Great evening of Snow-Crowds-Red Bull -Cheese curds & Racing!

Heidi already has her plans set…coyotes and a new shotgun!  I was fortunate to have my Dad pass to me his beautiful Smith & Wesson Model 1000 12g a shotgun last year so Im looking forward to a hunt with it.

My first hunt was in 2008 during Fall Turkey season with a great guide.  After a half mile walk in the dark, thru swampy land that pulled my boots off at one point – I made my first shot!  What excitement went thru me when I saw the 26lb Tom I had shot.  Bitter sweet – in the thrill of pulling the trigger I failed to hold on tight to my shotgun and almost broke my nose.  Live and learn.

Today my beautiful bird is sitting in the corner of our EDGE office-reminding me always to “Hold on tight”.

Like Heidi-Im thinking coyote hunting is next on my list.  Hoping someday to hook up with Sparky from M2D Camo on one of his Idaho hunts.

Happy Hunting this year and remember to Hunt with Edge.      Carolyn H. Pidgeon

This is my first time officially blogging! That’s what the new year is all about – newness!

Here at Edge we have a lot of exciting new things happening. The 2012 lineup is pretty exciting – waterfowl and predator! We will keep you posted on these! The 2012 catalog is in print and we are gearing up to hit the trade show circuit. Doesn’t leave much time for hunting right now. At some point I need to get out after some coyotes – which would be a brand new experience for me. Also on my list is to get a new shotgun  – let me reword – get a shotgun as I have been borrowing this past year. May need some feedback on this! Will keep you posted!

Movement has been the end of a lot of hunts, but you can also use movement to your advantage. Gain an EDGE by adding a decoy to your hunt. For best results, pick a location where you will have good cover but the decoy will be in the open. Wear a camo pattern that matches the surrounding cover(M2D Camo always a good choice), including a face mask and gloves. The decoy should be elevated to make it as visible to the surrounding area as possible. Select a decoy that matches the calling sound you’re going to use.

When calling with coyote sounds such as howls, challenge barks and so on, use a coyote decoy. When using distress sounds, use a small animal decoy. When calling coyotes, a red fox decoy is also a good choice. Red fox are the bottom of the canine food chain and a coyote will see a red fox as both food and a competitor.  When a coyote or a fox comes to the call, it will expect to see the animal making the call. If it doesn’t, it will spook.

Be sure the decoy is upwind of your location. Both coyote and fox will often circle the decoy to try to wind it. After setting up, wait 20 to 30 minutes before starting to call to allow things to settle down in the area. While calling, watch every area very carefully. A predator will often try to check out the area from a safe location such as cover before moving in. Once the shot presents itself, keep your movements down. After the shot, keep calling just in case a second predator comes in.

A decoy will increase your success and add a lot of fun to the hunt.

Good luck and good hunting.