FOXPRO is excited to announce a new division of our team. Starting this Fall FOXPRO will be accepting resumes and applications to form a unique team across the country. This team will be established to compete in the consistently growing predator competitions/contests throughout the nation. Team FOXPRO is ready to participate and win these contests with members that obtain the highest skills for competing. We have realized the popularity of these contests and want the serious contest hunters winning and baring the FOXPRO name.

Qualifications for a member to join Team FOXPRO include having a passion for the sport of predator hunting and a familiarity with contest hunting. To qualify each member will be screened and interviewed to determine their acceptance to join. Each applicant is required to submit a resume, containing past accomplishments in any predator contest, contact information, 2 to 3 references, and a photo to be placed on our website if accepted as a team member. The requirements of a team member will include a seasonal schedule of events of contest they plan on entering. After each contest is finished the results must be turned in within 24 hours after the conclusion of the contest. Special incentives will be awarded from FOXPRO to be determined by the size of the contest, number of contestants in each contest, and your personal results from the contest.

FOXPRO is excited about entering the contests across the country and plans on being successful in the field with the most experienced team members and contestants. If you are interested in joining a growing team of hunters who are successful in the field and are proven successful by our products in these contests, please send the material to the email listed below. We look forward to hearing from you and are excited about our new addition to the FOXPRO family.

God Bless, and Keep Calling,

Sincerely,

Abner J. Druckenmiller
Marketing & Video Manager
Email to: abner@gofoxpro.com


Back to top

Remember the old adage, if you ask a dumb question, be prepared to receive a dumb answer? But there are those of us who will tell you there is no such thing as a dumb question-everybody needs to start somewhere. Now go ask any hunter who pursues any species of game what their secret is to consistent success in the field. Unless they are wrapped up in an aura of their own mystique, I would bet money that the answer you get will be the same from every one; you cannot harvest wildlife if there is no wildlife in that area. Seems pretty obvious, doesn't it?

I see a lot of folks who gather up a few paychecks of hard-earned money and run out to their neighborhood Cabela's prepared to sink some serious dollars into hunting gear. For the predator hunters, the usual bill of goods includes a new e-caller, scent free camouflage, and maybe even a new rifle. After getting this gear home they drive out into the country and find a spot that looks good for predators, hop out of the vehicle, walk a couple hundred yards out, sit down by a tree or bush and start playing sounds. Fast forward to later that evening-the guy gets home frustrated because nothing responded to the call.

While hunters just dabbling into the sport of predator hunting are often met with frustration and many questions, the act itself does not need to be more difficult or vastly different from other types of hunting. Most folks wouldn't drive out to some random location with their deer rifle and expect to shoot a prized whitetail and the same should apply to predators. We go scouting for big game, why not go scouting for predators?

A lot of predator hunters tend not to hunt during the spring and summer months. That time of the year provides us with an excellent opportunity to get outdoors, explore, and even gain access to new land. The more time you spend getting your ducks in a row now equates to less frustration and more productivity come fall.

Hunting public land can be productive, if you know where to go. Private land is, by far, the best route to take. Here you won't have to worry about running into other hunters (usually), vying for a good spot, or taking unnecessary steps to lure in predators.

The easiest way to get started is by tuning your ears to listen better. This is vital. Hang out at local sporting goods shops, join a club, listen to folks talking at super markets or post offices, and listen for key words. You may bump into someone who is complaining of a coyote problem on their farm or perhaps hear of someone who saw some fox or coyotes in a certain area. This can help you get pointed in the right direction. If nothing else, when you go knocking on a strangers door it makes a good introduction, "Hi, I know Mr. Jones, and he told me you have a coyote problem." Little things like this can really help you later on.

Aside from eavesdropping, there are other ways to scope out for promising territory. Take the drive-by approach. Hop in your car-take the wife and kids for bonus points!-and go for a drive. Either mark a spot you are interested in on your GPS or map. The key here is preliminary scouting to find land that appears to be suitable. The next step is to actually ask for permission.

Now, the strongest recommendation I can make here is to do this in person. Do not send letters, e-mails, make a phone call, or work through a friend of a friend. You want permission so you should ask personally. Nothing compares to the sincerity of walking up to a door and introducing yourself and your mission.

Be prepared, however, for the turn-downs. Some folks may think you are a sales person, church promoter, or just some creep. The trick here is, first off, don't approach the owner decked out in full camo with a rifle slung over your shoulder! Second, dress nice, but not in a suit. Finally, and I can't stress this enough, if you see signs that say "beware of dog" and "no trespassing", it's best not to test them. Just assume there is a dog and/or that you will be shot.

The time will inevitably come when you encounter a farmer or land owner who has had a bad experience with previous hunters in years past. Maybe they broke fences, left empty beer cans or even gut piles lying around. It doesn't take more than one of these experiences to quickly result in the end of all hunting on that parcel of ground. It is important to present yourself with dignity and in a respectful manner. Even more, take along a disclaimer of sorts. The disclaimer waives liability for injuries and ensures that you will not break the golden rules for hunting someone else's land. Albeit a matter of common sense, you must assume that common sense is, in fact, quite rare. Spell it all out.

