After failing to draw a tag for the late season wolf hunt here in Minnesota, i successfully purchased a leftover license the other day when they went on sale. The early season, which runs concurrent with our firearms deer season, was surprisingly successful and about 150 of the statewide quota of 400 wolves were taken. THe late season starts after Thanksgiving and runs the same time as the trapping season, which should account for most of the wolves. This is Minnesota's first modern wolf hunt and I'm extremely excited to give it a try. Has anybody got any experience or any tips to help me out? I'll be hunting relatively thick forested areas. Using bait is allowed, but I'll probably be moving and trying too many different locations to bother with that. Unfortunately, night hunting is not allowed, and neither are rifles smaller than .220 caliber..... I guess that leaves out my favorite rifle.. I've worked up a nice batch of 88gr Berger High-BC flat base hollow points for my 6mm to do the job. I also intend to use both the foxpro call and my beautiful voice to try to locate the big dogs.... We'll see if they agree and it works, but please if anyone has any useful tips, do share!
I'll have the camera with for sure. I agree, the 6mm is probably better suited for killing the 80-90 lb critters. I thought the .20 cal Hornady 45 gr spire points might get good enough penetration to kill a wolf, but you really can't argue with an 88 grainer at 3050 fps. Should be fun and hopefully I get to see the terminal performance of these HPs on a wolf.
You need a gray/white stuffed animal a little larger than a normal sized rabbit, 100 yards of twine, and some tent stakes with a hook or eyelet in the top.
Tie the twine onto the decoy, drape over a fenceline so that it will rest on the ground, twine over the top, first tent stake on your side of the fence directly below the fenceline (paint the twine on the fence same as fenceline color - dull gray, rust, whatever), every so often, plant tent stake back to your shooting position in order to keep the twine in the grass. Call the wounded rabbit shriek...and start shooting.
The ONLY thing better than this.........the dead pit at a pig farm.
Quick update: I've gone out three times and had conversations with multiple wolves at one of the spots. I thought hearing a tom gobble at me while turkey hunting got my blood pumping... Having wolves howling in response to my own vocalization is a rush! Long story short, I played a distress call and howled to start out, but with no action. Then as I walked 3/4 mile back to my truck, I heard howling from a single wolf off in the distance. I walked a ways to get further down wind of where I thought the wolve was at and gave a couple long, friendly sounding howls in their direction. I was pleasantly surprised when two or three answered back in a "chorus" about a half a mile away. I moved around to try to get in better position and howled a couple more times. Nothing replied until just as I was getting back to my truck I heard a defensive high-pitched bark-howl. It sounded as if it were a warning howl, or maybe something territorial. I walked to within 300-400 yards of the howling, but still couldn't see more than about 80 yards through the thick woods. I howled and the wolf shut up for a while. Then he resumed his bark-howling. I started a coyote distress call and never heard anything else. I sat for about 45 minutes before finally admitting my defeat. On my walk back, I found where a wolf had walked up to my tracks and obviously smelled my trail. In retrospect I think this was the pissed-off bark-howler. Anyway, I wish I could go back and try everything a different way. Even so, it was an incredible experience. The next two times I went out I heard no howling. Hopefully I can get within earshot of some more wolves soon!
acloco, i have considered a decoy. So far the places I've hunted haven't been the best places for them, because i've been hunting dense woods with cleared straight trails or cuts through the woods as shooting lanes, and have relied more on attracting them with sound. That, and fence lines aren't as common here in Minnesota or as visible as they might be out west. I could definitely see using a decoy if I hunt on a lake or pond where I need to pull them out in the open.
acloco wrote:Wolves or other creatures, don't care about WHAT the bunny is hung up on....when they hear the sound, see the wiggle....they WILL come!!!!
That last part seems to be pretty true of all hunting species. For example, it is well documented that the two legged wolf throws all caution to the wind when he see's the two legged fox, well.....................wiggle!
acloco wrote:Wolves or other creatures, don't care about WHAT the bunny is hung up on....when they hear the sound, see the wiggle....they WILL come!!!!
That last part seems to be pretty true of all hunting species. For example, it is well documented that the two legged wolf throws all caution to the wind when he see's the two legged fox, well.....................wiggle!
I guess that leaves out my favorite rifle.. I've worked up a nice batch of 88gr Berger High-BC flat base hollow points for my 6mm to do the job. I also intend to use both the foxpro call and my beautiful voice to try to locate the big dogs.... We'll see if they agree and it works, but please if anyone has any useful tips, do share!
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