When they are on, they’re on.

Big Lou said:
Work has been seriously handicapping me through what is normally a slower time of year and essentially, my coyote season. Finally, a weekend graced me and despite the frigid temps, I knew exactly where I was headed.

I hadn’t hunted this area for several years. It was always very good but, a bit of a drive. I haven’t had much need to travel much more than a 50km type radius from home. As I had suspected, there’s a fella trying to make a name for himself on IG and he’s been doing a fine job of educating the crap out of the local coyote populous. I’ll get to cleaning up that mess in their rut soon enough. With no idea if I could still get access, I made the drive out into some old stomping grounds. Like I had never left, open arms welcomed me once more and I had the run of the place.

I decided to tour around a bit and see what had changed. Maybe see where the coyotes are hanging. Within an hour, I had spotted over 30 coyotes and I darn well know, I didn’t see them all. This was actually posing a problem. Everywhere that I wanted to do a set, there were coyotes. Singles, doubles, quads. One quarter even had 14 on it - that I could see! It was now going on noon and I would have to attack things much differently than before. A plan was made.

Set #1

Upon getting nestled into a shadowy hide after a half mile hike, I ripped a single howl. In seconds, several coyotes lit up straight south and south west of me. 18 minutes in and confidence is waning. Finally, a pair stepped into view about 400 yards south of me. They were taking their sweet time and both eventually posted up about 250 yards from me. I tried several different sounds to entice them but nothing was evoking a response. I got up on the rifle and decided I better take them. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw a large Tom trying to slither downwind of me. He caught the movement as I swung the rifle on him and locked up. It was academic as the crosshairs settled. BOOM!!! CHOP!!! The pair wheeled and were peeling out. I was hollering and got one to stop. I figured it was close to 500 yards and touched one off. BOOOOOM!!! Afterburners engaged and that was that.
wol_error.gif
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 4032x3024.
b1e9eaa2abae2edc9b5fa0ac47d04b82.jpg


Set #2

I had sort of brainstormed a way to make a play where I had spotted the 14 coyotes earlier. Two other possible sets were botched with coyotes out and about with no chance of getting in unseen. I was going to have to try and pull them about 3/4 of a mile. Another half mile hike and I was eyeing up a hill side that I really wanted to set up on. Never having called this spot, I wasn’t sure if I could do what I wanted and stay hidden. I opted for the safe play and set up my coyote decoys to hide me in the wide open.

Opening with a single howl, the entire area erupted in chorus and song. North, west, south west, north east, east. I was surrounded by howling coyotes at varying distances. I ripped a pair howl, cutting everyone off. A brief moment of silence and a cascade of howls around me again. I fired up some distress and waited. Nothing. More distress. Nothing. Let’s try a challenge. Just as I started the challenge “oh crap. There’s a coyote. It’s a pair. No! A trio!” As luck would have it, they posted up on the same hillside that I had wanted to be on. Content to sit on their haunches and stare at the decoys. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I could get one for sure. But only one. I fired up some mouse squeaks and one came down the hill a bit. I noticed one of the other coyotes hunched up and posturing. I was soon to see why. Another 5 coyotes crested the hill. There’s now 8 coyotes within 150 yards of me. There was so much interaction happening on that hillside.

Three of the five had advanced further into my kill zone while chasing and half heartedly fighting. I figured I best throw down before this blows up in my face. I fired up some pup screams and immediately got up on the 6mmAI. Everybody in the arena had come to full attention and I descended upon them. The scope filled with a big Tom. BOOM!!! CHOP!!! “One”. There were coyotes cross crossing paths. Fleeing. Stopping. Fleeing. One stopped. BOOM!!! CHOP!!! “Two”. I spotted a streaking single as the other gamers made the safe side of the hill. Following it with the crosshairs, it kept looking like it was going to stop. “Stop. Stop. Stop already. This thing isn’t stopping. I should have shot 6 seconds ago!!!” Adjusting into a lead, the rifle barked just before it made the willows. BOOM!!! CHOP!!! As I watched the coyote cartwheel to a sliding stop on the snow. “That’s three!”

