Baiting
- Thread starter Cougar Jim
- Start date
6mm06
Well-known member
Good job Lefty. You sure do have a productive bait site.
Well, last night was active. The attack possum arrived and stayed about 30 minutes, left, then returned later. The skunk came and went throughout the night, both of them keeping me jumping out of bed to have a look.
And, the coyote returned to the bait around 3:53 AM - BUT, got scared when I turned on the IR lights, and ran. It didn't return.
Generally when a coyote jumps at the lights, it returns within seconds or a minute or two, but not this one.
The trail camera was on, so I could see the coyote and knew what it was. I thought I would add a bit more light, so I turned them on remotely. That was my mistake. I should have taken the shot. After the coyote ran, I quickly turned the lights off, but it was already gone.
This is the first coyote to hit the bait with me being there, that has escaped.
Here's the clip of the coyote coming in. At the end you can see the lights turn on and it run.
Last night I tried the Eagle Tac IR light, mounted underneath the rifle barrel. It works
pretty good with the Gen 1 scope and will allow me to take shots to the bait site and
beyond a bit. I can rotate the rifle up the hillside and around and see what is not
illuminated via the IR lights at the bait site. Still, I have hopes of upgrading to a higher
scope, a Gen 2 or 3, sometime in the future.
One note about mounting the scope to the rife barrel - it apparently changes bullet
impact. Before the hunt, I tested it. The bullet went high and right, so I had to resight.
I don't think the scope was off adjustment from previous hunts, but can't say for sure.
I have a feeling the mount caused the bullet to strike in a different place. That's worth
noting if you plan to mount a light of any kind to a rifle barrel - be sure to check the zero.
JMark, I trap during the season and I made out pretty well with my furs. We arent over run with yotes around here but there are so many guys still hunting them with dogs I want to knock one down just to say i did it. I've only ever had luck with calling them in during the spring or early fall.
6mm06 - That attack possum is hilarious, no quit in him! Too bad your yote got spooked by the lights turning on. I wonder if your lights at the site make a very slight noise when switching on - strange how many times they have spooked with your remote lights. I have never had even one notice my IR light (mounted on the NV). I think you have the right idea with the Eagle Tac. Will be interesting to see if they can pick that up, also you are right - will get the added benefit of finding eyes around the perimeter.
I've heard the same thing about POI shift when mounting to the barrel. Any way you could clip the Eagle Tac on to your scope?
I've heard the same thing about POI shift when mounting to the barrel. Any way you could clip the Eagle Tac on to your scope?
6mm06
Well-known member
Lefty,
I think there is a slight "thunk" of a noise with the remote unit when it turns on.
The coyotes aren't bothered too much by the IR of the trail cameras, though I have noticed some coyotes that are scared of them.
The reason for mounting the Eagle Tac on the rifle barrel is due to the way I have the barrel through the foam in the window. There is
no place to mount it to other than the barrel, and keep it mobile. I could aim it at the bait site maybe affixed to something else, but not
the rifle. That would not allow me to rotate the IR along with the rifle.
You can see how the barrel protrudes outside the window. The light has to mount to the barrel.
Here's inside the building
As you can see by this setup, I am totally sealed off from the outside. It helps keep scent under better control,
also eliminates noise of opening a window, and also keep the cold air of winter out. This setup works pretty darn good.
I borrowed the foam idea from DannyK who uses something similar.
Pretty slick setup you have there. Now I see why you need to mount on the barrel. Think you're better off that way rather than afixed to a stationary object. Pretty sure its a very narrow beam which would not allow scanning capabilities.
I'm a bit farther away, which gives me a little more leeway opening a window. (oiled up real good, of course).
I'm a bit farther away, which gives me a little more leeway opening a window. (oiled up real good, of course).
weekender
Well-known member
nice shooting lefty
06, the reason your light changes the POI when attached to the barrel is it changes the vibration pattern. One should never take a rest that comes in contact with the barrel for the same reason. It's like hitting a tuning fork and hitting the same tuning fork while touching it with your finger. Big difference.
