Close enough??

J

Jim Byers

Member
What's the closest distance you've had a coyote? Last evening, my 2nd stand, I had an unseen hard charger veer from the call 10 yards away come strait at me! Only turning about 6 feet in front of me to avoid a collision. Never did fire a shot. Exhilarating! scarecrow wallpaper][/url]
 
I like to hunt a lot of close cover and have had quite a few of them within 6'. It is always exciting. Dropping a coyote at 200 yards is like shooting paper, killing one at 6' is a RUSH.

A couple years ago we had one run over my nephews shoulder , it never missed a beat then launched itself at my decoy in a bush 4' off the ground and grab the decoy in mid-air, great stand. We had another one launch himself and grab a high decoy again this year at the PM Hunt in NV. Both died.

15 yrs ago I took out a new coyote hunter. The first coyote called ran right up in front of him and spooked before he could get the gun up. The next pair I called for him were about 200 yards out circling down wind, we were sitting back to back so I never saw them, when I asked why he didn't shoot he said he was waiting for them to come in closer. The next day on the same stand a coyote circled in a lot closer and jumped over his legs, he didn't get that one either.

I had a pair come in and one of them jumped up in the bush and ripped the caller down, spook and run straight at me and ran right past my feet, I had flop backwards and shoot him laying on my back as he was going away.

Then there was the one that jumped up on a log and sat next to me. I was calling a small opening in a pine planting, I was sitting on a old log and watching the caller in the opening. It was a drizzly day on the WA coast and the forest was just silent. I heard a little noise and the coyote had come out of the brush behind me and jumped up on the log and sat there looking at the caller, never got a shot as the gun was pointed the wrong way and when I moved he was gone. Fun stuff.

There are a lot more that were in close, killed one at one large pace he was number three on that stand, one and two came in from behind and I killed #2 with the shotgun barrel. Number three came in from another direction and ran straight at the caller, I rolled him with the shotgun barrel but he got up and ran straight at me and I killed him with the rifle barrel barely beyond the muzzle. Four came in as I was picking up the caller, my combo gun was sitting on the stool. I never thought with all that shooting another would come in.

Coyote hunting is just plain old fun. The best part is you can actually make a buck off the pelts.
 
I have had coyotes get to within 5 yards of me many times.

The most exciting and closest was one that jumped over my legs heading towards my Foxpro. I was sitting in the shade of a juniper with my shotgun in my lap and heard a coyote from behind me running in on me pretty fast.

The coyote at close to full speed jumped up and over my legs that were pointing to the right of my Foxpro. I killed the coyote when it was about 20 yards away. I think it must of smelled me or my Foxpro just as it jumped because it never looked at my Foxpro or slowed down.

023 - Copy by [/url], on Flickr
The above coyote was hauling a$$ and ran right by me within 3 or 4 yards of me and I had to get up and shoot him running away.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jpaWEu t=_blank]IMG_6277 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/156463377@N08/, on Flickr

The coyote in the above picture was running very fast straight to my right. I saw some movement and turned with my camera and got this picture at about 5 yards away. It turned and went right by the small juniper I was sitting in the shade of.

You can see some of the shade I was sitting in at the bottom of the picture. I never even came close to getting a shot with my shotgun.

It blows me away that the cameras now days can focus fast enough to get good clear pictures at a fast moving object not very far away.
 
Those pictures are just great. Love it when you can smell their breath.
 
I've had a lot of them within ten yards and quite a few within five yards. Had one once jump over my legs just like Bob did.

Had one, run right into me and left scratches on me from his toenails digging in for traction. That same morning I killed another one at 5 FEET, didn't even shoulder the gun just held it up like to poke the coyote with it and shot her about 20 inches from the muzzle. Think I had six different coyotes within ten yards that weekend.

Post from that morning here: http://www.predatormastersforums.com/for...2614&page=1

The one that slammed into me:

20161125_Coyote%20Hunt-6.jpg


- DAA
 
Shot one a few years ago about a foot from the business end of my AR...
Last year I had one come in behind me close enough to hear him pant. I was sitting with my back against a sandstone outcrop about 4 feet high and he was above my left shoulder. I'm not sure who was more surprised when I turned around! He got away...
Both times I was using a hand call, no decoy.
 
Had one close enough I could have reached out and slapped it on the nose. It came in from behind me when I had my back against a tree. I heard crunching on the dry leaves and as I went to lean around the tree to look it walked right by me. It never knew I was there. Hit the call and knocked it off of the log I had it on. It almost fell over backwards it scared it so bad and was gone before I could get a shot off. That was by far the closest I've been. I'll never forget seeing its eyes as it trotted by me.
 
About 18” from my left shoulder. Probably would have freaked out sooner but another was charging right down the center at me down a draw. I was in the scope deciding when was going to be a goof time to make the shot. When another charges my 8 o clock. Pretty bamboozeling. The good ole days of calling. Had many others I have heard rushing in and or foot taps in the dirt. Kinda sounds like a jackrabbit busting only busting toward you. It never fails to totally fluster me and scares the crap out of me for a second. Another cool experience was skylined over looking a massive draw. When I see a shadow move right in front of me. Coyote inside 5 feet, lol. Calling has been terrible for the last 2 years in a row.
 
