It's been real icy in my neck of the woods. Been that way for several days now. Pretty nasty stuff as weather goes.
Last night the weather guy said it was 35 degrees with 93% humidity... uncomfortable in anybody's book.
With cabin fever firmly clamped down on my grizzled old head, I finally decided enough was enough and headed out into the woods behind the house and took a stroll down by the lake.
With my favorite recurve, "Scarlett", tucked under my arm I made pretty good progress through the thickets of ice. Slightly warmer temps had melted the ice on the leaves underfoot, making for reasonably quiet walking.
My property is a small chunk of Missouri oak/hickory climax forest, with many more hickories than oaks.
I guess that has an impact on the deer numbers that could be here and with a poor acorn year in general I haven't seen the deer sign that I did last winter when I purchased the place.
There are, however, tons of gray and fox squirrels around as well as groundhogs (when the weather is warmer), the occasional fox, coyote or possum and down by the lake, beaver and muskrat.... I'm at war with the last two!
Coming down the hill through a tight little valley I spotted movement on the dam. Even through the screening ice covered limbs I could identify the critter as a racoon.
Their butts always seem to be well above the rest of them and they usually cast about for different scents that might lead them to a meal or mischief.
Their attacks on my home and outbuildings have put them on my "list" as well.
Besides! My huntin buddy Butch had told me not long ago that if I got the chance he'd like to have one to bake and I've got a grandson who'd love to have a genuine coonskin cap.
I moved slowly ahead until I was just off the end of the dam and tucked in behind a large hickory log. If the coon didn't pass directly in front of me, I'd try to coax him over with a lip squeak.
Well, that's exactly what happened. He dropped off the back side of the dam before he got in good shooting range and I let out a long drawn out sqeak by pressing my thumb and forefinger against my lips.
The masked varmints head appeared almost instantly.
I'm no longer surprised at the number of animals that will respond to this trick. The weather makes it hard for all critters to fill their bellies and I was capitalizing on that hunger.
At ten yards the little devil stopped to look over the suspicious lump behind the log.
Coons are quick to recognize a man when they see him and I wasted no time drawing the 65# bow to anchor.
It was one of those natural "touch and go" type shots that always seem to work for me. There was no doubt in my mind where the Snuffer tipped shaft would end up... and it did.
Skewered end to end, the coon barely made it 20 feet before collapsing in a heap.
One less garbage eater on the place.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/Dec07racoon1.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/Dec07racoon3.jpg)
Nice story, thanks for sharing!
Id love to take one with the longbow, congrats.Now when can I otder my Sunbear?
Nice.......
Damn nice images also....
Tim
Charlie....
Me and Mr Chuck and Bill C....
Have are own little war with Beavers also....
We go out on our brown Water Patrols in the Delta....
Lots of fun >>>------>
Nice shooting Charlie. I think you must have not gotten socked like we did in our part of the state. My back yard looks like a tornado hit it.
Congratulations on your coon. You'll be surprised at how good it tastes if you prepare it well. (tastes like BBQ beef) tanning its hinde might require more work since they are loaded with fat.
God bless,Mudd
Sure felt nice to slip around your property with you for a few moments. Great story!!!!
I to am a fan of "those natural "touch and go" type shots that always seem to work for me."
Sounds like a very fine way to spend the afternoon. Thanks for sharing.
Good story and good shot on that masked bandit. Always good to hear from you. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
thats awsome
Cool stuff Charlie! Nice shot on a small target. Nice to have extra arrows in the quiver for just this occasion. Stay warm, Matt
Looks like the perfect size for cooking. Nice shot on the little Bandit.
We're socked in with Ice here in N.E. Kansas also, supposed to warm up tomorrow hopefully enough to melt the ground cover before the weekend.
Nice job, Charlie. It hasn't been that bad here in the Jeff City area in my opinion. We were lucky and never lost power for more than a few minutes once or twice. Hope you're doing well there.
Good job Charlie.
How far was the shot?
