Break Free of Your Routine

Technique of the Week: People are creatures of habit. Most of us get up at the same time each day, eat lunch at the same time, go to bed at the same time, etc.

A few predator hunters I know also run their calling loop the same each day they hunt. They call the “old blowdown” first, then move to “green field” stand and so on, no matter what the conditions.

Well, consider for a moment that coyotes, bobcats and foxes are creatures of habit, too. The pair of coyotes that lives in the territory with the “old blowdown” might be in the routine of spending daybreak at a watering hole two miles away. If that’s the case, the hunter might never call that pair, even though the coyotes are in the area every day.

Vary your routine. If you call a certain stand at dawn one day, consider calling it late morning or midday the next time, or save it for the last hour of light. Another good reason to try a location at different times is that different animals might use an area in the afternoon vs. morning.

Certainly, factors such as sun direction and wind should be taken into account when considering the optimum time to call a given location. Still, when possible, try to mix up the time of day you call your standard predator calling loop.