorn hanging, and, the young hunter stirring the fire. He was tagged out. The dude failed to tag all week and welched on the bet. The kid grew up in the timber and knew how to hunt. The old M94 was an extension of him, ammo wasn't wasted and meat mattered. He was and still is a hunter. Dude blows smoke around town about his elk trip to the western mountains every year, funny thing is - he never brings in a pic to hang in the sporting goods store.
WOODSMANSHIP matters and it takes long hard hours afield observing, trying and failing, and studying every encounter, successful or failing, to earn the title of a "woodsman." THE DECISION MAKING AND WORK THAT TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE SHOT ARE WHAT MATTER THE MOST IMHO!
Now, this isn't directed toward any one person or situation on this post. Please, don't take personal offense. I offer this ramble as my opinion and for thought to the crowd in general. A critical personal examination honestly does us all a little good from time to time. Yes, that certainly includes me! Personally I don't think eastern coyotes are different to call than western coyotes - ALL OTHER THINGS EQUAL. Some eastern states certainly have a lower population than some western states and that must be factored in. Terrain and human influence must be factored in. However, I think if you get next to an eastern coyote and set-up correctly, you'll call him all things being equal. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IMHO, IS WHAT I MAKE OF MY SITUATION!