I kept calling and had a bitch working in on my position, getting closer and closer with each howl. “This is going to be a quad”. She was within 300 yards of me but I still hadn’t seen her. Suddenly, I heard a shot ring out and saw a coyote streaking from her direction. Even more sudden, I felt decidedly unsafe being tucked into the base of my coyote decoy. I have some fluoro flagging tape tied onto my decoy but, this still didn’t feel overly cool. Standing up, I saw the truck from which the shot had originated from, slow rolling along the road. There is absolutely no way that they didn’t see my truck from where they had shot from. The entire scene had me pretty unimpressed.

I went about collecting the three coyotes. The runner had been tagged at 298 yards. The triple had been earned.
wol_error.gif
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 4032x3024.
7383f9ff4f65aaba5f1c38fe0f1b47be.jpg


Set #3

More coyotes out and about where I wanted to set up. “Well, let’s try another spot for a virgin run”. I had seen a couple coyotes here in the morning on the north and south side of the road. There was no place to hide the truck so, I parked back a mile and walked along the road to my point of entry. Walking about 600 yards into the field, I was having trouble picking a spot to set up. Everything looked flat and the reflection of the snow made it nearly impossible to see any sort of contour.

I spied a coyote mousing as I was slinking in. Not wanting to risk blowing anything out, I set up. Sticking with the routine, I deployed the decoy in the wide open, nestled in and ripped a howl. I have no clue how many coyotes answered. A lot. That’s all I can say. Lots. Within seconds, I saw one, then two coyotes break cover; coming towards me at a trot. They both disappeared and I realized, there was a rise and drop off about 100-120 yards away from me. “Crap. That’s where I needed to be”. Suddenly, I caught movement and saw the Tom come into view. I couldn’t see the Bitch. “May as well”. I got on the rifle and settled on my target. BOOM!!! CHOP!!! Switching to dying coyote, I was feverishly scanning. Movement! I swung the rifle that direction. The Bitch was behind the little rise and getting up on her back legs to try and see her fallen mate. “I can make this shot. I know I can”. I watched her rise up on her back legs again and the crosshairs found her shoulder. BOOM!!! CHOP!!! I gave a quick scan and saw a hard charger approaching. Then another pair from the opposite direction. Coyotes streaking in the background in different places. They were EVERYWHERE.

A coyote was approaching pretty much dead centre between the two already dead. WHOOO!!! The brakes came on and the crosshairs found a fuzzy chest. BOOM!!! CHOP!!! It was a classic, go stiff and tip over like a wood chair. Scanning again, a pair was closing fast. Which pair? I have no clue. Another single. Jesus! The pair saw something they didn’t like and wheeled. WHOOO!!! Both coming to a stop at about 250 yards. I picked the larger of the two and squeezed. BOOM!!! It looked like a hit type of reaction and the large Tom was sprinting my direction and then disappeared. “I really don’t know if I got that one or not”. I ripped at his Bitch but whiffed that one. The single had vanished. Still several coyotes in the background and screaming pup still blaring. Another coyote came into view about 200 yards away. It slowed up and stopped in a thin patch of brush. BOOM!!! CRACK!!! The coyote is streaking but it doesn’t look right. “Did I hit a limb before the coyote? It’s definitely hit”. As I was leading it to shoot again, it too disappeared from sight. I kept watching and zero movement. Everyone else was departing at this point. “Well, I got three for sure but, maybe five. You’ve never got 5 on a stand”.

To my delight upon collecting them, both coyote 4 & 5 were lying only feet apart from one another and, had centre punched a limb in front of coyote 4. Hence the uber loud crack instead of m cherished CHOP. First time ever getting five on a stand! While I was collecting, I found a heavily used coyote trail on the back side of that little rise. They can travel there and never be seen. Had I been set up there, I’d have killed 7 or 8 pretty handily. I completely lost count of how many coyotes I saw on that set.

wol_error.gif
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 4032x3024.
a2a13c3f280332ed084d481bfdfdfbc4.jpg


So, I only managed to pound out three sets today. Saw north of 60 coyotes total and pretty confident that 22 or 23 were called in. Somewhere in that neighbourhood. If I had a partner joining me that possessed some solid game, I’m sure this could have been a 12-15 coyote day - in three sets.

I don’t know if I can muster another day tomorrow. I kept 7/9 as they were some very nice, large coyotes, with great colour. Dragging 4 coyotes at once truly sucks. I haven’t enjoyed action like this for a long while though. Hopefully some of it finds you too.
Click to expand...
Great photos.....what a good day !!
 
Back
Top