Anybody do any night hunting?

[Gutpile]

I'm thinking about a night hunting setup and just wanted to see if anybody one here does any night hunting for Bob's or Yotes? Tell me everything. Gear, techniques, etc etc. Thanks in advance.

[PolarBear]

Was going to last night (coyotes were thick out here) but my red light was dead and they spook too easily with the spotlight.  I'll try it tonight.

[whacker1]

Gutpile - talk to Machias - he enjoys the night hunting.

[Gutpile]

I sent him a PM already. Hopefully he'll have some good feedback.

[boneaddict]

I'd like to try it for cats. 

[Bofire]

 :)not recently but in the past, I learned a couple things but not much.
1. It is very hard to see walking to your stand, scout early, use flagging tape.
2. It is very hard to see leaving your stand, do not get lost and argue about it in the middle of the woods.
3.scope mounted lights never point at the game.
4. it takes 3 hands to hunt at night by yourself, two folks are much better.
5. Having the caller shine a light over your shoulder at the game KICKS BUTT!
6. It is scary. (and fun)
Carl

[sooperfly]

After viewing game all year at night with my NV, going to try hunting now.  Will have to take a pic of the set-ups.  Crazy clear at night.... those doggies better be careful. 
With a PVS-14 and IR laser they won't know what's going on.   

[gasman]

The only nught time hunting i have done is for White tail  but then again, I hunt white tail year round 

[PolarBear]

I have my daughter hold the light while I blaze them.  Works out great!  You are right about the scope mounted lights never aiming at what you are shooting.  I did get it to work but had to do a bunch of modifying to get it done.

[KTMSMOKER]

What about in clear cuts at night up in the wooded areas.  Sounds super scary, might bring in cats, or some large yote type dog that some call by a different name....  I have heard many yotes in the woods, but never hear of people hunting them in the clear cuts.  Never yote hunted, but wanna give it a shot.

[Bullelk]

Gutpile, just a little bit of info, if you are hand calling at night, don't wear any thing on your head that resembles a rabbit or rodent. (Why) Last year I was calling at night, heard something close behind me thinking it was a yote, only to find out it was a big horned owl coming in for the kill. I was lucky and ducked just before he grabbed my hat. Also those little night hawks will drive you crazy. Good Luck!

[Shootmoore]

Not since I moved over to the wet side, but a blast when over East.

Snow on the ground, wait for a 3/4 to full moon.  2 to 3 guys set up with snow camo and a mouth call.  12 gauge shotguns with 18 inch barrels and 00 buck.  No lights then start mouth calling.  Its amazing how aggressive the buggers get at night.  Its usually point blank shooting on dogs, cats are a little more carefull even at night. 

One of my buddies got the idea of wearing a fur hat and bobbing his head around.  Guy at his back litterally shot a yote coming in at a dead run close enough that it piled into him dead.  Definatly gets the adrenalin pumping and a good good time.  Do not do it alone you need a swim buddy to watch your back.

Shootmoore

[Gutpile]

Gutpile, just a little bit of info, if you are hand calling at night, don't wear any thing on your head that resembles a rabbit or rodent. (Why) Last year I was calling at night, heard something close behind me thinking it was a yote, only to find out it was a big horned owl coming in for the kill. I was lucky and ducked just before he grabbed my hat. Also those little night hawks will drive you crazy. Good Luck!

So I shouldn't wear my new hat the wife gave me for my birthday?             

[bearpaw]

gutpile, you wear that hat you better worry about who else is hunting in your area.....

[rasbo]

I could see him picking that banjo right now,sooooeeee

[bighorns2bushytails]

you wear that hat gutpile and i might have to shoot you just out of sheer jealousy.

--BH2BT

SO when are we going night hunting gutpile?  IM GAME!

[Gutpile]

As soon as you buy the lights for us. 

Soon, hopefully very soon. You can wear my hat.

[Machias]

My worst nights calling is a bright full moon on a clear night.  If there are no clouds I don't even go out.  Remeber when your calling at night not to skyline yourself and wind and scent control are important as well.  Decoys work as well at night as they do in the daytime.  Start you calls of quiet and build up to it so you don't scare the crap out of something close.

[turkey buster]

hey guy's I heard that lights attached to gun's was illegal the whole no electronic devices thing, just curious
chuck

[Machias]

There are no restrictions on attaching electronics to your firearms, those restrictions apply to muzzleloaders and archery equipment during specific muzzleloader and archery seasons.  For yotes you can attach electronics to your bow or your muzzy and your good to go.

