Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
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nicholasjohn
Well-Known Member
Where I come from, a guy who would pull a stunt like that would have a hard time finding a place to get a cup of coffee - unless he likes his coffee with a little ex-lax in it ………..
HRM Johnny
Well-Known Member
Seriously, you guys should write a book. I'm joining in with the others who have suggested it!
Between us there have been a lot of years of experiences some good some not so much . A lot of what I have seen and done , as with others , seems like it wouldn't happen but once in a life time if that often . I turned my journals over to the wildlife biologist with Wildlife Services but still remember the most exciting ones like they were yesterday .
nicholasjohn
Well-Known Member
I think that if I wrote a book about some of my experiences in the outdoors, most readers would think I made it all up. Some of it was so strange that I can hardly believe it myself ….. and I WAS THERE !!! They say that real life is stranger than fiction, and a lot of this stuff falls squarely in that category. Whenever I read something here that makes me want to call BS, I catch myself and say "Not so fast, Nick ……" How many stories have I not even told because I don't want people calling BS on me for telling about something that was so crazy that it blows my mind to have lived the experience. These wildlife-related stories are often really strange, and just as often extremely comical. If the guys who have chimed in here ever do end up compiling an anthology of these short stories, it will probably end up in the humor section at the book store.
nicholasjohn
Well-Known Member
I have had to swallow that bitter pill many times, Sir. No sooner did I get done telling someone "Did you hear what that yo-yo just said about such & such ???!!!!" Then, in the very next breath, I hear myself saying "Can you believe what just happened ? Just like that guy said - I guess I know who the dummy is now, don't I." It seems like I needed to eat crow like that about a dozen times before I learned to just keep my mouth shut and see how it all settles out. I just HATE having to learn the same old lesson again for the umpteenth time.
One thing that I know but not sure if its the concentration or your electrical field. But a predator can tell when you there, they sense it. I will give two examples one with a red fox and one with a lion. Was walking a ditch on a breezy day back in the old country, wind in my face and I see this red fox curled up sleeping up ahead. Every now and then it would lift its head and look around, so I would give it a few minutes till it put its head down and move forward ( I am dressed in all white cause snoe on the ground) . Some where between 35-40 yards I stopped, already had the safety off, mounted that shotgun and pointed at the fox, a few seconds later it woke up and turned its head right at me, no looking around no nothing, it knew I was there....was the last thing it saw, 1 1/2 oz # 2, closed the deal.
The lion was the last one I took over my hounds in 2002, this was the lion that ate the 3/4 curl bighorn the night before, took most of the morning for me to catch up with the hounds, lion was treed in a steep canyon. I circled above them and came out right behind the lion at his level, that's how steep the mountain was, keep in mind he was 15-20 ' up the tree and I was 15 yards away from him. Wind was blowing up the hill pretty strong right in my face. I stood there for 3-4 minutes watching that Tom, he was faced straight away looking down at those two hounds, left then right he would look back and forth, keep in mind how long this went on...............me looking at him the whole time, seeing what a magnificent creature GOD made, all of a sudden, that cat shook like he had a chill go down his spine and he spun his head right at me.....he sensed me and boy did his mannerism change... He did exactly what I had seen red fox do when I was a kid....so is it the stare, the focus.............our is it like the HEC's guy says, our electrical filed??? There is some research that says birds can see the electrical filed to some degree.....been tempted to get a HEC's suit for wearing under warmer winter clothes................what say all of you?
The lion was the last one I took over my hounds in 2002, this was the lion that ate the 3/4 curl bighorn the night before, took most of the morning for me to catch up with the hounds, lion was treed in a steep canyon. I circled above them and came out right behind the lion at his level, that's how steep the mountain was, keep in mind he was 15-20 ' up the tree and I was 15 yards away from him. Wind was blowing up the hill pretty strong right in my face. I stood there for 3-4 minutes watching that Tom, he was faced straight away looking down at those two hounds, left then right he would look back and forth, keep in mind how long this went on...............me looking at him the whole time, seeing what a magnificent creature GOD made, all of a sudden, that cat shook like he had a chill go down his spine and he spun his head right at me.....he sensed me and boy did his mannerism change... He did exactly what I had seen red fox do when I was a kid....so is it the stare, the focus.............our is it like the HEC's guy says, our electrical filed??? There is some research that says birds can see the electrical filed to some degree.....been tempted to get a HEC's suit for wearing under warmer winter clothes................what say all of you?
