This is topic Still too warm for coyotes, but... in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 27, 2006, 02:06 PM:
Matt and I managed to get out to harass some more coons today and get a little bit of photo support for this article on calling coons. Here's a pic of a typical den tree in Kansas. Mature old cottonwood with the soft inner pulp wood rotted out. Windstorms and lightning strikes open these trees up for good denning.
We set up about twenty feet back from the tree where we can see the openings, put the speaker down below and with the wind in our face.
I found this coon skull wedged in a slit in the side of another smaller den tree where we took a double out last week before.
A closer look...
Either a new tenant has moved in and did some house cleaning but didn't get the former tenants' trash kicked all the way out, or it's an ominous warning to other coons in the area that this tree has been found and not to use it. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
This last pic is a coon I caught in a coyote set this morning. Had him by the hindleg and man, was he full of piss and vinegar. I've caught several big boars this week that out weighed this pup by ten pounds or more, but none of them did the thrashing and growling that this guy did. Note the trap, to all the Kansas trappers that piss and moan that I "never write about trapping anymore. All (he) ever does is call coyotes." Be real.
We did manage to get one coon today, out of the eight we called. (Some days they come to you. Other days, they run the other way. This was one of the other days.) Started the caller and he came out the top of a broken off trunk. Matt took a shot and he bailed. Then, the race was on. Matt took off on foot while I stayed and tried to coax a second coon out of the hole. (Matt's half my age and twice as fast. He can do the footrace thing.) Despite the obvious safety infractions, Matt set his rifle down and drew his sidearm to move thru the green briar and ground litter less encumbered. Sounded like a running gun fight as Matt ran along and the coon covered big ground on his way to a fallen hollow log. We finally ended up blood trailing the coon into that log and fished him out. Had he not been wounded, I'd have let him go. I won't say how many times Matt shot at him on the run, but it was more than 25 and less than 30. LOL The coon only has about three holes in him though. We thought he was dead and when his tail was in reach, Matt grabbed it and pulled him out of that log. Know what? He weren't dead. Yet. Turns out he had a broken hindleg and that was about it. With Matt scurrying backwards with thirty pounds of pissed off boar coon in his right hand, I ran along with a pistol and capped him in the head. The coon - not Matt. Game over. Would have been a good chance for Loco to show us his coon rasslin' technique. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
[ January 27, 2006, 02:08 PM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
Posted by TRnCO (Member # 690) on January 27, 2006, 05:07 PM:
You guys are havin' way too much fun with them coons ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on February 05, 2006, 12:13 PM:
Pretty much ready to put this article on calling raccoons to bed except for photo support, so Matt and I made a one-hour foray this afternoon. Poor guy has a pile o' dead critters in his garage that will take him clear up to the Super Bowl kick-off just to get his skinning done. But, he was gracious enough to go with me so we could get pics and score another pelt or two. We did manage to get both.
Here's a few pics (you'll see them again in T&PC later) of the two coons we called.
The first one came out of the high end of the tree while we were both watching the bottom hole. Came running down the tree, then the sound card ran out and he switched ends and started back up when Matt dropped him with 00 buck.
We then went to a big river bend and found this big ol' gnarly cottonwood tree. We were both watching a couple holes way up high when this boar came rolling out of the hole on the lower branch in the upper right corner of the pic, ran lickety-split down the branch, up the trunk and tried to get into the split in the side of the tree. Matt was all the while saying, "Now? Now? Now?" Just in the nick of time, when the coon was somewhat wedged in the hole, Matt shot and down he fell. The second picture was taken about 3 nanoseconds before this coon caught a load of 00B in the backside.
This'll pretty much wrap up our season. Between the two of us, we've managed to kill 27 coyotes, a half-dozen bobcats, couple badgers, and nearly 30 coons just in the past three weeks calling. We'll start calling coons on windy days and when it's too warm to get the coyotes interested as soon as they prime up next fall and we're betting we can stretch 60-75 by season's end.
[ February 05, 2006, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: Cdog911 ]
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 05, 2006, 02:50 PM:
Lance,
Are you trying any other sounds, than the (Preymaster) one you first mentioned?
Do you know of anywhere else to find similar sounds, without buying an e-caller?
Krusty [img]http://pages.prodigy.net/rogerlori1/emoticons/wave1.gif
[/img]
[ February 05, 2006, 02:56 PM: Message edited by: Krustyklimber ]
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on February 05, 2006, 06:21 PM:
The guy that taught me uses the Fox Pro coon fight sound file. My partner rounded up an old JS512 cassette caller and I gave him all my old tapes, which included the coon puppies tape. Both have had some luck. Matt's luck has been hit and miss, I believe because the lone tape he has is strictly a fighting tape and I think it's somewhat intimidating to many coons who may or may not emerge, and often are going like hell the other way.