[Bofire]

 :)You guys might think I am kidding about getting lost in the dark in the woods, I am not! Make sure you know how to get in and out!
Ask me how I know!!
Carl

[Machias]

How do you know Carl? 

[rasbo]

:)You guys might think I am kidding about getting lost in the dark in the woods, I am not! Make sure you know how to get in and out!
Ask me how I know!!
Carl

x2

[Bofire]

OK here we are, trying to get a bear out to a road in the dark, was not dark at the road but sure was in under the trees. We know it is only about 250 yards to the road. We all have flash lights, what a joke, regular flash lights don't shine anything.
The two guys with me are at the point of blows over which way to go, they are yelling, calling names, pushing!!
So I walk off a few yards and hit the skid road that goes out, I am standing on the road yelling at them, "I am standing on the skid road" one of them yells, "you can't be its over this way"

Anyway, nobody died, we made it and it was really funny. Once we got out. I have walked right past where I wanted to call in the dark. I walked about 4 hours on a logging road one time, to find I came to the gate, at the wrong end of the road.
yup, I know I am an idiot and you aint but I tell ya it is EASY to get turned around in the woods at night.
Carl

[turkey buster]

There are no restrictions on attaching electronics to your firearms, those restrictions apply to muzzleloaders and archery equipment during specific muzzleloader and archery seasons.  For yotes you can attach electronics to your bow or your muzzy and your good to go.

good to know thanks machias
chuck

[Machias]

OK here we are, trying to get a bear out to a road in the dark, was not dark at the road but sure was in under the trees. We know it is only about 250 yards to the road. We all have flash lights, what a joke, regular flash lights don't shine anything.
The two guys with me are at the point of blows over which way to go, they are yelling, calling names, pushing!!
So I walk off a few yards and hit the skid road that goes out, I am standing on the road yelling at them, "I am standing on the skid road" one of them yells, "you can't be its over this way"

Anyway, nobody died, we made it and it was really funny. Once we got out. I have walked right past where I wanted to call in the dark. I walked about 4 hours on a logging road one time, to find I came to the gate, at the wrong end of the road.
yup, I know I am an idiot and you aint but I tell ya it is EASY to get turned around in the woods at night.
Carl

Trust me your not an idiot....at least your not the only one to have been slightly cornfused in the dark. 

[Jerry malbeck]

If you want to ruin a good area just start calling it at night .

[Gutpile]

If you want to ruin a good area just start calling it at night .

Care to elaborate?

I was thinking more about cat country up north or real high pressure areas south of Spokane.

[rasbo]

If you want to ruin a good area just start calling it at night .

Care to elaborate?

I was thinking more about cat country up north or real high pressure areas south of Spokane.

got get em gut,I would love to ...

[Machias]

If you want to ruin a good area just start calling it at night .

I'd have to respectfully disagree with you Jerry.  I have been night hunting since 1979. Killed my first grey fox at night when I was 16.  I've hunted at night for a long time and hunted the same areas during the daytime.  Never seen a difference in an area I night hunted and day hunted with area I have only dayhunted.  Would you mind sharing why you feel this way?  Thanks

[Jerry malbeck]

Sorry been working all day .
In the past i have found that a great calling area ( honeyhole) if you will can really be ruined by night hunting that area . When calling at night your vision is limited to the light . More often then not you will have multiple coyotes responding to your distress call . At best your going to take(one) said animal , what happens to the others that were coming in or were in that given area? they get educated , no matter how quiet you are you have to go and get that animal you just put down after the shot , your going to walk or drive out of the area making noise and stinking up the place .( how many times have you walked into an area to be greeted by a warning bark?)  coyotes tend to gather in a given area, again Honeyhole, if they cannot feel comfortable in that area at night( the hours that they rule that area) it is my opinion they will quit staying in that area, if you continue calling it at night it will soon become unproductive . hence my statement.If i was going to call at night it wouldnt be on any ground i call i the day . . just my 2 cents , doesnt mean its true , just what i have found in the areas i call .

[Machias]

Thanks Jerry for your thoughts, I appreciate them.  All those things you mentioned also take place during daylight.  Very few guys calling an area, consistently take multiple dogs at each calling site.  Allot of times you have dogs that come in and get "educated", if they don't get smoked.  That is why I always change the way I approach an area and vary my sounds, in case they are getting "educated".  I also have multiple calling locations, so I may only hunt a given area 5 or 6 times a winter.  The other thing is unless it's private property you have no idea how many other guys have hunted your honeyhole before or after you.  I honestly don't believe night hunting has any more or less effect on an area then daytime alone.  Two big pluses for me at night, bobcats are much easier to call in and see and very few dogs slip in unseen and leave.  That's just my 2 cents.

