High Rack Advice

Well, first thing is that everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and what makes one person happy another might not like. So keeping in mind that these are just my opinions on what I like, pick and choose what makes sense to you.

Most lights stink in the fog/haze. The stronger the light is, and whiter it is, the more it sucks. Since I don't like to be frustrated, and don't like to educate coyotes, I stay home those nights. If you insist though, green is better than white, and red is better than green, under those kinds of conditions, IMHO. Asking to see fur at 300 on those kinds of nights, is asking a lot.

I used to try and carry a ton of crap night calling. Since then I have gone minimalist. Having toolboxes right there gives quick access to tools if you need them though, without getting out of the truck bed. Light in one hand, e-caller remote in the other. Lanyard that holds the remote also holds two mouth calls, a closed reed distress and an open reed howler, in case the electronics go fubar. Shooter has the rifle with weapons light attached, and extra ammo in his pocket. Backup rifle, also with weapons light, is leaned up in the corner of the bed while we call in case of rifle malfunction, or the light man can pick it up and shoot for doubles. We are not shotgun guys, and not trying to film anything, so if it gets less than 100 we just go ahead and kill it. E-caller is mounted on a retractable spike on the front of the rack, and is extended 2' above the rail for calling. Lighforce is plugged into power point wired into the bed of the pickup. Have never run down my battery with it yet, but I run it pretty low unless I need to crank up the light to shoot. About 20-25 minutes is max on our stands anyways, and I run the light start to finish, and crank it up at the end to make sure nothing is hanging out around the edges. Everything else stays in the truck, plenty of crap in there.

This is just what works for my style, others opinions are sure to vary. Do what works for you.
 
Originally Posted By: CZ527TBone I've been hunting at night my whole life, and 300 yards is like 1000 during the day.
To add to that, a light that powerful is going to make animals turn away.

I use a lightforce 170 and 150 yards is a good poke for a safe shot.


I was trying to be polite, and wasn't going to say it, but he is spot on right here. 300 is a dang long poke at night. I did shoot a coyote sitting over a bait pile last week at 225 with my green Wicked Lights 402, but it was really open there. I could see fur too, but it was also through good glass.

And I will second what he said about a light that bright, without a dimmer, is for sure running animals off. My 170 has the dimmer built in to the back of the light, I really like that feature. I usually run it about half-way, or less.
 
We do use the dimmer, good question.

Usually I just squeak at my partner or say "k" when I feel like I've got the dog dead to rights, and we know that means spin the dial I need more light.

But you've gotta be real fast from that point forth.
 
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Great input and advice. I am very intersted in the setups that you guys are building and using. But this all centers around the light and which is going to give you the light you need to be successful.
As someone that doesn't want to buy 3 or 4 different lights looking for one that works. Especially when you don't want to buy several when they are several hundred dollars. It's not that i don't want to buy, but I want that just flat out works well.
 
Here are a couple of pictures of my High Rack so far. As I said in an earlier post, I decided to go with a 4x8 platform that is 4 ft high. The shooting rail is 1" tubing 38" high and I 45'd the corners. I will cover the rail with some rubber pipe insulation. When I get the swiveling boat chairs installed, I will experiment with a shooting rest attached to the chairs. The 1" angle that is attached to the vertical tubing is the framing for the m-panel sheet metal that will serve as a wind break. My intent is to have the capability to have a shooter in the front and back, and have the scanner stand in the middle. I will post more photos as I progress.

HighRack1_zpsfb8b464f.jpg




 
It is looking good, and coming along well it seems.

Like I said Tbone, different folks expect different things out of a night calling setup. You will have to see what you like, and what works for you. I never go calling with 3 people, just two. And I'm not going all the time either, maybe 10-12 times a year. I want something that can go in and out of the pick with two guys, in about 5 minutes. Quick, easy, uncomplicated, low profile, yet effective on stand. Those are my goals. I can even run it by myself if needed. For that setup I just use my red XLR-250 to scan for eyes, and when they get close enough to shoot then kick on the weapons light.

But a really strong light is not necessarily to your benefit. In my experience all it does is make them hang up further out. You want soft and subtle until they are close enough to shoot, then crank it up and whack them. A smooth even beam is what you want, with no bright and dark spots.
 
BTW Powerstroke99, hope your shop is heated, your gonna need it today. Looks like we left the gate open up here for ya.
 
Originally Posted By: JTPinTXBTW Powerstroke99, hope your shop is heated, your gonna need it today. Looks like we left the gate open up here for ya.