06, the reason your light changes the POI when attached to the barrel is it changes the vibration pattern. One should never take a rest that comes in contact with the barrel for the same reason. It's like hitting a tuning fork and hitting the same tuning fork while touching it with your finger. Big difference.
Originally Posted By: weekendernice shooting lefty
06, the reason your light changes the POI when attached to the barrel is it changes the vibration pattern. One should never take a rest that comes in contact with the barrel for the same reason. It's like hitting a tuning fork and hitting the same tuning fork while touching it with your finger. Big difference.
+1
this illustrates what weekender said
06, the reason your light changes the POI when attached to the barrel is it changes the vibration pattern. One should never take a rest that comes in contact with the barrel for the same reason. It's like hitting a tuning fork and hitting the same tuning fork while touching it with your finger. Big difference.
+1
this illustrates what weekender said
DoubleUp
Well-known member
Saturday night a coyote hit my bait at 11:15 but was very skittish of the IR lights on the cameras and just seemed sort of spooked in general. Any way she returned a couple of times and finally gave me a broadside shot.
My wind was blowing toward her, so I knew that within seconds she would have my scent with the window open. Just as I was in that motion of pull through on the trigger, she took off and the rifle went off at almost the same instant. I was shooting the 243 with 58 zmax and it knocked her off her feet.
As I worked the bolt, operator error jammed the second cartridge. By the time I got it cleared I couldn't see her, but decided to not go and look for her during the night. I went out at 7 Sunday morning and found 4 pretty good sized places of blood, but no coyote. I could not find where she went out of my yard.
The fields were clear and clean and I should have seen her, and thought I would even if she made it out of the yard. But there was no sign of her in any of the fields. I looked as long as I could Sunday morning before Church and thought that when I came home I would see buzzards somewhere on one of the ditches where she had fallen in.
No buzzards, so I didn't know where she went or where I hit her with that load that she could have gotten away. I was sure the 243 would hit her like Thor's hammer. I'm not too happy or proud of not having her DRT. I wish I could have stopped the pull through when she started to run, but I just couldn't stop.
Today, Monday, as I was walking around my pond, I noticed something a little lighter color under the water. So I went to my shop and got a long-handled gaff, and fished the object out of the pond. It was the coyote. She didn't go out of the yard, but apparently fell in the pond and sank. I was relieved to know that she didn't suffer long and didn't go far. Here's what she looked like after I fish her out and let her dry off a little. The bullet blew a big hole on the off side and I don't know how she made it into the pond.
My wind was blowing toward her, so I knew that within seconds she would have my scent with the window open. Just as I was in that motion of pull through on the trigger, she took off and the rifle went off at almost the same instant. I was shooting the 243 with 58 zmax and it knocked her off her feet.
As I worked the bolt, operator error jammed the second cartridge. By the time I got it cleared I couldn't see her, but decided to not go and look for her during the night. I went out at 7 Sunday morning and found 4 pretty good sized places of blood, but no coyote. I could not find where she went out of my yard.
The fields were clear and clean and I should have seen her, and thought I would even if she made it out of the yard. But there was no sign of her in any of the fields. I looked as long as I could Sunday morning before Church and thought that when I came home I would see buzzards somewhere on one of the ditches where she had fallen in.
No buzzards, so I didn't know where she went or where I hit her with that load that she could have gotten away. I was sure the 243 would hit her like Thor's hammer. I'm not too happy or proud of not having her DRT. I wish I could have stopped the pull through when she started to run, but I just couldn't stop.
Today, Monday, as I was walking around my pond, I noticed something a little lighter color under the water. So I went to my shop and got a long-handled gaff, and fished the object out of the pond. It was the coyote. She didn't go out of the yard, but apparently fell in the pond and sank. I was relieved to know that she didn't suffer long and didn't go far. Here's what she looked like after I fish her out and let her dry off a little. The bullet blew a big hole on the off side and I don't know how she made it into the pond.
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Nice job on the yote. I havent had any come to my bait set up by my house since I got the driveway alert. I had a trail cam at another location and got this video of a bobcat. There is a road up the hill and behind the camera. Deer get hit there all the time and end up down over the bank. I think the local predators are clued in on this spot for that reason.
