The 1 Thing You Learned- Varmint Hunting

Oregon Hunter

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
856
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
Hey Roksliders! I’m back with another installment of the “1 Thing” theme, this time focused on gettin the most out of Varmint Hunting. I think most of us make a mistake over and over again. We go on a hunt, but don’t make the effort to think critically about 1 thing we learned and will do different next time.

Think about it, how often do magazines write about a hunt, but fail to single out an action item to change in the future? Just 1 thing, maybe something you learned about elk behavior, your rifle setup, clothing, or camping system. We can consume all the information we want, but if we don’t change anything, did it really do us any good? I’d like to continue the series of discussions to get us in the habit of reviewing our hunt, and share highlights about the 1 thing we learned on a particular topic. To start, 1 thing I learned is about Varmint Hunting.

In central Oregon we have a good selection of varmints to hunt. Ground squirrels called grey diggers, sage rats, and the occasional rock chuck start coming out of their dens about now in early spring. One thing I have learned is what a good opportunity this presents to test new gear.

For most of my life I just casually hunted varmints with the same old Remington .22. This spring I’m going to be intentional about testing new gear now to see what works and what doesn’t well before big game season. A couple reasons why I’m going to try this is you get lots of shot opportunities, it’s low pressure compared to making a shot on a big buck, and it gives plenty of time for adjustments before the fall. While I will still use my .22 for the bulk of varminting, I will also throw in my centerfire rifles. This year I’m going to take my 6.5 Creedmoor, mounted on my Sentinel tripod, and see how far I can make shots in the field on little critters that move. I would ultimately love to be confident shooting big game out to 500 yards, and this is a much more fun way to practice getting there than just punching paper. Plus it will give me a good chance to validate that my trajectory matches the custom stadia marks on my reticle.

So what is the 1 thing you have learned about Varmint Hunting?

IMG951907.jpg
 
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
4,973
Location
oregon coast
there is no better archery hunting practice than shooting sage rats with your bow in the morning, then go still hunt through the sage for jack rabbits..... same kind of deal, not so much gear testing, but shooting non static targets with some urgency, with a ton of trigger time.

i don't consider lions varmints, but have had some pretty big breakthroughs calling bit cats

honorable mention.... coyotes are way more dumb at night
 

satchamo

WKR
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Messages
706
I’ve learned that hunting coyotes in the day east of the Mississippi is hard…. Like calling in one coyote a day is a great day.

But one thing that helped was hunting tight to cover. Don’t expect to cal coyotes out in the open during daylight. I hunt in the woods as much as in fields…

Thermal has been a real game changer in this regard as you definitely can call them out into the open at night.
 

Gun&BowSD

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 26, 2018
Messages
144
there is no better archery hunting practice than shooting sage rats with your bow in the morning, then go still hunt through the sage for jack rabbits..... same kind of deal, not so much gear testing, but shooting non static targets with some urgency, with a ton of trigger time.

i don't consider lions varmints, but have had some pretty big breakthroughs calling bit cats

honorable mention.... coyotes are way more dumb at night
Mind sharing some cat info? Struggling hard. For a long time. Haha
 

TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
If using an eCaller... setting up so you have the best FOV possible over-looking it is crucial when shots are closer like 25-45yds and it's in close-quarters thick stuff leading into a clearing.

More FOV available on your sit ends up buying you a small extra amount more of time to react when they do show up.

Re: placement of your set in relation to eCaller, gotta envision in your mind how they're going to want to cautiously cruise around a perimeter of the edge around the caller and get downwind of it. But not always! Make sure you're totally ready to rock and focused before you start the caller. It's a trip! Sometimes one will come in, like in a crazy short amount of time! I literally had one come in, in like 30 seconds after pressing play! I was stunned and not as ready as I should have been.
 
OP
Oregon Hunter

Oregon Hunter

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
856
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
there is no better archery hunting practice than shooting sage rats with your bow in the morning, then go still hunt through the sage for jack rabbits..... same kind of deal, not so much gear testing, but shooting non static targets with some urgency, with a ton of trigger time.

i don't consider lions varmints, but have had some pretty big breakthroughs calling bit cats

honorable mention.... coyotes are way more dumb at night
what are some of your breakthroughs?
 
OP
Oregon Hunter

Oregon Hunter

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
856
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
If using an eCaller... setting up so you have the best FOV possible over-looking it is crucial when shots are closer like 25-45yds and it's in close-quarters thick stuff leading into a clearing.

More FOV available on your sit ends up buying you a small extra amount more of time to react when they do show up.

Re: placement of your set in relation to eCaller, gotta envision in your mind how they're going to want to cautiously cruise around a perimeter of the edge around the caller and get downwind of it. But not always! Make sure you're totally ready to rock and focused before you start the caller. It's a trip! Sometimes one will come in, like in a crazy short amount of time! I literally had one come in, in like 30 seconds after pressing play! I was stunned and not as ready as I should have been.
With an eCaller do you let the sounds keep playing for your whole setup? Or do you turn it on and off, or vary the volume?
 

TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
With an eCaller do you let the sounds keep playing for your whole setup? Or do you turn it on and off, or vary the volume?
Start off on not too crazy of volume, just in case they happen to be very nearby and you don't know it.

I let a sound play like 2-3min on, and like 1 min off. Next iteration I'll bump up volume.

If switching to a new sound, I'll usually wait more time before firing off the new sound, just so it doesn't seem as odd that a new sound is starting right away.

