Michael J. McCasland

Michael J. McCasland
Predator Master Moderator
Born: 1958
Formative years: Westport, New York - Largely a farming community in far upstate N.Y.
Presently: Tucson, Arizona
Military experience: United States Air Force, Engineering Assistance
Current Occupation: Eng. Tech., a fancy name for a Draftsman, mostly doing presentation work

I remember the very first coyote that I ever called. It was in the mid 1970's, coyotes were just making a big impression on the small upstate farming community of Westport New York. The Snowshoe hare population was on a high cycle and they were my prey of choice. But one Friday night I happened to pick up a Field & Stream magazine and an article about calling predators caught my eye. I don't really remember much about the article but I remember that the writer wrote quite a bit about how to make distress sounds by kissing the back of your hand.

Saturday morning found me with an old Fox side-by-side, hammers back, action open 6's in the chamber and two 00 buckshot shells in my pocket, hunting rabbits. As I topped a little knoll I saw a couple of coyotes mousing in a field a couple hundred yards out. I figured "What the heck did I have to loose." So I laid down in the grass. Slid the 00 buckshot shells home and started to kiss/suck on the back of my hand. Lying in the grass made horrible stand, I couldn't see a thing, but I didn't expect a darned thing to happen. Then suddenly a coyote appears about 20 yd. in front of me. I drew down on her and yanked both triggers. Over kill for sure, but a kill it was. I'd like to report that from that moment on I have been a coyote killin' machine, but that wouldn't be the truth. I did not have any calling equipment but mostly I did not have the desire, I was a dedicated small game hunter and nothing was going to get in my way.

A Fine Morning Triple

It was not until about 1986 that I got interested in predator hunting in a big way. I had relocated to Tucson, Arizona. I joined a local predator-hunting club called the Southern Arizona Wildlife Callers, Inc (SAWC). I started to participate in club activities and was quite successful. The SAWC club president once told the membership "Michael McCasland can call a coyote that has no ears." He suckered me in. My progression through the club was fairly solid:

A board position for a year or two
Hunt Master for a couple of years
Running CMP shoots for two years
Gun raffles and fund raising again for two years
Calling demonstrations
Newsletter editor
Club President

I participated in virtually all club related activities and truly enjoyed it. My first few years in the SAWC exposed me to several new calling concepts and ideas. One of them was using a stepladder as a calling stand. People laughed about it but I took on this fairly simple hunting method, worked with the concept and became sort of locally known. Someone suggested that an article about using a stepladder could be written. So, I penned a lengthy piece that was accepted and published by the Varmint Hunter magazine. At about the same time that I wrote the Varmint Hunter article Gerry Blair came down to Tucson and wrote another article about hunting with a ladder for The Trapper and Predator Caller magazine. But don't expect to find my name in Gerry's article. You will find my picture in the article. In fact there was a full-page spread of me on my ladder. However I made such a non-impression on Gerry that he penned my name as Dave McNichols. Then came the Internet. My first introduction to Internet predator hunting sites was the Shade Tree. What an eye opener that was. Suddenly I had access to hundreds of people with the same interest as my own. Life goes on and so do Internet sites. Sadly the Shade Tree passed into memory, and then the Posse Country was born and passed on much like the Shade Tree. Each site brought along with it an ever-growing company of players that hung together, we followed each other from site to site and we grew in numbers. Then came Predator Masters. Predator Masters was Will Craig's dream. Will expanded on the good points of each board that came before and tried to minimize the very few negatives. Will has passed away but he left us the Predator Masters board. I am proud of the history of this board, I'm proud of the membership of this board and I'm proud to be a member and moderator. You will find me roving around from forum to forum however I help moderate in the Predator Masters Hunt and Other Calling Equipment and Critter Getting Techniques. Feel free to drop on by and say hello. Michael J. McCasland

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