Ruger Predator on Predators

[XUSNORDIE]

I was an avid predator hunter up until a couple years ago. Knee was just replaced a few months back so hopefully can get back into it. A hunting buddy of mine and I created Predator Hunters of Maryland several years back. It became a big thing, and we held annual contests. We started getting sponsors like FoxPro Calls, Allpredators.com, Wicked Lights, and several others. It was a great way to meet other passionate predator hunters and introducing folks to the sport. However, it came to an end when PETA sent "undercover" people to our last contest breakfast/weigh in event. I won't go into detail what happened...but predator contests are no longer allowed in Maryland.

Anyway, I was reading a thread here about shooting yotes and calibers were mentioned. I know everyone has killed yotes with a BB gun up to a 50 BMG (kidding). I don't want to start a boiling pot of what you can kill a yote with. If it works for you it works for you. That said, what I always told folks starting out predator hunting, especially if yotes were involved, was to "use enough gun". During contests, where pelts were not a main concern 243 was popular. Most folks used 223. Most predators brought in were red fox. Maryland is loaded with them. Gray fox as well. For those concerned about pelts 223 was usually down loaded some. If a yote came in you just needed to work him in closer to you with good calling sequences.

Most of the area I hunted for the contests yotes were rare. I typically carried a 17 Hornet. Its a laser out to 200 yds and a 25gr hollow point anchored fox. Folks put down yotes with the 17 Hornet, but were patient and waited for a closer shot. I never tried. If I only had the 17 Hornet a yote walked. I know folks hate them, but I have a respect for what I hunt and kill, no matter the reason.

When I was strictly hunting yotes, I used my Ruger Hawkeye in 243. When I hunted areas where it was mostly fox with a good chance of yotes, I used my favorite rifle. A Ruger American Predator in 204 Ruger, in a Bell & Carlson Stock, Glades Armory bolt handle, topped with a Hawke 30MM 3-12X56 scope and Wicked Lights 403. The Hornady 40gr Superformance Varmint or 45gr SP handload did the job. Loved that rifle set up. I was very comfortable with it on yotes at a reasonable distance.

For those inclined to read a rambling of a funny story about a yote kill with that rifle, here it is. About 4 years ago we held a "Big Fox" contest. Heaviest fox brought in before midnight wins the cash and assorted goodies from sponsors. My buddy, my youngest Son were hunting together. On the first set of the night we were at a dairy in Frederick MD. I had my trusty 204, my Son had the 17 Hornet, and my buddy had 204 as well. I started the call sequences, and we all started scanning the tree lines, brush, open field, etc....my Son caught eyes first, so his shot. We watched the eyes dart around trees and brush working it's way toward the calls in a sneaky fashion. Then those eyes hung up. I stopped the call. Waited a min, and started a different call..."Kitten Distress" was the dinner bell for that red......he came bolting out into the open where we positively identified as a fox and straight up the hill towards us. I woofed loudly, stopped him in his tracks and told my Son to take him. Clean kill dead right there. My knee didn't navigate rough terrain downhill very well. My Buddy accompanied my Son to collect his fox. Saying they were loud is an understatement. They made a racket. As they retrieved the fox and began walking back up the hill, I keep scanning. Especially to our side and rear. There was a lot of farming equipment, posts and things with reflectors. Which look a lot like eyes reflecting the scan light. The closer my buddy and Son got to the top the louder they got and one of the "reflectors" about 100 or so yards out seemed to be in a different place every time I scanned that area. So, I mounted my rifle on the tripod, flicked on the Wicked Light and zoomed in on the area placing the light not directly on but to the side of the "reflectors"......yup....a yote was sneaking up from behind, but keeping its distance due to the noise. My Son had not taken a yote yet.....and it began to slowly walk down towards a creek. Not alarmed yet, but yotes hate lights. But I knew it wouldn't stay put for much longer. It began to trot and I woofed loudly......stopping the yote and my buddy and Son in their tracks. I put the red dot on its high shoulder and sent the 204......the yote tumbled down to the creek and no movement. I kept the light on it as they came up to me. "what was that?".... I told them a yote and they didn't believe me......so off they went down to where my light was.....and I hear "Damn!" as I saw my Son poke it with his rifle and then lift it up by the hind legs. I wish it would have stayed put long enough for him to get the shot....but lesson learned.....be quiet when retrieving your predators, and always keep scanning.

Attached: Pics of us back at the truck after that set, a pic of my Son with a big red fox from another hunt that shows the Ruger Predator Rifle, and a pic of the yote mounted which resides in my den (it was a 36 lb female).

Looking forward to recovering from a couple recent medical issues and getting back out there....and letting the Rugers do their thing!

 

[contender]

Great read!