Hatrick
Well-Known Member
Was an electrical contractor 35 years. Did a lot of marina work. Private boat dock wiring in the north east. Marinas would shut down and haul boats for winter and launch in spring. I was constantly fixing older wires around 4th of July chewed by rats. It took 3 months from turning on to burn up the wires. We started leaving all electric on all winter and for the last 15 years I have not fixed a chewed wire. They seem to know when it is energized.
DMP25-06
Well-Known Member
My words of advice , from my own experience in reference to firearms and bullets chosen for coyotes , or any predator for that matter , is DO NOT SHOOT FULL METAL JACKETED BULLETS at these animals at .220 Swift velocities . The only 2 ways that you will stop them , in their tracks is by a brain shot , or severing their spine .
January , 1976 , was my first acquaintance with the .220 Swift . My cousin Billy and his college roommate Edgar had had come to town during mid-semester break , and the 3 of us decided to try to shoot some coyotes at night on the neighbor's large ranch , just drive out into pastures while spotlighting and looking for whatever that showed itself . Edgar had a Ruger M77V in .220 Swift shooting 40 grain FMJ bullets at 4000 FPS + . I asked Edgar why was he using FMJ bullets and his answer was so as not to damage the pelts .
Billy was driving , Edgar was shooting , and I was doing the spotlighting because I had the best eyes of the group .
I spotted the first coyote of the night at about 300 yards , and Edgar fired the shot . I watched the bullet impact through the ribs , just behind the left front leg . Going to be a dead coyote , unfortunately just not right there . I told Edgar "good shot" . Edgar's response was that he had missed , because the coyote had run away . We argued , but we did not try to track that dog , because I had highlighted him as he ran over the next hilltop several hundred yards away . So we drove on , until I spotted another coyote , again at a distance in excess of 200 yards .
Edgar shot again , I watched impact in same spot on the animal , and again the same result , a soon-to-be- dead dog running away . Again Edgar saying that he can't believe that he has missed . So we drive on until I spotted the 3rd coyote of the night , this one at about 100 yards , just standing . Edgar fired his 3rd shot , I watched impact behind the shoulder , and away runs the coyote .
I told Edgar that the bullets were just going through so fast with no shock and that was why the coyotes were not dropping in their tracks . Of course with me being an "old man" at age 26 , and him being an 18 year old who knows everything , Edgar starts arguing that his scope must have been knocked out-of-zero by the rough ride , so we were done shooting for the night .
The next morning before Billy and Edgar left to return back to college , I asked if I could shoot his rifle to check if it had been knocked out-of-zero . He allowed me 1 shot , and said that the rifle/scope combination had been zeroed at 300 yards before last night .
Out the back door of Billy's home , at the end of his pasture is a gate , attached to a large corner post that is just nearly 300 yards from the back door . Sitting on top of that post was a Meadowlark bird with a bright yellow breast marked with a black V that started on each side of the bird's neck and came to a point in the center of the breast , making a perfect aiming point . I dropped into a sitting position to shoot , squeezed the trigger , and nothing but a puff of feathers , when the bullet hit that bird . I sat the rifle down , said that there was nothing wrong with the zero , and we all ran a foot race to view the bird , or see if it had disintegrated .
Now , here is the part that I will receive a chorus of " That is total BS " , but I swear that the following statement is true , and was witnessed by 2 other people .
When we arrived at the gate and fencepost , the Meadowlark was standing on his feet on the ground , wobbling around about to die , with a hole through the center of its breast and out the backside that you could stick a pencil through , and it was still alive .
