A hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus mesoleucus). A rare sight during the day - be aware if skunks are seen during the day, as it is often a sign of rabies.
Last post we spoke about small game hunting in Arizona, and today we will talk about predator hunting. For those of you that don’t know, predators are considered those animals that consume meat as a majority of their diet – I say majority because even some carnivores will consume vegetative matter. Predators include coyote, bobcat, foxes, and skunks. Furbearers are those animals that have what’s considered valuable fur. These animals include badger, beaver, muskrat, otter, raccoon, ringtail, and weasel. Though these animals are considered furbearers, their fur is not too valuable on the market these days, with a couple of exceptions.
To begin, let’s remove a couple of these animals from the “huntable” category, as some of them can only be harvested through trapping; the only animals in this category are beavers and muskrats. Also, legal take of otters is not permitted in Arizona, though they are considered a furbearer elsewhere. With that said, I can see the Arizona Game and Fish Department allowing legal trapping of otters within the next 10-15 years or so. We shall see.
The final list of animals that can be hunted include coyotes, foxes (red, grey, and kit), skunks (striped, hooded, spotted, and hognose), badgers, raccoon, ringtail, weasel, and bobcat. That is a good variety of animals that can be chased and taken – I’ll mention now that only coyotes and skunks can be legally taken year round. The other species have seasons that generally run from the beginning of August to the end of March. As always, be sure to check you regulations before hunting.
This large male badger (Taxidea taxus) is one of my most prized animals, and is still in the freezer for a rug.
I advise using a predator call for most of these species, whether electronic or a manual hand call. Keep in mind that electronic calls do not offer variety, and many animals have heard the call before and won’t come in. With a hand call, however, the variability is infinite. I’ve personally had more success with hand calls, specifically a call imitating that of a dying rabbit. I always keep a cottontail call on my lanyard, such as the Primos The Third Degree, along with a jackrabbit call, such as the Primos Double Jackrabbit. I’ll also keep a howler on my lanyard, and something that’s different. What do I mean different? Go on Amazon, find the most random, weird predator call you can find, and purchase it. This will offer a different tone that most predators will have never heard before, more than likely resulting in success. As for electronic calls, I recommend not going cheap. I always thought FOXPRO was the best in the business – I’d experienced an electronic Primos call and wasn’t impressed. I then hunted behind a Lucky Duck, such as the Lucky Duck Revolt, and I was impressed. I won’t hunt behind any electronic call other than a Lucky Duck, as I think they changed the quality of predator hunting.
Let’s talk camo. In my opinion, camo pattern doesn’t matter, as long as a hunter has a pattern to break up his shape. Use King’s, Sitka, Kuiu, First Lite, Kryptic, a Walmart brand, WHATEVER. Even use plaid shirts, as they still break up a person’s outline and shape. If you don’t have access to any of this, don’t worry. While making your stand, just be sure that you’re well hidden behind brush, within shadows, or maybe climb a tree.
Next is the firearm of choice. I’m not going to get too into this, as it’s highly debatable. Let’s make it easy – expecting short shots? Use a 12 gauge shotgun. Expecting long shots? Use a rifle. And people, don’t use a .50 BMG to shoot a fox.
I like to sit with either a solid backdrop behind me, or to sit back to back with another hunter so as to have a 360 view. I have had animals come up from behind me, even with what I thought was a solid backdrop, so just pay attention. I’ll settle down into position and wait a minute or two before I start calling. Call with frequency and variability – don’t be predictable. Call for a few minutes and rest for a minute, and then repeat. I keep my stands between 15 and 30 minutes – if you know there’s cats in the area, keep your stands long.
Some summer coyotes (Canis latrans) can still have good fur, though it doesn't look like it in the picture.
Predator hunting can be incredibly addicting, but also frustrating. Keep calling and making stands, even if success fails you. Especially for the newbies out there, be consistent and don’t quit. I always throw in a couple random days of predator hunting into my schedule to keep things interesting, and don’t forget – some predator meat is decent to eat (more on this later). I could literally write a book about predator hunting, so I’m going to keep this post shorter and save more for a later time, when we will put emphasis on the animals we mentioned.
Still not content with filling your hunting season with either small game or predator hunting? Just wait, as next is waterfowl hunting…