Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote

[Reemty J]

Went out yesterday and HE blessed me better than I deserve.... saw 10 coyotes, of that 8 of them were in a stubble field that is rife with canals, topography, and deer/ mice. Tried calling a coyote early on, with some challenge howls, no luck. Slowly drove to the large field and saw one coyote running from the road 500 yards away, that was second one spotted. Sat and glassed the field, keep in mind it is 2 sections and it joins other fields and rolling hill. Saw one coyote about a mile out, got my gear and headed up the same canal as Monday. Always run across coyotes when ever I stalk this area. As I got to where that coyote was could not locate but 600 yards away straight north a pair was laying just over a rise and the wind was out of the southeast, no idea how I walked past them without them smelling me. Close to a mile northwest I glassed a pair and they had a single East of them 100 yards....I spend a long time glassing and making a stalk plan. A mile and a little more west I could see another loner laying in the neighbors stubble, potential stalk later in the day. Moved north to get at the pair that was 600 yards away, got within 200 yards was glassing looking for them and got busted they took off heading East. So I glassed the three that were northwest keep in. Mind I am 600 yards closer and the female winded me her and the male went west and the single sat and watched them for a while and then started heading my way it was nip and tuck if it would hit the wind but it kept coming, at 307 yards it started going east and stood broadside, ka-Pow, DRT..was a young male real white....walked back got pickup drove out got coyote and started up the east side of the large field, 200 to 300 deer out there and just north of them I spot that pair I bumped first 700 yards off road in a stubble crease, keep driving north get behind a hill 1/2 mile away and work back on top of them. I detailed in " coyote hunting tips" how I use the trigger stick.. long story short I got within 200 yards or so could see the males ears, I barked at him he stood up, ka-Pow right in the head, female jumps up runs 10 yards and is swivel necking trying to find me, she is slightly quartering to me so I shooter behind the diaphragm, 2 spins and she is DRT love that 39 grain SBK in the .204 wow. So I have 3 coyotes and think all of sudden I am smart well HE has a way to keep us humble ..... that lone coyote that was better than a mile away to the west, well I drove all around to the west side and it was beautiful, wind out of the southeast a canal within possibly 200 to 300 yards so I walked 500-600 yards East in the canal, glassing every 50-75 yards and what the heck I see that coyote laying in the stubbling fast asleep head on the ground......I get with 100-120 yards and climb out prone with bipod and lip squeak that coyote lifts it head and looks at me, put the cross hairs under its chin a little tho the right, bang coyote runs away over a rise I go look at its bed thinking what the heck, I find a handful of long fur, and that coyote was laying in a depression I shot over its ribs or back and sheered it some......lesson here, WAIT till they stand up there you have it was still a great day for me......... in that 5 mile by 3-4 mile area I have 20 killed so far........tons of kill pits and great habitat

 

[DSheetz]

You have to love being able to get out even if it's just to see a few coyote but to get a few is great .

 

[74honker]

Keep up the good work Reemty!

 

[74honker]

This has been my project the last few days. I built a cabinet for all my reloading stuff since the area around my bench looks like a disaster area lol. It measures 6'×3'×20" has 4 shelves and 1 drawer on the bottom. Now I like to tinker and have built a house before but I'm not a furniture maker. I like the rustic look. Now here's the story behind it. In 2019we had MAJOR flooding on the IL river including my district. The lumber used in this project came from the floodwall we had to build on top of our levee to hold the water back since it was over the top. When I tore the walls down after the water receeded I knew I had to keep some for odd projects just like this one. Thats why it's not all shiny new looking as it still has the water and mud stains. I sanded smooth but not to bare new wood as I wanted to keep the character. I still have to seal it yet but will get that done next couple of days.

 

[DSheetz]

74honker , that's a nice looking cabinet .

 

[74honker]

Thanks DSheetz. It's on its back up on the sawhorses. I didn't use the "proper" techniques of joining and whatnot lol there's some gaps here and there but that's kinda what I wanted on this project. I'll post another pic or two when I finish it and get it stood up.