I told Edgar that his rifle was fine , and in my best impersonation of Perry Mason , TV lawyer , I said " I REST MY CASE on using FMJ bullets" .
DMP25-06
January , 1976 , was my first acquaintance with the .220 Swift . My cousin Billy and his college roommate Edgar had had come to town during mid-semester break , and the 3 of us decided to try to shoot some coyotes at night on the neighbor's large ranch , just drive out into pastures while spotlighting and looking for whatever that showed itself . Edgar had a Ruger M77V in .220 Swift shooting 40 grain FMJ bullets at 4000 FPS + . I asked Edgar why was he using FMJ bullets and his answer was so as not to damage the pelts .
Billy was driving , Edgar was shooting , and I was doing the spotlighting because I had the best eyes of the group .
I spotted the first coyote of the night at about 300 yards , and Edgar fired the shot . I watched the bullet impact through the ribs , just behind the left front leg . Going to be a dead coyote , unfortunately just not right there . I told Edgar "good shot" . Edgar's response was that he had missed , because the coyote had run away . We argued , but we did not try to track that dog , because I had highlighted him as he ran over the next hilltop several hundred yards away . So we drove on , until I spotted another coyote , again at a distance in excess of 200 yards .
Edgar shot again , I watched impact in same spot on the animal , and again the same result , a soon-to-be- dead dog running away . Again Edgar saying that he can't believe that he has missed . So we drive on until I spotted the 3rd coyote of the night , this one at about 100 yards , just standing . Edgar fired his 3rd shot , I watched impact behind the shoulder , and away runs the coyote .
I told Edgar that the bullets were just going through so fast with no shock and that was why the coyotes were not dropping in their tracks . Of course with me being an "old man" at age 26 , and him being an 18 year old who knows everything , Edgar starts arguing that his scope must have been knocked out-of-zero by the rough ride , so we were done shooting for the night .
The next morning before Billy and Edgar left to return back to college , I asked if I could shoot his rifle to check if it had been knocked out-of-zero . He allowed me 1 shot , and said that the rifle/scope combination had been zeroed at 300 yards before last night .
Out the back door of Billy's home , at the end of his pasture is a gate , attached to a large corner post that is just nearly 300 yards from the back door . Sitting on top of that post was a Meadowlark bird with a bright yellow breast marked with a black V that started on each side of the bird's neck and came to a point in the center of the breast , making a perfect aiming point . I dropped into a sitting position to shoot , squeezed the trigger , and nothing but a puff of feathers , when the bullet hit that bird . I sat the rifle down , said that there was nothing wrong with the zero , and we all ran a foot race to view the bird , or see if it had disintegrated .
Now , here is the part that I will receive a chorus of " That is total BS " , but I swear that the following statement is true , and was witnessed by 2 other people .
When we arrived at the gate and fencepost , the Meadowlark was standing on his feet on the ground , wobbling around about to die , with a hole through the center of its breast and out the backside that you could stick a pencil through , and it was still alive .
I told Edgar that his rifle was fine , and in my best impersonation of Perry Mason , TV lawyer , I said " I REST MY CASE on using FMJ bullets" .
DMP25-06
I have witnessed the same thing many times ReemtyJ . I can tell you that people have a different smell , if we are excited or scared . I can even smell fear in people it smells really bad . Nervous or excited people also have a bad body odor . If the humidity is high it carries a long way . I also have noticed that people will feel you looking at them that is why they teach you not to look directly at people when you are hunting them or watching them for recon in the service . Animals are even more attuned to the world around them then most people and will pick up on this quite readily . The people that have spent a lot of time in combat zones will be quite attuned to this as well . I look past , over or beside them and it seems to help keep them from noticing as fast . You will get used to it and can see them in your peripheral vision well . I have on occasion crept upon cats and coyote quite close , 20 feet and closer, by not looking directly at them and being relaxed .
nicholasjohn
Well-Known Member
I have long known that a hunter should never make eye contact with animals of prey, but once in a while, just for grins, I have looked deer right in the eyes - and they just about crawl out of their skin. One yearling doe went from being completely unaware of my presence to scared completely to death in an instant. Our eyes met, and I held my gaze, and the doe went nuts. She actually ran into a small tree trying to get away. I have never seen another reaction quite like that, but watching them at all makes them noticeably nervous. I make it a point to watch an approaching deer only with my peripheral vision. I figure that I can look them over all I want after I shoot them.