It is also a wise idea to ask about family pets. The last thing you want to do is shoot Fluffy, Junior's best friend, and carry the dead carcass to the front porch.

Once you have secured permission to hunt the land, get out there and check it out. Assuming you have a basic understanding of where a predator would want to live, it's time to map out a course of action. Take a GPS along or draw up a map on paper. Make note of the promising spots. Look for areas that the predators can hold-up in during the day and provide easy access routes to and from those areas. Maybe you need to clear out a hide or clean some shooting lanes. Remember, however, that you shouldn't just start chopping down trees or uprooting vegetation as you deem neccessary. Always ask first!

While exploring this new area, make note of other factors. Where is the sun? Is there a predominant wind? Where can you setup to compensate for differing winds the next time out? How can you access the area without being detected? Look for signs of activity-scat, fur, tracks, dens, recent animal kills, and so on.

When you have your areas picked out, primed, and ready for action, come back in a couple weeks and try a couple dry stands. Play a few sounds and see if you get any responses. The key here is to figure out where the predators are. Maybe you want to try locating calls prior to picking a spot. And most importantly, don't forget your goal; you can't harvest wildlife if the wildlife isn't there.

Watch out for hay fields that have been cut recently. A lot of time, predators will run to those fields for a quick meal. The freshly cut fields will reveal mice, voles, and rabbits, thus providing an ample buffet for the predators. It's also a heck of a lot easier to walk through a freshly cut field rather than one that's grown up over your head.

There are a couple of other things to mention about scouting. There are some important items you should take along-some out of necessity, while others just for fun. Do not forget bug spray. Ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes can turn a fun scouting trip into a nightmare. Take along a camera; you never know when a cool photo opportunity may present itself. You may want to bring along a favorite mouth call or e-call for dry stands. And always have proper identification.

By now you should have good land to call, know where the predators are, developed predefined areas that you can easily sneak into and out of, and you are ready to come back in the fall and get some fur on the ground. Almost seems too easy doesn't it? Of course, you still need to know how to call them, but we'll save that for another time.



Back to top

Mike Dillon mentioned in the July Newsletter that I would be writing a story about my Merriam turkey hunt in Montana. I won't get into the traveling itinerary as Mike has already told you all of that. The main purpose of our hunt in Montana was for Mike to get his first Black Bear. It was an absolute blast to be with Mike and watch as he connected on his first Big Bruin. However, Mike gave me the opportunity to test my skills with the elusive white-tailed mountain chicken, better known as the Merriam turkey.

We left the Hotel Thursday morning around 3:45am to drive to Belgrade to meet Troy Butler and Tim Delph for the first time. We waited patiently as the gray of daylight began to break. I know most of you guys are saying, "What, its daylight and you're not in the woods setup on a long-beard yet?" I thought the same thing but when Troy and Tim showed up they re-assured me that it probably wouldn't take more than about 30 minutes to go kill my first Merriam. That was enough confidence for me. Now I was ready to go. We jumped in the truck with Troy and Tim and started down the road towards the mountains. On our way there I couldn't help but to start realizing what I was about to do. I was going to have my first opportunity to kill a turkey that I have only seen video of on TV. I was excited to add another sub-species of the wild turkey to my resume', to hopefully someday accomplish what I have only dreamed of. The Grand Slam of turkeys, for those of you who don't know, it contains the Eastern, Rio Grande, Osceola, and the Merriam. There's no doubt I would love to have the Super Slam which consists of the Goulds turkey, but I knew I had to get this Merriam out of the way first. As we approached our destination the excitement grew with even more intensity when we saw a flock of birds on the middle of the road, that's right, right on the middle of the highway. There were quite a few gobblers in the flock and they had about 7 or 8 hens with them. I immediately made the assumption that they were hened-up and that I would have to use my soft calling to entice a long-beard into range. We didn't have permission to hunt this area yet so we continued to a place where Troy had spotted and scouted several birds.

It was about 6:45AM and we pulled off the side of a dirt road on the top of a hill overlooking several mountains and meadows. Troy did a few series of yelps and I threw in an owl hoot. A gobbler cut loose about 300 yards away. I looked in the direction of the gobble and saw him strutting in a meadow with four hens. We quickly got back into the truck and drove past him on the dirt road. He must have been used to vehicles driving on this road because it didn't bother him at all when we drove by. We parked along the side of the road where a small ridge had blocked our view from him and his view from us. We conjured up a game plan and decided to try to call him out of the meadow to us. There was a huge point on a mountain that ran down into the meadow. The birds were on the other side of the mountain in the meadow so we setup to try and call them around the point. He answered us but he had moved to the top of the mountain. I tried numerous calling sequences and other tactics that I use on the eastern turkeys back home, but none of which worked on this old Tom. I guess this would be a good spot to indicate how much I love turkey hunting and who taught me all of the secrets.

