Went at it pretty hard the last three days. Hunted with a local friend all day Friday, then hunted with two other friends all day Sat., and then went alone all day yesterday. Had fun, interesting, frustrating stand to start my day yesterday.
I had done this stand my first time just last season. I tried it once earlier this year and blanked. Killed a pair there last year.
So it's a sweet, handy stand. A nice spot to pull down in the ditch to hide the truck and I only have to walk about 300 yards to where I sit. Hadn't worried about getting back doored because anything that wants to come from across the road can plainly see my truck long before they reach the road, UNLESS they decide to follow the dry creek bed and go under the road/bridge, like they did yesterday.
So I'd been calling right about 12 minutes, starting to get that blank stand feeling, when I finally spot a coyote standing just 300 yards out. I had only played rabbit to this point, so I switched to lip squeak to bring it on in. Next thing I see is it and another leaving. Wait, what the heck. They disappear from me and finally I see one come out on a hill about 450. Hmmm, don't like rabbit, so I do a series of howls and soon learn the problem. I get a burger barker behind me. Now what. So I do a series of pup distress. That really fires up the burger barker, but it also gets coyote #2 out in front of me to show himself, showing some interest in coming now. And soon the far coyote comes and joins #2 standing on a hill out about 300 now. Burger barker raising cane behind me. So I put up Kryptonite, one of my favorite fights and here comes my pair. About the time the fight gets through a series and I mute the call, the pair had made it to about 120 yards where they stopped. Now they're just standing there starring, looking for the source of the fight. Not sure, but think they stood there a good minute of two, looking, looking all around trying to find the source of the sound. Finally, they lose interest and turn and start leaving. So I turn Kryptonite back on and now they get serious, or at least the male gets serious about coming to get in the action. The female still not sold, she hangs up back at about 120 yards. SO, pretending to be the professional that I'm not, I decide the smart play is to shoot the female first, the male is coming hard and is going to be real close in no time. Well, the plan worked perfectly EXCEPT the fact that I flat out whiffed on the female. After my shot the male wasn't but about 30 yards and I went ahead and spun and rolled him up, and then turned my attention back to the fleeting female, only to have my gun jam and by the time I got it cleared, the coast was clear of all furbearing critters. Shoulda been a dead pair, but I screwed up the easy shot.
After words, I went to investigate where the backdoor coyote came from since I had tracking snow. Turns out I had a pair come and they managed to get to about 75 yards before they winded me. I followed their tracks back to discover the reason my truck hadn't kept them from coming across the road, because by following the dry creek bed and going under the road, they never had a chance to see it.
Lesson learned. I'll sit in a different spot next time.
We called in 23 coyotes in 3 days, only killed 13. Had a quad come and only one died. Well, 2 of the quad finished and came all the way in, two checked up at about 250 and at the first shot, they split. Buddy missed #2 at just 200 standing. Had a triple coming on another stand, two together and a 3rd from a slightly different angle. I didn't realize there were 3 until I was attempting to put a finishing shot on the 2nd, and at that point the 3rd was splitting for cover. Can't kill em all.
Of the 8 I killed this weekend, only 3 had fur worth keeping. One that I killed was nearly furless. Will be glad when mange has run it's course around here.
we haven't had snow here for a while, if we did today I would have followed that coyote up and with in a mile or less she re-bedded and I would have another chance.