I was in a irrigation ditch in Arizona and had a half grown pup come in and stop his [beeep] was at my knee, I tried to slap him and hit to far forward and knocked him down , he bit my hand and ran off coyieng like a hurt pup. I managed to get him in the scope but was laughing and never did shoot.
 
Bow hunting in the mountains one year. As I was sneaking thru the trees I seen a movement about 100yds out. I froze and put the bino's on it. A pack of coyotes was playing. I sat down in some rocks and lip squeaked. Talk about quick, I had four young ones on me, They knew right where that noise came from. One above my head at two feet, one at my boots and the other two off on either side of me around 6-8ft. Yes, I was "nervous". Jumped up and scared them all. No kills. Too close.
 
it is hard to believe but I had a witness. i had coyote come around a sage with his mouth open and ears back, I let him actually hit the barrel of my little model 7 when I shot him. probably three inches from biting me.
 
Probably my longest, and closest encounter with a coyote happened a couple of years ago when I decided to try to renew a previous argument with an alpha male who would not cross an outside fence that I'm sure was a boundary line for him.

My partner set up in the corner (Yellow dot) where he could watch the south fence and an angle sendero which terminated at the corner. I set up along the east fence (Green dot), with the call sitting on top of a fence post a ways to my north. There was a light breeze out of the southeast.

Opened with female invitational, then a challenge howl and the argument was joined. He was much closer this morning than previously and in less than 3 minutes, he ran past my partner less than 10 ft. upwind, but across the south boundary fence. The coyote paused and looked him in the eye before jumping the cattle guard on the neighboring ranch, then turning the corner to the north, trotting up behind me in the roadway across the fence from my position. He ran right past me without knowing I was there and started barking in the direction of my call, which was still challenging him.

32822462658_617213170c_b.jpg


I could see only small patches of fur through the openings in the bush as he ran past me toward the call which I had silenced. I’m pretty sure he spotted the decoy across the two track, as he continued to challenge howl and run back and forth up the roadway for the next 20 minutes, directly across the fence from my position to the decoy and back.

He spotted something in the bush I was hiding in that he did not like; may have been a reflection off my glasses?? He barked and howled at me on several occasions, less than 10 ft. away, but the bush was thick enough that he obviously could not see me and wind prevented him from smelling me. He never spooked, although he obviously knew something was there.

During the 34 minutes (actual time elapsed on my remote) he was within 20 yards of my position, many times less than 10’ away. Tried several calls trying to coax him onto my side of the fence for a shot; he really liked Lucky Bird, little jack, & dying jack but nothing doing.

At one point, I thought I had really blown it when I growled at him as he was directly across the fence from me and no more than 6' away. Although he could not see me he immediately lunged in my direction but thankfully was turned away by the impenetrable brush growing in the fenceline, .

Three times, as he was leaving, I called him back with Lightnin’ Jack, coyote pup distress and once with Coyote + rabbit (that one really got his attention!).


Regards,
hm
 
18" with teeth bared is one of my most memorable and I got him along with another.
Can't count how many I've had under 10 ft with another handfull under 5 ft, had one walk right under my drivers door as I stuck my head out in disbelief.
Also don't remember how many have left tracks directly behind me in fresh snow while calling.
Spend enough time out there and it will happen.
 
Incredibly stories.. TRIPOD. I can't even imagine calling a coyote right up to the truck. On the public land I hunt around here, the very sight of a truck sends them running for cover. Occasionally if my dogs are running around they'll become aggressive enough to stand off at a distance...and bark.. that's usually a poor choice for them. Lol
 
Originally Posted By: Jim ByersIncredibly stories.. TRIPOD. I can't even imagine calling a coyote right up to the truck. On the public land I hunt around here, the very sight of a truck sends them running for cover. Occasionally if my dogs are running around they'll become aggressive enough to stand off at a distance...and bark.. that's usually a poor choice for them. Lol

I don't have an accurate count of how many I have called to the truck, even this year, but it is a lot. I have had several different people with me on occasion when I do. The most difficult part is waiting for them to get in the small shooting zone the window affords. Have had to let a few go being unable to step out and shoot or have actually hurt myself twisting so hard to get a decent shot.
Yes I get a few tattle tales that stand directly behind or in front of the windshield and won't shut up! This kills me.
In short I have perfected my limited game pretty well over the last few years. Patience is the first ingredient.
 
Originally Posted By: tripod3I don't have an accurate count of how many I have called to the truck, even this year, but it is a lot. I have had several different people with me on occasion when I do. The most difficult part is waiting for them to get in the small shooting zone the window affords. Have had to let a few go being unable to step out and shoot or have actually hurt myself twisting so hard to get a decent shot.
Yes I get a few tattle tales that stand directly behind or in front of the windshield and won't shut up! This kills me.
In short I have perfected my limited game pretty well over the last few years. Patience is the first ingredient.

Hi, Mark. Just wondering what you attribute the fact that they come up close to your truck so often. Is it light hunting pressure in your area or do you use old farm buildings, equipment to blend in? I did have a couple come pretty close to the jeep (semi-hidden in thick brush) during the day when I first started calling (there was a lot more oil field activity back then, as well) but they're really vehicle shy nowadays.

I can count on one hand the number of coyotes I have been able to call from a vehicle and those were parking next to corral fences, oil rigs, etc. I do hunt where there is quite a lot of pressure on the coyotes....I'm sure that is a factor, as well.

Regards,
Clarence
 
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