“calling coyotes”

A bitter conflict in the coyote community is escalating. From mid-January to mid-March, depending on where you live, coyotes are locked in a territorial battle for the right to breed. Mating season mayhem is upon us.

Being a dyed-in-the-wool bowhunter means I am always worried about something smelling me. This is not something that needs telling to serious predator guys, but just a way of explaining how, many moons ago I started using Wildlife Research Center’s Scent Killer scent-eliminating sprays, shower products and laundry soaps.

On a ground squirrel/coyote hunt in eastern Oregon, I had the chance to test the MVP (Mossberg Varmint Predator) in both the Varmint and Predator versions. These guns are worthy of consideration for four basic reasons. First, they are extremely accurate. Second, they accept standard AR-15 magazines (we used both five- and 20-shot mags). Third, they can take all the field abuse you can give them and still deliver. And fourth, the price is right.

Cory Lundberg is young, tough and knows how to kill predators. He outfits in several western states including Utah, Wyoming and Oregon, among others, offering predator hunts, varmint shooting and combinations of the two, and his success is about as good as it gets.

Frank Miniter offers a few tips that should help you tag that bear you've been dreaming of this spring.

SIG Sauer’s new Romeo4S red-dot optic is fast, accurate, reliable and packed with numerous common sense options that hunters will appreciate.

Take advantage of summer-season offspring of predator and prey to bag coyotes when the heat is on.

From keeping coyotes under control to catching poachers in the act, thermal optics may be the most exciting, beneficial new technology to come along in years.