Bobcat video
Bobcat video
the impactzone
New member
I shoot the same round and have never had them go more than 50 yards, even with a bad shot in the gut, glade you found her,
DoubleUp
Well-known member
Yea, I'm definitely glad I found her and that her end was quick. She probably only went about 100 ft from where I hit her until she fell in the pond. I looked around it originally but was expecting her to be visible even if she fell face first into the pond. Of course had I hit her where I should, she would have never moved out of her steps.
The exit was about the size of both my fists together so it wasn't pretty. She was an unbred female apparently last year's pup.
The exit was about the size of both my fists together so it wasn't pretty. She was an unbred female apparently last year's pup.
weekender
Well-known member
good job on the recovery double up, my last one ran about 10 yds with a softball size hole in heart/lung area my .243 put in her.
Here is a little more bait gathering. I guess the mods will let me know if it's not OK to show how I get my bait.
Hogs sure don't mind water. This spot has been flooded since the big rains in January but it don't seem to bother the bigger hogs. Some of the little fellars didn't manage too well but the big hogs have no trouble feeding in a foot of water. Watch the brindle colored hog in the lower right corner of the screen. I thought it was a dead perfect shot with an exit right at the elbow on the opposite side. I tracked this hog over 300 yds through a 7 yr cut down with 10 ft high briars. Not what I was planning. This boar weighed 130# and has been fine eating for us and the neighbors. There was another boar dragging back about 50# bigger than this one but I had already been busted twice on this evenings hunt by swirling winds and I took the first good shot offered at a decent boar. I drug him through the briars with just my belt for 250 yds till I hit my walk in trail. My wife met me there a while later with this orange kids snow sled I found on the side of the road. I estimate it took 1/4 the effort to drag the hog on the sled vs without. It really amazed me how much diffence it made. This was the first time I had a chance to try it out since I found it. I will post another video in this thread showing how I load the hogs on a 4 wheeler by myself. Of course you have to be able to get the 4 wheeler to the hog first.
Here is a little more bait gathering. I guess the mods will let me know if it's not OK to show how I get my bait.
Hogs sure don't mind water. This spot has been flooded since the big rains in January but it don't seem to bother the bigger hogs. Some of the little fellars didn't manage too well but the big hogs have no trouble feeding in a foot of water. Watch the brindle colored hog in the lower right corner of the screen. I thought it was a dead perfect shot with an exit right at the elbow on the opposite side. I tracked this hog over 300 yds through a 7 yr cut down with 10 ft high briars. Not what I was planning. This boar weighed 130# and has been fine eating for us and the neighbors. There was another boar dragging back about 50# bigger than this one but I had already been busted twice on this evenings hunt by swirling winds and I took the first good shot offered at a decent boar. I drug him through the briars with just my belt for 250 yds till I hit my walk in trail. My wife met me there a while later with this orange kids snow sled I found on the side of the road. I estimate it took 1/4 the effort to drag the hog on the sled vs without. It really amazed me how much diffence it made. This was the first time I had a chance to try it out since I found it. I will post another video in this thread showing how I load the hogs on a 4 wheeler by myself. Of course you have to be able to get the 4 wheeler to the hog first.
6mm06
Well-known member
DoubleUp, she needed one last swim before checking out. Glad you found her. That's a boost to the old confidence level.
Weekender & Sureshot, I know exactly what you are talking about with the barrel harmonics etc. I figured the mount would throw the bullet impact off. I checked it just to make sure. It did, which didn't surprise me. Just glad I checked it out.
Weekender, you're a hog-killing-machine!! I wonder which had more blood on it, the hog or you! Tracking 300 yards through a briar thicket is not something on my to-do list.
Last night I stayed at the cabin again, mainly for the joy of it, but also hoping a coyote would show up. No luck. But, the attack possum made his debut. I watched him through the scope while using the Eagle Tac IR, and shooting is possible at the 60 yard site and with the Gen 1. It was dark out, so it seems the light is helping quite a bit.