Coyote hunting with Night Vision Goggles

[dave3006]

I just started coyote hunting. I have been to a couple "shotgun only" areas in Southern California recently. Just last weekend, I called in two coyotes to about 100 yards. They did not come any farther, so I did not shoot.

I would like to try night hunting in these areas. I have some Gen III night vision goggles. They are the best they make. You can see several hundred yards clearly. I am thinking that I could be a little more successful at night. Maybe the coyotes will be less weary. But, I have never hunting anything at night before.

My plan will be to use my Foxpro to call while I scan the area with the goggles. My 12 year old will have his shotgun. When I call one in, I will illuminate him with my handheld Surefire flashlight.

I have some dumb questions:


1. Can I legally hunt from the back of a parked pickup? I don't want to walk around in the dark in the desert begging for a rattlesnake to bite me.

2. Is this safe in general? It seems like I am tempting fate to have a mountain lion join our little party. The tunnel vision from NVGs make it harder to watch your back door.

3. Any tips from veteran night hunters?

4. Full moon, no moon - which is best?

Thanks,
-Dave

 

[Art Eatman]

Caveat: Not all predators have read my book on what predators do.

When there is a lot of moon, predators start hunting earlier and keep hunting later. That is, calling from just before sundown is more productive at that time; calling even to an hour or so after first light is also more productive. My theory is that the extra light helps the prey animals to avoid the coyotes (or lions) and they have to work harder for a meal--ergo, longer hours.

IMO, FWIW, calling late at night during a full moon is more likely to allow a coyote to spot YOU. You're the predator, then; he's the uncooperative prey.

Conversely, when there's little moon, I've had my best luck in calling when I start well after dark.

I'd say that if you're doing your calling in lion country, and you're on the ground, you're probably best off to be leaning back against a large tree or rock. All manner of predators will come to a wounded-rabbit call.

Many years ago, some guys here in Terlingua were sitting inside a crew-cab pickup; the back window was open. They were using mouth calls. The truck suddenly sorta lurched a bit, and a big hairy paw reached inside the back window...Lotsa commentary about the need for new upholstery.

There's a fantastic photo of one of the Burnham brothers; one calling, with a great horned owl about to alight on his head, and his brother got the picture.

Dunno 'bout Cali law. In Texas, any hunting "site" is legal. Lotsa trucks and jeeps with high seats in back, so you can see over the brush. Millions of acres of country where that method or a tower-stand is the only way you can see game.

Coyotes will come straight toward a call, until they figure they have it pretty well located. They'll then circle to make the final approach upwind. Unless they've been hunted regularly from vehicles, they don't seem to show much fear about a night approach to a truck...

Art

 

[Michael Courtney]

Being sure of what's beyond your target is much harder when hunting at night, even with night vision. Some things can make it safer:

1) Hunt from a high point so that all your projectiles will hit the ground with a few yards of the target. Alternatively, you can position yourself so you've got a hill as a backstop.
2) Become very familiar with the area you are hunting during the daylight so at least you know the permanent features of the area and the directions in which is might be unsafe to shoot.
3) One can use bait to position coyotes in a position with a good backstop. When available, I often use deer guts to put coyotes in front of a good backstop for nighttime shooting.
4) Use a projectile with very little tendency to overpenetrate or ricochet. I like the 40 grain VMAX in .223. It can ricochet, but it fragments and the fragments are so small they present very little downrange danger.

Michael Courtney

 

[Sunray]

Suggest you contact you local MNR/Fish and Game guys to be sure night hunting is legal first. Ask 'em about the NVG stuff at the same time. The older generation of NVG's are hard on the eyes too.

 

[Byron Quick]

It seems I've heard of some weird California laws about night vision equipment possession in general.

 

[Shalako]

I am under the impression that you cannot have a loaded firearm within or contacting your vehicle in CA. You cannot even fire it within 50 ft of your vehicle.

I am still looking for a Game Warden who can explain the prohibition on baiting for game animals in the regs. To me it reads that you merely can't spread grains and corn for game birds. I am curious about hunting over carcasses and such.

Also, in CA you can not hunt from the road. What is the definition of "road" though? Do USFS trails count? How about logging spurs? It is very unclear so I try to err on the side of caution at all times. It is pretty difficult though to walk from point A to point B in the forest without using some sort of improved trail or 4x4 route. Are you supposed to keep your gun empty until you spot game and then dart off into the bushes to fire? I think so....

 

[444]

Not much of value to add other than the fact that I was less than thrilled about hunting at night with night vision gear. I was unable to see varmint in the brush. Standing in the open, it was great. Standing in the brush, forget it.

 

[JohnKSa]

444,

What kind of NV were you using?

 

[444]

I don't know the details. The stuff didn't belong to me. There were three rifle scopes that a guy I work with owns. Two of them were Generation 3, commercial scopes (not military). The other was of earlier design.
Several problems were encountered. Brush and other objects produce shadows from the moon and starlight. These shadows can't be seen with the naked eye because everything looks dark, but with the scope anything in the shadow is hidden. Second was trying to see with enough detail to make out an animals body against brush. If the animal was standing on the road, it looked just like it was daylight. But, in the brush you couldn't tell what was brush and what was animal. They certainly wern't good enough to use to locate the animal in the first place. What we were doing was locating the animal with a spotlight, then getting pretty much lined up with the rifle, then shut off the light and try to see the animal (that we KNEW was there) with the scope. We both ended up shooting one jack rabbit a piece that were standing in the middle of the road.

 

[JohnKSa]

Interesting.

I'll have to run some experiments...