10 replies to this topic

[Chris Miller]

I am asking this question in hopes that some can relate, and give me some good advice.

In short, I got into hunting predators 2 years ago. It wasn't until this year that I really got a chance to experience the thrill by hunting with an outfitter. Now I am just plain HOOKED.

I am not a real big fan of hunting deer, turkey or anything else for that matter. Coyotes, Bobcats & Fox are what excite me. However, now I am hooked and want to hunt every week - even every day if I could. I just moved down to Central Texas, and year round hunting & legal night hunting was a big part of my decision to come here. However, now I am finding out that even hunting predators can cost you dearly in Texas!

What is a man to do? I am not rich, but I would gladly pay for a predator only lease of some sort in my area. I just cannot find anything! Public land here sucks - at least in Missouri we could utilize the land and use a rifle!

I guess I am just frustrated with what I have found down here. If you were self employed, could hunt whenever you wanted, and only wanted to hunt predators, what would you do?

This is tearing me up. Look forward to hearing from you guys.

Thanks!

[youngdon]

I'd live in Goodyear Az. have a cabin up north (Seligman= lots of yotes) and be married to my wife who travels a lot for her job so that I can get out almost whenever I want. Oh wait I did that, man am I smart and lucky, mostly lucky I think. On the serious side I'm not sure what I would do Chris as I have known from past talk with others that Texas has lots of game but no public land to speak of. Are there any predator hunting clubs in the area? Gun clubs? Maybe there is a friend there for you who has access. Maybe Tony knows someone who knows someone... Just a thought. I know the feeling about being hooked though as I have had it for quite a few years now.

[catcapper]

You can do a bit of trading. You can offer whatever your skills are for hunting predator rights. It may sound tacky---but put an ad in your local or big city newspaper. I got several small 40-80 acre tracts of land that I have the coyote/cat lease on by advertising in the local paper. You have to get the word out about what your willing to do(trade) and get it out to a lot of people. Its a marketing thing---send out 500 fliers,you'll get a 12% return. The best thing about the paper ad is when someone calls you,they already want you to come do the trade. 17 years ago an area rancher that was land rich and kinda cash poor gave me a call and we did some trad'in. I fixed a leak in a valley tin on his roof that nobody else could seem to find and re-set a cattle gaurd and I'm still thking fur off his outfit to this day. I f your going to be a hunting fanaitic you MUST STOP AT NOTHING to cure your sickness.

[BruceWilliams]

Chris,
Gaining access to predator hunting takes alot of time and work. I am 22 years old guide a handful of predator hunts and the rest of the land I hunt is for me my friends and family to hunt. I have probably driven 10,000 miles this year to look at new places to hunt all over TX and to talk to landowners. Around where you are at the best place to start looking is wherever there are goats and they are trying to raise kids. Goats mean predators and them loosing goats mean loss of money. Go to where they want and need predators killed. Most sheep and goats ranchers will open there arms to you and if you do some good out there can gain you many other ranches. For example... when I was 18 I hauled a load of goats to just a 3,000 acre place. I dropped them off and when I left I talked to the owner and asked if there was a predator problem and he said yea can't keep half the kids to sell. I gave hime a card and said call me if you want me to come out. Three days later called and said they saw a cat in the pasture so I loaded up and drove 2 hrs out there. To make a long story short went out there three times in three months and shot 37 greys and 11 cats. Now he calls me and begs for me to come out there as often as I can( yesterday) and can hunt all his friends places. Treat there land right, respect them, show or tell them what you kill if they want you to, and get there varmints killed. You do this it won't take long and you will have many places to hunt. Also nock on a couple doors, can't hurt. Feed stores to are good places, Hope this helps. By the way what part of central TX are you in?

[Chris Miller]

Thanks everyone. Lots of good ideas. I am going to hit it hard here soon. The goal is simple really... have a few spots around us that my wife and I can go hunt every once in a while. I think that would be perfect.

Bruce: I am in the Austin area... actually in the hill country a few miles west of Austin by Lake Travis.

[BruceWilliams]

Chris,

I grew up in Wimberley thats about thirty min. from there. in between Buda and Wimberley, Dripping Springs, and towards johnson city, there are plenty of goats. I'd try around there.... quite a few greys, few coyotes, not to many cats though. Hope this helps

[autumnrider]

go to the local livestock sales and put up fliers so the ranchers can see. local CO-OPs (feed stores) and local sporting good stores. you could even leave fliers in those little small stores that are in the middle of no-where, lots of small ranchers/farmers go to those type of stores. try to open a new email address sole purpose for responses to the fliers. I don't know if leaving your phone # is a good idea but you could (your call there). i wish you the best--i could not amagine not having a place to hunt. Good luck fellow predator hunter.

[UltimatePredator]

Chris Bruce hit the nail on the head, you have to go were there is a need to get rid of predators. I have lived in Texas my entire life and have hunted public land with virtualy no success at all. Your best bet is to spend your time and money finding ranchers that have a predator problem and change your approach from just trying to find and hunt public land. If you get in good with on landowner, that can and usually means another open door for other places. There are public places in Texas that can be productive, yet they are very difficult to find and are few and far between. Land access is not easy to come by and you have to get out there and get it. The hardest part of this sport is the harsh reality that when you get addicted like you are, it just means that you will be forced to have a ton of land access to be able to feed your habit, cause if you dont then you will burn up all of your country. I have seen this happen before with other predator hunters when it comes to public land. You cant draw an even comparison to Texas and other states because its just not the same. Our public land around north Texas quite honestly "sucks" !! Texas is almost all privately owned so for a guy counting public hunting to hunt predators, I hate to say it but you may be a little dissapointed. The guys who kill the most predators year in and year out have usually got a very large list of privalety owned ranches that are usually called once and mabye twice a year depending on their size. I can promise you that that land access was not accumilated over night or even in one season for that matter. Pay your dues, put in the effort, and treat the ranchers rite and you will eventually get enough land to keep you buisy. Showing the rancher a big'o pile of fur will earn you an envite back for sure just about more than anything cause it shows them that you dont mess around and get the job done.

[UltimatePredator]

Forgot to mention. Paying to take predators off of a ranch for a rancher is a bad idea. Remember you are the one doing them a favor!!

[youngdon]

Should you ever find yourself, w/ or w/o the wife coming to Az. send me a P.M. and I'll be glad to show you some public land.

[Tanka]

I'm surprised some of the deer clubs won't lease you predator rights on their land. You'd think they would be glad to have someone culling the coyotes especially. I saw a study not long ago done by the Savannah River Bomb Site (as us locals call it) here in SC about the fawn mortality rate due to coyotes on their property. It was an amazingly high number of fawns taken every year.

If I can find the link to it I'll post it here or send it to you in a PM. You could print it out and use it as evidence to show landowners or deer club lease holders. Seeing the numbers of how many fawn deer they're losing might help your case in convincing them to let you kill some of the coyotes.