The JS PreyMaster card has four sounds: Raccoon fight, Raccoon and squealing bird, Raccoon/ Grey fox, and meadowlark. The first one is a real big boar magnet, while the middle two involve fighting sounds, but seem to be less overwhelming to the targets. We've often seen lesser sized coons emerge, take a look around and climb upward, often giving us a good shot if we're patient. I've been starting with either the grey fox or squealing bird combination sound, then immediately going to the coon fight sound if nothing shows in the first 45 seconds. We've had several coons sit tight thru the first sound, then come rolling out of the tree when the fighting starts. Even had them charge in from behind us after coming out of other den trees we either weren't watching, or didn't know were there. So far, I haven't had them respond to just the meadowlark, but last week, I was swarmed by a flock of about 60 western meadowlarks that came in and hovered over the speaker and decoy while raising total havoc. And I did have a coyote sneak in to it when I wanted to call bobcats and realized I'd left the truck with only the coon card.
As far as using mouthcalls, or squallers, I could see it being done by someone and it would be interesting to see how it works, but I'd recommend two people. Coons tend to act like big squirrels. We've found it best to sit downwind of the tree where we can see as many holes and splits as possible. Set the speaker on the backside of the tree and the coons will generally come out of the hole and either move to the side of the tree opposite the speaker to move hiddeen from the "fight", or in the case of big boars, literally come down head first until they're within a safe jumping height, then swan dive right out of the tree and head for the melee. I've seen them bale from as high as thirty feet or more. That is just cool as hell to see and literally leads to one of those "fire for effect" moments. In these cases, I wouldn't want the call in my mouth because by then, the boar is pretty much ramped up for an ass whoopin' and I'd just as soon have them focused on the speaker rather than me.
I hope I answered your question. If not, clarify and I'll take another shot at it.
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on February 05, 2006, 06:31 PM:
Re-read your question and have more to add...
Non-coon sounds have been relatively unproductive, compared to the raccoon dust up. Just prey sound - nada. Throw in a growling coon and things get much better. If you had two guys and one had a squaller and one had a predator call, you might get some looks. Bear in mind that we're set up within 30 feet of the den tree and the time it takes them to close is very brief. These pics I posted above were taken as fast as my little digital camera would work and I still missed most of the action. In fact, we went to one of us with the .22LR semi-auto and the other with a 12 ga using 00 buckshot. Seem to be handling the action a little better that way. We've also learned to not only cover the holes and splits, but try to identify nearby routes of escape, like another hollow tree or log, and set up to ambush anything that heads that way.
Anyone who's ever hunted coons with hounds will tell you that a coon squaller is far and away the best way to get a treed coon's attention. They'll look right at you thru the leaves, but usually not come down because the base of the tree is swarming with big ol' coonhounds. Without dogs around, it seems they either come for the fight, or just want to get the hey outta there. If they come in, they're vastly different than coyotes in that coyotes are pretty much cowards and will turn inside out vacating the area when things look less than right. With coons, they don't back down. The younger ones will roll around and head back in real fast. The older ones don't mind putting up a fight. In all Higgins' alpha dog footage I've seen, ain't nothing compares to a cornered boar. I need to take a video cam with me this summer after the kits are down and running. I bet we get some impressive footage. Matt says we need to carry baseball bats for personal protection. He's learnin' real good.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 05, 2006, 09:48 PM:
Lance,
Those are great answers, I guess I didn't realize I had asked such a big question.
I'll have to look around and see if I can find some of those sounds on cassettes, or a CD.
It sounds like a ton of fun.
Krusty 
Posted by scruffy (Member # 725) on February 07, 2006, 01:51 PM:
Krusty, a friend of mine picked up the Johnny Stewart coon calling CD volume 1 and is mailing it to me. I don't see it listed on the JS website so I don't know what sounds are on it, or if it was made before and isn't now or if it's new (Gerald?), but when I get it I'll let you know what sounds are on it.
edit: the JS raccoon CD CDRCV1, contains -
CT104B-raccoon fight,
CT104C-Coon Fight & Squealing Bird,
CT113E-Grey Fox and Coon Fight,
CT116A-squeeling bird
Online I found the CD for around $19.99 doing a search on yahoo.
later,
scruffy
[ February 07, 2006, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: scruffy ]
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on February 07, 2006, 03:41 PM:
K-
Your inquiry was brief. My answer was "me", i.e., windy.
Scruffy-
That CD sounds like pretty much the same collection I have on my card. I think there's a definite advantage to having more than just a fight song on there.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 07, 2006, 05:40 PM:
Scruffy,
Thank you, too. I am sure having the CD "part number" will help a bunch.
Lance,
Your post didn't come across, to me, as windy. And every bit of it was helpful.
Thanks again.
Krusty
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