I have a pellet stove, but it doesn't do much more than knock the chill off. I need to partition off my shop to reduce the square footage it is trying to heat!

In regards to the size of my high rack, the reason I made it to accomodate 2 shooters is that I sometimes take my buddy and his son or my twins, so I need the room (and separate fields of fire) to keep everything safe. I also have a loader tractor to put it in and out of the truck, so I wasn't too worried about weight. But, like you said, everyone has different needs and preferences.
 
We are pouring the gas to the heaters in our shop today, and doing ok.

I understand that, getting to where my 7 yo daughter wants to go more and more. But what I can do too, is have the shooter in the rack cover rear and sides, have a shooter with a bipod resting/shooting across the top of the cab, and a third light/caller next to them standing on a "box" I have made for that. I agree, safety is a big concern at night with firearms. Everyone has to understand the rules and follow them to a "T". All three of my kids can vouch for how strict I am on that, lol.

I usually use the forklift to take mine in and out when I know I am going to go, but for a spur-of-the-moment trip I like to be able to just throw it in without locking/unlocking the shop and getting equipment out.

It's all good, everyone has to suit their own needs. I like hearing the explanations behind why people do what they do, it sure helps with understanding why they used the design they did.
 
Great stuff, fellas. Pretty interesting to us who can't night hunt coyotes except on private. I like hearing the why's of design also. Definitely not a one-size-fits-all affair.
 
I suggest getting as high as possible, your sent cone will travel farther and disperse quicker before getting to the coyotes level and depending on the country 1' and mean up to 100 yards in visibility, my high rack put my eyes at 12' second or third shooter standing in bed off a tripod has about 9" eye level . to cut down on overall height I use tripods instead of railing, and bass boat seats that plug in. so my overall height is 8" until in mount seats.

I have seen used utility truck with line crew buckets that I thought would be great for hogs or coyotes in a Milo field giving the 35' height.
 
Here are some updated photos. I still have to install a rubber mat over the expanded metal, build and install seats, wire in some 12v power ports and build/install a couple gun racks. But, we can hunt out of it the way it is. Overall, I am pleased with how it turned out.





Ladder hooks over rail and can be easily removed and placed in bed of truck.







I strapped the rack down on all 4 corners after this photo was taken. We have had this truck since 1997. I only use it around the farm and for hunting. I wish it was 4wd, but it will take me where I want to go most of the time.
 
That sucker is going to catch a lot of wind going down the road, and lot of attention.

Keep the height in mind, or you may drag it off. Not as much a problem in open country I guess, but around here with tree limbs and such it would be a problem. I bent the rail on mine not realizing how high it actually stuck up and caught a limb.

Sounds obvious, but the guys who have jackknifed a trailer will know what I mean, when I say sometimes you forget what you are hauling around.

Look at the over hang the next time you go through the drive thru at a fast food joint or bank.
 
That suckers looking good, don't have to worry about that texas wind in that, should be pretty warm. Now you can get the same mileage as me.LOL. I like it thought. Don't know if I will have my drop in ready by this weekend but hoping to put sheet metal drop in so when Im driving down the road I can take them off quick like. The wind may buck you alittle going down the road but probably better than freezing your tail off in 25-30 mph winds in 20-30 degree weather. What are going to use for seats? That dude is well put together though. I like it a lot.
 
And about the light the 402zf is in my opinion a all around perfect light and has very good range to it I just got one. I'm going to run the tracer 210mm with veritable power for scanning and I will use the 402 for shooting I also have 2 of the promos 350's and a elusive wildlife 250. I got the adjustable wind age elevation monts from boondocks. I have the light force 170 variable as a back up.
 
Originally Posted By: YellowhammerThat sucker is going to catch a lot of wind going down the road, and lot of attention.

Keep the height in mind, or you may drag it off. Not as much a problem in open country I guess, but around here with tree limbs and such it would be a problem. I bent the rail on mine not realizing how high it actually stuck up and caught a limb.

Sounds obvious, but the guys who have jackknifed a trailer will know what I mean, when I say sometimes you forget what you are hauling around.

Look at the over hang the next time you go through the drive thru at a fast food joint or bank.

As with most things in life, there's seldom a perfect solution. If either of the 2 issues you mentioned become a problem, I'll put it back in the shop and modify it. The good news is, it's not my daily driver and I don't go far from home to hunt.

I appreciate the input though. I'll be mindful of low clearance areas. My daughter did give me a hard time as well-- she asked me how I was going to get gas and suggested I didn't think that through too well.



 
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