I personally enjoy setting up for song dogs, its a thrill similar to hunting turkey or waterfowl. The rush when everything comes together and you see the first dog coming in hot to your set is unparalleled by most other hunts.
It takes some learning and some failures before you get good at it, once you figure it out it's all worth it. I will say that it's easy to overspend on predator hunting however for many years I used a $10 blow call and a cottontail rabbit skin. There are some folks out there that go all out and run $1000 setups and there are some that run a $20 setup, You might wonder which one is best? I'll give you a personal opinion, start small and work up... simply meaning don't break the bank.
Predator hunting isn't for everyone, some love it and others can't stand it, start small and simple. Once you have spent some time over a simple set, you can decide if it's something you want to dedicate time to and go from there. My personal views are hunt with what you can afford, having the fanciest stuff on the market won't change whether or not you enjoy it. I will also suggest finding someone in your area that hunts predators and talking to them, most are glad to teach someone new about what they love. That being said, if you can find someone who already chases song dogs they will probably be willing to assist you in learning calls and set ups that work in your particular area.
When chasing song dogs, a few things will help make your hunt more productive.
1) good sets, I personally use electronic decoys and a mix of electronic and blow calls depending on where I am hunting(my current set ran a total of around $60). Visual attractants can be extremely helpful when hunting areas where there is some hunting pressure on them.
2) practice with your call before you try to hunt with it. I have often seen guys who just bought a predator call go out and try to call song dogs in... You have to know how to imitate real animal sounds to get a good response and in the field is not the best place to practice ( use caution... it may upset your wife if you practice in the living room).
3) Scout. Some areas song dogs are thick as flies on a gut pile, other areas they're few and far between. I have also found that some areas they will float in and out of, one day they are there, the next they're not.
4) Concealment. Decent camo and using terrain to your advantage makes getting them in for a shot much easier(though some places all you have is your camo).
5) Wind. Make certain you have a clear shot down wind of your set, song dogs love to circle into the down wind side to try and scent the set(most often between 50 and 100 yards in my experience). If you have an open shot down wind you can connect more often on the wary ones.
6) Scent. Use a good cover scent, if they smell you they won't come in. I also like to use an attractant on my spinner just in case one gets down wind, it helps to put them at ease when it smells real.
Author: James George
