2022-2023 Predator Hunting Season--Thrills, Kills and Video

[JamieZ]

2 Weeks away till the season starts and Im getting slightly excited seeing how we have caught a couple black ones on trail cams.

The family packs are really starting to get loud around here,,,, so let the shooting begin !!!! In 2 weeks of course



This will also be a good thread to talk about Thermals, Callers, Night Vision,, etc. etc.

 

[Shoots100]

My Primary rig is ready to go and I should have my backup rig set to go next week after the new backup thermal arrives.
I've also been getting calls from the neighbors upstate that the coyote are getting brazen with their livestock and sounding off right outside their houses after dark.
Their going to get a wake up call soon.

 

[RedBreast21]

I usually hunt coyote after Dec but this year I have more free time and reading the NYS regulations concerning coyote hunting before Jan 2, well, it's a bit confusing. lol
The entire southern zone of NY has some form of deer hunting from Oct 1st thru Jan 1 2023. So, it appears I can only hunt coyote if in possession of say a .17 or .204 Ruger (Day and Night) as any center fired cartridge .22 cal and larger is deemed illegal while deer season is active. Now we all know deer can't be taken legally at night but the regulations place no times so the deer season appears to run concurrently thru to Jan 2. Did I read that right? You would think night hunting would be allowed but clearly not mentioned in relation to deer season stipulations and coyote season.

 

[Shoots100]

This is from the NYSDEC;

• You may hunt furbearers with a rifle chambered in any cartridge, except that during any open season for deer (including archery, muzzleloading, and regular seasons) you may not possess a rifle larger than .22 caliber rimfire afield, during the day or night, to hunt wildlife, including furbearers in any county or portion of a county where deer hunting with rifles is prohibited during the regular deer season.
• Centerfire rifles smaller than .22 caliber are permitted.

If part of the county you hunt only allows bow hunting for deer, you need to follow the bold print.

 

[JamieZ]

Only place you have to use a 17cal or a 20cal is in deer hunting areas that are shotgun only. If you can hunt deer in the area with a centerfire you can hunt yotes with any caliber centerfire you want.

PS best day to go is Oct 1st. They are not smart yet or pressured

 

[RedBreast21]

This is from the NYSDEC;

• You may hunt furbearers with a rifle chambered in any cartridge, except that during any open season for deer (including archery, muzzleloading, and regular seasons) you may not possess a rifle larger than .22 caliber rimfire afield, during the day or night, to hunt wildlife, including furbearers in any county or portion of a county where deer hunting with rifles is prohibited during the regular deer season.
• Centerfire rifles smaller than .22 caliber are permitted.

If part of the county you hunt only allows bow hunting for deer, you need to follow the bold print.

It is a terribly written run on sentence. LOL

 

[Shoots100]

It is a terribly written run on sentence. LOL

Welcome to NY state.gov, where even the sentences are trying to run away.
To clarify, You cannot hunt with a centerfire rifle in a caliber larger than .21 caliber in counties that only allow deer hunting with Bow and Shotgun.

 

[JamieZ]

I will start some thermal talk.....

I own a Bering Optics Super Hogster scope ($3,200), which Shoots100 told me to purchase awhile back when I wasn't happy with my Pulsar RXQ30v.
I also own a AGM Taipan TM15 384 monocular ($1,300)
I also own a AGM Fuzion 640 LRF monocular, which I purchased within the last 2 months ($2,895)


The Super Hogster is an excellent scope when it comes to clarity, when using a 384 sensor. One of the biggest things I've learned about thermals when you are thinking about clarity,,, is what pixel pitch they are. Some thermals are 384 with a 17um pixel pitch and some thermals are 384 with a 12um pitch. The lower the pitch number the more clear things will be. So when purchasing a thermal,,, don't base your choice on what sensor its using before looking at what its pixel pitch is. Clarity difference between a Super Hogster and a AGM Rattler is considerable,, Hogster is much nicer.
I did hear the clarity isn't quite as good with the new Super Hogster A3 model compared to the basic model I have that they don't sell anymore but its still pretty clear.

I bought the Fuzion 640 because I wanted a 640 sensor mono and also wanted the Laser Range Finder (LRF),,, Its a 640x12um
I love the clarity of the unit. I love something about it that I didn't like at first and that's the wheel used for magnification purposes. Didn't like it at first because it seemed to touchy but after getting use to it, its a breeze to use.

I skipped it by talking about the Fuzion but lets go back to the way less expensive AGM Taipan TM15 384. Its a 384x12um.
I was comparing my 2 monos last night and I must say,,, that 1300 dollar TM15 is certainly worth the 1300 bucks. Its a great little mono, it has good clarity and it uses the KISS approach. There is no fucking around with focusing. Only thing to focus is diopter and that only has to be done once if you never bump it or change the way you look through it,,, like if you wear glasses or decide to take them off. Its light and small. Only thing I will eventually dislike but don't right now,,, the fact that it uses internal batteries. Eventually,, somewhere down the line,, they will go bad.

