Callin' ...

     Howdy!  Let's ring-in the new year with a little slough-savvy and wood-wise 101 and talk about callin'.  If I'm after a particular game animal that I'm familiar with, I'll attempt to lure 'em in by callin'.  But as far as "Bigfoot", Caddo critters, wildmen or wood-apes ... I don't use calls, at least not yet, anyways.  Why, might you ask?  Well, let me answer that question with another question: Why would someone try to call, wood-knock or whatever if they didn't know exactly what this animal's vocalizations actually meant?



 

Some tools of the trade if you're goin' to be callin' ...

     The gist of game callin' is understandin' what a particular animal is tryin' to communicate to the rest of its group.  For example, when I duck hunt for mallards and a flock is flyin' high overhead, I would use what's called a high-ballin' call to turn the passin' flock around and get 'em to fly in closer to my decoys.  But upon approach, I would then use a feed call to try and get 'em to light ... signalin' them that my decoy flock is feedin' on somethin'.  But, say if I were an inexperienced birder, did not know what call was needed and at that point had continued high-ballin' ... it would be like sendin' out an alert!  That incomin' flock would most probably flare and keep on flyin' ...
 

     Here's another example; this time ... let's use deer.  If I used a buck grunt call, it alerts any deer in the area that a dominant male is around.  This may work to get a competin' buck to come on in; however, it might drive away the younger bucks.  Durin' the rut, if I used rattlin' horns in conjunction with various buck grunts, it signals the herd that two bucks are competin', and again ... lures in dominant bucks, as well as the curious.  Deer are both territorial and curious, but have extremely heightened senses; one wrong sound ... and them deer will disappear! 

 

     My third example would be for predators, such as coyotes or large cats.  I would use a fawn bleet or a wounded rabbit call to lure in a predator for an easy meal.  And if it were daylight, I would use a crow call or a squirrel call in conjunction with the wounded animal call, 'cause these animals are the "sentries" of the forest, and alert others that somethin' is happenin' or that somethin' just ain't right.  This is also a "confidence call" for the predator, who's probably competin' with other predators for that easy meal.  Curiosity usually kills the cat ...

     I know all of this due to the time that I've spent out there in them woods ... or as I like to say, doin' my time in the grime!  But as far as the mystery biped that my son and I had come across ... I have abso-friggin'-lutely no clue as to what its vocalizations sound like or what they mean!  I've never personally witnessed one of these critters actually vocalize out in the wild.  And as far as I know, no one has ever recorded one of these animals on film while it was actually makin' a call or knockin' on trees.  So my question is, why would someone attempt to vocalize, call-blast, yell, scream or bang on trees?  It just doesn't make any friggin' sense to me!

 

      I personally try to be as quiet as possible while I'm scoutin' or servicin' my trail-cams.  Why?  'Cause my son and I were bein' quiet the mornin' we had Our Encounter.  I believe that this animal was surprised ... prob'ly 'bout as much as we were!  I believe it was bein' quiet 'cause it was prob'ly stalkin' for some food.  We saw and filmed lots of deer that mornin' ... and I believe we interrupted its hunt.  I also believe that this animal is prob'ly a higher form of primate, is more intelligent than most local critters and pretty much-well knows when somethin' is traipsin' 'round in its territory.  Kinda like when them other critters seemed to shut-down when this critter was traipsin' about.
 

      I think these critters are just plumb curious, and will come to see what the Hell folks are doin' out there in them woods.  The only other critter sounds we heard when we encountered this thing were crows; they were cawin' and circlin' overhead as this thing moved further back into them woods.  Come to think about it, all of the wrens, cardinals and frogs we had heard when we first got there had shut-down.  Other than its movement through the flooded forest and the breakin' of branches further back in them woods ... we never heard any vocalizations.  So other than our normal activities out there, I couldn't tell y'all what might attract it, other than its own curiosity ...



Trail's end; for the last 2 years, this tree-fall has blocked the Smith's Slough access to Carter Lake.

 

    Gettin' back to the subject of callin' ... when I've been back there in the area of our encounter, a lot of the times I was alone; and a lot of those times I was alone out there at night.  Them woods back there are dark & creepy enough without me wonderin' what might be wanderin' 'round close by.  This critter is obviously large, so the last thing I'd want to do is alarm it or p¡ss it off.  What if, as in the case of a dominant buck, this thing wanted to be territorial?  Well then, I'd guess that my 5' 8½" 200 lb. ass would pretty-much-well be sh¡t-outta luck!  Oh, sure ... let me just sit out there at 2:00 A.M. and yell, scream or bang on some friggin' trees.  Hmmm, maybe I can elicit a response?  Hell, maybe I'll actually get to see it up close & personal, just before I come-up missin' ...

 

    Me callin' for this particular animal ain't goin' to happen 'til I learn more about it.  I'd much rather have this animal get curious and approach me on its own terms.  Maybe then I could get to see it vocalize, or maybe then we could observe one another without either of us gettin' out-of-sorts.  I'd much rather be Shootin'Nature ... as in with some sort-of recordin' device like my Canon SX50 than findin' out the hard way whether or not my Springfield XDm .40 cal. could stop it.  Hopefully, this thing won't be scared of any sudden movements ... as in my bowels cuttin' loose or me gettin' into a ragin' friggin' sprint and runnin' out of them woods.  At that point, maybe then I'd probably start callin' ... most likely 911!