 

[dobegrant.45]

Good story

 

[Mobuck]

My coyote calling experiences have been highly variable. Maybe I'm just not patient enough or maybe I send out too many 'bad vibes' that the animals pick up(long story not for public venue). I/we use all the environmental advantages, know the lay of the land, use quality callers, and know where the varmints are but still not great success. I'm as likely to call in a coyote by blundering into the most unlikely spot, tripping, dropping stuff, and generally being a klutz than making the most stealthy careful approach possible. In fact, I kill more coyotes while deer hunting than dedicated coyote calling efforts.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

My coyote calling experiences have been highly variable. Maybe I'm just not patient enough or maybe I send out too many 'bad vibes' that the animals pick up(long story not for public venue). I/we use all the environmental advantages, know the lay of the land, use quality callers, and know where the varmints are but still not great success. I'm as likely to call in a coyote by blundering into the most unlikely spot, tripping, dropping stuff, and generally being a klutz than making the most stealthy careful approach possible. In fact, I kill more coyotes while deer hunting than dedicated coyote calling efforts.

When I was in Southern Cal yotes were easily called in with a hand held mouth call. But that was the 80's. Now, predator hunting has boomed. There are a ton of choices for electronic calls and mouth calls. All have a certain way to be used, and a certain sequence for area, time of year, and population of yotes in area. However, with the availability of such a huge selection of calling products there of course came a huge amount of predator hunters. Suddenly everyone was a predator hunter....most of which took it up as defense for their deer hunting areas. The mornings and nights were filled with folks calling non stop at deafening volumes and lighting up fields as if they were setting up a night ops LZ. All this did was educate the predators. Properties we normally would not run into anyone suddenly there would be a blast of absurdly loud calling and bright lights. Then sound of doors slamming and a vehicle driving. Then it would start all over until they were gone. That pretty much destroyed that property for awhile. It's easy to overcall and educate predators.

If we were hunting strictly for yotes, we only hunted in areas with a known population, or if someone called us after a pet/livestock kill. Calling sequences were selected for time of year. Yotes will ignore food source calls in mating season. They will ignore locater calls if used too often. Cater to the area. One night we were on a mountain preparing to hunt close to where we had heard a pack yipping and carrying on like they do after a kill....we were letting the area settle when we heard "chicken distress" being called loudly from a distance....it's possible they may have caught the attention of the yotes, but no way would they commit to that in that area.

When hunting yotes you will call in other preds. We would let the foxes walk. Yotes will watch, and follow. Be patient. Also, after a calling sequence ends, don't be so fast to pack up and leave the set. I typically will have a sequence no longer that 5 min at most 8 min, low volume, with pauses of silence. After it ends, I will sit in silence for up to 30 mins, and scan on and off. Yotes are smart but curious and will often come to investigate what the sources was when they feel safe. When you do catch eyes no matter how far away, don't shine directly at the predator. Keep them in the halo until you are ready to transition to your kill light. Turn the kill light on prior to taking the scan light off unless someone else is scanning for you.

There are a ton of variables depending where you are (open west coast was much easier than dense east coast), the population, experience level, etc....but the number one variable is there has to be yotes in the area. Seems like common sense but the mornings and nights are full of folks blasting blindly at "whatever is out there".

There are a ton of TV shows dedicated to predator hunting. I like some of them. They are entertaining but don't teach you much. FoxPro FurTakers was probably the best years ago. Very instruction. Mike Dillon is a good guy. I've met him at the PA headquarters. The new show isn't as instructional. To this day my preferred choice in equipment is FoxPro but they've grown immensely over the years and changed some.

It's a fun way to extend your hunting seasons....roast in the sun during dove, enjoy the seasonal changes during deer, and freeze your tail off during predator.....then thaw out for spring turkey and start over...lol

 

[Mobuck]

We own or have exclusive access to all the land where we call. I can tell within a couple hundred yards where the first 'wake up yips' originate in the evenings and see the travel patterns throughout the year. Night hunting isn't usually an option due to livestock being scattered here and there(not so much a problem of targeting the cattle but knowing what's beyond the target). We've tried night vision optics and found they just aren't compatible. Too much foliage/ground clutter.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

We own or have exclusive access to all the land where we call. I can tell within a couple hundred yards where the first 'wake up yips' originate in the evenings and see the travel patterns throughout the year. Night hunting isn't usually an option due to livestock being scattered here and there(not so much a problem of targeting the cattle but knowing what's beyond the target). We've tried night vision optics and found they just aren't compatible. Too much foliage/ground clutter.

I'm not much for NV or thermal. I'm more of a traditional light guy. But if it's that dense with cover then scan and kill lights won't work for you either.

In that described scenario morning hunts are effective IF the yotes are there. Set up with a decoy, static can work but action/mounted decoys are better. Light/brief calling. Cammy up good, mindful of your movement, and have a shotgun ready. Very similar to a turkey set up. This has worked well in areas that yotes are seldom heard but often seen by deer hunters.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

My .308 is accurate and functions flawlessly.
Might need one in 5.56/223 in the future.

Fortunately for that 308 pelts are not worth much today....shoot away!

Some of the folks that would enter PHM contests used 308.....damn near cut the foxes into separate pieces.....we would kid them that both parts needed to be weighed as one and each piece would not be considered for "most predators" category ....