New to predator hunting in Virginia and looking for info.

decoy218

New member
I am just getting into hunting predators in Virginia and I am looking for information to help me hunt them. I mainly hunt from central Va (Chesterfield, Powhatan, Prince George) to as far east as the eastern shore and I am curious as to what other hunters in Va are doing and using to make them successful. I am an avid spring turkey hunter so I plan on doing what I can to help reduce the predator population to benefit the turkey population.

Any way, what types of calls are you using? If you use electronic callers what calls work best for foxes, bobcats or coyotes? When have you been the most successful - morning, afternoon or midday? Are you more successful along fields and pastures or in the woods or cutovers?

I have been reading many posts since finding PM a few weeks ago and I have learned a lot. What I have not been able to do is find out what works here in Va. I have a .243 I plan on using in counties where I can use a rifle and my 12 ga in counties that do not allow rifles.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. I know that there is not one single call, time or place to hunt that will work for everyone but I am curious as to what hunters are doing in the eastern part of the state. Thanks.
 
If you are looking to help the turkeys target those [beeep] coon! They do more damage to the turkey population than what you listed. After that take your 243/12ga & hunt when you can using distress sounds. I use hand calls & an FX3. I hunt woods & open brushy areas as well as hay fields. HTH
 
For grey fox you can't beat using the grey fox pup distress and for bobcat most of my luck has been with some sort of bird distress. Hope that helps ya /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Yeah I know that coons, skunks and possum do more damage to turkey populations but I don't think that they would be as fun to hunt. I prefer hunting game that I can call to me - ducks, geese, turkeys...

Thanks for the feedback.
 
decoy218
Obviously, you haven't been charged by a big ole boar coon while trying to call foxes or bobcats. It happens and just happened this week to me and another friend of mine. Of course don't shoot em here in VA unless you are using a mouth call, electronics are forbidden for calling coons in Virginia. The VDGIF is afraid that we might destroy/oliveate them completely with bird sounds from a FoxPro FX5. Coons respond well to bird sounds, but they won't travel a great distance to come to the call. Burnham Bros makes a B-1 mouth call for them.

Gray Fox Pup Distress as mentioned above for Grays, bird sounds for Reds and Bobcats and good luck on coyotes. It is tough calling them or even finding them here in VA.

I prefer calling in late evening, almost dark, to me it appears to be the best time of day, they are hungry. Early morning is next best, if they hunted all night and didn't get satisfied, you're in business.
 
I hunt in Chesterfield, and know my way around Powhatan. Where exactly do you hunt. I'm on the north side of 360 between the Appomatox River, Skinquarter Creek, Skinquarter Rd., and 360. I haven't done any coyote, fox, or bobcat hunting yet, but plan to as soon as squirrel season is out. A coyote chased one of our squirrel dogs back to us a couple weeks ago right on the bank of the river, but didn't get close enough for us to knock him down with a load of 6s. Which counties are you referring to that don't allow rifles?
 
I do most of my hunting in Prince George, King and Queen, Middlesex, Mathews and Northampton. Like you, I have not done any hunting right now but I am planning on getting more serious beginning this fall. If I get a chance I would like to get out in the next month or so. The counties I am refering to are Prince George and King and Queen. You can only use a rifle larger than a .22 for groundhogs b/n March and August. The smallest rifle I have right now is a .243. I will look for something like a .17 before this fall, hopefully.

Thanks to those reading and replying to this and who have sent me messages. I am learing a lot form this web site.
 


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