Predator Time

by Larry Weishuhn

“Wysooooon… We should be on the Hargrove a little while after noon.  Better yet, let’s meet in Roby or Rotan and we’ll drive in together.”  Thought doing so was an excellent idea. Burnham Brothers’ Gary Roberson, a friend of many years continued, “Bringing you a .223 Ruger American, topped with a Trijicon scope and a box of Hornady V-Max ammo.  Should about be ideal for coyotes.”  I had asked Gary to bring me a rifle. I was traveling from one destination (as in hotels) to another prior to our hunt with Craig Archer on the Hargrove Ranches in the lower Texas Panhandle. We hoped to lower the coyote population prior to fawns arriving. Gary continued “Bringing our new Ultra Caller I’ve been telling you about.  Let’s predators hear what they’ve never before heard from an electronic caller, due to our ultrasonic sounds. Have spent several years in research and development. We’re getting ready to go into production.”

Gary had been telling me about a new patented speaker/processor that went many, many times above megahertz heard by predators from existing electronic calls to within the range of what coyotes and bobcats can actually hear.  According to him he had recently been calling in coyotes and bobcats that had been called to many times before by other electronic calls, areas where predators were considered to now be “uncallable”.  With the new Burnham Brothers Calls ultrasonic call, he had changed that.  Even extremely call-shy predators had come in to the new system.

Gary went on to explain since he started using their new Ultra Caller, then spraying down with Texas Raised Hunting Products’ Scent Guardian and using their “Predator Death Grip” lure, his results had been nothing short of fantastic.  “Our new Ultra Caller goes way beyond what other calls can currently do in terms of ultrasonic sounds, or will be able to do for years, due to our patented process.  Scent Guardian essentially does away with human scent.  Predator Death Grip serves as a curiosity and food scent that kind of confuses coyotes and bobcats giving the shooter a bit more time to get off a shot.  Using the latter has given me several additional seconds allowing me to take even the wariest of coyotes.  Anxious to show you how well the combination works.”

Long story short Gary did indeed show me how well the combination attracts and holds predators, even extremely wary call shy coyotes. Talk about fun, and, worthwhile.  We had planned, as mentioned, our trip right before whitetail and mule deer in Texas’ lower Panhandle area start fawning.  Our hope was to reduce the predator population to encourage fawn survival rates.  No doubt taking the coyotes we did, we saved several fawns!

A couple of days ago, I got a text from Gary, “Just took the trophies of all trophies when it comes to coyote hunting.  Called in , an ancient female, so old she simply had “nubs” for teeth.  Oldest coyote I have ever seen!  Our ultrasonic call, our scent eliminated by Scent Guardian, and spraying Predator Death Grip (www.texasraisedhuntingproducts.com) downwind from where Steve, my cameraman and I were set up did wonders.  The ancient female not only came in but marked territory downwind of us.  In sixty years of calling coyotes I have never before experienced anything like this.   My shooting combination of Ruger rifle, Hornady ammunition and fast target acquisition of my Trijicon scope put down not only the ancient female but several other coyotes as well.”  Gary ended the text with, “About time you joined Steve and me on another predator hunt.”

I can hardly wait!