Star Trek Predator Hunting To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

[uncle buck]

I always try to tie hunting into something... In this case it just came to me...Ah Star Trek.  Right at the beginning.  The  commentator says something to the effect:  "To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before!"  Of course...Predator  Callers we or someone knows the lands that we are going to hunt on.  However before you go to those lands?  You don't need to go blindly...See predators will use the wind... To go to your hunting lands and not knowing which way the wind is blowing is going to cause certain failure...It's like going somewhere that no one has ever gone before.  Also if the wind is gusting or variable (shifting, inconsistent, directional) you need to know that too....
What I like to do is go to http:// www.weather.com/  Do the hourly forecast after I keyed in a city or the zip code to see where the wind is blowing from and the velocity of the wind...  I have a bubble compass on me.. Pinned on my hunting coat or jacket right about where my navel is.  I can look straight down at the bubble compass, illuminate it with my scanning light and make sure I keep the bearing of what was reported to me on the weather channel hourly forecast key...
If your lucky like me the weather channel TV will give you your local weather update on the 8.  In my case 8 min  after, 16 min after,  24 min, 32 min after etc etc etc...Ah that where you will learn if the winds are going to be variable, shifting etc...
Lastly....if I can't get to a media I will go outside and look at a giant flag. Ah the bennies of living by a insurance building that has an illuminated Old Glory hanging up on a hill.  Just watching it too....let say...8 minutes of staring at it outside the window will tell you if the wind is directional or variable and shifting...Then going from point A's to Point B's check McDonald's they always have an illuminated Old Glory waving in the breeze. Also if need be...Stop along the road or go into the parking lot of Mickey D's and take a compass bearing from that flag.
 If the wind is directional then set up somewhere down wind and cross wind of the main beam of the speaker or caller at the correct distance based on the animal your going to hunt. If the wind is shifting then your best bet to see predators is to post near the speaker... You don't know the direction the predators are going to come in. However they will get in direct line with the loudest part of the speaker and you might get a shot before they smell you..  

    
Below I will post just where the shooter should set up for each target animal.

[uncle buck]

These set up accommodate both the rifleperson and shotgunner. You can change it a bit when using a scoped illuminated rifle.. You can pull them out into the open and shoot them at 100 to 250 yards.. I post this comment since there are numerous ways to hunt predators with a rifle... IMO  the lone rifle person needs a large area of land so they can see the predator making the arc and coming into the wind and the main sound beam..If you have very narrow areas um might be better to scoot down and get down wind of the main sound source.  Since as soon as they come out into the narrow area they will smell the caller and shooter at the sound source..

Gray Fox....Most times gray fox will come right to the sound.. So you need to set up 30 yards down and cross wind of the sound source.. Those babies are most times going to come right in to the sound...I would post for coon the same way as for a gray fox...

Red Fox...Ah they hang up a lot...To post near the sound source is going to probably mean your going to get busted... 75 yards to 100 yards down wind of the sound source and set up cross wind. Now remember you also have to take into consideration the cover you think they are going to come from when you set up down wind..Maybe a swamp, woodlot, etc... Don't post cross wind on that side of the cover.

Coyotes...ah Mr. Smart.....100 yards to 250 yards down wind of the sound source in large open areas. Set up cross wind of the sound source. Same applies for coyotes as red fox.. you have to take into consideration of where they will probably come from to the main sound beam...

Bobcat...scent not a big factor but they will get in direct line with the sound source.. Terrain.... would be the factor of where you set up...If it's thick cover then probably just where you can't see beyond the logging road from the sound source..

OK.. what if all the targeted animals I mention above are your targets....I would set up for the distance for red fox 100 yards..

Now if your in the thick stuff... How far do you set up for all target animals mentioned above.. If it's just two people your shooter would go down wind and set up cross wind at a point where looking from the caller you can't see beyond.

Again the dreaded shifting winds...Tough your best bet to see predators is to post near the speaker... Maybe more like the gray fox set up... However when you get Mr. Smart you only have 5 seconds to let him or her have it..

If your hunting with more then two people...You need to put a flanker based on the terrain At the end of the tree line or fence row In line with the speaker or the person doing the mouth calling..The flanker post to the right or the left of the speaker based on the area you think the coyote will come from.. If you have 4 people..Use two flanker. One on each end of the tree line . Make sure everyone knows where everyone is for safety sake.. Never turn your lights off when going to and coming back from your stands...If your hunting in the boonies or the mountains with more then 2 people..You could put your flanker or flankers on logging roads close to the speaker. Again you got to know where people are so when you shoot you don't shoot someone...

I use to hate to hunt coyotes with more then two people... Now I like to use more people for hunting coyotes ar night time and use this flanking set up...
Sadly if you have a hunter in the group be it one of the flankers they could get you busted if they don't understand just what the TEAM is trying to do..Also bad time to get into a _________contest with one of the members..Best to let the person who knows the lay of the land be the person calling the shots.  Hopefully that person will know just what the team is trying to accomplish by making sure all members are set up in the correct area.  Worst thing to happen is when you have someone move because they think the set up is not right..

What is so hard is to try to get people you hunt with to understand set ups like  this...My son, brother, nephew and few  members I have hunted with on here  somewhat understand on what we are trying to accomplish when hunting coyotes..However that has only occurred after hunting with them a few times..