Baiting

You are at least on the some good spots and now with a magnum bait find, you will be the "windshield" and the fur critters the bugs. Congrats on the latest red.
 
Anyone have any ideas on how to get skunks away from your bait pile? They keep setting my sensor off and waking me up in the middle of the night. I don’t want to shoot them because I’m afraid it will ruin the site.
 
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Well the pendulum swung the other way and the train made it back on the tracks for last Friday night's hunt. The 6:30 fox did not show but a fox I had been seeing on the game camera later in the night did. About 9:00 this dog crossed right in front of me at 20 feet, then circled the field edge to get down wind of the bait pile and the rest is history. This was one of the nicest fox I've taken for the season. He was older, clean, thick coat and fat as butter.

Video:

Red dog MAS field 12.2 Jan. 25, 2019 by Gobbler Getter, on Flickr
 
Coyotes are highly attracted to skunks and eat them whenever they get an opportunity. If you can stand the odor yourself, it won't hurt your bait pile. Or, if you can shoot them in the neck you can severe the spinal column and prevent them spraying as well.

G, that's a really nice male, congrats.
 
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Thanks for the info doubleup!! I’ll give it a shot and try to shoot them in the neck. The big question is is if my wife going to be able to tolerate the smell of the skunk or would she rather be woke up in the middle of the night like she is now with the sensor going off?? My guess is neither!! Lol!!
 

Pretty fox, Gobbler. How many is this for the season?

Toppy, like DoubleUp mentioned, the skunk smell won't bother coyotes. It might your wife, though. I have shot a couple in the neck and barely had any scent at all. One good consideration is to wait until his loaded end is facing away from your cameras and sensors before you shoot. Don't ask me how I know. LOL.

 
1toppy, there's a very slim chance of it NOT spraying. Actually, it's more of a release of all body function. Don't let that stop you. If the wind is right most of the time, shoot it right on the bait pile and leave it. When I was trapping, my bait pile consisted of everything from mice to deer carcasses. Skunks were a big part of the pile. The smellier the better.
 
I’m going to start shooting them then and see what happens. It’s probably costing me some coyotes. Whenever the sensor goes off and I find It’s a skunk I just turn the sensor off and leave it off the rest of the night so I (and the wife) can get back to sleep.
 
6mm - I'm not sure what the tally is this season but here is one more from last night. There must have been a fox population explosion in my neck of the woods last spring - - and I'm lov'in it!

This pretty little vixen came in to the bait pile a little before 9:00. Glad I fresh baited over the weekend with deer, geese and ducks.

Video:

Red vixen pond stand Jan.28, 2019 by Gobbler Getter, on Flickr
 
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Gobbler, you're definately in the thick of it. Congrats.

I've got 2 fox that visit my bait area every night for several times very consistantly.

I wish the yotes were so predictable.
 
So I had one at the bait the other night...2:00 AM and had what I thought was a good shot with my .223 using Hornady vmax. He jumped upon impact and took off. Next morning I went out and had a substantial blood trail for about 200 yards or so. He meandered a bit and stopped a couple of times where the blood was coming nicely. Then he laid down next to a tree. He was there for a bit as I could tell from the melting...there was a little blood. Then he got up and there wasn't another drop. I followed his tracks for a couple hundred more yards probably until I could no longer because of the snow conditions...ice and bulletproof crust etc. So any thoughts? Does that sound like a superficial wound?
 

Originally Posted By: srmmaine So any thoughts? Does that sound like a superficial wound?
By him jumping, do you mean "up?" If so, it may have been a low impact. Just me thinking out loud.
 
Great work all !!! Last night and tonight we'll be seeing temps near 30* below with the wind chills near 60* below. Kind of chilly. No action on my bait at all. I must have killed them all last year :)!!!!
As to the skunks, shoot them. Never bothered my bait at all.
On the .223 Vmax hit...a .223 is not that fast, but, if you hit a shoulder, maybe that Vmax splashed. I have had some experience with splashing rounds at my bait sight. Lots of blood, knocked the coyotes over, and still no recovery. I have pretty much drifted away from the Vmax round. But, again, a .223 is not that fast, so just throwing out some thoughts.
Keep after em fellas!!!!!!
Bait
 
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