FINE Important Tips

Look over my 10 part calling series on this website here for more aspects to calling

I called and shot this cat in the throat from 80 metres, was a dark overcast night. I used a 223 rifle and an open reeded caller. Time I waited was 40 minutes.

Here are the rules I never break! You may say this is my personal RULE BOOK of calling.

No 1 – Always make your first stand at a place active with predators, fresh kills and or many tracks etc, make your stand early in afternoon, and await nightfall, avoid driving with lights on to the first spot. Your first spot is the most important of the complete night hunt. Your location must be good with 100% visibility.

No 2 – Always  mark areas you will hunt at night with toilet paper or so, so its easy to find and stop at, try moving from one place to another with red filters over bakkie lights, and make sure your petrol / diesel don’t smell.

No 3 – Always cover your truck well, with soft netting not shade cloth, it shines and glares in light, make sure you understand the moon and when to hunt. See my on line course! Use correct sounds throughout the year for a jackal’s cycle. And make sure you know how to call with either electronics or hand calls.

No 4 – Always make sure to not stand away from a jackal proof fence, otherwise the animals can’t get to you, never place the speaker of electronic more than 20 m from the truck, otherwise you wont see an incoming predators eyes as he will be looking in the wrong direction, having that speaker near you will make him look your way and you will see his eyes (this is especially true with cats). Give cats an hour to get to you and jackals 35 minutes.

No 5 – Always after you shoot a jackal slit stomach open and drag it behind truck from one place to another, then after a hunt drive back that way. You can often see jackals, cats and other stuff on the road. Try light up from downwind more often than normal, keep all noise besides calling sounds to a minimum. Don’t eat and talk while hunting.

No 6 – Always sweep out the back of the truck and remove stuff that can make a noise, oil the swivel chair well, check lights work well, and that the rifle shoots its first shot with a cold barrel dead on target !

No 7– Always after calling and shooting a jackal carry on calling; give it time, often you will be able to call in another one at that same stand. Don’t be in a hurry. Have patience, it does pay! I have hunted many places, one such place is Namibia, we called 5 jackals in at the same stand, just waiting, it took about 7 minutes to call 2, then 1 then 2 and then another 2. So, wait after you have shot a dog, give it 5 minutes then quietly move to another previously marked out location.

No 9 – Always start the hunt with scanning around you with the red light IN CASE a critter is walking nearby, then go to a squeaky sound and chirp on and off for about 5 minutes, if nothing shows and is close then start the hunt with how you choose to begin.

No 10 – Always stick to the basics, I speak to many guys and hear many stories, as far as a guy who uses his bakkie lights on full moon to trick jackals into thinking the moon is what it’s seeing and not bakkie white lights, I have not heard of such a thing before!!!! So, stick to basics, use red lights, good sounds, have a good location, use the weather and moon condition correctly and have patience and you will succeed.