#raccooncalling

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Slow start to the season but finally.

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1-8-2020. First time out in about a month.

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From a hunt on November 30th

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Took my father in law out after some raccoons with the foxpro. Had a record day, started with a triple on the first set. Had a few dry ones followed up with two singles. Finished with another triple for a total of 8 and saw 12.

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With some time before my evening deer hunt I got a calling set in. On the way in I came across a couple armadillos first. Once I finally got set up it didn't take long and had a total of four, all of which were on the ground. The very first one I wasn't able to get a shot but the next three weren't so lucky.

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After a slow morning of deer hunting I made my way to a den tree across the farm. Our furbearers season opened earlier this week on the 13th so this was my first set of the season. With in minutes this guy makes his way out of the den and my first set produces my first raccoon of the season

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Friday was my birthday, so I took the day off from work to do some hunting. I was supposed to go with a coworker who has Fridays off but he wasn’t able to go. I started the morning off calling for coyotes and bobcats on my family’s farm. The wind was very strong and I don’t know if my calls were projecting well enough, I even tried tucking into more covered areas where I’ve been getting cats on trailcamera with no luck. With the hunting going so slow I went and checked my trailcameras and set up a few more. This went a lot quicker than I expected so I went to the river for some quick sets. I only covered about a quarter mile stretch of river and made four sets. My first set I had one poke its head out within seconds of the call starting. As he is looking around I see movement on the tree right next to it, I shoot and he pulls back around the tree but I hear him hit the ground. I move back to watching the first coon still trying to find where the sounds coming from and catch more movement in the next tree again. This one is moving down the tree quickly, I shoot and he rolls the rest of the way down. With the movement of the two that I shot hitting the ground the first one finally climbs out and sits on a limb making for an easy shot. What a way to start this stretch of calling, with a triple. The next set was the farthest downs stream but made for a good spot to back track from. I set the call at the base of the tree and start raccoon distress 2, ten seconds later the is a coon coming around the tree I shoot and then let the call play for a while longer tried a few more sounds and nothing else shows up. The next set turned up nothing even with a ton of sign around the tree. I move on and set up between two trees that each have a bare dirt trail leading to their base and show signs of something climbing on the bark. At the five minute mark I catch movement to my right on the ground and there is one on the run to the call. At 20 yards I and moving I opt for the shotgun. This was the first one I have had come in on the ground this season. He came in on the same trail that met up with both the trees I was calling to. I carry this one and the coon from my second  stand back to where I left the first three. Since I was trying to make this stretch of calling quick I left the knife in the car not thinking that I’d have this kind of luck or time to skin and move. I made my way back to the car and dropped off the guns and back pack and went back in the 250yards to where I left them  with a game cart to wheel them back out.This went from being a very slow day to being one of my best days, and I was done with plenty of time to get my little girl from school and have a delicious birthday dinner with her and my wife. What a way to spend my birthday.