coyote_thumper
Active member
Driveway alarms rang at about 4:30am. Two alarms spaces apart by about 100' rang in close succession indicating something moving through fast.
I leaped out of bed, grabbed the bolt action 20 practical (with blind internal magazine). Grabbed a couple shells off the shelf, knocked others on the floor in my hurry. I fumbled to shove a couple rounds into the internal magazine, hit the power button for the thermal scope, racked a round in the chamber, flipped the lens cap open, ran to the living room window, hit the record button, and opened the window.
I quickly slide the window open, stick the rifle out the window and brace off the window frame. Almost immediately the coyote pops into view. I did a lip squeak and the coyote stopped and stared at me. Scope nucs. (about 1 second felt like 10) Once viewfinder becomes active again I try to steady myself and put the crosshairs on the coyote and pull the trigger.
CLICK! HUH? AAGGH, (I recently swapped my thermal scope to a savage model 11 with a 3 position safety. I forgot to take the safety all the way off.) I quickly flip the safety off, and when I do that the hammer releases. (but doesn't fire) So I also have to rack the bolt up and down to re-cock it.
After re-racking the bolt, I line back up on the coyote, but now it starts to walk away. In my haste I took a quick shot before it walked out of my shooting lane. From the sound of the impact and the coyote's reaction. I knew it was a clean miss right away. AAAAGGGGHHHH!! I was so disgusted with myself. I should have known better. I should have done better. I shouldn't have taken that shot. I should have just waited and lip squeaked to coax it back. Or even let it walk away without "educating it". Live and learn i guess. But this was a painful lesson to learn. A day later and I'm still disgusted with myself.
After watching the video I thought I maybe hit the tree. So I went and looked and sure enough, there's a "flesh wound" on the side of the tree.
I leaped out of bed, grabbed the bolt action 20 practical (with blind internal magazine). Grabbed a couple shells off the shelf, knocked others on the floor in my hurry. I fumbled to shove a couple rounds into the internal magazine, hit the power button for the thermal scope, racked a round in the chamber, flipped the lens cap open, ran to the living room window, hit the record button, and opened the window.
I quickly slide the window open, stick the rifle out the window and brace off the window frame. Almost immediately the coyote pops into view. I did a lip squeak and the coyote stopped and stared at me. Scope nucs. (about 1 second felt like 10) Once viewfinder becomes active again I try to steady myself and put the crosshairs on the coyote and pull the trigger.
CLICK! HUH? AAGGH, (I recently swapped my thermal scope to a savage model 11 with a 3 position safety. I forgot to take the safety all the way off.) I quickly flip the safety off, and when I do that the hammer releases. (but doesn't fire) So I also have to rack the bolt up and down to re-cock it.
After re-racking the bolt, I line back up on the coyote, but now it starts to walk away. In my haste I took a quick shot before it walked out of my shooting lane. From the sound of the impact and the coyote's reaction. I knew it was a clean miss right away. AAAAGGGGHHHH!! I was so disgusted with myself. I should have known better. I should have done better. I shouldn't have taken that shot. I should have just waited and lip squeaked to coax it back. Or even let it walk away without "educating it". Live and learn i guess. But this was a painful lesson to learn. A day later and I'm still disgusted with myself.
After watching the video I thought I maybe hit the tree. So I went and looked and sure enough, there's a "flesh wound" on the side of the tree.