I grew up in central Pennsylvania where turkey hunting for my family was a tradition and a game that we played every year with old gobblers and their seasonal rituals. My father taught me everything I know about hunting and for some reason, turkey hunting was one of his favorites. Many have argued that he was one of the best turkey hunters in the area, but only because he had hunted them for over 35 years and he taught me one key thing about hunting them. Patience, patience and more patience was the key. This is a character trait that I lacked growing up, but quickly learned that this was indeed the secret to success for hunting Pennsylvania turkeys.

The long beard answered me time and time again but never wanted to leave his delightful hens. We worked this bird from a variety of locations, playing cat and mouse with him for nearly two hours. The closest he got to us was around 55 yards. I misjudged the yardage and decided not to shoot because I thought he was farther away. The hens keyed in on our location, tucked tail, and left, so I figured my hunt was over. We tried locating other birds that morning, but could never get one to strike back up. We decided to head back to where we had seen the birds on the road earlier in the morning and ask permission to hunt them in the meadow that they were hanging out in.

As we approached the meadow just off of the road we glassed the birds out with our optics and saw that there were a few Jakes and three other two year old gobblers as well as the hens and the Boss Tom. Troy pulled up to the house to ask permission to hunt the property and it was granted. I never had the opportunity to call a bird in from across a wide open field or in this case an open meadow. We setup at one point and the Jakes snuck in on us as they always do. We ended up moving once again to get closer to the bigger birds and bumped the Jakes. Fortunately, scaring them didn't scare the other birds. Mike and I army-crawled to the top of a hill that had a few trees that cast just enough shadows to keep us concealed. The old Tom was courting his hens when I noticed another gobbler, just outside of the main flock, trying to steal one of the hens away. As most may know, these two year olds are similar to that of a satellite Bull Elk. They stay just out of the way from the big boy so they don't get their butts kicked, yet just close enough to steal away one of his honeys. These are the birds that will no doubt come running in to catch a stirred up hen if possible. I knew what this two year old was trying to do and I told Mike that the younger bird was going to close the distance.

I started with a few soft yelps to just test their temperatures. No response. I then began to get more aggressive with them to try to get a response. They immediately cut me off, so I proceeded to do the same to them. When I talk about taking a gobblers temperature, I mean try to figure out what he likes to hear the most. See what he responds to the most and stick with it. I had the younger gobbler closing the distance to within 100 yards. I cut and cackled at him the whole time. The older Tom stared in my direction in discontent, as he watched his partner creep closer and closer to the excited hen. Only this excited Hen had a Remington 1100 packed with a 3 inch No. 5 shot.

The gobbler slipped out of sight 75 yards behind a small hill. I told Mike to creep up over the hill in which we were seated on, so that he could get a better view, while I stayed alert to see where the gobbler would pop up. He showed up about 45 yards away on top of the hill. I purred at him to ease his lost look. He immediately gobbled and started walking and looking for his prized hen. I stopped him with a quick cluck, and he stretched his neck up high (Picture perfect), I clicked off the safety and BOOM! I had just harvested my first Merriam long beard. I had to use the cluck, click, BOOM line. That was one I stole from my Dad in which he used one day when I was at school and he harvested a turkey. He had the principal hand me an envelope in the middle of class that contained the breast feather of his turkey, on the outside of the envelope it read, "Cluck, Click, BOOM."

In conclusion I would like to thank Troy Butler and Tim Delph on guiding me on my first turkey hunt in Montana. I don't think I've hunted with anyone that could make me laugh as much as Tim while you're in the woods. Troy can flat out hunt, it's always fun to hunt with people that enjoy it and love it as much as you do. Thanks Mike, for giving me the opportunity as well. I hope to kill a Rio Grande gobbler next year to add another species to my quest for the Grand Slam. Last but not least I'd like to thank my Dad for teaching me more than the secrets of hunting, but the principles in life to achieve a great character and a hard work ethic. Most importantly he taught me to value God's creation.

God Bless and Keep Calling,

- Abner J. Druckenmiller



Back to top

Predator hunting strategies invade my thoughts on a daily basis.

Often I reflect back on both successful and non successful hunts and try to visualize a pattern which led to the final outcome of that hunt. There are many variables which contribute to successful hunts and recent Foxpro newsletter tips have covered many of them. Scouting, working the wind, call volume, etc. are all important parts of a well thought out predator hunt.

When I started hunting predators, I felt the harder and louder I called the more territory I was covering and the greater my odds of success were. I mainly used dying rabbit mouth calls and tried to sound as though I were a bunny being torn apart. Loud, hoarse, gravely, guttural calls were on the menu every time I hunted. While some of my hunts were successful, many were not. Many of my early hunts throughout the 1970s and 80s were during a time of high priced furs. A prime northern red fox pelt was pushing $100 and the competition for these pelts was intense. Predator calling had ramped up and the animals were tough to call. Many of these fox had been educated to the dying rabbit blues over and over by hunters who had been there before I had called.

