Dennis V. Gilmore Jr. - The Predator Hunter

Did you know there were magical places where can find coyotes, foxes, and bobcats congregate in innumerable numbers, despite constant calling and hunting pressure? Tiny lots of land, some less than an acre in size, where dozens of predators are taken every season? Well, these sites are not just the stuff of fables. They exist! One may be very close to you, right now. You’ll find coyotes and foxes on predator rich land By predator rich I mean sites where multiple dogs, coyotes and foxes are often taken every week. Land where Gray and Red fox are shot on the same night. In other words, locations you have only dreamed about. Here, a beginner predator hunter can tape a red light to a single action .22, and drop a coyote on their first night. Sadly, however, here a chicken farmer or cattle rancher cannot keep their livestock safe. I recommend both read this post. One to find and hunt there. The other, to avoid building coops or birthing calves. Scouting to find coyotes and foxes. Get Comfy Skip the boots and grab a chair, today your scouting will begin on the internet. With your coffee or adult beverage in one hand, reach down and fire up that laptop. The first place you’ll want to go is Google Earth. Here, I’ll make it easy for ya... https://www.google.com/earth/ Find a small field Your looking for small field divided by a stream, and one that is nearly treeless. It should be mowed, but otherwise unused. It should have a road bordering it, to allow you a short, quiet walk to your shooting location. A rural road is best. A Quiet, small field. Wood lots should border every other side. Make sure each non road border is at least 1000 feet from any occupied human structure. If the border opposite the road has nothing behind it for miles, that’s great. If there are logging roads and snowmobile trails way out in the distance, that’s even better. A Place for Coyotes and Foxes to look over that quiet, small field. The absolute best killer hunting stand is a quiet, small field in a bowl. Use Google Earth to find fields with elevation changes on at least one border. These elevation changes should allow a coyote a chance to stand at least 50 feet above the field and stare down into it the darkness to listen for the sounds of prey moving about at night. Foxes and coyotes have excellent night vision and they just can’t resist looking over the dinner table you just found. Map it, print it, and grab a pencil With your perfect killer hunting stand in your hand, it’s time to factor in the wind, determine where you will make your stand, and where you will place your caller. Getting Winded, even if you’re in great shape Every hunter knows, predator or prey, animal noses bust you and ruin more hunts than we’d like to admit. We are constantly talking about “Wind direction” and saying, “Hunt with the wind in your face,” but most of us don’t go any further than wetting a forefinger and holding it in the air. And that, usually only as an after thought; 15 minutes after calling and wondering why that big Eastern Coyote never showed up—or worse, took off 500 yards away from us. There’s a free tool for finding the prevailing and current wind directions for your field’s zip code. To access it, go to: https://www.weather.gov/gyx/WindSpeedAndDirection Using the wind to defeat coyotes and foxes Once you have the prevailing wind direction for your field, draw it as a line across you field’s map. Now we need to find the best place for your stand and caller locations. You’ll want the caller 50-100 yards in front of you, with the wind either blowing in your face or to the left or right. Either way is fine, just as long as the wind doesn’t blow over you and toward the caller. In other words, it ain’t rocket science. In a perfect set up, the caller faces one of the elevated locations the coyote would like to stop on and check out the terrain below. Under these circumstances, the coyote or fox hearing your caller will have to either make a straight run in, or attempt to circle downwind to pick up any suspicious scents. In the event the predator does circle around you, that 50-100 yard space between you and the caller will provide you with a little wiggle room and a constantly nearing target to shoot at, if it decides to flee. Be prepared for the winds to change Wind never ceases to swirl all around you the moment you are snugly in your stand. Setting your caller out 100 yards may make the shot a bit harder, but it can be game changer if you get busted. In this video, a female coyote almost got lucky. The wind suddenly picked up, changed direction, and swept over my back and directly into her nose. Consequently, she decided to flee. As soon as she did, she presented an attractive broadside target. She runs off camera, but you can see her eyes as she finally tumbles dead in the snow, in her final moments taking one last look in my direction. Creating your final stand map. Mark the location of your stand and caller locations on your map, jot the address down, and make a few copies. Whenever you hunt, give this copy to your trusted contact. If something happens and you don’t return home on time, anyone sent out to search for you will find you in minutes. All this work will pay off when you begin predator hunting. It may take a few hours to find your perfect killer stand, but it sure beats the hours and days you might otherwise spend sitting alone in the cold without so much as a Barred Owl asking, “Who cooks for you?” You’ve now found the one place a coyote, fox, or bobcat can... Stand concealed and feeling safe, while overlooking a small, quiet banquet table fit for a king.Easily stalk a mowed, pesticide free grassland of insects, rodents, and rabbits.Return to night after night, to feed in and perhaps set up a den near. Want proof predators are around? I’ll tell ya secret, in the woods that border your perfect killer stand there will be no squirrels. My theory is that so many coyotes and foxes are already visiting your field, that every squirrel has already been taken during all those predators’ silent approaches to it. I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours Hey, I get it, you don’t believe me. You’d prefer to just sit and call any old field, or maybe find a den. That’s fine, here’s a link to my blog on finding fox dens. https://Thepredatorhunter.com/powerful-tips-for-detecting-fox-dens/ However, if you are almost convinced having such a stand is possible, I’ll show you mine. A legendary coyote stand. In that little red box, measuring .92 acres, I’ve killed over 100 fox and coyotes in the last 4 years. Obviously, your mileage may vary. Nevertheless, I believe you’ll find the time scouting such a stand quite profitable. And in the end, you’ll put more fur in the truck. No go find coyotes and foxes near you!