Here are a few things that you need to look at before you pick up the telephone and ask me or other professional callers “WHY?”

Jackal hunting in general is not easy, the animals are naturally very intelligent and far wiser than cousins found abroad such as coyotes. I have met 3 hunters who have called coyotes while in America, all agree that it’s so easy and you can actually stand in the open and call them, camo and other fancy items such as scent

hiders etc are not necessary, they are pretty dumb animals. The one hunter I know said it is touching canned hunting it’s so easy. So enter the Jackal – by far not a dumb customer! These guys had a saying that if the jackals were as dumb as coyotes we would not have any jackals, they would all be dead!

Anyway, here are some facts you may want to look over after witnessing first hand a jackal that answers but fails to come in to say hi!- maybe you will spot something here you are doing wrong

1.     Does your diesel tank smell? Jackals know diesel smells well, and humans and diesel go together! So after you set up and you hear him barking this may be why he is laughing at you!

2.     How about camouflage? Are you using black or shade cloth? mmmm if you are STOP! It is no good; it shines and makes a noise in the wind! Black stands out at night in the Karoo or wheat fields. USE Hessian sheets with mud on it or camo military net and cut off those metal O rings!!!

3.     Are you using cover scents in a bottle placed down wind? Use old cat or jackal urine in a bottle or 2-3 bottles.

4.     Are you using the correct sounds for that time of the year? (See the time table on this site) – It is vital to match his yearly cycle with sounds.

5.     How about the moon, are you hunting Jackal on a moon night bigger than quarter? If you are then STOP!

6.     Are you giving it enough time? Sit for 35 minutes at a spot.

7.     Go to the best place first in day and camo up, await nightfall and start calling. NEAR a fresh carcass.

8.     Don’t wear black or camo truck in black.

9.     Never overcall with Jackal sounds, it is not normal, play 3-5 seconds and put off, then again after 20 seconds do it again.

10.    Has your neighbour maybe shot and missed Jackals, this makes them very wise! If you call, and a jackal comes in but you are not sure of the shot – then rather leave it.

11.  Check by the teeth the age of jackals shot and condition and see if maybe you have not killed the ALPHA male in your area, if yes then concentrate on more female sounds, it helps.

12. How about your light – are you using RED? Is the light throwing a good enough beam of light?

13.  Are you JUST calling educated dogs? THEN USE NIGHT VISION.

14.  Did you drive to the hunting spot with your lights on? ALWAYS go to the first spot, the BEST spot in daylight and get ready and wait for darkness -avoid driving with lights on – if you do put red filters over bakkie lights.

15.  In breeding season (April / May) NEVER use Challenge call to much, it scares away year old dogs and they won’t approach. Use a Challenge call maybe 3 times then stop altogether.

16.  When you set up, do you park 200m, or closer to a jackal proof fence? Always park near the fence, so animals can get to you. Try park on the fence line on a corner.

17.  Try to never use the same distress sounds too often at the farm, change sounds, it will then not make any animal wise.

18.  Make sure your sounds are clear and not distorted, they must be as natural as possible, avoid distorted sounds.

19. Try to not overcall an area, give it a month or two to recover, and then call it again.

20.  If you are doing all the above, and still cant come right, THEN on full moon sit close to a fresh jackal kill work out the path they come in on and sit still, watch the area and use a shotgun. Use no lights or calls, just sit still and wait.

21.  REMEMBER if calling after breeding season, say July & August this is a difficult period and success is not very good.

GENERAL;

It is not always easy to work out what makes the dogs less interested to approach, BUT this can give you a guideline, also remember that during late season times – June July and August it is harder for anybody to call jackal. In some cases at some farms it is totally a waste of time to even try calling, rather stay at home and keep warm!

I hunt seldom in Leeugamka district – this area is terrible during that time, it is nearly impossible to call them at this time of the year.

Also remember that you can’t call something that’s not around, so make sure you set up in areas with sign – i.e.; tracks, dead carrion, or also areas with lots of fresh mess (shit), this is a scent spot and good to call it

If you are doing all the basics correctly and still have no luck, then you can put it down to educated animals that either you or your neighbours have called and missed or made very wise.

Finally, if still you cant succeed, get up early, walk to an elevated spot that jackals walk, and call as it get light with a distress sound, or at dust from ground level with distress call and after that walk back to the truck about 500m further on and call from the truck, try different things, things that the dogs are not used to.

If you need any callers either electronics, hand calls, chairs or lights etc, see our prices page! www.africanpredator.com

To get a remote control Foxpro caller with 32 sounds buy a FX3 from Joe at sales@gofoxpro.com

Order red lights, chairs and other equipment directly from me at 0824853885 or see our prices page.

Trapping cages and urines etc contact me directly at 0824853885