I had many dry hunts with little to no success. Fox barking in the distance in response to my calls finally let me know the game was over on many sets. I was frustrated. This all changed during a small game hunt on our Pennsylvania farm. I was hunting rabbit and pheasant with 2 of my friends and we had just come to the end of our property line. By this time it was late morning and the hunting had slowed. In my small game jacket were a small Radio Shack tape recorder and a handful of Johnny Stewart tapes. Gray fox pup in distress and dying crow call tapes were on the menu. I also had a couple predator calls and a crow mouth call in my pocket. I wanted to see how far away my friends could hear my tape recorder. I climbed down a steep bluff, crossed a narrow valley and called from the top of the adjacent hillside.

In very short order, I had mouth called with a crow call and played my tape recorder with both crow and fox distress calls. In under a minute a prime Pennsylvania red fox slipped out of the woods and headed up the trail towards my 2 hunting partners. He came through a section of woods we had just hunted for rabbits. At point blank range he almost ran over my friends as he scampered up the steep bluff. The first attempt at said red fox was ironically a squib 12 gauge handload minus a load of red dot. The end result was primer ignition only. A load of 7.5 shot rolled out the end of the barrel and the wad stuck in the end of the choke. Luckily a second load was never chambered and fired. My second friend was toting a 22 mag and a hail Mary was fired in desperation as the red headed south after almost running them over. That red fox left the scene in educated fashion and I was left scratching my head in disbelief. Why had he responded in late morning when calling that same spot at prime time had failed miserably? A wounded crow will provide an easy meal for a fox. It is a call he had not likely heard from another predator hunter and it was a realistic sound for that area.

Since that time, diminutive bird calls have fast become my all time favorites for both fox and coon. As predator calls, they provide promise of an easy meal that is attractive to all predators. Not only have many rabbit calls been over-used in many areas, they can also signify risk to a smaller predator. A young or smaller vixen may not want to risk fighting another predator for a larger rabbit which is struggling to stay alive. I think small birds like a titmouse, nuthatch, mallard duckling or a woodpecker in distress represent an easy meal which is hard to resist. I tend to call predators of all sizes with these calls and my overall success ratio has increased dramatically by using them as my preferred calls. They are often high pitched, pleading, busy calls which are quite common to the area being hunted. They are also less frequently used by predator hunters.

Some years ago, I had an educated red fox giving me the slip on a regular basis. He knew the game better than I and would hang up out of range when I ran through my routine calls. Finally in desperation, I slipped into a streambed and fired off some mallard duckling calls at last light. He came to the set so fast I had a hard time stopping him for the shot. It was a call not used by other predator hunters, but one he expected to provide an easy meal in that streambed. I've since used that same setup many times on other farms with great success.

The point of this is to think outside the box when it comes to calling predators. Learn to utilize bird calls and I feel your success ratio will increase. I'd also like to thank Steve Dillon of Foxpro for producing some of the hottest bird calls to hit the market in recent years. They have transformed my way of predator hunting and are worth trying on day or night calling sets.

-Pete Hauer





Letter Home,

Dear mom and dad,

Haven't written you in awhile so I thought I'd jot down what's been happening here.

Didn't go hunting Sunday because of possible rain. So... Eileen thought she'd take me out for some exercise. There are several climbing hills around town so she picked one for us to walk up in order to get our hearts pumping. We got to the top OK but on the way down Eileen slipped and fell. She put out her arm to break the fall and jammed her arm hard enough to cause a slight fracture just below the elbow. It didn't break clean through, but she will still wear a cast for awhile. She's OK. Said she needed some peace and quiet so she sent me away to do some varmint calling last weekend.

When I think about it, you may not see exactly why I enjoy doing that sort of thing. I'm sure you've wondered from time to time what it was that attracted me to the sport. I get asked over and over by people all the time why I enjoy killing poor helpless animals. Actually there is no justification when the question is offered in a manner such as that. There are many technical justifications for hunting, but rational never seems to sink in to most people.

Why do I kill animals? First of all I don't kill animals, I hunt animals. At the same time I protect animals. I personally (along with every other hunter) provide the money and resources for game management to "police" the many animal species in order that they may survive. This is done through licenses, fees, taxes, donations and volunteer time and labor. I continually challenge those who question my interest in hunting to produce proof of their participation through money, time and labor that promotes, protects and improves all wildlife.

Why do I hunt? That's a better way to ask the question. The simple answer to that is because I'm good at it and it gives me an appreciation for nature on all levels by continually challenging my abilities at every turn. Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste to some extent and most of all, the mindset it takes to solve the many complicated puzzles of where, when, how and why. Add to that other factors like time of year, time of day, weather conditions (past and current), terrain and a desire of self-motivation. Sounds a little more complicated now, huh?

Back to task at hand. My true intent of the letter was to tell you about last weekend.

Remembering the hunt is always more fun than the actual hunt itself. The memory will last forever.

