1) Do you first wait a bit after you've first arrived at the location BEFORE even attempting to put them out? If so? How long do you wait before even bothering to put out the caller and decoy? (I assume you glass around you to make sure there's not one already there watching you)
2) After you've setup your eCaller and Motion Decoy. How long do you wait before you then turn the eCaller on? Or is that not necessary? Do you wait so the commotion of your footsteps has had time to die down?
3) When I'm setting them out... should I be more "hugging the edge"? Like if a location is a tucked-away meadow with sort of an oval shape that's surrounded on it's perimeter with Oaks/Scrub Oaks... would it be unwise to place the caller more toward the middle of that meadow? Would that seem unnatural to the Bobcat or Coyote and make them wary or something? One avid bowhunter I've spoken with says for coyotes he just crams the caller into a bush... waits until the coyote sticks his head into the bush, and then let's 'em have it. Hence my question of should I be thinking of sticking more to "the edge"?
4) In my research I've seen it said that Bobcats are more wary of loud volume. And yet, I've also seen it said they've sat right in front of the thing with it blaring? Which is it most of the time? In what situations do I have to worry about dimming the volume down? When do I have to stop the playback?
5) What's the difference in tactic and call sequence when I'm trying to call in bobcat with mouth calls, rather than eCaller. I was told 15-20 seconds... then 2-3 minute pause.. then another 15-20 sec.. then 5 minute pause.. repeat up to 3 times... then try a different call/sound. Then like after 45 to 60 for bobcat, move to another spot. I'm assuming the second you see one appears on the scene, you then don't use the call anymore and at best you lip-squeek or use a mouse-squeeker to try to bring them in the rest of the way? (if you can do so without the movement being seen).
6) In general, in what ways is your tactic different when the terrain is thick Chaopparal and meadows with tall brushy grass... vs. more Open high-desert country?
7) I have a Motion Decoy and also a stationary 2D Montana Decoy of a cottontail. (That Miss Hop-tober one) Is there anything I should be aware of in terms of using the two of them together? Like should I be placing them a minimum of X distance apart from one another? I try to make sure the 2D decoy is perpendicular to the suns rays in terms of suspected incoming pathway the animal is likely to come in from due to wind. To make sure he's seeing it the "wide" way.
8) I've also seen it said that Bobcat can lose interest in tracking that sound more easily and that playing the calling sequence again with less wait in-between than for coyotes is recommended. What say ye to this one?
There will be more questions. My season is effectively over now. A boy scouts event is taking up this coming weekend with my son.
To better give you all an idea of the particular terrain I was trying to focus on, I'm going to include a link to one of my YouTube video vlogs. I apologize ahead of time... there is cursing in it... as I did not manage to be successful with that opportunity, due to tactical errors on my part.
NSFW language - Hunting vlog about Bobcat near miss.
I carefully hit up all around that general area for 4 weekends in a row without seeing him again. (Though I think I *may* have spotted some motion on this last outing which may have been him, very hard to tell because of how thick it us).
I'm newer to hunting. I started in 2014, get my butt handed to me by the forest, asked a lot of questions, then consistently got my deer each year after that twice with rifle, this last time with bow. Then, since I've been working this whole thing backwards, I finally bothered getting my first rabbits in 2017 with rifle and AirRifle. I've called in a coyote (in a different high desert location) and made a surprise jump-shot happen on one.. but unfortunately it must not have been a hit in the vitals because after doing a barrel-roll mid-air.. forelegs tucking in like a praying mantis... dropping to the ground and laying there vascillating back and forth a little bit for like 4 seconds... he freakin' rose back up to his feet... turned to look at me.. and took off!!! I figured 40 yds and he'd pile-up.. but I blood trailed him like 250+yds until the trail finally just went cold.
So yeah... these next coming months I aim to get back out there and redeem myself on the coyote business. And after having this close bobcat encounter it kills me that I let that opportunity slip thru my fingers because I tried to be ninja slow, rather than rapidly try to make the extreme turn of my body and attempt a shot rapidly.