[KTMSMOKER]

I have seen the same kinda thing turkey hunting.  The bird will respond opening day.  Come back to the same area at the end of the season and the birds get "called -out" or "over called."  They will run from your calls.  Probably different for yote hunting, but sounds similar.  I have had good luck by changing my calls.  One of my calls sounds terrible, not even similar to a turkey, doesnt work during the first part of the season.  However, it works at the end of the season.  This certain area is hunted hard by alot of people.  Not sure if its similar, but sounds kinda the same.

[Machias]

I have seen the same kinda thing turkey hunting.  The bird will respond opening day.  Come back to the same area at the end of the season and the birds get "called -out" or "over called."  They will run from your calls.  Probably different for yote hunting, but sounds similar.  I have had good luck by changing my calls.  One of my calls sounds terrible, not even similar to a turkey, doesnt work during the first part of the season.  However, it works at the end of the season.  This certain area is hunted hard by alot of people.  Not sure if its similar, but sounds kinda the same.

Very similar, however yotes can smell.     Good thing turkeys can't smell.  Growing up in MO, by the second week of the season they would run from loud aggressive calling and box calls.  Soft little slate calls and they would come walking right in.

[Bofire]

 :)I have heard the same basic comment as Jerry made before, an old timer told me that he thought night hunters saw 1 out of 10 dogs they called, shot a quarter of those, and trained the rest. Now cats are a different critter.
I aint saying thats true but its a thought.
Carl

[Jerry malbeck]

 I have to disagee with you on the things i mentioned happening in the light of day as well.Possible yes , but not by me , I usually hunt alone.
We all have our own Ideas i guess, like i said just what i have seen in my areas .
 I hunt all private acres and for the most part am the only one allowed to call for predators on the ground.
 Bobcats are a whole diffrent story dont you agree?.
they are nothing like a coyote when called in and are not easily educated .
 Most i have seen are dumber then a box of rocks , Shoot at them and miss and they just sit there, not to many coyotes do that LOL.
 Thanks for the input, Maybe one day we can get together and you can change my mind .

[Machias]

I have to disagee with you on the things i mentioned happening in the light of day as well.Possible yes , but not by me , I usually hunt alone.
We all have our own Ideas i guess, like i said just what i have seen in my areas .
 I hunt all private acres and for the most part am the only one allowed to call for predators on the ground.
 Bobcats are a whole diffrent story dont you agree?.
they are nothing like a coyote when called in and are not easily educated .
 Most i have seen are dumber then a box of rocks , Shoot at them and miss and they just sit there, not to many coyotes do that LOL.
 Thanks for the input, Maybe one day we can get together and you can change my mind .

Agreed on the cats.  And I'd love to hunt with you, probably change my mind.  I appreciate your thoughts on the subject.

[KTMSMOKER]

Sorry about this, but I burned my regs at deer camp, needed heat.  Can you shoot bobcats and cougar at night?  I know cougar have a specific seasone, but can you shoot bobcats whenever like yotes?  I was thinking the other day (this can be painful) We nearly eliminated wolfs, bison, moose, and cougar (arguably).  People have been shooting the crap out of yotes day/night all year long and these buggers are still thick (until the wolves eat them all ) Kinda strange these critters are so strong.  Sorry.

[carpsniperg2]

i do a ton of spotlighting i love it so much. only small game yotes and bobcats and such. a cougar is a big game animal and can not be hunted at night.

[buckhorn2]

You never know what might show up calling at night. Started calling one night in the high dessert in Oregon and all of a sudden the ground started shaking and when we hit the light we had called in about 2 dozen wild horses with steam coming out of there noses it scared us real good.

[Machias]

I have called in tons of fox, quite a few bobcats, alot of yotes, several deer, and two donkeys.  The donkeys came running in with their heads down, I hit them with the white light to ID em and was quite suprised looking at those loooong ears.   

[rasbo]

I have called in tons of fox, quite a few bobcats, alot of yotes, several deer, and two donkeys.  The donkeys came running in with their heads down, I hit them with the white light to ID em and was quite suprised looking at those loooong ears.   

thats funny,I had a herd of cattle in the daylight run at me in Idaho,I bout shat myself,