Roller to runner

hunt0168

Well-known member
I had the best intentions of targeting deer with my bow and hopping into a tree stand today. I finished out my Friday at work and sat down momentarily to unwind. I chatted with my wife and told her my plans. She said a couple of her friends had invited her to go for some drinks at our local watering hole, and asked if I would drop her off. I did and returned home to get my gear ready for this morning’s deer hunt. Upon returning home I sat in my recliner and apparently, and almost immediately, fell asleep! When I awoke it was dark. I was checking weather conditions for the morning hunt and saw that, outside of the bright moon, the current conditions were very favorable for hunting coyotes right then and there!

Should I go? No… I shouldn’t…that’s a dumb idea. I can surely do both if I just make a couple quick sets. You won’t dummy!.. Don’t do it!.. I did it, and I’m making this post while lying in bed. 😐

First set, I hit a property pretty close to home for the first set. I only saw deer and a couple were two small bucks pushing each other around for a few minutes. All quiet with no responses

Second set was another property a couple miles further west. Again, only a few deer. No responses. The winds were switching to SE so after about 35-40 minutes I packed it in.

Set 3… I should really call it quits and go home. A quick look at weather conditions showed winds switching to ESE and then full E in the next hour. This would be perfect for the Sheep farm property across the road from where I shot the double a week or two ago. I’m going… I can do this! I’ll be fine in the morning. 🙄

I make the 10 minute drive there and hike the 400 or so yards to where I need to be. Light winds out of the east. Tree-line to my back for cover on the south edge of the greenfield. Brushy hedgerow to the north separating my greenfield from a huge soybean field. Pretty much as good as it could get. Ecaller set out halfway across the greenfield pointing NE into the target area. Holy cow! It’s already 11:15! Oh well? I lead off with a lone howl. BFA Moto Fancy Pants I think, and give it a couple minutes. Another series of a different Moto lone howl and more silence. After a bit I let out a BFA pair howl followed up by a couple Foxpro sounds from their “Domestics” category. Lamb distress 1and 2. Again followed by a pair howl. After a few minutes I ran the Lamb series again but louder. I picked up heat through the hedgerow quite a ways out there in the soybeans. As it ran I could tell it was a coyote headed my way. I went quiet scanning and after a few minutes would just let out one or two lamb cries. Suddenly at about 125 yards NE of me I pick it up in the scanner standing looking for the lamb that must be there. With the bright moon I didn’t want to try and make any more lamb sounds or even coax it further as it would probably figure things out. Slightly quartering towards me I settled in on the pocket just forward of its left shoulder. At the shot it crumpled, all four feet straight in the air. YES! I racked another round and got into some pup distress on the X2s and after 15 - 20 seconds that sucker rolled over, found its feet and ran due east! Wait, What! Are you kidding me? 🤬

I went looking and found where it exited the greenfield though a patch of goldenrod onto another property I don’t have permission on. Beyond the goldenrod was a low cut greenfield and scanning never revealed a dead coyote. I really hate it when that happens, but it happens.

When it was all said and done, I arrived home around 1:15 AM. I’ll bowhunt today, I just didn’t make the morning hunt! No hero pics today guys.
 
You got him Bob 👍🏼👍🏼 !
It’s definitely somewhere, Mick! Sheep people aren’t too concerned, but it does bother me when they don’t die quickly.
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Yea Bob, that sucks and most, if not all, of us know the feeling. And just why didn't you get in a tree this am, you are still a young man, 4hrs should be plenty sleep.🙂
4 hours!.. That's not going to get me up, showered, driven to my hunting property (1/2 hour drive) and into my stand (20 minutes of swamping) to be situated and ready at least a 1/2 hour before legal shooting! That and the warm daytime temps that I'm not the biggest fan of hunting in. There's more excuses, but ultimately I'm more into chasing coyotes than deer anymore and I'm kinda lazy when it comes right down to it! 😜

😲what the!... what gun Bob?
Parvo!... My 243 Tikka shooting my coyote flattening 55 gr NBT's. The way it crumpled I was sure it was down for the count. I was in fact quite wrong!
 
at least you got him! most of us have had the same or similar experiences, can't find him, or runs off somewhere (really stinks), or legs straight up. I've nailed a few that have done the legs straight up technique...amazing to watch them roll over and run off, I've had them do that with both my 204r and 22-250, it happens
 
at least you got him! most of us have had the same or similar experiences, can't find him, or runs off somewhere (really stinks), or legs straight up. I've nailed a few that have done the legs straight up technique...amazing to watch them roll over and run off, I've had them do that with both my 204r and 22-250, it happens
Oh, I’ve seen it before for sure, Hunter55. I seen it more with my 204 when I was a little off the mark. Less so with the 243, but it happens. I do believe it didn’t go too far beyond where I had to give up the trail. He got on property I don’t have permission to be on. I don’t trespass. The last thing I want is to end up on someone’s trail cam and start a feud between landowners. I’m not risking losing the access that I do have to recover a coyote.
 
Bob, I am in the minority with this, but after a couple decades of being in the tree well before first light i quit that nonsense. My approach is in 'graylight' when I can be quiet w/o a light and kills/sightings have never suffered.
Just how I do it and not intended to sway anyone.
 
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