Remember back. Did you ever have the kind of friend that always seemed to turn the simplest of things into a complete adventure? Like the time your buddy saw an albino deer and you almost convinced him that it was just a goat? Or how about the time your buddy painted a vinyl stool camouflage colors only to have it stick to his pants when he stood up to draw down on a nice buck deer. Or maybe the guy who let go with the wrong hand from full draw of a 70-pound compound bow. Ouch! 260 pounds flat on the floor in 0.6 seconds!

Anyway these are only some of the many reasons why I enjoy hunting. Bagging the game is never as fun as the stories and lies about blunders and missed opportunities.

I can recall every detail of every hunt. Just don't ask me to tell the same story twice.

Up at 1:00 AM to head south to Sierra Vista, Arizona with a good friend and hunting buddy (we'll call Jerry) and meet up with another good friend and hunting buddy (we'll call Barry) for a day of predator calling. Together, these two guys can make being stuck in the mud a fun and memorable event. A day in the field with these two results in a book full of amazing yet undeniably true stories. The volumes are many and just as thrilling as the following chapter. Trust me.

Anyway, we fooled around chatting and visiting after we arrived at Barry's house and got a late start on a day of calling predators in the high desert. The air was crisp and cold and a slight breeze blew from the west. The Mexican border was just a spit away and we were surrounded by snow topped mountains. Brrrr! Should we try the Mule Mountains or travel through "the pass"? Maybe Bisbee or that big crater hole where all the Javelina are. Doesn't much matter. Let's head over towards Tombstone and see what happens.

First Stand: ( "stand" is what you refer to as the place you stop to call predators): About five miles out of town towards Tombstone we pulled off the pavement to make our first stand. On the second series of calls (waaa!, waaa!, waaa!) I caught movement to my right. It was a bobcat. I told myself to tone it down and change my rhythm. You have to work a bobcat a little different than you would a coyote or fox. If Jerry could wait long enough and hold his breath, the bobcat would cross only a few feet in front of him. Jerry was on it for about ten minutes waiting for the cat to come out from behind a bush. Although Jerry was pretty sure it was a bobcat, he wasn't exactly 100% sure. He first thought bobcat, but a 6 power scope and a bush at 30 yards didn't let him see the whole animal. Jerry started second-guessing himself wanting to be sure. When the bobcat finally presented a shot, Jerry popped it at about 30 yards with his 25-06 (overkill).

Jerry didn't stand up so I kept calling. Finally I called off the stand and asked Jerry if he got it. Jerry said that he thought he had shot a bobcat and that he didn't see it run off. I congratulated him and we all went to retrieve his cat. We found fur and a small amount blood but no bobcat. Jerry picked up a piece of fur and the first thing he asks was. "What's that smell like? Here. Smell it."

Barry: Smells like house cat to me.
Jerry: Smells wild don't you think.
Jay: Yeah. Like I could tell if it just had a bubble bath.
Jerry: Fur looks kinda' yella'
Barry: Just what color d'ya think a house cat is?
Jerry: (starting to get concerned by now) Nah! At first I thought it was a fox, but it moved more like a bobcat. It was a bobcat for sure.
Barry: I'm tellin' ya', you shot somebody's pet. Probably has a collar too.
Jerry: IT AIN'T NO HOUSE CAT!!!
Barry: Bet some little kid is watching Homeward Bound as we speak praying her kitty will find its way home.

I started laughing realizing this was the start of one of those days that goes from funny to absurd. Jerry started picking up all the pieces of fur. I guess he was going to piece enough together to figure out exactly what he shot. Maybe even have it mounted. Can never be sure with him. Barry and I knew it was a bobcat but wouldn't tell Jerry. No way. We were going to have fun with this one. The bobcat was in plain sight to Barry and I and had us both pegged. We couldn't move and our only hope was that Jerry would take it. The cat was wide open to us but was behind a bush from Jerry's perspective. That's why it took so long for Jerry to shoot.

We followed a sparse blood trail to a hole in the rocks. Jerry looked deep in the hole and said....

I SEE IT!!!!!

IT'S HERE IN THIS HOLE!!! (Jerry always gets excited).

Barry: Is it purring?
Jerry: CUT IT OUT!
Jay: Well, stick 'yer hand in there and fish it out.
Jerry: I'm not going to stick nothin' in there!
Barry: Hell. It's just somebody's pet cat.
Jay: Well I doubt if it's going to come to you. You'll have to drag it out.
Jerry: You're crazy! You come down here and crawl in this hole! Hey Barry! Get down here and help!
Barry: Ain't my kitty.
Jay: It would be a shame if you left it 'cause I'm ready to go call in a real bobcat for myself. Besides...we need to get the ID tag so we can contact the owner about the sad news.
Jerry: Alright! I see where this is going. I know what you're doing. OK. I don't like it but I'll drag it out and if I get tore up... (Jerry didn't finish).

Jerry set his gun down, got on his belly and slowly inched his way into the little cave. With only his belt loops to his boots showing, I blew real loud and hard on the varmint call. (Whomp!) Jerry hollers "OH CRAP!!!" and comes backing out the hole rubbing the top of his head.

