A good day of coyote hunting

[ivarhusa]

I'll tell you up front, I didn't bring any coyotes home, but it was good day for many reasons.

At my first stand, I had to walk "exposed" some 50 yards to take a versatile shooting position. Looked across about 400 yards of wheat stubble to a fence line and spotted a coyote standing very still- looking at me.  Busted already.  He wasn't running, so I tried a rabbit call, hopong to lure him in.  He turned away, and paused at about 500 yrds. I took the shot, but missed him clean.  He took off like a scalded cat. 

I was surprised to have recognized that coyote- to have seen him at such a distance (and I am guessing at the range). A few months ago, and I would not have seen him.  My eyes weren't trained. I am getting better at it.

At my second stand, after what I think is a pretty good approach, I hear a "somewhat distant" coyote giving out his warning barks.  I was left to wonder, "Was it me?"  I naturally conclude that "if I can hear it, it is me" that the coyote must be complaining about. I never saw the coyote, and called a full 35 minutes before giving it up.  Surely that coyote heard my calls, but he wasn't buying it.

I got to thinking, "If I hear a warning bark, should I just give up on the stand?"  I don't want to be wasting my time.  I'll take the advice from the experts on that one, but I got a partial answer on my third stand.

I was hunting a new area, just walking up from the road to "see what was on the other side", and what I saw was beautiful.  Aside from the vista toward the Blue Mountains, covered in snow, I was looking down over a make of valleys that looked like "coyote country" for miles. It was a rare and beautiful sight.

I gave out my howl, waited 5, then one sequence of Tweety (rabbit distress). Before I could start my second series, a big dog was coming in fast, and I saw him as he came out from a draw.  Seeing them first is half the battle! He dipped behind a shallow ridge and I made a blunder.  I had recognized the need to reposition my sticks and was moving them when he popped up again, and he saw me, form about 80 yards. A chip shot. He had covered the intervening ground, I figured in retrospect, at a full run.  If I had only just "let him come" and stayed still, he would have come much closer.  He was a comin'.

He turned and disappeared behind that shallow ridge in a blink of an eye, and soon was at 200+ yards and running.  He didn't pause at my bark, and he disappeared into the distance.

It was reassuring to learn from experience that "a coyote can show up almost immediately" after commencing calling.  I had taken that on Randy Anderson's advice, but now know it is true.  Sorry I didn't get that critter...

As I was traipsing to my next stand, across wheat stubble, I was met by a young man and his wife on a dirt bike.  He was showing her jumps (which he took alone) along the ribs of the steep slope I was climbing.  After apologizing for "ruining my hunting" (which he didn't), we talked. I had taken some pictures of him jumping with the 'cycle and we exchanged email addresses to share the pictures.  For his part, he pointed me to a large area of FFTH relatively nearby.  Sweet!

Well, its time to go hit my "honey hole", a cattle ranch that has almost always shown me critters.  Wish me luck!

Ivar   

[BLKBEARKLR]

Sounds like you had a blast out there, was a nice day to just get out

[rainshadow1]

Good day out educating Coyotes, Ivar!    Sounds like fun!

Where pics for us?!?!?

[ivarhusa]

Rainshadow, I shouldn't rise to the bait and post pictures (it is hard to stop), but here they are.  Some were taken this morning.  I see so many beautiful sights.  Today's best scene was crouching behind a stack up fenceposts, looking up to see sandhill cranes cruising overhead at about 40 ft. Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera in hand for that close pass, but here is something like it:

They are lit from below by "dawn's early light".

About the hunt today.  I arrived just as barely enough light to shoot was present. The wind was favorable- for most circumstances, but not today. I had a nice cross wind with respect to the slopes I had previously seen critters on.  Not today. My scent carried over the hill to nearby coyotes who retreated within my view, being first visible as they came from behind the hill at 300 yards. There is no way they could have seen me, the pair, but they were directly downwind.  Calling didn't bring anything in.

Here is one my most exposed calling locations.  But hey, the coyotes can't hide either!


I didn't call anything in, here. But the view was lovely.  I could look (more to the left of this scene) to see the snow covered Blue Mountains.  The slopes in the distance here are stippled with wind turbines, just across the border into Oregon. This was near the site where I was met by motorcyclists jumping in the stubble field.


I hadn't mentioned it earlier, but the stand where I called a 'yote in almost was abandoned before I started calling.  There was an orchard 1/2 mile to the north of where I was, and it was not yet in bloom. Why should that matter?  There were perhaps more than 100 hives in position to pollinate, and without fruit trees to work, they were all over the shrub steppe, looking for pollen.  I was close to 1/2 mile away from the hives and the desert was "a buzz".  I could see between 2 and a dozen bees close to me all the time.  They seemed to like to land on my rifle for some reason, and it was unnerving.  Had I not full camo, with gloves and face mask, I would have retreated.

Taken with the windows rolled up, of course!

Lest you think I am a masochist, sitting out in the open all the time, hoping to not get busted by a coyote, here was my last stand today.  I had a favorable wind, sun at my back, and tall cover (for the desert) behind me, an artemesia tridentata (sage brush). I left my rifle and tripod in the picture:


Here is an image with my gear highlighted.  I took that old bugger from this stand in January.  I was hoping some youngster had moved into the hood since then.


On the way home, I passed this herd of deer near the road.


This weekend I saw five coyotes, shot at one (out of futility).  That's pretty darn good for me!

Ivar





 

[rainshadow1]

Question answered! Thanks!

[ivarhusa]

I just "rolled the odometer" on my Canon XTi (perhaps three years old), having taken just over 10,000 images. Most are crap, of course, but occasionally I get one I like.

[bowhunterforever]

Sounds like a good hunt, congrats! awsome pics too

[Timberstalker]

IVAR-  I always get a kick out of your posts.  I sure appreciate all that you contribute to this site.