I haven't posted on here for quite a while so was hesitant to post this but after editing videos for hours (poor computer skills), I thought it would be fun to share. Not intended as a glory story just a memorable night for me with some footage that I thought was somewhat unusual.
I've been calling 4 or 5 times a week and sometimes my son is able to go but I go alone when he can't.
Thursday night I was alone, temps were mid 30's with a slight West breeze. The first stand was a blank without seeing or hearing a coyote. Many of the coyotes that have come to the call since mating started have responded vocally before coming in.
The next stand I will remember for as long as i remember anything. I was in a hay meadow that's about 300 yards wide and a 1/2 mile long. The perimeter has thickets and brush in many places. On the West end is an old abandoned railroad right of way that runs North and South through the entire section. It is so overgrown you struggle to walk through it. I parked behind a couple big cedar trees near the gate and walked in about 50 yards. I bumped a coyote walking in.
The first sound I played was C'mere lonely howl and instantly had 6 different sets of coyotes answering in 6 different directions and all within calling distance. A couple were very near. After a few minutes of silence, all of them trying to decide what's next, I opted to not go the mating route, yet, and played Cagie Cottontail at a low volume. I had the gun pointed in the direction of the closest responders and sure enough within a minute I had one coming on the run. I shut the call off and it stopped about 60 yards out. I shot it and turned the call back on. When I flipped my helmet scanner back down I could see there had been another coming. It turned away and sat down in front of a thicket about 350 yards away. I could only see it's top half and wasn't ready to try that shot yet.
I scanned 360 and when I looked back at the call there were 2 more standing 20 yards from it. I shot the first one there and the second one trotted off about 20 yards and stopped. I shot it there. I scanned around again and the one sitting in front of the thicket hadn't moved. After three rounds fired I figured I was about done so levelled off on her and shot. It was a hard hit but she flopped in and out of view but I could tell it was a spine hit. I couldn't see her for a follow up, which I didn't like.
All of this was happening with Cagie Cottontail still running and probably only 4 minutes into the stand. I went silent for a few minutes and played a LilB howl followed by some whimpers. Another pair entered the meadow in the southwest corner angling to me. I let them come. When they got about 200 yards away they both stopped and stuck there nose in the air and turned around and started trotting away. I was a little puzzled because the wind had switched to the South but they were still 200 yards West of me. I was able to get one to stop momentarily. As I shot he stepped and I connected a little deep. A follow up shot fixed that. I wasn't able spot the other. I later decided that they must have smelled or heard the coyote that was spine shot and that's what turned them around.
That's 5 on one stand, which I've done before but never more than that.
I thought it was time for some pup distress and fight. I like gang violence so played it and probably another and what I saw next compelled me to turn the video on, on my scope. Sorry for the duration but it's pretty heavily edited already.
https://youtu.be/lu0nOb1e47U
These coyotes were a ways off. I tried a few sounds to break them loose to no avail. They didn't show any signs of leaving so I didn't attempt a shot, just tried some different sounds. After 6 minutes the coyote on the ground found his way to the pair on the bales and joined them. I thought that interaction was pretty cool. The 2 bales they were on were actually 50 feet apart.
https://youtu.be/6A9PZe3HH3U
When the 3rd coyote jumped down I thought I might be about to miss my opportunity so I cranked the scope up and let one fly. After the first shot the scope shows the movement of racking the bolt but what it doesn't show is the click when I pulled the trigger on the second coyote. OUT OF AMMO. I usually carry a second clip but Matt and I were hunting Tuesday and I left it in his Polaris. The other coyotes weren't leaving so I snuck as fast as I could to the pickup and grabbed the 4 rounds that were left in the opened box and headed back. It took 5 minutes and 3 seconds before I was back in the scope. When I got back one of the two coyotes had changed bales and was a little closer. Got the bullets in, took a few deep breaths and racked up #7.
https://youtu.be/b4hiW2AMz4A
The first one shot in the video was 377 yards. I edited out nearly 6 minutes and the second coyote shot in the video was 300 yards. The 5th coyote was on the ground in front of it, in the video.
I know it's already a book but we're not done yet. After taking it all in for a minute I called Matt and told him I had just shot 7 on one stand and I wasn't dragging them all, so would go home and get my side by side and pick them all up. He said he'd been working on his, was almost done and would bring it. Before we were finished with the phone call I had another coyote cross through my wind 250 yards North. I said I need to hang up and try for an 8th. Well, he didn't want to stop so I tried a moving shot and missed. Then missed again. Guess what. OUT OF AMMO AGAIN! I went to the truck for more, reloaded and turned on Table Scraps while I waited. 2 more coming from the Northeast. No, I'm serious. They took a long time getting there and just about the time one got in range I could here Matt coming down the road. Now or never. #8 at 200 yards.
We stood there and relived it for awhile, and then recovered all 8.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2rVK3CU]
All in all 13 coyotes seen, 12 called and 8 killed on this one stand. Thanks for reading and sorry for the length but I didn't know how else to tell the story.
