I'm sure a fair share of you guys have called and trapped predators and other animals. So which is more exciting to you, calling in an animal, or seeing one bouncing in a trap? My buddy and I often discuss this, As much as he loves to trap, he says seeing a coyote running full bore toward our stand is still more exciting to him. That's his opinion, what's your phylosophy on the matter?

I’ve only called a couple of times successfully. It just didn’t trip my trigger like trapping does.

Calling for me.

I love both. But calling has gotten so popular around here it's tough to get anything to respond anymore.

Calling is an arms race here, a lot of guys doing it at night with Thermals. It's difficult for me to find success calling so I prefer trapping.

Calling for sure. Nothing like getting a coyote wound up and him coming to chew on you. Shotguns in thick brush is a real heart pounder...

I think calling is more exciting, but everyone nowadays has a fox pro and coyotes are very call shy. 10 or 15 years ago me and my dad could call in and 5 to 10 in a weekend, sometimes more, now I’m lucky if I average one coyote every 6 or 7 stands. Trapping doesn’t get my heart racing like calling them in, but it’s far more productive around here.

Trapping.

Agree with what some have said, the thermal guys have changed things. It’s a fun moment when a dog is coming in, id say i get more excited in that moment simply because there is so much that can happen to ruin the moment. Wind changes, car drives by, he could bust you, or you could miss. The anticipation after setting out the line is exciting until you pull up to every set, and then starts again waiting for the next check. If given The choice to only do one, trapping without a doubt.

Never called a predator. Calling a gobbler and rattling a buck deer are the two most rewarding and exciting forms of hunting to me.

I did have a coyote jump right over my brush blind one day on a log deck. I was called for turkey and had a decoy in front of me.

Last year I did a lot of calling and had some success, mostly fox and bobcat. I really like watching those greys come in to a call. This year I decided to devote the time I usually spend calling to setting traps. Just in terms of the amount of critters you get time spent trapping is much more productive for me.

Calling coons is more fun than trapping them, no where near as productive, but more fun IMO. After all my years living in Iowa and trapping 40+ years, another raccoon in a trap is hard to get too excited about. Calling coyotes to me is fun when the coyotes respond, but there are far too many times where you see nothing around here, and that gets discouraging. More fun to check a big snare line for them.

Nothing gives me the shakes better than calling in a bobcat and watching him stalk in towards the decoy....just flat out exciting.

Calling with shotgun and mouth calls hard to beat day time. Virginia just lost a hunter because thermal hunting.

Hands down trapping for me.Nothing else like it.

Calling in a pack of wolves is pretty tough to beat for excitement. In my experience it’s more productive than trapping them.