**Thermals make a huge difference when hunting coyote**

 

[Tisto]

I spent a couple hours this evening making a couple modifications to my call/deke. I replaced the wiring for the battery and installed a master on/off switch. I put the battery on the charger and let it go. The charger now indicates that the battery is fully charged. The only thing I don't know is if the battery will hold out for the season. It's a few years old already, and late last year I accidentally left the call on and it drained the battery to nothing. It took a charge after that, but I don't really know if the battery is still good.

 

[JamieZ]

My coyote hunting buddy is going down South this weekend for opening day of archery, instead of hunting coyotes with me. So I get the pleasure of taking another guy with me that is interested in getting a thermal and coyote hunting with the two of us.

Ive suggested to him what he should buy, because to me, its cheap and he will be getting 2 nice products in the package and Im not sure how long the deal will last. Its a buy once, cry once type of deal. Here is the link. What do you think?

Thermal Rifles Scopes and Sights for Sale | Night Vision Guys

Thermal rifle scopes have revolutionized the way hunters hunt. Over the last five years, the price of thermal scopes has dropped significantly, making them affordable for everyday hunters. These advanced optics utilize infrared technology to detect heat signatures emitted by objects, animals...

nightvisionguys.com

 

[Tisto]

It's better to buy a good scope once. If you outgrow it in 3-5 years, you can still sell it or it can become your backup. Buying an entry level scope will leave you struggling to get most of your money back out of it after the first month or two of use. The combo in the link seems like a really nice deal. That's the same scope uou had at the range a couple weeks ago, right ?

 

[JamieZ]

It's better to buy a good scope once. If you outgrow it in 3-5 years, you can still sell it or it can become your backup. Buying an entry level scope will leave you struggling to get most of your money back out of it after the first month or two of use. The combo in the link seems like a really nice deal. That's the same scope uou had at the range a couple weeks ago, right ?

No, mine is a Super Hogster 384 x 12um.

The linked one is a 640 x 12um, which should be much nicer and Im sure it is. There is a couple of things or maybe one thing I dont like about AGM scopes though and that is when you switch reticles. When you switch reticles, you switch your zero, unless you have all the reticles programmed with the same windage and elevation numbers. So if you want to switch the scope between different guns, you cant utilize the same reticle because the reticle will be programmed to the gun you just took the scope off of. One other thing I dont like,, is the reticles arent bright enough. Not distinctive enough.

With mine, nothing changes when you switch reticles except the display of the reticle itself. I have 4 profiles on my scope, that I can program to 4 different zero's, if I want to switch the scope between different guns. Which I dont, but could....

 

[JamieZ]

It is the same monocular in that package as the one that went dead on you. My backup mono.

 

[Tisto]

I didn't know that about switching reticles. On my Rico, you can switch between any of the reticles ( there are a bunch to choose from ) without changing zero. You can also change the color of the reticle, as well as how bright it appears. The Rico has three different gun profiles and will remember the setting for each one.

My nightvision only has one profile, so moving it to a different gun means sighting it in again. I wish it had additional profiles, but it's well over ten years old now. They didn't think about stuff like that back then.

 

[Shoots100]

Here's my fall 2022 Primary and backup rifles.
Got the Adder in yesterday and mounted on the 20 practical.
Stopping by the range on my way upstate to sight it in.

 

[JamieZ]

Which Adder did you get?
You might of mentioned it somewhere but Im relaxed and drinking my coffee.
To much work to search for it.

Im assuming you bought the 640?
Even if you didnt, the Adder 384 should be much better clarity than a Rattler 384.

Did they do the same shit with the reticles having to be programmed all the same, to be able to utilize them?

 

[JamieZ]

So we went out last night and scored the big zero.

1st set was the one I was for sure we were going to nail one on. As soon as we setup, one howled at us from exactly 300yds away in a hedgerow or right behind it. We couldn't see it but after about 5 mins we could see it off to our right, walking away from us. I let out a male long howl 3 times and that fucker turned right around and started running back to our field. It got back to the area that was about 300yds away and we lost him again. Played pup in distress and he popped out of the hedgerow but wouldn't commit. He went back in the hedgerow and we never saw him again.

Oh yeah,,, the first and 2nd set I forgot my ammo at home ,,,, my buddy had a loaded gun though

2nd set,,,, bad spot,, our wind direction was all wrong. Heard nothing but almost had a raccoon try to sneak attack the caller,, before we started laughing and scared it away. It was about 6ft from us.

3rd set,,, same thing, nothing,, but the damn raccoons came in again. These ones were just wandering around out in front of us.

