One of the most effective ways to hunt predators in thick cover is to find an elevated shooting platform. Keep in mind, however, that predators know their prey is found on the ground.

The first coyote showed up just five minutes after Mark Prudhomme started blowing on his call. All he saw, he recalled, was a head poking out of the brush on the far edge of the field. Prudhomme raised his rifle, found his target and squeezed the trigger.

"It happened so fast, I figured I'd stay put and call some more, just to see if anything else might come in," he said.

Ten minutes later, a second coyote stepped into the field, and a single shot from Prudhomme's rifle dropped that one in its tracks. So he kept calling. A few minutes later, he noticed something trotting down the edge of the thick cover, a third coyote. It also fell to a single shot.

"Was I surprised to have three come in? Heck yeah, but you never know what's going to happen when you call predators," he said.

Prudhomme, a Knight & Hale prostaffer, wasn't hunting in Texas, Kansas or some other predator-hunting hotspot. He was hunting in the coastal plain of South Carolina, an area hardly known as a top predator destination. He admits triples or even doubles on coyotes doesn't happen often. In fact, he'd never called in three coyotes from a single stand up until that day, and he hasn't done it since. He has, however, scored on coyotes and bobcats with enough frequency to keep his interest and enthusiasm high.

Predator hunting in the eastern United States has enjoyed a loyal following among a core group of dedicated hunters, but it's starting to gain wider momentum as more hunters seek a challenging and thrilling day in the field. All it takes is one successful hunt, and those who try it are hooked. However, calling in that first predator can be a daunting task--at least for beginners.

"When I give seminars, people ask me why they don't have much success. There are lots of variables, but the one thing I try to stress is that coyotes aren't really that abundant where I live, and neither are foxes or bobcats," he said. "It takes plenty of effort to call in a predator in the East. However, there are other factors that come into play, as well, so everything has to be just right in order to be successful."

Prudhomme figures he calls in a cat, fox or coyote once every four or five attempts. He pulls the trigger even less because anything that might go wrong often does.

"I'm sure I call in more predators than I realize. They can come in and wind me before I ever get a chance to see them because the cover is so thick. Even when I think I have the perfect set-up, it seems like there are variables that I just can't control," he says.

John Carr, a dedicated predator hunter from Orange, Virginia, agrees. Although he's been serious about hunting foxes in the rolling farmland and pine plantations around his home for the past five years, he's still learning from his mistakes. He's made plenty. Like Prudhomme, he realized that he wasn't having a high rate of success at first because he wasn't hunting where predators live. Sounds obvious, of course, but not all areas are equal and not all have high numbers of predators. Now, however, he focuses his efforts on areas where he's seen foxes while deer hunting.

"I also go by what other people tell me. If they've seen a few foxes in an area, I'll give it a try, or if I see lots of droppings or tracks, I know it's worth a try," he said.