predator callers » Wildlife Callers

A Cool Getaway From The Desert Heat, PVCI Novice Bootcamp

Posted August 12, 2010 By Marc Reindell and has no comments yet.

Our friends at Phoenix Varmint Callers club are holding a novice callers bootcamp in the cool pines of Payson, AZ this upcoming weekend, Saturday, August 14th at 9 am.

Rich Higgins, well known coyote behavior expert, and others will be conducting seminars and clinics on proper calling techniques for the beginning predator caller, but seasoned callers may be interested in attending as well.

Seminars will cover:

Proper set up
Firearm selection
Stand selection
Rules and Regs for predator hunting in AZ
Sounds used for calling and why
Use of ladders for calling in heavy brush

Directions to the bootcamp are as follows: Take 87 north through Payson and Strawberry. 6 or 7 miles past Clints Well, just past the Blue Ridge Ranger station, go east on FR 95. About a mile in take FR 513 to the left and follow it to the Boot Camp site. Signs will be posted as well to guide you to the site. Camping will be available for those that may want to head up Friday evening and stay for the weekend.

You may also want to attend: The AZ State Calling Contest that will be held at Cabela’s in Glendale, AZ on Saturday, August 28th at 3PM. Registration for the event begins at 10 AM and a seminar on Intro to Predator Calling will be held at 11 AM.

For more info on both events, contact Rich Higgins at 480-474-7581.

A good way to get out of the hot desert and get yourself geared up for the upcoming season!

Good hunting!

Marc Reindell

marc@wildlifecallers.com

Categories: News & Media, Predator calling

Tags: Arizona outdoors, Arizona predator hunting, Hunting, predator callers, Predator calling, predator calls, predator hunter, predator hunting, wildlife callers

No Wolf Season This Year, Now What?

Posted August 11, 2010 By Marc Reindell and has 1 comment.

Since last week’s ruling on re-listing the Wolf to endangered species status, we’ve been asked what can be done going forward and to restore wolf hunting.

Based on a legal technicality regarding ESA (endangered species act) stating that de-listing of a species cannot be done on a state by state basis, the management of the species by Montana and Idaho were shot down. Wyoming did not propose a wolf management plan based on the fact that Wyoming does not classify the wolf as a big game species. Wyoming lists the wolf as a predator and allows for the trapping and killing on sight of wolves throughout most of the state. As a result, wolves were not de-listed in Wyoming last year and Wyoming did not propose anything different for this year either.

This is a very good article written by Keith McCafferty for Field and Stream magazine on what can be done to try to possibly reverse this ruling in the future: Who’s to Blame for Wolf Reinstatement(and What You Can Do About It)

We encourage our readers to write to the appropriate people in Wyoming (and other states that have Wolf populations, however minor) mentioned in the article and encourage them to change their way of thinking.

We don’t want to see the SSS (shoot, shovel and shut up) mentality take over, our sport, and hunting in general is already being attacked. This would only give the “anti-hunter” people even more fuel to attack our right to hunt and our ability to pass traditions along to our children.

We will continue to pass along any information about this subject as we get it.

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Good hunting!

Marc Reindell

marc@wildlifecallers.com

Categories: News & Media, Predator calling, wolf

Tags: Arizona predator hunting, electronic predator calling, Hunting, Idaho hunting, predator callers, Predator calling, predator hunting, wildlife callers, wolf hunting, wolf hunts

Predator Calling Sound Pictures – What are You Telling Your Target Predators?

Posted July 22, 2010 By Mark Healy and has 1 comment.

There was time when a single sound of a crying rabbit from your Johnny Stewart mouth call was all you needed to bring Wile Coyote running. Today the calling pressure is on and times have changed. Call more “un-callable” critters and get the most from your e-caller by using the whole sound library!

Back in the day…

Mark Healy and an Arizona Coyote & Gray Fox that Fell for Cottontail Distress - circa 1986-87

a tape recorder with a Johnny Stewart rabbit distress tape, or my Circe twist-top 3-sound mouth call would give a guy plenty of opportunities to call and shoot predators. When I started predator calling in 1986, the sport was only somewhat popular and unless you called the same spots over and over, the chances of calling at critters that already heard that same ol’ song before was slim. This was the same time in Arizona hunting history when guys got a December “Any Antlered Deer” tag and would NOT even consider hunting for a Coues Whitetail! My, my, how times have changed as thousands of hunters apply for what’s become just a handful of December Coues tags.