 

[Tisto]

I didn't make it out at all Saturday, but I was able to get some time in the woods Sunday. I made it into the woods around 6:00. I set my caller/deke out in the field, and climbed up into my little platform. I watched as deer entered the field. A few of them were curious about the thing making noises and twitching. They would circle closer, stomp their hoof, and run away, then come back and do it again. The darker it got, the more deer came out. At one point there were 23 deer in the field at one time. Through all of this, I kept scanning and watching the deer. At one point I saw one lone coyote appear but it just trotted through the deer and on across the field where it disappeared. It was rather breezy, so hearing distant sounds wasn't easy, but I believe I heard a few yips from the next hill over. For a minute there was a loud and large group of coyotes making all kinds of noise from the field at the bottom of the hill, maybe a half mile from where I was, but then it suddenly ended. I'm pretty sure it was another hunter, trying to call for a response. I stayed in that tree until a little after 11:00 just watching deer. I was going to stop at another place on the way back home, but then realized that it was in Erie county, and I would not be legal there with a .223 rifle. That's about as exciting as it got, but I spent a few hoursin the woods away from the city. The moon was bright, there were no clouds, so there were a billion stars to see, and it wasn't too cold - the truck thermometer said 34° as I was leaving.

 

[Shoots100]

#1 + #2 for the Halo/Savage Impulse Predator .243
#1 was a female that I caught going into the field that the neighbors keep their horses.
#2 was a male that was circling around a cluster of deer that were bedded down in a hay field around 300 yards from my set.
I actually called it in an hour before I shot it, but the foliage was so dense it winded me before I could pull the trigger.
After a 200 yard stalk, the wind was in my favor and it's luck ran out.

 

[Shoots100]

Here's the video of it getting downwind of me in the woods.
I was waiting for it to walk past the big tree, but it never did.
It's amazing how they can just disappear.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

12 yards away. I won the staring contest. He should've followed his instincts.....

 

[Tisto]

Whitetails are predators now ? I guess if he told you that he identifies as such, so be it. I expect you to wear that hyde, since it's now part of the furbearer family.

 

[Saltwater60]

12 yards away. I won the staring contest. He should've followed his instincts.....

View attachment 175755

Nice healthy looking deer. Good job.

 

[Carlos Hathcock]

Whitetails are predators now ? I guess if he told you that he identifies as such, so be it. I expect you to wear that hyde, since it's now part of the furbearer family.

Oops, wrong thread but thanks for policing it.

 

[Tisto]

Oops, wrong thread but thanks for policing it.

Not being the thread police, I thought maybe it grew some fangs and claws.

 

[JamieZ]

Keith there is something to your left. Ahhh that's just a hunk of garbage. I said garbage doesn't glow.

Then we decided it must be a stupid fox laying down.

Played pup distress and it stood up,,, I said that's no fox, that's a yote.

So Keith shoots it with his 223,,, which he thought he would have problems killing them with it,, compared to using his 243.

50gr V-max 2926fps, dropped it, didnt move an inch.

Its the same yote I shot last year that I hit in the leg,,, it was still kicking LoL

 

[Shoots100]

Hunted a new property last night that was having a chicken disappearing problem.
Had a few that were a ways off that didn't come in, but this one came in on a string and was dropped on the run by my buddy.
33lb female.
Saw 5 fox, so when fox season opens, their on the hit list.

 

[Tisto]

I got rained out Friday night. Right after I got set up, it started raining. I put up with it for a little while, but it soon became terribly uncomfortable to be wet with it being just 40°.

I went to the same place this afternoon, and got busted by a pair that came in fast from behind me. By the time I saw them, they were within a few feet of my call and realized it wasn't the free meal they were expecting. I shot at one of them as they took off, but missed. I stayed there for quite a while after that, but no action. I did manage to get some vocal responses to some yips, but nothing else.

Moved to another place, and because it was so windy, I set up in the woods half way down the hill. I must have seen at least a hundred mice running all over the place. A big old raccoon came over to look at my call for a minute, then walked away - unimpressed, I guess. A while later, I had one come in to check out the noise, but it kept running in half circles around the caller from about 50 yards away. With all the trees, I couldn't get a shot. It finally gave up and left.

Lots of deer everywhere tonight. A pretty little red fox was in the driveway as I left the second place. It looked to have a mouse or something in it's mouth as it walked down the driveway.

 

[JamieZ]

I got rained out Friday night. Right after I got set up, it started raining. I put up with it for a little while, but it soon became terribly uncomfortable to be wet with it being just 40°.

Got rained on Friday night too but kept hunting and scored one.

I did have to call it quits a little earlier than what I would of liked because I started to freeze. It seemed a hell of a lot colder than 40f, being wet from head to toe.

Went out last night too. Wore clothes that I wouldn't get wet in or freeze.
Last night was like summer vacation though.
No rain, no wind and was certainly warmer than Friday night.

 

[Shoots100]

While you guys were crying in the rain Saturday, I dropped one at the furthest yardage I can remember shooting one, 279 yards.
Unfortunately my scope shut off after the shot and I couldn't get a shot at the male that was with this female.
In my haste to get setup, I forgot to fully tighten the battery compartment cap and the video got compromised when it abruptly shut off.
My buddy forgot to record the shot with his thermal scope too, but told me it dropped like a rock.


This video clip was taken about an hour later after we heard some dogs that were making noise across a swamp.
We quickly set up, I checked that the scopes battery cap was tight and promptly called this one in.
After the shot, we played pup distress and when nothing showed up we went down to retrieve it, but couldn't find anything.