Took the New Guy out!

[rainshadow1]

Brook, aka Grizzle, contacted me about a knife build and mentioned that he'd like to learn what I could teach him about Calling Coyotes.

Hunting was tough, late in the year, very educated dogs for the most part, and Grizzle had a recently sprained ankle which kind limited our movement. But we went for it anyway, had a real good time!

Saw lots of bird life, lots of hawks, a roosted Owl hooting at us on a night stand, a couple bunches of deer, 4 drive by Coyotes (Could have legitimately shot one, 150 yards, standing, on feel-free-to-hunt property, but we hadn't called it, so we left it for next year.) and had lots of howlers at dusk.

Here's some of the Country we found in SE with feel free to hunt signs on it...


 


We ended up calling one by the book. It came in at 15 minutes like it hadn't been called before. I first saw it at 500 yards across 4 ridge tops. It came in a bee line, and never stopped once. 500 yards on the rangefinder, but probably over 1000 easily on the paw. WAY down, then WAY back up again, FOUR times! On a string, full sprint the whole way.

I thought it would stop on the closest ridge, I stopped the squalling and told Grizzle to be ready to take that shot at 120, but it flew right over the top and bailed into the draw below. I said, "Get Ready! He's Comin'!" and he topped the crown of our hill right in front of the WT.

35 yards. "BLAM!" 223 Death Spin! Perfect shot. Frontal chest, exited out the back of the ham. Then I flattened him with a 3.5" load of #4 Buck from the Bennelli just to stop the dance.

Here's the set-up...

 



Then the exclamation point on a great sentence and paragraph....


 
Male. Probably a 2 year old by his build and teeth.



This trip really humbled me by lowering my call-in percentage... a LOT! But that was kind-of expected, all things considered. It was a great time, and I'm happy to have made a new friend!

Thanks Brook!

[HawkenBob]

Great post Steve. Im sure its exciting waiting for the critter to clear the top of the hill, then disapearing again. Then another and finally in your face for the shot. Sounds like allot of fun!

[ivarhusa]

It is encouraging to see hunting success in the open Palouse.  I will be in Pullman FRI/SAT and hope to find some place to call before dusk, en route back to TriCities.  I might have overlooked such desperately open country.  Way to go!

[rasbo]

sweet deal

[tlbradford]

Sounds like you guys had a great time.  Way to endoctrinate another coyote hunter to the fold.

[deaddog]

It sounds like you guys had a great time, dont ya just love it when they come running like they havent eaten in a month. Good job and congrats to Grizzle on his first dog kill.

[Big10gauge]

Steve, Did you guys go over and back in one day? That's quite a ways to drive, must have had the "fever"  pretty bad. Hope that coyote cured it for awhile.

[rainshadow1]

No, we were Monday afternoon thru Wednesday morning. Monday was pretty well shot because of the weather, wicked cold and howling wind snow and hail, but we pounded away anyway to no avail. Tuesday was the best day. Yesterday morning was windy too, although we got busted on one stand, probably by geese we jumped before we got set up on one stand, we heard one or more barking at us while we were calling.

It was ideal Cougar calling conditions here early this week wasn't it?!?! Dang it!! Seems every time when I leave, the cougar calling conditions are ideal at home! My friend came by this evening with a beauty he shot at about 3 today!! He was on one Monday too, just tracking, jumped it once, but couldn't close the deal!

GRRRRRRrrrrrr! I'm tickled for him, but now I'm pulling my hair out with one 3 days left to get a Cougar!

Good thing is, it came in to my #2 Juvinile Whistle on my CD!!! My first confirmed E-sound kill!

[btlsoom]

Great story and pictures.  Looks like everybody had a super time and you got a great hunting partner from now on because I am sure he's hooked.

Great job.

Randy

[ivarhusa]

I was driving between Pullman and Steptoe Saturday and saw three coyotes, and another closer to Kahlotus.  Two stood out on a snow covered wheat field, but I wouldn't have seen any had I not taken up the sport of coyote hunting.  In many years of driving about the state, I'd only "seen" about 5 or so coyotes, typically crossing the road, obviously, in front of me.

The powers of observation grow, with practice! 

Sadly, despite having the rifle in the trunk, none of the coyotes seen this weekend could be harvested by me (private land).

I did see some sign, and another coyote hunter, down around Revere.  One stand was at the base of a short basalt "cliff" (maybe 15 feet above where I could stand), where I found a 3' tall pile of debris beneath a bird's nest or resting point. The debris contained thousands of rodent bone fragments.  I was guessing that this vantage point (it was high ground) was a preferred hawk lunching spot for perhaps thousands of years.  One never knows, do one?

Ivar

[heavy hauler]

great pics.    that wide open area looks quite abit different than where i live