Way to Go... :thumbsup:
Nice one Charlie. I have been stumbling around on the ice here too. Mostly out to the shop and back. Sittin on the porch listening to the the sounds of crashing limbs has kept me out of the woods for a couple days. Plus the boom boom deer season goes another few days here. Thanks for the story and great pics.
Atta boy Charlie ;) :wavey: They sure are pretty critters though. Keep at 'em...thin them out a little.
Real pretty fur on that coon. He'll make a nice cap.
Alright Big Buddy . . Good shootin down there by the ice hole!!
Charlie: Nice shot! Have one of those guys that loves to dig up my yard. Never see him, happens very late at night.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mudd:
... You'll be surprised at how good it tastes if you prepare it well. (tastes like BBQ beef) tanning its hide might require more work since they are loaded with fat.
God bless,Mudd
How does one "prepare it well" ?
Nice Pics too...
SO who REALLY CARES :thumbsup:
Bet they taste like CHICKEN don't they :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Pesky raiders....I hear ya need a 2 blade, 70+# and 15gp# arras ta slow their roll....
Vance, don't you go throwin any rocks now, least the coffee don't freeze solid if it sloshes outta yer cup at Charlie's :p
Nice shooting Charlie...I'm going to shoot one of the bandits some day. I've had by chances let me tell ya...but I just get such a kick out of watching them...and usually their little ones that I have a hard time shooting them.
I remember having a conversation with one 8 feet away this year at the St Judes Paradise hunt that was 6 foot up a tree...and he was poking his head out of both sides of the tree. I just like to watch them.....but one day I'll catch one 'in the mood'...and have something neat made out of him. They are like miniature bears, and very comical....but one day.....
Congrats my friend. :thumbsup:
Nice shot, Charlie! :clapper: It'll make a nice hat. I might get lucky enough to stick one someday. I've got some cool pics to send you when I get the chance.
Great shot Charlie , if you are gonna do the skinning for your Grandson's hat be sure to save the fat off the skin as it is great for taking grease and grime off your hands , leaves them nice and smooth too , Fred
Nice shootin Charlie, We have a ton of them around here. A friend of mine has hounds I should give a night hunt a try.
Thanks guys!!
I've sure been around a long time and have shot only a few racoons. One of those animals that there's just something about, I guess.
Killed my first 40 odd years ago after I saw him enter a culver under some railroad tracks. It was a tough shot and even tougher retrieval, but somehow not how I wanted to do it.
I've had more than a few respond to varmint calls and that's always cool.
I always see a bunch when I'm deer hunting, but don't bother them... it's usually very early or late when I do. 0 deer thirty and all.
They often target the same oaks that the deer favor... when the deer like a tree, everything else does too.
And it's not like there is any shortage of the little mischief makers these days. Doesn't seem like there's that much trapping pressure anymore and not that many guys running them with hounds either.
They are dang near everywhere.
I remember sneaking down an oak ridge years ago on a quiet October morning. Nothing was stirring and I was feeling quite alone and more than a little sneaky when I got the feeling I wasn't alone.
There was nothing at all to be seen until I looked up into a huge nearby oak. About 20 feet up were 5 little masked faces looking down at me.
For some reason it spooked me a little and gave me the reality check that maybe I wasn't all that sneaky after all.
I'll make that coonskin cap for the grandson and bet it tickles him. I'm past the age of wanting one myself... but I can remember when I did. Ended up making a cap from a groundhog one time and that was one ugly cap. :scared:
Geeze we gotta get Vance inta Texas, thaw him out a bit. He's iced up like those branch's in the background there Charlie :thumbsup:
As he's unaware they taste like turtle :D
QuoteOriginally posted by Terry Green:
They are like miniature bears, and very comical....but one day.....
Ironically enough, raccoons are members of the bear family. I'd always thought they were rodents until my wife started working as an insurance adjuster and told me that's why her company will pay for property damage done by raccoons, but not squirrels.
I thought she was pulling my leg until I looked into it. She was right. :saywhat:
Good job Charlie!!! I have yet to connect with one of the little varmints with a bow. Used to take a bunch of them with hounds growing up in Alabama.
