Seeing rk’s success this morning got me all fired up to head out this evening. I headed out to an area I haven’t been in awhile and didn’t do to bad. I did 3 stands and called fox on each stand. On the second stand I took my rifle with me even though I had an over whelming feeling that I should carry the shotgun, I really need to start listening to those feelings, if I had I could have easily shot everything that came in tonight. On each stand I started out with baby cottontail and moved into screamin grey.

I just finished a quick edit on this one and thought you all might enjoy it. As always I am open to all feedback.

thanks for looking!

A good friend of mine recently started a new website. I believe it will turn into something special.
Take a look and join up!
The National Predator Hunters Association

thenhpa.com

Prescott Valley police and a state wildlife officer were able to track and kill a potentially rabid bobcat Wednesday after it attacked two people in Prescott Valley. Officials hope it was the same bobcat that attacked a dog about an hour earlier, especially since it had blood on it before the second attack. It was the latest in a string of odd rabid wild mammal attacks against people in northern Arizona in recent months.
“People should really keep their eyes open and be careful if they’re hiking outdoors and take precautions to protect themselves, especially if they see a wild animal,” Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Manager Scott Poppenberger said.
State lab officials said they will test the bobcat today for rabies, related Zen Mocarski of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
The dog attack occurred in a PV yard near Lynx Creek at about 3 p.m., Poppenberger said. The dog’s caretaker was able to break up the fight and get the dog indoors before calling for help.
Poppenberger was investigating that attack when another bobcat attack call came in at about 3:50 p.m. from about a mile downstream.
Christina Montonati, 13, said she was having fun with her mother and two sisters at a rope swing along Lynx Creek near Stoneridge Drive when the bobcat lunged at her, scratching and biting her lower right leg.
Her mother Lisa grabbed the full-grown, 40-pound male bobcat by the neck as it rolled over and bit her on both arms.
“I started screaming and I threw rocks at its face,” said Christina’s sister Talisa, who called 911 as the bobcat ran off.
Poppenberger and PV police found the bobcat within 10 minutes, and it continued to be abnormally aggressive.
“It came after the two officers and fortunately they were able to euthanize it,” Poppenberger said.
The mother and daughter received treatment at Yavapai Regional Medical Center East, and will have to get rabies shots if tests show the bobcat was rabid. So will the dog.
The latest attack comes on the heels of another bobcat attack at several businesses in Cottonwood on March 24.
Two foxes attacked hikers in the Granite Mountain Recreation Area just west of Prescott in November and February. One man beat a fox to death with his walking stick, while a female victim had to jog about a mile back to her vehicle with the fox’s jaws latched onto her arm before forcing it into her vehicle’s trunk. That was a strange enough incident to get her a spot on the David Letterman show.
In neighboring Coconino County, people have come across nine rabid foxes in the Flagstaff area since November, with another two in the Sedona area. Most recently, a fox on Mt. Elden near Flagstaff tried to attack three people and their pets.
Those incidents led the Coconino County Board of Supervisors to institute a three-month-long rabies quarantine and vaccination baiting program April 4.
The state recorded a record 176 rabid animals last year, with 11 in Yavapai County. More than half of the animals (89) were bats.
Arizona Department of Health Services officials say they’re on track to set another record this year. At least 48 cases are confirmed so far, with four in Yavapai County.
State Veterinarian Elisabeth Lawaczeck attributes the record-breaking numbers to at least two factors: an increasing human population and the cyclical nature of rabies.

Well my predator hunting season is over. The season goes by so fast, but by the end I am in need of a break. Give it a month or two and my Ol trigger finger will get that itch and the anticipation for next season will be over whelming. I will still drag out the camera for a few stands here and there, But the killing is done. Long hot days plus cat and fox season being over makes it a great time to hang it up. Time to pack up the calling equipment and dust off the fishing rods.

So what keep you all sane during the off season, Family, fishing, shooting, other hobbies….?

Besides my family and fishing I have a lot of film to edit, some commentaries and other misc things to film plus I have a few other ideas to work on.

Check back often, as I will still be posting. I will be working on a few more tips, equipment reviews and recording some more sounds for download.

Thanks for reading!

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A Spartanburg County teenager is being called a hero after he helped his neighbor who was being attacked by a coyote last week.
Officials said that 9-year-old Ashton Crowe was waiting for the school bus in Pacolet when she was attacked by a rabid coyote. Her neighbor, 16-year-old David Miller, heard the commotion and ran over to help her.
Eventually, Miller’s grandfather was able to shoot the coyote.
On Friday, Miller was given a proclamation from the state legislature in recognition of his heroics during a ceremony at Broome High School.
Miller is taking the recognition in stride.