These days it seems that just about everyone who likes hunting has added or wants to add an electronic predator call to his or her hunter’s gear bag. Several years ago the predator hunting videos took off in popularity and people got excited about calling coyotes, bobcats, and other critters, to the business end of their rifle — especially in states where their chances of getting a deer and/or elk tag was fading every year. With this sport’s new-found explosive popularity over the past decade, the chances of calling into country that hasn’t been called is slim.

I just finished talking to a guy who called for a full 2-years with a mouth call before he ever called his first coyote. Now, I will say that I appreciate this young man’s tenacity! However, if he’d had some better techniques, better understanding of his quarry, and better calling equipment, I firmly believe he could have cut that figure down by 1 year and 11 months.

But how? (more…)

Categories: Predator calling, electronic callers

Tags: Arizona predator hunting, bobcat, bobcat calling, calling coyotes, calling mountain lion, cougar calling, coyote, electronic game callers, electronic predator calling, electronic wildlife caller, gray fox, hunters, Hunting, Mighty Atom, mountain lion hunting, predator call, predator callers, Predator calling, predator hunter, predator hunting, wildlife callers, wildlife technologies

It’s Official! Electronic Calls Legal for Idaho Wolf Hunts.

Posted July 13, 2010 By Mark Healy and has 6 comments.

Idaho wildlife officials announced this past Wednesday evening that electronic game calls and trapping will be legal methods of take during their 2010 wolf hunting season.

Wolf - Courtesy of the US Fish & Wildlife Service/Tracy Brooks

With Idaho elk herds in a steady decline and no reasonable recovery in sight, the game commissioners found it a reasonable step to include electronic calls as a wolf hunting method to help reach 2010 wolf harvest objectives. Remember that any action favoring wolf hunting or wolf hunters will face immediate opposition and legal challenges from well funded anti-hunting organizations. We are, however, optimistic that Idaho’s wildlife managers will prevail in moving forward this need based, well documented, biologically sound, action plan for better wolf control in their state.

For more details and commentary, see the article in the Idaho Statesman: Electronic Calls Fair Game in Idaho Wolf Hunts

After taking dozens of phone calls last season from hunters very interested in calling an Idaho wolf (that’s you California hunters!) we’re looking forward to actually being able to deliver them a Wildlife Technologies Mighty Atom caller. Last season we had to turn ‘em down — not so this wolf season! (more…)

Categories: Predator calling, electronic callers, wildlife technologies, wolf

Tags: electronic game callers, electronic predator calling, electronic wildlife caller, hunters, Hunting, Idaho hunting, predator callers, Predator calling, predator calls, wildlife callers, wildlife technologies, wolf hunting, wolf hunts

Coyote Pair Called on Video – Mouse Squeaks & Crow Sounds Bring ‘em In

Posted June 15, 2010 By Mark Healy and has 2 comments.

While in Chillicothe, Missouri this past January for a few days of coyote and mixed-bag predator calling, I captured this pair of winter coyotes coming to the call.

These coyotes responded in about 7-8 minutes to a mixture of mouse and vole distress squeaks combined with sounds of crows mobbing food and excited crow calling from my Wildlife Technologies Mighty Atom 21 electronic wildlife caller. I’ve used this technique successfully many other times. I play the sounds continuously and vary the volume from medium to medium/loud. Once the predator is spotted coming in, I drop the volume to keep it/them moving toward the speaker.

Unfortunately, the shooter hit the coyote too far back to be immediately effective.

Thank you again for reading and sending us your success photos! We enjoy hearing about the success you’re having in the field. Please feel free to add your comments below.

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Good calling,

Mark Healy

mark@wildlifecallers.com

Categories: Predator calling, coyote, wildlife technologies

Tags: calling coyotes, coyote, electronic wildlife caller, predator callers, Predator calling, predator hunter, predator hunting, wildlife technologies