I know what you mean about the feeling of being watched, and recently had this feeling while sitting in a tree stand. I went up the tree in total darkness, and it took almost an hour for daylight to happen. I had the feeling for most of that time, and when it was light enough to see reasonably well, I started scanning my surroundings. I knew that something was watching me, but I saw nothing. I don't know if I picked up a little movement, or what it was, but something made me focus my gaze on a branch about ten feet away. Soon I realized that I was looking at an owl sitting on the branch, right next to the trunk of the tree. As soon as our eyes met, it blinked it's amber eyes once and then dropped off the branch and glided away silently. It knew that I had seen it, and it left. If you want to test this concept, some time when you see someone you know sitting in a crowd of people, like in church or at a restaurant, just look directly at him - like a buddy whose attention you would like to raise. Watch him start to get a little agitated, then start looking around. Do it long enough, and he will turn and look right at you. Just don't pull that one on somebody you don't know pretty well, because it could get a bit uncomfortable.
You mentioned electrical fields, and I think there is something going on there that is significant. People aren't as in tune with that as animals are, but we aren't completely numb to it, either. This may be how you know when somebody is standing a little too close behind you in line at the drug store, and weren't aware of anything physical alerting you to their close presence. I think this is also a thing that is trainable, and one thing that seems to facilitate this is sleeping on a grounding sheet. Somehow, this really opens up the sensitivity to this type of stuff.
That has made me a lot more alert and focused in general, and the "slow-motion" that comes on in an adrenaline-charged situation is also enhanced. It makes for very vivid dreams, and super-restful sleep. I've found that it improves sleep quality noticeably. This may sound a little "out there" but there's definitely something to it. I've been doing this for seven or eight years, and wouldn't think of giving it up. I think it has helped me a lot with my general state of well being, and being more calm and relaxed throughout the day.
I started doing it because I had read about the dangers of exposure to EMF's - electro-magnetic fields. For example, the incidence of cancers is far higher in families who live in homes near power lines than it is in the general public. I spent about thirty years in the cockpit of a Boeing, and that is like being inside a magnet for several hours a day. It's one big EMF generator, and it is deeply fatiguing. Ocean crossings in particular make me feel like I've been through a meat grinder. There's the cosmic radiation exposure at cruise altitude, but the EMF's come from all the radios, computers, and other electronics surrounding the pilots' work stations. The weather radar alone is strong enough to zap the daylights out of you, and it's sweeping all the time. Sleeping grounded made a HUGE difference in how I felt in the cockpit, and several of the co-pilots commented on my unusual alertness level, especially on all-night flights. They also noticed my level of calmness - even when we were in an emergency situation. I don't know how much of that was due to the electrical fields, or having done something to remedy this, but the differences were noticeable enough to several guys that they commented on it.
What I don't know is what kind of electrical fields people radiate out from ourselves, or if those suits that are supposed to deal with that really have any positive effects. Can anybody comment on that ??? I probably wouldn't need much of a push to give one of them a try.
nicholasJohn , it's called aura by some . It's the field that surrounds all things . You can train yourself to see it if you want . Set at a table with someone put the salt and pepper shakers in the middle of the table slowly move them toward the other person just move them a little then move your hand away from them . Soon you will find their space when you enter into it they will move them back your way . Animals are more aware of their space because they feel it more then you and I just to stay alive . If you want to see their aura squint at them with back light around them not a good habit to get into as it makes them very uncomfortable like your stripping away their body and looking at their inter soul . Some people get quite mad at you for it . I worked at power plants for most of my life , night shift so I could hunt coyote during the day , generators and transformers the transmission lines all are large are all huge electromagnets . The rate of prostrate cancer was high among plant workers as was skin cancer.
