When I am not filming my tool of choice is the shotgun. It is hard to beat the excitement and adrenalin rush you get from an up close hard charger. It also lets me call in places I normally wouldn’t while running the camera. Good shotgun areas often get looked over by other callers, making for some good calling. Another reason I enjoy shotgunning is the ease of it, I can just grab a call and my shotgun and head into the thick of it. I will often even carry a shotgun in areas most would think is rifle country, in fact I would say 90% of all the predators we call could be taken with a shotgun.
As with all technology, we are seeing new and better products that are extending range, reliability, and felt recoil. Some of the biggest improvements I have seen are in ammunition. There are a few companies out there that are really doing some great things. Companies like Hevi shot and Winchester have brought out shells that are dedicated to predator hunting. It’s nice to see this sport has caught the eyes of companies like that. Before these new loads, shotgun hunters had a limited choice on ammo and number 4 buck was king. I was happy with #4 buck shot like a lot of others, until I tried these new loads and to honest with you I didn’t know what I was missing. They gave me more range, knockdown power and better patterns. And with that more animals. They are about twice the cost of standard loads, but you get what you pay for. I recommend to at least give them a test run, the confidence alone that you get from them is worth the price of admission.
The Winchester Xtended range HD Coyote loads are the hottest thing out there, the HD stands for Hi-density. They are non toxic and 55 % denser then steel, so they are harder hitting and penetrate deeper. The B size (.17) shot is also more uniform then most other shot, helping them to pattern more consistent. A good tight pattern and a hard hitting load will help you get those predators that normally would be out of range, making a shotgun more of a asset.
I recommend to everyone to pattern there shotgun at different ranges with different loads and different chokes. I personally pattern my guns with a few different loads and chokes at 25, 50 and 65 yards. If you haven’t done this before you will be amassed with the differences in your patterns with each choke and load at different yardages. And when you find that nice uniform pattern, it should add some confidence to your hunting. During patterning is also a good time to check your shotguns point of aim, a lot of guns don’t always pattern where you are pointing them. If it doesn’t there are a few options, If it has adjustable sights you are in luck, if it doesn’t you can learn to compensate for it, or add a after market sight. There are a lot of options out there for shotguns, I recommend checking out as many as you can prior to purchasing. A scope or red dot sight might be something you will want to add even if it does patter right. Some add a little magnification, others help not so perfect eyes get on target.
A lot of callers ignore thick looking areas, making for some great calling. Plus a lot of critters call it there home, and I believe they have a higher comfort level. Calling the thick stuff can make for some exciting in your face stands. I personally will hunt more open stands first and last light, making my way into more thicker habitat as the day progresses. Hunting the thicker stuff mid day opens up a full day of calling, with more success. And you just never know what you will call in, adding to the excitement. Now some times when you get into some of the thicker stuff and you sit down you will notice that you cant see as well. This is a great time just to back up into a tree or bush and stand there, keeping your shotgun as ready as possible. A shotguns fast target acquisition makes it ideal for this type of calling.
In the open and up close,
Calling in more open country with a shotgun is also a lot of fun. I love to call them in close, and it doesn’t get much better doing it with a shotgun. When calling this type of stand and using the Fox Pro, I keep the caller set up between 10- 25 yards from me. I will just let the caller keep running when I see them coming, It keeps there attention focused on the caller and off me. keeping perfectly still up until I am ready to make the shot. Once they get close they will pick up the slightest movements even quicker. So hold still for the shot and make it in a fluid motion. It can be a great sense of accomplishment for a novice caller to get a few coyote in the wide open and up close. Give it a try if you haven’t already.
Decoys,
A lot of new decoys have come out in the last few years. I personally use the Mojo critter, FoxPro’s jack in the box and the whirling woodpecker with great success. A decoys job is to add realism to a stand and keep the attention off you and these decoys perform there job well. There are some people that say they have a negative reaction when using decoys, but I personally see them as a asset. Especially when hunting in tight quarters. They can provide you with that extra second that you need to get that shot off or help entice that hung up critter into range. Give them a try, they are worth the extra weight and are pretty affordable.
Calls,
Whether I am filming or hunting, I enjoy using electronic callers. There are a lot of advantages to these callers, they get the sound away from you which in turn can get attention off you. Most call companies have large sound libraries, so you will have no shortage of options in that department. Some people will say its cheating, but I cant see it. These tools are not magic weapons and they are not going to make you a instant success! Calling is only a small part of this sport, it takes a lot more to be successful then just going out and making some sounds. They might not be for everyone, but if you are serous about calling and have the funds I recommend checking them out.
There are a lot of great call manufactures out there and they all work. Some have different options and all have different sounds, so choosing one will come down to personal preferences. My choice is FoxPro. They are constantly improving there units and sounds, so I can have access to new quality sounds and upgrades for my equipment. Each season these calls get better and better and the competition for new options and better sounds is great for us.
Camo,
When calling them in close, a set of full camo is a great asset, but not a necessity. I mean from head to toe, face mask and gloves really help out a lot. But the most important thing is being still, the slightest movement can catch a weary coyotes attention, cats are even quicker to pick up on movement. So before you start calling get in a comfortable position and keep still. If you need to make any moments make them slow and fluid, refrain from jerky moment. Some times you can get a way with a lot, and others will catch the slightest twitch. With experience you will learn what you can get away with from reading there body language.
Shotgun hunting is a lot of fun so give it a try. These days you can get a lot more range out of that old scattergun.