“I just heard her screaming and ran out there,” Miller said. “(I) saw what was happening and (I knew) what needed to be done.”
Crowe’s mother said she’s certain Miller saved her daughter’s life.

“There’s nothing I can say or do to make him realize how thankful I am that he was there,” said Brandi Cantrell, Crowe’s mother. “I could have easily lost her.”
Crowe received rabies vaccinations after the attack. Her mother says she still has nightmares about the attack.

A tourist from the Netherlands who was attacked by a javelina at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has taken the first step to filing a lawsuit against the Tucson facility and Pima County taxpayers, according to a Sunday report.

Rene Zegerius has filed a claim for $400,000 over the incident in June, when he standing along a path inside the museum grounds when a javelina attacked him.

The pig-like animal tore muscle and nerves and severed veins and arteries in his right calf and left hand.

Zegerius spent eight days in a hospital, and says he lost money on hotel and travel reservations.

Medical expenses came to $70,000, and a last-minute ticket back to the Netherlands cost more than $15,000.

He had to buy a first-class ticket because doctors told him he needed to stay horizontal.

“These were very serious injuries,” said Clague Van Slyke, a Tucson attorney representing Zegerius. “It could have been fatal. Fortunately, it wasn’t, but he has permanent nerve damage.”

Van Slyke said Zegerius wants only fair compensation for what he has suffered and the money he wouldn’t have had to spend if he hadn’t been bitten.

Robert Edison, the museum’s executive director, said he’s certain the javelina that attacked Zegerius did not belong to the museum.

He said officials from the Arizona Game and Fish Department checked every animal for blood or other evidence and found nothing. The javelina that attacked Zegerius was never found.

Van Slyke, who last month filed a claim against Pima County — which owns the museum site — said he doesn’t believe the museum proved that the javelina that attacked his client didn’t belong to them, and zookeepers have an absolute obligation to keep visitors safe from animals.

“They have a duty to guests to protect them,” he said. “They shouldn’t have waited for someone to be attacked to take action.”

Edison said the museum has wild animals on the grounds all the time because it is part of a natural setting. “Guests are advised of that,” he said.

Attorneys from both sides say they hope to resolve the issue outside the courtroom.

Health officials say a bobcat that attacked an Indiantown man last week was infected with rabies.

The Martin County Health Department reported Monday that 28-year-old Romeo P. Gomez must undergo treatment in case he was infected with the virus. Okeechobee Animal Control says Gomez and a friend were working on a fence at a private ranch Thursday when the bobcat approached them. Gomez attempted to scare the animal away, but the cat jumped at him and began to attack. Gomez’s friend grabbed a hammer and killed the 30-pound cat.

Health officials suspected the animal had rabies because bobcats usually shy away from humans and rarely attack.

The virus can be fatal if left untreated.

In the sleepy little town of Bridgeport, AZ there has been a rash of mountain lion attacks. 1-15-09 a neighbor of the St. Joseph’s Catholic School heard a commotion but it wasn’t until the next morning when some children who feed the animal for there animal husbandry class found the carnage. One goat was killed and another injured.
On the Monday prior to theses attacks there was another attack just on the opposite side of SR 89A. This attack involved a 6 year old little girls pet sheep. One was mauled so bad it had to be put down, another is recovering. AZ game and fish founds a clear paw print implicating a mountain lion in the attacks.

I had made plans to head out tomorrow for some calling and spending this morning earning my kitchen pass. But as soon as I made my way out to the deck for the morning coffee and seen frost everywhere knew I was in trouble. After a few cups I couldn’t take it any longer so I pack up the ol Cat Swatter and headed out for a couple quick stands. On my second stand I had the MOJO woodpecker and the FoxPro set out 20 yards in front of me on a cross wind set up. Less than a minute playing cotton tail distress I had this pretty little female on a hard charge straight for the Woodpecker. She checked up six steps from the decoy and I let her lick her lips a few times before I unleashed the Swatter. The quick trips out I take are usually in high pressure areas, Using a decoy adds a little more realism helping to bring in those call shy coyotes. The MOJO Woodpecker is quickly becoming my favorite decoy. They are lite, great on batteries and perfect for almost any stand. They come with an eyelet for hanging them in a tree and a stake for running them on the ground, truly universal.