Coyote Madness Fall 08 - Winter 09

[ivarhusa]

I had to drop my wife off at the airport at 4:30AM today. That was the perfect set up to go hunting.  I trolled along a road before sun up, howling every mile or so but got no response.

I went back to a farm where I'd been busted by a coyote a few weeks ago. I changed my methods a bit, at the suggestion of others on this forum.  I hung a watch on my shooting sticks, and was careful not to call too much or too often. Motion was absolute minimum (well, better at least).

After 15 minutes of rabbit distress (Long Range Tweety), a 32 lb male came out of the sage and onto a dirt road I was near.  I watched him come in from about 200 yards into 100 yards (yes, it can be done). I lost sight of him as he was behind some sage, and shifted the rifle to my shoulder.  He saw the motion  and reversed course down the road.  At 200+ yards, he cut into a grassy field and paused. I put one shot into him with my .204 (a little aft, but still in the rib cage) and he went right down.  Here we are:

[SpokaneSlayer]

Well done on your second dog.  I'm still looking for my first.

[bobcat]

Good job! That's a nice looking dog. Great picture too.

[NW-Eric]

nice going on the dog

[Big10gauge]

Congrats Ivar, That's a nice sized coyote

[Big10gauge]

BullElk and I went out today and headed to the top northeast since the fur on the coyotes in our usual areas are rubbed and also losing their guard hairs. On our way to one of our spots we see one standing about 175yrds off watching us. It decided to take off before we could get a shot, I rolled it at 213yrds as it was running away at a angle left to right on the 2nd shot. When we finally got in to our first set I started calling and a chorus of coyotes starts up, we tried howling, pup distress etc. but no dice. On the next set BullElk cut loose with a call and again the coyotes started howling and barking. So he switched to howling and pup distress again but this time it sounded like they were coming closer. We waited quite a while and BullElk did a quick howl and it sounded like they were about 200yrds over a hill. Finally we spot one off to our left standing behind some sagebrush, BullElk and I start squeeking and the coyote came in further but stopped again behind some brush, one more squeek and he moves in. BullElk is trying to stop him with some barks but he keeps coming. Finally he stops at 49yrds and BullElk dumps him, Total time on that set was 38 minutes our longest this year. On the way out we see another coyote running away at about 200 yrds, I hit it on the 2nd shot at 237 yrds but not a good hit so I start tracking which wasn’t difficult in the snow and good blood. After about 7/8 of a mile of this I finally get up to about 300 yrds of it and it decides it still has plenty of steam left and takes off, not very fast but enough that I needed several shots to put it down for good, but the first 3 were off hand so they don’t count and the 2 solid hits on the sagebrush shouldn’t either or the rock. It looked like I hit it twice after skinning it.  Last shot was at approx 347 to 367 yrds by lasering from the coyote back to where I thought I had shot from. All 3 pelts were good enough to skin out.

[firecrotch]

sounds like one hell of a day

[boneaddict]

Good killin'

a 14 pound dawg, I have pheasants bigger than that. 

Huntwa Prostaff........25.5
forum....................34.5
Sagebrush Assassins (Big10gauge, BullElk and SageBrushStalker)....................39.5
Team Selah.....................................................6
Team Jr Slayers...............................................1
Can't hit shat....Bighorns2bushytails, JJhunter MHWASH and sagedawg,gutpile,shootemdead.......25

[ivarhusa]

I redeemed myself today, putting one dog down and scaring a few others.  The first shot counted, the rest were at fleeing critters that wouldn't stop at my yelps.

It was an interesting stand, at the same location where I found a pair Saturday (hitting one, but not recovering the body). My approach to the stand begins on high ground, drops into a shallow swale, then overlooks a deeper draw, that had been fenced as a feed lot.  Today there we no cattle in the feedlot.

I crept through the swale, to the point where I was sniping from the day before. I looked past the feed lot to the draw where I had see the yotes yesterday, and saw none.  I could not see the bottom of the feedlot. Not two minutes later, a pair show up in the feed lot, on the far slope, about 150 yards away!

I didn't have my rifle ready, so I  slid further behind the stack of fence posts, my cover, and readied myself.  I poked my head around the corner again, and the coyotes were not in view, having dropped lower into the feedlot. I contemplated squeaking them in closer, but I could not see their approach.  The critters would show up at about 20 yards, pretty abrupt-like.

I waited and a coyote reappeared on the slope.  I took steady aim, with coyote fever in check, and made the shot.  You can see the entry spot in the image.  It blew his heart out, I think.  There was blood everywhere inside, with apparent hemorrhaging even to the far side of the entry wound, but no exit wound. Excellent bullet performance.

After the shot, all heck broke loose, and one coyote came up the slope to me, showing up at 20 yards (and 25 mph).  I let loose a few orounds their way, but I haven't developed my technique for running shots, yet.  I am "leading them", but by too much or too little?  That 40 gr pill doesn't kick up a lot of dust (especially when the ground is frozen, as it was today).

This is a 27 lb male.  I've got it skinned, and have done a better job this time.  The task was made more difficult by the massive wound in the  lower chest. It was not a clean surface to skin to.  Very dark and bloody, and I couldn't just "wipe the blood away". It is hard to describe what I saw (and took no pictures, for my wife's sake).

The fleshing is "in progress" (chilled at the moment). I am working out my tools and methods.  I bought 25 lb of salt at Costco for $3.95, to help desiccate the hide.  My local feed store didn't have the white "feeder salt", just the mineralized stuff. Thanks to Michelle for her advice along the way.



That is a baseplate compass attached to my call lanyard. I dial in the bearing when I knock a critter down. When searching for the critter I can check the bearing back to my stand, and tell if I am on line or not.  It helps in the fairly flat, fairly shrubby terrain I hunt where longer shots seem to be my fate.

[Big10gauge]

BullElk and I made another trip up north today, The calling didn’t pick up until late morning. BullElk was in hitting the mark on the coyotes. His tally was 3 coyotes down and lasered ranged at 331,394 and 76 yrds. I shot 2 coyotes lasered at 124 and 176 yards. Pretty nice day today with the weather cooperating and the coyotes were lighting up when we called. When we got to BullElks last coyote he forgot his howler where we were sitting so I walked back and got it while he started skinning it. I had never used a call like that so I started howling and doing a pup distress as BullElk was tubing the coyote out. I looked up and here was another coyote about in the same spot he shot his. That was my 124 yd shot coyote. Total count for today was 5 coyotes down, Two of them wasn't worth skinning.

[addicted]

whats the score. this may be the most beneficial wildlife program going right now 

[shoot-em-dead]

I went out yesterday to my honey hole and spotted this yote at about 200yds walking along. First shot hit it in the cage but went back and took hind leg out. Dropped her there and placed another in the back of the head to finnish. I'm really happy with my reloads.

[Big10gauge]

Sweeeet!!! Next time take it's pants off all the way.

[Big10gauge]

Today BullElk went by himself. Nobody else could go out and play.    He did manage to see and knock 2 down at 150 and 175 yrds without any help .  Like he says, even a blind squirrel can find some nuts every now and then. But for BullElk I think it's more like if you fire enough rounds sooner or later you're going to score. At least he let all the air out of the front one.

[firecrotch]

awesome big10