king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated Magazine Dec/Jan 2008 - Coyote Crazy! - Index

BY LES JOHNSON
54
PREDATORFLAGE
What it takes to bring them in close
As a die-hard predator caller,
I’ve spent a lot of time
fi guring out what it takes to
bring a predator in close. I believe
one of the more important aspects
of predator calling is concealment.
I like to call predators within
shotgun range which means that
my concealment has to be good.
Concealment goes hand-in-hand
with camoufl age. Calling predators
allows me to put myself on their
playing fi eld, so I like to say that
I need to be wearing a good set of
Predatorfl age, or camoufl age, while
calling predators.
Predators are simply
animals that prey on other
animals. Sometimes they
might scavenge, but more
times than not they prefer
a fresh meal. How
are they successful in
doing this? I like to
say that they use their
Predatorfl age, or their
own fur with its distinct
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markings, as their camoufl age. Lions,
tigers, wolves, coyotes, bobcats, etc, all
have fur characteristics that tend to be a
form of camoufl age. Some have lighter
shades of coloring that blend darker on
various parts of the animal, while others
have spots and distinct lines to help form
their Predatorfl age. This Predatorfl age
helps break up the animal’s outline as
they patiently stalk their next meal.
Most predators can be seen more easily
whenever they are moving. Whenever a
lion, for instance, is crouched in a patch
of yellow grass in Africa waiting for a
wildebeest to stroll by, you can bet
your behind that the only thing
that will save the wildebeest
is smelling the lion before
it gets near the grass that
the lion is in.
Just like a predator, I
sit almost completely
motionless whenever
I am calling
predators. I want
my camoufl age to
blend me into my
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surroundings so that I become like
the predator that I am calling. If I can
fool the wary coyote’s eyes with my
camoufl age concealment, chances
are that I have fooled him altogether.
I do not know about everyone else,
but I have my own personal closet
that is full of every available style of
camo to ever hit the market. Heck, I
even have a few pair of camo undies.
For what, I have no idea. Several
of the brands and styles have worked
better for me over the years than
others. How do I know this? I have
actually tested certain camos over
the years while calling coyotes.
What is my goal as a