fratri
Well-known member
With all the snow we got last night, they ended up calling a snow day today, so I had the day off
After shoveling out around the house and running a few errands with my wife this morning, I realized I had a bit of time on my hands, so I went coyote hunting I was loading up and ready to go just after lunch. It was one of those days that reminds me why I love being outside — about -8°C, sunny, and finally no howling wind for a change. Perfect weather for getting out and enjoying nature’s gym on fresh, untouched snow. It looked so nice.
I was set up just after 1 p.m. on the first farm. I walked the 500 yards or so to the back of the property through the deep snow, taking my time. The fresh snow kept everything quiet underfoot. I set up the caller about 25 yards out, then got back to my sitting location and started with a dying rabbit sound. I hadn’t been on the call more than five minutes when I spotted movement — a coyote making her way into the field and working toward the caller. I let her come until she hit about the 70-yard mark, stopped her with a loud wolf sound, and squeezed the trigger.
She dropped right there. I stayed and called for another 20 minutes, but nothing else showed, so I packed up and decided to hit another farm about 10 minutes away.
Farm 2
I got to the second farm around 2:15 p.m. I spoke with the landowner for a few minutes, then headed off to the back section of the field. For my sitting location, I needed to go through a small swampy area, and as I was walking through, I noticed fresh tracks roaming around. I figured they were a couple of coyotes looking for a rabbit. The tracks seemed, or should I say felt like they were only a few minutes old and just ahead of me. I was actually thinking these coyotes probably knew I was there and were moving away from me.
As these thoughts are going through my head, and about to exit the swamp, I noticed some turkeys way out in the field, but I also spotted a stump 300yds out on the edge of the bush with no snow on it. I glassed it and realized it was a coyote. At first, I thought it was looking back at me, but no, it was watching the turkeys. It tried to stalk them, but as it crested the hill in the field, the turkeys took off.
I grabbed my caller, snuck it down about 10 yards away, and got set up in hopes of drawing it in. I started with a dying rabbit sound, and almost immediately I saw a coyote crest the hill — then another. Two coyotes started making their way toward me from about 400 yards out. It looked like, or at least the lead coyote looked like, it was going to go downwind. When it stopped about 170 yards out, I took the shot before it could get my wind, and it dropped.
The other coyote took off over the crest of the field. I reached for my remote, found pup distress, and when I looked up, the coyote I had shot was back up and moving away. I got back on him and took a second shot. He made it just past the crest of the hill, and coyote number two was down for the afternoon.
2 afternoon stands, 2 afternoon coyotes
Last edited by a moderator:
