Hunter55
Well-known member
You have those hunts you never talk about that just aggravate you to tears, as was the two hunts on the 30th and 1st leading into this successful hunt that finally put a smile on my face.
The 30th two coyotes came out of the timber way beyond 300 yards stopped about 4 times before getting to the barn as I let out a series of pup distress’. They meandered around BRIEFLY and their snooping around the barn was cut short by the ecaller. They turned around and proceeded to come back to the timber in the same route, and again, stopped about four times but I couldn’t get them in any closer, they were having none of it. Seldom do I take a shot unless I know I can make the shot, and the yardage here was so UNCERTAIN I figured I’d just be educating them to touch one off. So, I got to watch them go to the barn, then turn around and comeback, unscathed. URRRGGH
The 1st, a fellow who I’ve hunted on a couple times text me and says they just harvested, so I made a bee line down to his place. He has about 40 acres and this particular field was about 10 acres with the field across the road in excess of 200 acres remained untouched with beans and corn. I’m thinking about the 200 acres that’s been untouched going why did I drive down here? Anyway, we talk and he wants to ride along with, so, I get setup and he’s standing there in the dark and I asked him, “Do want to check out my scanner?” He did, and that was the moment I lost my scanner. Oh boy, this is going to be a VERY short night. Anyway we might have sit there another 20 minutes and called it a night.
And finally I have the night of the 2nd, a DRT moment, an adrenalin filled moment with another heaping portion of patience dished right out in a huge serving.
It had rained all day up into mid afternoon making the quality of the thermal scanner and scope function a bit on the grainy side and the need for positive identification a bit challenging as well. It was cloudy with a humid temperature of about 60° with the temps falling; the wind between 5-7 mph from the NNE, and the illumination of the moon was at 60%.
The farm is about 100 acres with rolling hills, nice clear cut hay fields and timbered draws and brushy side hills. I unloaded my ATV, loaded up my Win 70 long range MB chambered in 22-250, tripod, ecaller, stool, chest pack, etc. and headed to a big ridge South of the barn.
I parked my ATV beside an old blown down abandoned plastic hunting blind just off the East side of the ridge line so as not be sky lined. Setup my tripod and then setup my ecaller about 70 yards to the SE. My stool was nestled in the mess and the tripod extended so I could shoot standing up. The farmer had texted me right after I got there to inform me his wife forgot to put the dog up, I heard said puppy barking to the North of me up by the ole house about 500 yards away. I had been scanning about 40 minutes when I spotted movement in the draw, just a slight, slow movement, didn’t move like a coyote. 1st thing I thought, “Was this the farmer’s dog? I despise using a phone while hunting, BUT, I text James and he said they found the dog and everything was cool. Fortunately for me said animal in the draw was still sitting there looking at the hillside and it moved just enough for me to establish a long bushy tail, ah, a coyote! This staring and contest of curiosity lasted well North of seven minutes while I was awaiting a broad side shot. The ecaller was on low volume bouncing between pup distress and pup screams and finally the coyote gets up and SLOWLY starts meandering out of the freshly cut timber toward the edge of the field, no doubt this was a coyote, no matter how peculiar their behavior. As I mounted the Win 70 I reached with my left hand, loosened the lock on the leveling head thumbed of the safety and waited. The coyote only moved a few yards and stopped giving me a broad side shot at 304 yards per Huntstand. I squeezed the Timney trigger and the Win 70 let out her muffled report as I watched the coyote go DRT to the Nosler 50gr. BTV. I watched and waited, figuring I see movement, but, it was a DRT coyote. And then I seen movement in the timber behind the coyote and to the South, another coyote, BUT that coyote never presented me a shot and awaits for another hunt!
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