Jay: Where's the cat?
Jerry: It was just a rock.
Barry: You shot a rock? Never seen anybody skin a rock before.
Jerry: NO! I DIDN'T SHOOT NO ROCK!!!

We got back on the blood trail and lost it about 50 yards farther down the wash. It seemed to be headed for some large drainage culverts under the paved blacktop. Barry pointed out that the cars seemed to be slowing down probably looking at a wounded house cat on the road. Jerry tromps off towards the culverts to investigate and to prove once and for all that he didn't shoot no house cat. When we caught up to Jerry he was motionless and half bent over with his hands on his knees cautiously looking into the culvert. There were signs that some homeless person (or people) had apparently been living in the pipes although they weren't around. The three of us tried to pick up the trail for another 30 minutes but lost out. Jerry couldn't help but think about a yella cat. That's when Barry and I began having field day teasing Jerry about shooting some homeless person's house cat. Every time we saw a car pass, a plane or helicopter overhead we whispered to Jerry that they must be looking for the guy who shot that homeless person's only joy in life. Probably their only reason for living. Poor, poor kitty cat.

Second Stand:

We all three sit down and snuggle into a bush and become invisible.

Jay: My turn to call again. Meeeow! Meeeow! Meeeow!
Jerry: VERY FUNNY! NOW CUT IT OUT!
Barry: My side's really starting to hurt. Glad I'm not some kid's pet.
Jerry: YOU JUST WAIT! YOU'RE TURN'S COMMIN'.

Last Stand of the day:

Later on that day after several attempts at calling Jerry was calling and I spotted a single coyote coming to the call at about 300 yards out. Then I hear> ..."HOLY CRAP!!!!" and all hell breaks loose! Branches were breaking, rocks were rolling and I hear feet pounding the ground. I thought either Jerry or Barry had fallen and was crashing down the hill head over heals. It turns out that a coyote had come hauling in towards Jerry from behind and when Jerry turned around to see what the racket was, the coyote had dropped his anchor and was on a full stopping skid to keep from crashing into Jerry's backside. The coyote turns and there goes Jerry trying to chase him down on foot.

Barry looks over at me and says... "Jay? I think he's trying to run 'em down." Jay: Damned if you're not right. Sit down 'cause I had another coyote coming in at 200 yards.

I tried to ignore what was happening and started blowing my hand call. LOUDER! Well here comes Jerry back up the hill while we were working the second coyote into shooting position. Jerry is talking at the top of his lungs (like he always does) saying... DID YOU SEE THAT!!! BARRY! HEY BARRY! WHY WEREN'T YOU WATCHING MY BACKSIDE! I PURT NEAR GOT RUNNED OVER!" (I was blowing the call at the time) Jerry still tromping towards us up the hill... HEY BARRY! WHY WEREN"T YOU WATCHING BY BACKSIDE???

Barry (stands up)...BECAUSE HONESTLY JERRY, I DON'T FIND YOUR BACKSIDE

THAT APPEALING!

My eyes got all moist and I couldn't blow the call anymore. So much for the second coyote.
Jerry (still talking in his normal tone)... DID YOU SEE THAT! HOLY CRAP!!!! I ALMOST GOT RUNNED OVER! HOLY CRAP!
Jay: Hey Barry. Did you see what happened?
Barry: Nah. All I heard was Jerry say OH CRAP! And when I looked over his way all I saw was Jerry running off into the desert. There was holes (poof) of Jerry's silhouette through the bushes disappearing on down the hillside just like you see in one of those cartoons.

Together we called in 1-bobcat, 1-fox, 5-coyotes and 1-Subaru for the day's work. We weren't able to harvest anything. Sometimes the day turns out perfect like that.

Then there's the story of why pigs have flat noses....

Discovering subtle tips (or in some cases morals) of any story vary from reader to reader.

From the preceding tale one might determine that the memory of the hunt is most important of all. Someone else may highlight success as spending time with friends and not necessarily killing animals. The purist inevitably will point out that you should always watch your back door unless you can outrun a coyote.

Good friends, good weather and good stories your way.

Love,

Jay

- Jay Nistetter



Back to top

Product Spotlight

FOXPRO Prairie Blaster

Blast away with FOXPRO's new Prairie Blaster! Combining the features of the FOXPRO Fury GX7 with a larger housing to accomodate four speakers and a decoy, the Prairie Blaster is an extremely versatile electronic game call system.

The Prairie Blaster packs four speakers into one system. In the front of the unit is the popular SP-55 and a tweeter. In the rear is a large cone speaker and another tweeter. Together, these speakers produce incredible volume and amazing sound quality.

The integrated decoy make decoy use simple. With the push of a button, you can turn your decoy on or off. Carry less gear!

QUAD INTERNAL SPEAKERS: Two tweeters for high frequency sounds, an SP-55 horn speaker for intense volume, and a large cone speaker in the rear.

INTEGRATED DECOY: Can be controlled with the TX-500 remote with the push of a button. The Prairie Blaster comes standard with the "jack" topper.

