My turn I spose...
Age 13 I started out shooting groundsquirrels with a pellet gun out in the empty field behind our housing area. My buddies and I would sit on the porch swing facing the field and BS, watching for one to "pop-up" or "whistle". We had scopes and everything. We moved shortly thereafter..
Didnt really know much about coyotes, but Id heard that in the rural areas it was really popular to get about 10 trucks together, and drive coyotes out of shelterbelts and creekbeds, then chase them down in the trucks with everyone emptying their 30 round clips...
In Graduate School, I hooked up with the University Rifle Club, where I met some EXTREMELY fine folks and learned the art of "Indoor 3-position smallbore". A club member invited us out to has ranch to shoot prairie dogs. Did my first Deer Season at that same ranch and spooked up some coyotes and I got to see some for the first time.
Another Rifle Club member mentioned that you could "call coyotes" and that sounded interesting to me. He explained the basics to me and then I picked up a few calls (Sceery Eastern Kit) and started learning how to work them. Next time we went out the Ranch, I went out and gave it a shot. Got some coyotes to give a warning bark to me
and that got me even more interested.
After about 15 stands of trying and a few distant sightings, I finally called one in and it came in to within 5 yards, and it trotted right past me. I shot, he went down, and I dont think Ive ever been as excited in my life (well, except for when my lil' brother got a few of his coyotes...)
Came back to Arizona for Spring Break and I went "practice calling" in the desert for the first time, and on my first stand I had 5 coyotes come in, with one that was almost close enough to kick.
Finished Grad School and moved back to AZ permanently and started calling lots a coyotes, even though my vehicle at the time was a "lowrider" (I did a lot of walking...)
Got my 4x4 a little over a year ago and its been a pretty serious hobby ever since, at least half a day every weekend, with lots of day and a half trips... I even quit doing Bass tournaments which I thought at one time to be "my calling in life"....
For me predator hunting involves more than just calling in and shooting a critter. Its the whole package... the planning, the problem solving, the gear selection, building my own E-caller, the offroading, finding a good stand, hiking, the firearms, the camping, the tracking, the skinning and tanning... Everything about it. Its the culmination of many interests into one activity that I can do all-year round, by myself or with a friend.
I picked up lots of info off the web, but the application of the information and the field experience has been (and is still being) self-taught.
The more Ive learned, the more Ive realized how much I dont know... many, many variables to be quantified....
(that was a long post... sorry 8^> )
Robb
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"Happiness... is a Target-Rich Environment"