Predator caller persuades judges

By BRENT FRAZEE

The Kansas City Star

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Jon Paul Moody was doing his best to sound like food.

Coyote food.

Standing on the stage last weekend during the World Predator Calling Championship at the Overland Park Convention Center, he used a call to imitate the sounds of a rabbit in distress.

He has used the homemade call dozens of times in the wild to bring hungry coyotes out of hiding and within shooting range. This time, though, he was trying to impress a panel of judges, not a wild creature.

It must have worked. Moody, 32, of Paris, Tenn., was chosen the champion and went home with a trophy and $1,500.

“When you’re hunting predators like coyotes, you become the hunted. You become the prey,” Moody said. “You have to put emotion into your calling.

“You have to get that coyote to believe there is a rabbit in distress out there; an easy meal.”

Hunting in Tennessee, Moody has been able to do just that.

Using his calls and a battery-operated rabbit decoy made by one of his friends, he has persuaded coyotes to move as close as four yards from him.

A lifelong hunter, he took up predator hunting just seven years ago. Now it’s one of his favorite pursuits.

He has incorporated his love of the outdoors into his job. He runs the Sonrise Adventure Youth Sportsman Camp, a Christian-based camp designed to introduce youth to many facets of the outdoors.

He also runs Harvest Outdoor Ministries, a business in which he travels the country to talk about Christianity and the outdoors. He often demonstrates calls during those talks.

Now they will be the calls of a world champion.

“The ministry is where my heart is,” he said. “But something like this definitely helps. It will help me get the message across.”

To reach Brent Frazee, The Star’s outdoors editor, call 816-234-4319 or send e-mail to bfrazee@kcstar.com

Posted on Sat, Aug. 30, 2008 10:15 PM

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