The FOXPRO Prairie Blaster operates on 8 D Cell batteries, has 4GB of internal memory, stores up to 500 sounds, and has a USB port for programming sounds from home. The Prairie Blaster will play FXP, 24B, MP3, and WAV sounds.

As with the FOXPRO Fury GX7, the Prairie Blaster featuers the most advanced remote control ever offered by FOXPRO, the TX-500. The large backlit LCD screen, numeric keypad, and rotary selector knob make navigation of your remotre control very easy. The TX-500 utilizes FHSS technology for long range operation. For the complete features list, see the bulleted items below.

Four Internal Speakers: SP-55 horn speaker and tweeter in the front and a large cone speaker and tweeter in the rear.

Integrated Decoy: Works with all standard FOXPRO Jack-in-the-Box Decoy toppers. Turns on/off with the push of a button!

TX-500 Remote Control: FOXPRO's most advanced remote control to date!

FHSS Technology: Giving you maximum remote range and reliability.

FOXCAST: 10 Custom Sound Sequences: Design up to 10 entire stands including the individual sounds, volume levels and passages of silence for a hands free stand.

10 Custom Presets: Set up to 10 sounds of your choice, each with their own unique volume levels, for quick access on the fly.

FOXFADE: Independently control the volume level of the left and right channels on a stereo sound file.

A/V (Auto Volume): When activated, it allows the volume to slowly ramp up and then modulate up and down, giving you hands free volume fluctuation

USB Port: Quickly and easily program sounds from home.

4 GB of Internal Memory: Store up to 500 sounds on your Prairie Blaster (comes with 100)

Two External Speaker Jacks: If you demand even more volume than what the 4 internal speakers supply, you have the option of adding up to 2 more additional external speakers

The Prairie Blaster is set for deployment in fall of 2009. Click on the banner at the top or the link below for more information! Click here for more information!



Back to top

Illinois Whitetails and FOXPRO Game Calls by Dan Hudzik

Where is one of the premier hunting destinations in America? Don't guess just Illinois because of the title, the answer is any deer stand with a FOXPRO Game Call. We all know FOXPRO is the leader in predator calling and how well it works, but did you ever think how great they are to use for whitetails. Mark my words, the whitetail industry is going to find out more about the FOXPRO's and I guarantee they are going to lead to the success of more and bigger whitetails taken by hunters that thought they would have never had a chance at a trophy whitetail.

I have been hunting Illinois all my life and yes, it is true, we are a big buck paradise. After the close of deer season in 2006 I bought a FOXPRO FX3 from Bass Pro in St. Charles, Missouri. One of the things that Illinois has done right is allowed us to use electronic callers for whitetails. Since the deer season had just ended when I bought my FX3, I had to wait until October to use it for opening day. It was a long wait, but well worth it.

October 1st 2007, I talked a buddy into going bow hunting with me in a small bottom full of cut corn. Today I was out to harvest a whitetail with my FOXPRO. We set up and my buddy was only about 40 yards to the North of me but about 25 yards to the West of my location. Since it was October 1st, the plant life was still abundant and thick as could be. Hunting in the bottoms, we ended up having a swirling wind. I never use my remote when whitetail hunting, although I could if I chose to. I like to keep my FX3 in the stand with me. I know some people say well that's dumb because the deer will look right up at you, really? Well you'll never convince me of that because it works for me and I have never had one look at me yet. I don't hunt 15 feet off the ground either though. I hunt at a minimum of 20-25 feet which is where I feel comfortable. The key words there are that's where I feel comfortable. Hunt where you are comfortable. I hope that with this article, it will open your eyes and make you a better whitetail hunter.

Don't be afraid to try new things when it comes to whitetails. Whitetails are smart and it's those who don't try new things that get left behind and can't harvest whitetails on a regular basis. I have had numerous friends that doubted the FOXPRO for whitetails, but when they started seeing the results they quickly figured out there was something to hunting with a FOXPRO. They know me and know I don't hunt the best property and I don't hunt leased property and fenced whitetails. They know that I hunt where most hunters do, some private small tracts of land and even public land. Since they know this, it really made them pay attention because they figured out that if I can do it they can too, just as anyone reading this can. Needless to say most of them have their own FOXPRO's now that they have bought from the website http://ww.gofoxpro.com or from the big hunting retail stores like Bass Pro and Cabelas. Well, back to the hunt.

I didn't pick up my FX3 until that evening after we had been in our stand for a while and everything had settled down. I didn't want to just blast my caller; I wanted to use it when I felt it would be most beneficial to me and the time had come. I heard rustling in the weeds and about 75 yards beyond a hill behind me. It was time. I picked up my FX3 and hit the Fawn Bawl (call 003) on my caller. I played it for the length of the loop at low volume and then shut it off. I sat quietly and listened. Now I heard the rustling getting louder and closer to me. I glanced behind me and sure enough here came two nice Illinois Does. They were eating some acorns on top of the hill. I picked up the caller and I hit it again and I moved it from my left to my right and even rotating the active speaker behind me to make it sound like the fawn was moving. Both Does stopped eating and looked in my direction and then they went right back to eating.

