Ok boys, I want to know what you do when you go calling. I have been calling for years with my dad but I recently just started going on my own. I will let you know what I do and try to give me the same for you.

So, I drive at night to a predetermined location where I know I will have an opportunity to see a distance and get a shot. Once I get there, I get out of the truck and get set up as quietly as possible. Then I open another beer and enjoy it quietly while letting everything settle down from when I drove in. After about 10 minutes, I turn the call on and let it play for about a few minutes and then hit the spotlite (red lense included). I search the area for eyes. Then I will turn it off and let the tape play for another couple of minutes before turning the light on again. I repeat until I see eyes or about 30 minutes if nothing shows up.

I have been successful but not nearly successful as my dad. It appears that I do everything like him. What do you do?

Can yotes/cats see the red light? I had a bobcat leave Friday night before I could get a shot. I also had 2 yotes come in Saturday night and leave once I hit them with the light. My buddy wouldnt shot at them moving. None of them left fast, they just left.

I know I could get better results if I didnt have my UTV or truck in the area but I HATE cordless spotlites so I have to have a vehicle to get lite there.

When i hunt, I turn on the light as soon as the call starts. I have had fox and coyote come in as fast as 30 sec after the call starts. I leave the light on the entire time the call is going. I hunt from the back of the truck and check 360 degrees around the entire time.

We charge a deep cycle battery & put it in the back & use the spotlight off it. We run the light the entire time also. IF you think the light might bother them, try shining just over or under them. If you hit them directly, it can spook them. Or switch to an amber or yellow lens. These dont spook pigs as much.

+1 for checking all around you the whole time also. Even if you think something wont come that way, it might.

sounds like ur doing ok. i shine the light pretty frequently during the first 10 minutes. this is where u will get 90 % of your gray fox. after 10 i shine is in 1-2 minute intervals, depending on the terrain. if it is real brushy, i shine it quite a bit, if it is a little more open then not so much. i dont turn the tape off when i shine. i turn the volume up and down several times during the call. cats have a tendency to come in and sit down out away from the sound. this is why i dont shine the entire call. you will pick them up when you turn on the light. as for coyotes, never had much luck at night. in the las 3-5 years they have just moved into our part so cant really say as how to call them.

well Trot, we may not have got a yote saturday night, but that was a lot of fun! thanks for bringing the call over! i want to do that again soon! Good shot on the nutria btw!

You have to look at it as your light is your Camoflauge. If you arent shining the light, they see you plain as day. We never turn the light off, and we shine it really quickly. Probably about 4 seconds or less to completely go around the truck. The quicker you get it on them, the more used to it they become, and there is less of a chance of them seeing you. We normally dont wait long after we drive in before we start calling either. Just long enough for everyone to get settled, and to take a look around with the light for deer cows or other critters. Hope that helps. Jeff

+1 what Jeff says and I think he would know. We start right away and keep the light and call on the whole time. We like to change sounds after about 10 minutes going from cotton to jack or vice versa. Move spots after 15 to 20 minutes. I have had a yote in my lap in 15 seconds of turning on the call so you have to have the light on immediately and leave it on. If the yotes won't stop turn the call down and lip squeek. Or just bark at it and shoot quick!

+10 on leaving the light on the entire time. we called the other night, i swear 5 seconds after i started calling there were 2 sets of eyes about 30 yards apart. if you leave the light off, that might be when the animals come to the call and have already walked past you within that time frame. some reason we could not get those two sets of eyes to come out of the brush though. i believe the weather has to be cold for some reason to get them to come out, that is the only times i have got them to come out of the brush line. if i am wrong, someone let me know!
FB

Those could have been deer bedded or browsing possibly if u didn't see the bodies. If they aren't coming closer change the sound.

Do ya'll use decoys? If so, night and day?

Decoys in the day only. They have no purpose at night.

I do everything the same as mentioned before. Scan quickly and keep the light on.

I just figured they could see a decoy at night the same as they can see it in the day

The red light is no problem but they may see reflections of u and the truck since this was a Full Moon weekend.

I use one of those battery packs that are designed to jumpstart a car. mine has ac and dc plugs and will run a 500,000 candle power q-beam all night no prob.