# Night Time Fail, looking for help.



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

When I started calling coyotes 5 years ago I started with a Rem700 in 243 with a Bushnell banner 4-12 and was perfectly content. Fast forward 5 years and I've upgraded that 700 and one of the biggest upgrades was the optic, I'm now on a Leupold VX6. I have done a ton of night time calling the last two years with pretty good success, but one thing that I haven't mastered is ranging targets at night, and last night it cost me. I think my optic has actually made it worse, I can see the target so much better now it scews my perception of distance. Of course this is all one big excuse, but it's the reality of it.

Anyways last night I called three spots and on the last one I missed one. I park on the backside of a set of railroad tracks and walk about 100 yards down the opposite just sitting off the edge of the right away. It's a pretty good spot with a ton of coyotes in the timber about 500 yds across the field. I got set up and started calling and got some howls in response to my distress from two different locations. On opposite ends of the timber, one showed itself on the far left side of the timber basically next to the timber. He started crossing right and towards me and howling as he was moving. He then turned back and started back left still closing ground, I could see him plain as day, and then he stopped I settled in and held about an inch from the top of his back and took the shot. The smoke hung in the air blinding me from seeing impact (light reflection into scope). I sat there and called some more trying to see if there other would come in. After about 5 minutes I set off to where I last saw the coyote, I made it to where I thought he was and there was nothing there, I looked high and low and couldn't find him. So I walked straight across to the road and counted my steps back to the tracks. Much to my surprise I walked off 325yds, which still would have been a hit. The best I can tell he was closer to 400 yds which would have put me about 2 inches low. I broke my own cardinal rule I educated a coyote, I cussed myself the whole drive home last night. I'm still fuming mad, so I'm going to work on night ranging. I'm thinking cardboard cutouts set at random distances, we'll see how that goes. Anyone else find a good way to better judge distance at night? Landmarks is an obvious answer, but I hunt a lot of fields similar to this so that is out.


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## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Side note anyone have a tip for keeping calls from freezing up.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

In freezing weather, I always carry two calls with the same reed. One on my lanyard and one in my pocket staying warm.

As far as ranging goes, if these are spots that you have access to in the daylight, i'd go visit them then and make mental notes. If they are new spots I guess the cutouts might be a good training tool.


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## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

youngdon said:


> In freezing weather, I always carry two calls with the same reed. One on my lanyard and one in my pocket staying warm.
> 
> As far as ranging goes, if these are spots that you have access to in the daylight, i'd go visit them then and make mental notes. If they are new spots I guess the cutouts might be a good training tool.


Salesmen if the year right there!

I have called all of them in day time, but like I said most are open field that border timber ground. When they get in the field you lose all reference material.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

LOL I don't see a message in my in box so apparently I am not that good of a salesman....... If I hadn't packed all my stuff I'd just send you another call with reeds.


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## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

I know, I haven't ordered anything in forever. I'll think about what I need.


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## Mo Mo (Sep 16, 2016)

If you know where you will be hunting at night, go there during the day and make a range card. It sounds stupid, but if you figure out where you will be sitting, range items from that location. A taller tuft of grass, a tree, a rock. If you have those ranges and know where the critter is in association with what you have ranged, it should help getting you a little closer than guestimating.

Now as far as scopes at night, the trick that I learned shooting night operations, dial back your magnification. Less magnification means more light to your eye and makes it easier to see the intended target.


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## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Mo Mo said:


> If you know where you will be hunting at night, go there during the day and make a range card. It sounds stupid, but if you figure out where you will be sitting, range items from that location. A taller tuft of grass, a tree, a rock. If you have those ranges and know where the critter is in association with what you have ranged, it should help getting you a little closer than guestimating.
> 
> Now as far as scopes at night, the trick that I learned shooting night operations, dial back your magnification. Less magnification means more light to your eye and makes it easier to see the intended target.


That's just it, we don't have country like out west you have open field and that's it. Think bare dirt, your references are you a tree line and open field. As far as visual goes I don't have any issue there, I'm dialed back to 10x and I can see better than I thought possible at night.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

10x. Dang ! Is that a 10-60 Hubble or what.


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## fr3db3ar (Aug 6, 2011)

Night time you're better with 3-9 or 2-7

Sent from somewhere in the space-time continuum.


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

I agree night time lower power and on freezing of the reed, inhale before you start your calling and do it again when you stop. This will help with both open reeds and enclosed reeds. But as Don stated, never be without backup calls, kept in your pocket, preferably chest pocket inside of your jacket.


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## Rick Howard (Feb 25, 2012)

Ranging at night is difficult. Some of the visual indicators our brains use to judge distance are not there. Artificial lights can actually messes them up more in some scenarios. You happened to be in the worste case scenario that night. Open ground with a large timber backdrop at a significant distance away.

A few things that help me are,

1). Like don said, using known land marks behind and in front of your target. Like I said you were in worste case scenario because you only had one indicator and it was too far away. In fact that tree line actually made the animal appear closer because it was so far away. If you can reference two indicators and place the animal between them you know the animal is in a specific range.

2) This would have been help that night because of the lack of known indicators. using a low intensity scanning light and not using the scope and gun mounted light until you have too. The reason this will help, you touched on it a bit, is because the optic and more artificial light will throw off your depth perception.

Freezing can be combated with some cheese cloth or medical bandage over the need your blowing into. It will help collect moisture. the bad news is this only buys you more time before it freezes. The other option is like what don suggested. Also keeping calls in your pocket or keep the laynadrd in you coat so they stay warm between use. This will also prolong use before freezing.

Another option is open reed.


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## fr3db3ar (Aug 6, 2011)

You could always go digital with a pulsar n850lrf or n960 lrf. Built in range finder that works at night.

Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk


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