Hyperwrx
New member
Andrew (kodiak62) and I went down South today for a morning of calling. By 10:30 we were dripping sweat and called it a day not before calling in 9 coyotes and 1 bobcat in 9 stands. I don't see numbers like this and we saw so many coyotes I should have wrote down stand by stand what happened as I have a tough time remembering. Andrew correct me if I make an error.
Background- I did all ladder stands and Andrew was standing. We both used shotguns only. All stands we misted. All but 1 stand I used the Minaska All-In-One caller. All stands but 1 I used rabbit distress (1 stand was a woodpecker distress).
Stand 1- Hard charger to the right of the ladder. Comes in from downwind. He turns as I spin and raise the shotgun. I hit him as he's running away. Dead.
Stand 2- Coyotes comes in from downwind circles arund Andrew and ends up 40 yards from caller 70 yards from me. I try everything in the book to get him to come closer and he's rooted so I stand up on the ladder to get above the bushes and shoot from there. He laughs, gives me the finger, and runs off.
Stand 3- Up against heavy thick cover. Call one in and it hangs up at about 60 yards. Andrew tries lip squeaking it in and he refuses to budge. He turns and Andrew shoots and the coyote scampers off apparently unscathed.
Stand 4- Walk 150 yards off the road. fairly open with thick cover behind us. calling starts and I see a large crow dive-bombing something about 100 yards out into the desert. I thought to myself, their bent about something and its probably a bobcat. 2 minutes later I hear Andrews gun go off and he shot a 25 pound bobcat 10 feet from the Minaska. It came in at an angle I couldn't see his approach. Good job Andrew.
Stand 5- I end up hand calling as I forget the Minaska at the last stand #4 in the bushes- duh. Oddly enough my hand calling is our first blank stand of the morning. Crap.
Stand 6- Get caller back and set up in nice flat with creosote area. Andrew is downwind. Minute 2 I get a hard charger from upwind coming at the caller. At 50-60' out I see it running through an open area and I take the shot as its running- mistake #1. I miss and the disoriented coyote turns toward me as making a wide 50' 180 degree turn. I shoot again at about 25' and miss again! I can believe this and bear down for the last shot as the coyote passes right in front of my ladder. CLICK! I didn't load in a 3rd shell for some reason. Coyote laughs, flips me off and runs away. By far the worst exhibition of shooting I have ever been a part of. No excuses. I need to take more time and have the mind to bark and stop the coyote before shooting.
Stand 7- Blank stand.
Stand 8- Bad stand selection on my part. Cross wind but where I positioned Andrew had his wind blowing past the route the coyotes would take coming in to the caller. As luck would have it, a triple comes in. They're flying in through the creosote bushes and as the first 2 come into the Andrews wind they spin a 180 and head back out. Coyote #3 is in the bushes a bit longer and takes the time to take a piss in our general direction before bugging back out the way he came in. None ever really offered us a good shot with the shotguns. A rifle would have resulted in at least 1 dead coyote on this stand.
Stand 9- It's hot now. We call in thick stuff with short visibility. I am not on my ladder. I'm standing Andrew sitting. 5 minutes in I hear running behind me. I don't turn and glance over at Andrew hoping he can see behind me. He's looking into the thicket of trees and raises his shotgun. I cut the caller and start lip squeaking hoping whatever he sees will come out into the open. Nothing shows. At stands end he says he had a coyote pup slip into the stand, look at him sitting there from the thick stuff. By the time he raises the gun it slips back into the void of darkness and we never see him again. Nobody saw what was making the running sound behind me.
We then retire to some local greasy Mexican restaurant where we eat tacos de carne asada and call it a day. 2nd Picture was taken in their parking lot.
Haven't had such a successful day in I don't know how long. This area is prime and seems unmolested by predator hunters this year. Even though we only put 2 in the truck having so many come in while calling makes the hunting worthwhile.
Background- I did all ladder stands and Andrew was standing. We both used shotguns only. All stands we misted. All but 1 stand I used the Minaska All-In-One caller. All stands but 1 I used rabbit distress (1 stand was a woodpecker distress).
Stand 1- Hard charger to the right of the ladder. Comes in from downwind. He turns as I spin and raise the shotgun. I hit him as he's running away. Dead.
Stand 2- Coyotes comes in from downwind circles arund Andrew and ends up 40 yards from caller 70 yards from me. I try everything in the book to get him to come closer and he's rooted so I stand up on the ladder to get above the bushes and shoot from there. He laughs, gives me the finger, and runs off.
Stand 3- Up against heavy thick cover. Call one in and it hangs up at about 60 yards. Andrew tries lip squeaking it in and he refuses to budge. He turns and Andrew shoots and the coyote scampers off apparently unscathed.
Stand 4- Walk 150 yards off the road. fairly open with thick cover behind us. calling starts and I see a large crow dive-bombing something about 100 yards out into the desert. I thought to myself, their bent about something and its probably a bobcat. 2 minutes later I hear Andrews gun go off and he shot a 25 pound bobcat 10 feet from the Minaska. It came in at an angle I couldn't see his approach. Good job Andrew.
Stand 5- I end up hand calling as I forget the Minaska at the last stand #4 in the bushes- duh. Oddly enough my hand calling is our first blank stand of the morning. Crap.
Stand 6- Get caller back and set up in nice flat with creosote area. Andrew is downwind. Minute 2 I get a hard charger from upwind coming at the caller. At 50-60' out I see it running through an open area and I take the shot as its running- mistake #1. I miss and the disoriented coyote turns toward me as making a wide 50' 180 degree turn. I shoot again at about 25' and miss again! I can believe this and bear down for the last shot as the coyote passes right in front of my ladder. CLICK! I didn't load in a 3rd shell for some reason. Coyote laughs, flips me off and runs away. By far the worst exhibition of shooting I have ever been a part of. No excuses. I need to take more time and have the mind to bark and stop the coyote before shooting.
Stand 7- Blank stand.
Stand 8- Bad stand selection on my part. Cross wind but where I positioned Andrew had his wind blowing past the route the coyotes would take coming in to the caller. As luck would have it, a triple comes in. They're flying in through the creosote bushes and as the first 2 come into the Andrews wind they spin a 180 and head back out. Coyote #3 is in the bushes a bit longer and takes the time to take a piss in our general direction before bugging back out the way he came in. None ever really offered us a good shot with the shotguns. A rifle would have resulted in at least 1 dead coyote on this stand.
Stand 9- It's hot now. We call in thick stuff with short visibility. I am not on my ladder. I'm standing Andrew sitting. 5 minutes in I hear running behind me. I don't turn and glance over at Andrew hoping he can see behind me. He's looking into the thicket of trees and raises his shotgun. I cut the caller and start lip squeaking hoping whatever he sees will come out into the open. Nothing shows. At stands end he says he had a coyote pup slip into the stand, look at him sitting there from the thick stuff. By the time he raises the gun it slips back into the void of darkness and we never see him again. Nobody saw what was making the running sound behind me.
We then retire to some local greasy Mexican restaurant where we eat tacos de carne asada and call it a day. 2nd Picture was taken in their parking lot.
Haven't had such a successful day in I don't know how long. This area is prime and seems unmolested by predator hunters this year. Even though we only put 2 in the truck having so many come in while calling makes the hunting worthwhile.