Target of opportunity... racoon! With lip squeak how-to added

[IB]

SO who REALLY CARES    


Bet they taste like CHICKEN don't they          

[JC]

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

[Terry Green]

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.    

[SKYLER W]

Nice shot, Charlie!    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.

[Greyfox54]

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

[Stone Knife]

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.

[Charlie Lamb]

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.    

[hormoan]

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    
As he's unaware they taste like turtle  :D

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally 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.  

[Marvin M.]

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.

[Charlie Lamb]

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.

[Charlie Lamb]

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.
 

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.
 

[Charlie Lamb]

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.
 

Procede as previously described.
 

[Charlie Lamb]

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.
 

[Charlie Lamb]

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.  

[Guru]

Congrats bud........you're a cute ol' bugger    

[allanburden]

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.

[always89]

Suck in, or blow out???

[allanburden]

Good question always89, sucking in eliminated the farting noise for me.  So even if it isn't right, it's working.

[Danny Roberts]

Good one. Makes me yearn for my hound I had years ago !
DR