So to that end, I'd graciously appreciate your input to my thoughtful questions born of time in the field.
Thank You.
2) After you've setup your eCaller and Motion Decoy. How long do you wait before you then turn the eCaller on? Or is that not necessary? Do you wait so the commotion of your footsteps has had time to die down?
3) When I'm setting them out... should I be more "hugging the edge"? Like if a location is a tucked-away meadow with sort of an oval shape that's surrounded on it's perimeter with Oaks/Scrub Oaks... would it be unwise to place the caller more toward the middle of that meadow? Would that seem unnatural to the Bobcat or Coyote and make them wary or something? One avid bowhunter I've spoken with says for coyotes he just crams the caller into a bush... waits until the coyote sticks his head into the bush, and then let's 'em have it. Hence my question of should I be thinking of sticking more to "the edge"?
4) In my research I've seen it said that Bobcats are more wary of loud volume. And yet, I've also seen it said they've sat right in front of the thing with it blaring? Which is it most of the time? In what situations do I have to worry about dimming the volume down? When do I have to stop the playback?
5) What's the difference in tactic and call sequence when I'm trying to call in bobcat with mouth calls, rather than eCaller. I was told 15-20 seconds... then 2-3 minute pause.. then another 15-20 sec.. then 5 minute pause.. repeat up to 3 times... then try a different call/sound. Then like after 45 to 60 for bobcat, move to another spot. I'm assuming the second you see one appears on the scene, you then don't use the call anymore and at best you lip-squeek or use a mouse-squeeker to try to bring them in the rest of the way? (if you can do so without the movement being seen).
6) In general, in what ways is your tactic different when the terrain is thick Chaopparal and meadows with tall brushy grass... vs. more Open high-desert country?
7) I have a Motion Decoy and also a stationary 2D Montana Decoy of a cottontail. (That Miss Hop-tober one) Is there anything I should be aware of in terms of using the two of them together? Like should I be placing them a minimum of X distance apart from one another? I try to make sure the 2D decoy is perpendicular to the suns rays in terms of suspected incoming pathway the animal is likely to come in from due to wind. To make sure he's seeing it the "wide" way.
8) I've also seen it said that Bobcat can lose interest in tracking that sound more easily and that playing the calling sequence again with less wait in-between than for coyotes is recommended. What say ye to this one?
There will be more questions. My season is effectively over now. A boy scouts event is taking up this coming weekend with my son.
To better give you all an idea of the particular terrain I was trying to focus on, I'm going to include a link to one of my YouTube video vlogs. I apologize ahead of time... there is cursing in it... as I did not manage to be successful with that opportunity, due to tactical errors on my part.
NSFW language - Hunting vlog about Bobcat near miss.
I carefully hit up all around that general area for 4 weekends in a row without seeing him again. (Though I think I *may* have spotted some motion on this last outing which may have been him, very hard to tell because of how thick it us).
I'm newer to hunting. I started in 2014, get my butt handed to me by the forest, asked a lot of questions, then consistently got my deer each year after that twice with rifle, this last time with bow. Then, since I've been working this whole thing backwards, I finally bothered getting my first rabbits in 2017 with rifle and AirRifle. I've called in a coyote (in a different high desert location) and made a surprise jump-shot happen on one.. but unfortunately it must not have been a hit in the vitals because after doing a barrel-roll mid-air.. forelegs tucking in like a praying mantis... dropping to the ground and laying there vascillating back and forth a little bit for like 4 seconds... he freakin' rose back up to his feet... turned to look at me.. and took off!!! I figured 40 yds and he'd pile-up.. but I blood trailed him like 250+yds until the trail finally just went cold.
So yeah... these next coming months I aim to get back out there and redeem myself on the coyote business. And after having this close bobcat encounter it kills me that I let that opportunity slip thru my fingers because I tried to be ninja slow, rather than rapidly try to make the extreme turn of my body and attempt a shot rapidly.
So to that end, I'd graciously appreciate your input to my thoughtful questions born of time in the field.
Thank You.
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