Personally for coyotes I figure turning it off in-between will invoke their curiosity to try to track-down the location of where they last heard it emanating from.
 
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
4,973
Location
oregon coast
what are some of your breakthroughs?
The very important basics of calling cats and how to best use my time… these days I will just cover ground looking for hot sign rather than cold calling in known habitat… it’s just a better use of my time… I never have the luxury of snow, so I’m handicapped in that regard, but I know a lot of routes lions use on a regular basis (they are very predictable in routes)

Switching to lion vocals vs distress is a big one… I start with a couple minutes of distress then only lion vocals for the next 60ish minutes

Knowing how to set up… another big one that cost me a couple times early… they will go out of their way to approach the call from above… knowing that, you can pick a setup that caters to that, and gives you the advantage of funneling them into a much smaller zone that you can keep tabs on without having to move at all… it’s by far the hardest tag to fill on purpose in this state (especially the west side without tracking snow) but it’s also very doable… just not an activity for the easily discouraged

In hunting, we learn through encounters, calling lions, it’s hard to get those encounters, but what I do know is, they are easy to call in, just hard to get within earshot on the coast… if you think about it, at the same level, in Big NF land, there are times you can’t hear a bull bugle that’s 200yds away, knowing that, and how the coastal vegetation gobbles up sound, it’s just hard to be heard by a lion… I call constantly and loud
 
Joined
Aug 19, 2020
Messages
74
Always keep calling after you shoot. If you can, switch it to wounded Coyote or fox. When I first started out I would shoot one and automatically quit and get up. We kill a lot of fox and rarely do we not have more then one come in.
 

TheGDog

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2020
Messages
3,263
Location
OC, CA
Calling in the East aint easy.
After literally 3 dozen sets @ 45min. to an hour ea.
without calling in anything with fur,,,,,
I've started fishing.

Don't do it man. Don't give up. If you persist, and change up your approach, and really put some thought into where you choose to sit at at the set, AND if you've either seen them there yourself, caught them on cams passing thru, or seen there fresh poops, and see that there is decent small game for them to get after in the spot... you keep at it, you'll connect. And when you do? Especially after all that prior effort? You'll feel amazing when it finally happens!
 
OP
Oregon Hunter

Oregon Hunter

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
856
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
Start off on not too crazy of volume, just in case they happen to be very nearby and you don't know it.

I let a sound play like 2-3min on, and like 1 min off. Next iteration I'll bump up volume.

If switching to a new sound, I'll usually wait more time before firing off the new sound, just so it doesn't seem as odd that a new sound is starting right away.

Personally for coyotes I figure turning it off in-between will invoke their curiosity to try to track-down the location of where they last heard it emanating from.
Thanks for sharing your advice!
 
OP
Oregon Hunter

Oregon Hunter

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
856
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
The very important basics of calling cats and how to best use my time… these days I will just cover ground looking for hot sign rather than cold calling in known habitat… it’s just a better use of my time… I never have the luxury of snow, so I’m handicapped in that regard, but I know a lot of routes lions use on a regular basis (they are very predictable in routes)

Switching to lion vocals vs distress is a big one… I start with a couple minutes of distress then only lion vocals for the next 60ish minutes

Knowing how to set up… another big one that cost me a couple times early… they will go out of their way to approach the call from above… knowing that, you can pick a setup that caters to that, and gives you the advantage of funneling them into a much smaller zone that you can keep tabs on without having to move at all… it’s by far the hardest tag to fill on purpose in this state (especially the west side without tracking snow) but it’s also very doable… just not an activity for the easily discouraged

In hunting, we learn through encounters, calling lions, it’s hard to get those encounters, but what I do know is, they are easy to call in, just hard to get within earshot on the coast… if you think about it, at the same level, in Big NF land, there are times you can’t hear a bull bugle that’s 200yds away, knowing that, and how the coastal vegetation gobbles up sound, it’s just hard to be heard by a lion… I call constantly and loud
That's fascinating to learn about your experiences with a quarry that is rarely targeted purposely.. How many have you called in?
 
OP
Oregon Hunter

Oregon Hunter

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
856
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
Always keep calling after you shoot. If you can, switch it to wounded Coyote or fox. When I first started out I would shoot one and automatically quit and get up. We kill a lot of fox and rarely do we not have more then one come in.
Does using a suppressor help your chances of calling one in after a shot at all?
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2018
Messages
390
Location
Nebraska
Does using a suppressor help your chances of calling one in after a shot at all?
It won't hurt, that's for sure! The more educated the animals are, the less likely they will keep coming is my experience. I have shot coyotes walking into stands, only to call one in minutes later from that exact spot. I have also shot doubles, only to have more coming charging in right behind them. All without a suppressor. Educated coyotes however rarely stick around to find out what's going on (take off on a dead run and never slow down).
 
Joined
Apr 7, 2022
Messages
4
Suppressors are a game changer. I've got countless doubles and even a quad with my suppressor. But I will say getting the wind right before a stand is the most important. If they smell you the gig is up. You can't fool their nose.
 
OP
Oregon Hunter

Oregon Hunter

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
856
Location
Beaverton, Oregon
Suppressors are a game changer. I've got countless doubles and even a quad with my suppressor. But I will say getting the wind right before a stand is the most important. If they smell you the gig is up. You can't fool their nose.
Suppressors are rad! I just wish they didn't add so much length to a rifle...
 
Top