I've been calling 4 or 5 times a week and sometimes my son is able to go but I go alone when he can't.
Thursday night I was alone, temps were mid 30's with a slight West breeze. The first stand was a blank without seeing or hearing a coyote. Many of the coyotes that have come to the call since mating started have responded vocally before coming in.
The next stand I will remember for as long as i remember anything. I was in a hay meadow that's about 300 yards wide and a 1/2 mile long. The perimeter has thickets and brush in many places. On the West end is an old abandoned railroad right of way that runs North and South through the entire section. It is so overgrown you struggle to walk through it. I parked behind a couple big cedar trees near the gate and walked in about 50 yards. I bumped a coyote walking in.
The first sound I played was C'mere lonely howl and instantly had 6 different sets of coyotes answering in 6 different directions and all within calling distance. A couple were very near. After a few minutes of silence, all of them trying to decide what's next, I opted to not go the mating route, yet, and played Cagie Cottontail at a low volume. I had the gun pointed in the direction of the closest responders and sure enough within a minute I had one coming on the run. I shut the call off and it stopped about 60 yards out. I shot it and turned the call back on. When I flipped my helmet scanner back down I could see there had been another coming. It turned away and sat down in front of a thicket about 350 yards away. I could only see it's top half and wasn't ready to try that shot yet.
I scanned 360 and when I looked back at the call there were 2 more standing 20 yards from it. I shot the first one there and the second one trotted off about 20 yards and stopped. I shot it there. I scanned around again and the one sitting in front of the thicket hadn't moved. After three rounds fired I figured I was about done so levelled off on her and shot. It was a hard hit but she flopped in and out of view but I could tell it was a spine hit. I couldn't see her for a follow up, which I didn't like.
All of this was happening with Cagie Cottontail still running and probably only 4 minutes into the stand. I went silent for a few minutes and played a LilB howl followed by some whimpers. Another pair entered the meadow in the southwest corner angling to me. I let them come. When they got about 200 yards away they both stopped and stuck there nose in the air and turned around and started trotting away. I was a little puzzled because the wind had switched to the South but they were still 200 yards West of me. I was able to get one to stop momentarily. As I shot he stepped and I connected a little deep. A follow up shot fixed that. I wasn't able spot the other. I later decided that they must have smelled or heard the coyote that was spine shot and that's what turned them around.
That's 5 on one stand, which I've done before but never more than that.
I thought it was time for some pup distress and fight. I like gang violence so played it and probably another and what I saw next compelled me to turn the video on, on my scope. Sorry for the duration but it's pretty heavily edited already.
https://youtu.be/lu0nOb1e47U
These coyotes were a ways off. I tried a few sounds to break them loose to no avail. They didn't show any signs of leaving so I didn't attempt a shot, just tried some different sounds. After 6 minutes the coyote on the ground found his way to the pair on the bales and joined them. I thought that interaction was pretty cool. The 2 bales they were on were actually 50 feet apart.
https://youtu.be/6A9PZe3HH3U
When the 3rd coyote jumped down I thought I might be about to miss my opportunity so I cranked the scope up and let one fly. After the first shot the scope shows the movement of racking the bolt but what it doesn't show is the click when I pulled the trigger on the second coyote. OUT OF AMMO. I usually carry a second clip but Matt and I were hunting Tuesday and I left it in his Polaris. The other coyotes weren't leaving so I snuck as fast as I could to the pickup and grabbed the 4 rounds that were left in the opened box and headed back. It took 5 minutes and 3 seconds before I was back in the scope. When I got back one of the two coyotes had changed bales and was a little closer. Got the bullets in, took a few deep breaths and racked up #7.
https://youtu.be/b4hiW2AMz4A
The first one shot in the video was 377 yards. I edited out nearly 6 minutes and the second coyote shot in the video was 300 yards. The 5th coyote was on the ground in front of it, in the video.
I know it's already a book but we're not done yet. After taking it all in for a minute I called Matt and told him I had just shot 7 on one stand and I wasn't dragging them all, so would go home and get my side by side and pick them all up. He said he'd been working on his, was almost done and would bring it. Before we were finished with the phone call I had another coyote cross through my wind 250 yards North. I said I need to hang up and try for an 8th. Well, he didn't want to stop so I tried a moving shot and missed. Then missed again. Guess what. OUT OF AMMO AGAIN! I went to the truck for more, reloaded and turned on Table Scraps while I waited. 2 more coming from the Northeast. No, I'm serious. They took a long time getting there and just about the time one got in range I could here Matt coming down the road. Now or never. #8 at 200 yards.
We stood there and relived it for awhile, and then recovered all 8.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2rVK3CU]
All in all 13 coyotes seen, 12 called and 8 killed on this one stand. Thanks for reading and sorry for the length but I didn't know how else to tell the story.
Congratulations again and thanks for sharing!
