Virginia Grays from weekend night calling.

[Bluesman]

I drove up to Virginia to visit with my uncle and do some night calling last weekend.  I paid the $86.00 for the non-res license then we went on our merry way.  I plan to go back obviously.  We had a great weekend and saw lots of game.
Here's a couple of grays we downed on Friday after Thanksgiving.  We called 'em in at night in the central part of the state.  We dropped two more on Saturday night but I didn't take photos - they all look alike.   Two coyotes also showed themselves briefly but never gave us a shot.  They seem to be so light shy here in the east.  Of course we had about three more foxes respond to the call than we were able to bag but it was still a great time.  I'm not sure there's any hunting more fun than calling at night.  One of these we dropped with the shotgun, the other with the .22 hornet.  The rifle shot was 83 yards....I promise.  The rascal barked at us from the bushes for about ten minutes as we used different calls to keep her interested.  All we could see would be an eye here or an eye there from time to time.  She finally appeared nervously down an open lane.  I took my time and aimed at the fox that was at the normal "sure-miss" distance for night time.  I shot and my uncle said he heard the impact of the round on the fox.  I didn't have so much confidence.  We walked down the logging road to find the fox drilled right through the head - in one ear and out the other.  Don't ask me to do it again because I've certailny missed a truckload of 'em from a lot closer.     This story is for my old pal centerfire223 - who, by the way, has finally got a real job.

[Hawks Feather]

Good looking grays and a nice "night" shot with the hornet.

Jerry

[centerfire_223]

I see how you are, you go and move off. Then take off hunting without me!!!    At least you thought about me!! Looks like you had a great time, and hopefully a great Thanksgiving. Come down south and I promise I will take a couple of days off to go hunting.

[Bluesman]

You know I thought about you pal.  I was tickled to get some good pics from the hunt to post here for you and our friends in Ohio.
JB

[canine]

JB my man......How ya been?

Looks like you been doin good! Boy i sure wish we had gray's here to call like when I was a kid. I hear ya about that being some of the best hunting, I loved seein them little red eyeballs bouncing there way into a call.

Hope all is well with ya.
Take care
JD

[songdog]

        Nice pictures.. Looks like it could be a lot of fun to night call..Its a shame Ky had to stop spotlighting.. Now we just have to rely on a bright moon, and snow cover.. Good job, nice grays...

[Bluesman]

Hello JD....my old pal,

I sure hope to see you at the LBL in Feb.  I was hoping we could make a stand or two together.  I was also hoping you would bring another load of that tenderloin. :)

[FinsnFur]

 

[Bluesman]

I tried calling coyotes in IA and IL under a full moon with snow cover on several occasions.  (One trip was the one that caused me to come down with pneumonia.  It was well below zero out there.) Anyways, I was so confident that we would kill coyotes every time.  We had 'em howling at us on several occasions...and close.   But, I never could get 'em out of the timber.  We were doing something wrong I suppose.  My friend that introduced me to that method had good success calling on ice.  He told me about one night that they set up on some Mississippi River backwater.  The two hunters sat back to back on a frozen muskrat hut.  They called for several minutes and then saw three coyotes drop down off the river bank onto the ice.  The dogs ultimatley approached from different directions.  They ended up shooting two on that stand and sevearl more that night in other locations.  I wish I'd have been in on that hunt.  I hope we get snow in carolina this winter.  Yeah right  .