I agree they are quite tasty. Bar-B-Que is my favorite way to eat them.
Can you explain more about the lip squeak thing? I've never seen that demonstrated and would love to have someone show me how to do it. A short video would be wonderful if someone could put one together. There was a reference to it in Saxton Pope's book that piqued my interest, but no-one that I hunt with does it.
Marvin... here's a short course on doing the basic lip squeak.
It's a very handy call when you learn how. I've called all kinds of small game with it, but especially predators. It is my favorite fox, coyote, bobcat call... and you always have it with you.
There's a lot of ways to do the lip squeak and here's two.
This one is the way Ishi demonstrated it in Pope's book.
Hold hand with palm facing you. Put your lips against your fingers in the area indicated by the yellow arrows.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/lipsqueak1.jpg)
Try to make a long drawn out "squeak" or squeal. The volume won't be great, but you should be able to get a coyotes attention at 100 yards with a very light squeak.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/lipsqueak4.jpg)
The way I do it is a little different and I feel that I get better volume.
Again place lips in area between the yellow arrows.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/lipsqueak2.jpg)
Procede as previously described.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/lipsqueak3.jpg)
I've probably called more varmints using this call than with commercial calls. Like this coyote I took in Texas... one light squeak and he bounced into bow range.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/TexascoyoteR.jpg)
This call will lure a weasel out of his den and draw a wary woodchuck from his burrow. It'll make a hiding squirrel take a peak and give you a shot.
Foxes and bobcats are both suckers for it and I've about lost my hat to both hawks and owls while using it.
Good luck. :thumbsup:
Congrats bud........you're a cute ol' bugger :thumbsup:
I'm practicing that squeak technique you suggested. The bad part is I'm at work and the only noise i'm getting sounds like a fart! I tried explaining that I'm practicing for varmint hunting after deer season, but they all are still looking at me strange...oh well, hopefully I'll get a squeak here soon. Thanks for the how-to.
Suck in, or blow out???
Good question always89, sucking in eliminated the farting noise for me. So even if it isn't right, it's working.
Good one. Makes me yearn for my hound I had years ago !
DR
Sorry guys,I guess my instructions were lacking.
It's a kind of kissing action while drawing air "IN".
Thanks Charlie. I'll be practicing. I've got a raccoon problem at my house. Any time I show up, they disapear before I can get a shot. Maybe this will stop them long enough.
Nice job, varmint gone!
The funny bit is you now have people all over the planet making goofy squeaking noises. Good job! :-D
This is just a "New" goofy sound in my world. You aught to be in the office just before turkey season! "KEE -KEE" runs are about as funny as it gets!
QuoteOriginally posted by Jeff U:
Charlie: Nice shot! Have one of those guys that loves to dig up my yard. Never see him, happens very late at night.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mudd:
... You'll be surprised at how good it tastes if you prepare it well. (tastes like BBQ beef) tanning its hide might require more work since they are loaded with fat.
God bless,Mudd
How does one "prepare it well" ? [/b]
The best way to fix them is to skin them out just like a squirrel, you can even soak them in butter milk over night. Get a cedar board just large enough to hold the coon and small enough to still fit on your grill and soak the board in water (don't want it to burn). When your grill is good and hot put the board in the grill with the coon on top and smother in your favorite BBQ sauce. I like to use a sauce called Carolina Treat. It is a mustard based sauce and when grilled it tastes wonderful! After an hour or so it should be done so carefully remove the plank and coon from the grill, throw the coon away and eat the board...
How about a coon skin hat build along? I for one would love to know how to do it and I have plenty of coons around but have never had a reason to kill one. Would not mind a real coon skin hat though. How about it Mr. Lamb, could you show us how?
Good goin Charlie :thumbsup: The fact that you're using all of the critter (meat and hat) is cool.
The "kiss N kill" method of calling game is almost a lost art. Seems everyone thinks you need one of those electronic things to call critters in...not so. Thanks for showin em how. :archer: