204 AR
Well-known member
If anyone has noticed I haven't posted up a story since November! My fun hunt with Mr. P. was the last coyotes I've shot. In between was probably closing in on 100 dry stands. I'm not exaggerating, it's kind of embarrassing. In fairness I did have 2 opportunities and whiffed on a gimme and a longish shot. So that's how the last 2 months went. We blamed it on deer season, unusually warm weather to start with, and then to find out someone hunts and traps everywhere we have access to.
So today we had a hunt planned on a part of a ranch we hadn't been to but have seen a lot of sign. We didn't get a real early start, thinking let them get bedded and not risk bumping anything on the way in. Stand 1 started out calling to a shelterbelt, bunny screams then pup distress, nothing. Stand 2 was an awesome looking area, a couple lone howls, some woodpecker then pup distress. Nothing.
One the way back to the RZR we got barked. Serious, pissed off, barks and short howls. We looked at each other and said we just got busted. Bummed, we decided what to do. Ended up proceeding to the next spot, which was the direction the barks were coming from. The crazy thing was, this coyote wouldn't shut up. Usually busted barks only last a short while. This guy went on for 15 or 20 minutes. So we started walking in towards the racket. He had gotten further away from the last stand, and we just went through the rolling hills towards him. Finally to an area where he could be within a few hundred yards, I knee crawled to the top of a knoll. Glassing as I went. Not in sight I set the call up and laid prone a few yards away. Larry set up back behind to watch another direction he could come from.
Meanwhile, this coyote is still going off. I let out a lonely female howl. That shut him up. Wait a few minutes, let out one more. Wait some more, then a short bit of female challenge. Wait some more, then started a coyote fight. No sounds out of our quarry since I started. I'm thinking he's either gone for good or he's on his way. Finally, I spot him silhouetted 500 yards out on the tallest hill, and he starts challenging again. I unmute the fight sound and he disappears back over the hill, only to re-appear a bit closer. He kept edging in, stopping to challenge every few yards. It was pretty eerie to say the least, and a first for me! Finally he popped onto a rise I had ranged at 200. I had tall grass in front of me to shoot through, so I held off. He moved just a little bit into a better spot for me, facing me and barking his stupid head off. I held and squeezed one off, only to see a puff of snow kick up just to his left! Crap, thank God he didn't move, I held into the wind 4 more inches and squeezed again way faster than it takes to type this, and he folded like they are supposed to. Wow what a rush.
One like that is worth as much as 2 or 3 "easy" ones IMO.
So feeling pretty good, we ate a bite then got back at it. Stand 4 looked good but was blank. Stand 5 we got back into the hills pretty good and set up on a huge hill, overlooking 2 very good draws. Started with lonely female howl again. A few minutes and one more time. Few more minutes and get a response. I start of estrus chirps for a couple. Then back to coyote fight, off and on. Finally spotted a pair, from a direction I didn't expect, they parked on a knoll with the female facing me and the big male broadside just in front of her. I made the decision to take the bigger one even though the female was better color. He chirped at the shot and spun and bolted, I knew heart shot. I focused on the female and tried to get pup distress started but she bugged out fast and was having none of it. Pretty sure she got splattered from the shot on her old man.
This was a big old male, pretty red in color for here. When I got to him I set up and played a few minutes of pup distress just in case she didn't go too far, but no dice. Figured it was worth a shot.
At this point a migraine was setting in and it was time to go. Sorry for getting so long winded!
So today we had a hunt planned on a part of a ranch we hadn't been to but have seen a lot of sign. We didn't get a real early start, thinking let them get bedded and not risk bumping anything on the way in. Stand 1 started out calling to a shelterbelt, bunny screams then pup distress, nothing. Stand 2 was an awesome looking area, a couple lone howls, some woodpecker then pup distress. Nothing.
One the way back to the RZR we got barked. Serious, pissed off, barks and short howls. We looked at each other and said we just got busted. Bummed, we decided what to do. Ended up proceeding to the next spot, which was the direction the barks were coming from. The crazy thing was, this coyote wouldn't shut up. Usually busted barks only last a short while. This guy went on for 15 or 20 minutes. So we started walking in towards the racket. He had gotten further away from the last stand, and we just went through the rolling hills towards him. Finally to an area where he could be within a few hundred yards, I knee crawled to the top of a knoll. Glassing as I went. Not in sight I set the call up and laid prone a few yards away. Larry set up back behind to watch another direction he could come from.
Meanwhile, this coyote is still going off. I let out a lonely female howl. That shut him up. Wait a few minutes, let out one more. Wait some more, then a short bit of female challenge. Wait some more, then started a coyote fight. No sounds out of our quarry since I started. I'm thinking he's either gone for good or he's on his way. Finally, I spot him silhouetted 500 yards out on the tallest hill, and he starts challenging again. I unmute the fight sound and he disappears back over the hill, only to re-appear a bit closer. He kept edging in, stopping to challenge every few yards. It was pretty eerie to say the least, and a first for me! Finally he popped onto a rise I had ranged at 200. I had tall grass in front of me to shoot through, so I held off. He moved just a little bit into a better spot for me, facing me and barking his stupid head off. I held and squeezed one off, only to see a puff of snow kick up just to his left! Crap, thank God he didn't move, I held into the wind 4 more inches and squeezed again way faster than it takes to type this, and he folded like they are supposed to. Wow what a rush.
One like that is worth as much as 2 or 3 "easy" ones IMO.
So feeling pretty good, we ate a bite then got back at it. Stand 4 looked good but was blank. Stand 5 we got back into the hills pretty good and set up on a huge hill, overlooking 2 very good draws. Started with lonely female howl again. A few minutes and one more time. Few more minutes and get a response. I start of estrus chirps for a couple. Then back to coyote fight, off and on. Finally spotted a pair, from a direction I didn't expect, they parked on a knoll with the female facing me and the big male broadside just in front of her. I made the decision to take the bigger one even though the female was better color. He chirped at the shot and spun and bolted, I knew heart shot. I focused on the female and tried to get pup distress started but she bugged out fast and was having none of it. Pretty sure she got splattered from the shot on her old man.
This was a big old male, pretty red in color for here. When I got to him I set up and played a few minutes of pup distress just in case she didn't go too far, but no dice. Figured it was worth a shot.
At this point a migraine was setting in and it was time to go. Sorry for getting so long winded!