I played with these Does and I watched their every move so I could read their body language to see what they were thinking. After hitting the call the 3rd time it was the final straw and both of the Does circled in on me, one from my right and one from my left. Now you can imagine sitting as close as my buddy was and hearing everything he was hearing and yet he still couldn't see a thing. My heart was pounding because I knew I was about to land my 1st FOXPRO Doe! I can only imagine the excitement that my buddy was going through hearing everything. I caught a glimpse of movement about 30 yards away to my left and low and behold there was about 160 pound Doe standing there looking out into the field trying to find the fawn she heard.

The other Doe still hasn't shown her face again. I knew it was now or never so I pulled back, took aim and released my arrow. My arrow hit its mark perfectly and I heard her run off into the weeds and crash. Not knowing where the other Doe was I hit the caller. To my right at about 40 yards here came the other Doe. She paced back and forth for a bit looking over the weeds and looking out into the field. I let her get within 25 yards of me as she circled towards the back of my stand. I had another tag in my wallet that I could use because it was an either sex tag. When she presented me with a broadside shot I had to take it. The arrow hit its mark and she ran in the same direction the other one had gone and I heard her crash. One Stand, one FOXPRO and 2 Does for opening day! Not a bad hunt.

I waited until dark because my buddy was still in his stand and I had no idea whether or not he had anything near him because I couldn't see him and I didn't want to ruin his hunt. Finally, when it was too dark to shoot, I went to get my buddy. He got out of his stand and he told me that was the best hunt he had ever been on and he didn't even shoot a deer. He said he knew when he heard the arrows hit the target that those were some dead deer. Well sure enough the fun was about to start. We tracked the first one and found her piled up about 40 yards from where I had shot her. We took her out of the woods and then went back for the second one. We tracked the second one and then we started getting sick to our stomachs because we figured what we were about to find was going to be bad.

As we went down the blood trail, which was a good one, we finally came to the end of it where unfortunately we found a bunch of extra hair and drag marks. On the other end of the drag marks were my other Doe 60 yards away from the other one and she had been torn up by the coyotes already. Unfortunately, they beat us to her but we were still able to save some of her for ourselves so we got her out of the woods and to the truck.

This hunt was the first time I had ever used the FOXPRO for deer hunting, but it surely would not be the last hunt with it. I had a score to settle with some coyotes now too. Since this hunt I have successfully called in numerous does and bucks with the bucks ranging from spikes to 170 inches. I personally have harvested 8 whitetails with my FX3 and have had a chance to harvest many more but elected not to. Yeah, those are other FOXPRO hunts right here in Illinois and some on public ground as well. Make your FOXPRO a piece of gear that is just as important as your bow, riffle and shotgun as I have and you'll harvest more whitetails too.



Back to top

Mountain Lions and Other Legends in Pennsylvania

At some point in all of our lives, we have encountered stories of various legends, myths, and sometimes creepy creatures from all over the world. Every town in every state has their own story. From the legendary Bigfoot, the blood sucking chupacabras, and, of course, the Loch Ness monster-all tall tales and fun campfire stories passed down from one generation to the next. In the state of Pennsylvanian, however, our legend is a bit different. While we do get the occasional Bigfoot sighting, the most predominant stories here are of the mountain lion.

On record, the last official pair of Pennsylvania cougars was killed in 1871 in Clinton County, but that doesn't deter residents of the state from reporting mountain lion sightings at an ever increasing frequency. While the PA Game Commission takes a stance that there is no concrete proof of breeding mountain lions existing within the state, they do not deny the possibility of folks release them into the wild-often times the result of a pet that got too big to handle. Releasing exotic animals in the wild is illegal, but it does happen. In fact, back in 1967 a hunter shot and killed a mountain lion in Potter County that was suspected of being an escaped or released pet.

The folklore of Pennsylvania is very rich. The tales that get passed from person to person can range from large black cats; African lions; Bigfoot; tribes of dwarfed white cannibals, and much more. In our quest to fully understand nature, we will always find that which cannot be explained away with simple terms. The human mind has a tendency to try and make sense or convince itself what it sees in some situations-especially when the real answer is not easily grasped.

With mountain lions in Pennsylvania, however, a lot of it must also be hope. A hope that the wilderness will return as it once was. Memories of elk, buffalo, and large herds of deer fill our minds and give us something to reflect on-especially when we take trips and see new large, fancy homes invading a once pristine wilderness, shrinking the natural habitat for wildlife even further.

Mountain lions may not be on record as existing within Pennsylvania, but it also doesn't mean that it's completely impossible. It wouldn't take but a good hike for a lion to cross into Pennsylvania over the Mason-Dixon Line on their trek through the Appalachian Mountains. The game commission may get sick of the stories and reports, but rest assured, we will always listen. If a story is worth your remembering to tell it, it will be worth our listening to it. Back in the 1950's - 1970's sightings of coyotes would occasionally pop up and folks would often brush it off as being impossible, but now there is a good population here in the state.



Back to top