 

[Reemty J]

Yesterday had light fog, and some real light snow, grass was frosty and Mondamtana was a little white. Wind was out of the southeast, 5-7 mph. To glassing I went and it took a while to see my first coyote, lately it seems they are more visible from 9-10 or so in the morning.. did not see the situation I wanted until 10, it's was a pair and they were on a date, reminded me of white tails when they rut. Chase play and some barks. They were right on a canal and I started in from the west side, they were close to 3/4 of a mile in but made good time on the ice in the canal. As I got closer I could see them 400 yards off lower down and chasing each other in the stubble and grass, they left brown streaks as they nocked the frost off the grass and stubble, Ray Charles could have tracked them it was that obvious. I had the wind in my face and right shoulder depending on which turn I was at in the canal. I was within 200 yards of where I wanted to be when all of a sudden they picked up another coyote and took off running to the south for almost a mile, I was thinking what the heck I know they didn't see or smell me? I got to the place they just were and sat and glassed, this was a place I have killed 4 or 5 already this year so I know they like to lay up here. After 10 minutes or so I see them coming back right at me, the 3rd coyote stayed back about 500 yards away and the pair kept coming, I had ranged where 200 yards was and they came past that....the female hardly stood still so I waited till she did, she was broadside at about 170 yards I was laying prone on the top of the canal in the grass and I had gun on bipod....set trigger set I touched off when she stopped and I could hear that beautiful WHOP sound, she did a few spins and dropped and I was focused on the male as he took off running but looking over his shoulder at her...I commenced barking at him and he finally stopped around 250, he was quartering away with head looking back at her, 2 poor shots and one good one later I had him down. Later in the day I spotted one in the stubble and got within 300 yards and proceeded to miss it, that rounded the day our. Total coyotes seen 8..... I can tell that they are getting thinner in this area. While I watched that mating pair was interesting to hear how much they barked and chased each other, was a learning experience but after all these years I always shoot the female first, you will get them both if you do......YMMV

 

[DSheetz]

Did you note the tones of the barks they are different then threat or warning barks ?

 

[Reemty J]

they sounded playful at times (kinda like grab assing?) then they changed when the 3rd coyote came in the picture...he appeared to be a male, but the paired male was larger....they really had a large area of stubble with the frost nocked off, they had been at it a while. One thing I noticed is the barks weren't very loud.

 

[DSheetz]

That is a big clue as to what cause's them to not like the barks we humans normally do . Ours tend to be louder and more of a threat instead of play-full . Ours appear to be only one coyote not two also most of the time . It always amazes me how much they have to teach us when we just take the time to let them instead of just shooting them . And yes they were grab assing much the same as people do when they are dating . He is P whiped at this time of year so when you shoot her first he wants to hang around , her not so much she knows there are others out there that want the same thing from her .

 

[Reemty J]

I am P whipped all year...…GOD made amazing when he made a Lady….

 

[Reemty J]

one thing been noticing is one area where I hunt there is a pile of whitetails wintering, 200-300 deer and every 3 to 4 days I can find a deer killed by coyotes...…..the eagles and ravens are a dead give away...they take over in the daylight. I bet we would be shocked to know how many deer are killed every year, not just fans but mature deer. Last 2 have been bucks.

 

[DSheetz]

Yep and I'm glad I don't have to wait for Jan . and Feb . ! They will still work as a team to kill adult deer even in breading season . Normally you will find an adult pair with a couple of younger females and maybe their mates packed up for that type of hunting . During the day if they have pressure they will separate and bed down if they aren't pressured they will hang out close to each other . Depending on the moon I have watched them as a pack hunting during the day . One day I was up on the mountain and saw a pack of 8 together trotting along in a pasture when one split off from the rest and headed toward a draw . It went into some willows and came back out with some mule deer after him he decoyed them and kept their attention till the pack picked the one they wanted . It was like watching a wolf pack then that you see on TV . Some on the back end then one on the neck and it was over in a few minutes for the deer . Coyote tend to lay up when their bellies are full .

 

[DSheetz]

When the dominate coyote thinks it's time to get back together you will hear a long lone howl . Then after a couple of minutes you will hear two short howls and two quick barks . It's kind of like it's getting the others attention first then asking them if they want to get together and visit . I've listened to the two howls and barks for quit some time after I had killed a couple of the other coyote in the group . An old female did it for half an hour one time before I answered her back with the same two howls and barks , I just wanted to see what she would do and how long she would ask the missing coyote to talk . She then came in to me and laid down on a small raise out about 150 yards from the rock pile I was in her last mistake . That is why I take the dead coyote out of the area even in the summer time so the rest don't know what happened to them . They do know that a dead coyote is dead when they find them but will look for that coyote or coyotes if they haven't found the body . I one time killed a female that had pups and a mate out sage brush camping , no longer in the den , and then went back latter at night . They found her body and gathered around it then started to do long lonely howls for 10 or 15 minutes . I haven't left one since if I can help it . It was kind of like what I described earlier when one found her it let the others know and they came into it .