Wish i had a shotgun...

[bighorns2bushytails]

So me and gutpile went out today for out first hunt together and he told me when he droped me off at the apartment i better post about my little umm how shall we say 'experience' today. He said if i didnt post hat he would so i figured it was better to hear it from the horses mouth so to speak.  so heres my recounts of the hunt upto my 'experience'

**side note:  last hunt we did for elk we were talking about a thread on here about could you beat up a wolf?  and i had in my infinite wisdom clearly stated that i thought i could take a wolf/coyote if i knew it was coming for me.  i think youll see the relevance here in a few.**

got to our spot a little early and it was still fairly dark.  pry cause gutpile was jacked to be out there hunting yotes at a new potentialy great producing spot.  after parking the truck we set out together up a road a few hundred yards im guessing (ask gutpile im horrible with yardage.  i know im not the only one thats why they make a device that does it for me.)  anyways few hundred yards up the road we go and its just muddier then heck.  we can see coyote and deer tracks up and down this road.  so a few hundred yards we decide that gutpile is going to stay there downwind and call up this draw.  i agree and walk another hundred+ yards up the road and realize im sorta stuck between two really steep hill faces with the roads cut between them.  with no where to set up my decoy i was carrying and no where to sit to be able to see everything and be able to shoot  i was getting worried about how quickly gutpile was going to start the set since we never discussed how much time i would have before he started.  it was at this time i also realized i hadnt taken my watch out of my pack at the truck so i had no idea how much time had elapsed since i walked ahead up wind.  so concerned about time i set the decoy up in the road and then cut a left onto the same side of the road as gutpile.  i didnt want to shoot anything skylining on the right side cause we were worried about a potential house in that direction so i figured decoy in the road and ill sit with my back to the road with me looking at the crest of another long hill that was pry 50 yards wide from the top to the road where i was sitting. 

after a few minutes gutpile didnt start so i let out a loud howl on my call figuring it would let gutpile know i was in position and ready.  few minutes later he still hadnt started so i let out another howl on another call thinking perhaps he hadnt heard my other howl?  well another minute or two later he starts playing the ecaller.  started with some howls on the ecaller and man this dog to my right just LIT UP!  he sounded close but i know how that can be decieving.  so im not sure how far away he was.  anyways he howled back and forth at the ecaller a few times then  gutpile switched to some distress sounds.  i was sitting patiently angled to the right watching for the dog that we had heard.  i was checking behind up up the road as best i could periodically.  it was still pretty dark out and i hadnt seen anything still. gutpile switched to pup in distress and i was just starting to think this howling dog was going to do what so many others do and thats howl and never show up.  i was checking the road behind me when all of a sudden i see the coyote coming HARD AND FAST right to left off to my right about midway along this hill infront of me.  now that put the dog say 60 yards away to my right and about 25 yards infront of me.  i got my scope on him and realized the power was to high (it was on 6, in the middle of my 3x9)  so i find the dog in the scope but all i can make out through the scope is his ears.  not wanting to muff an easy chip shot i take my eyes off the scope and yeah  can see the dog fairly well .  well now hes 25 or 30 yards directly infront of me.  i was starting to worry that he was going to wind me soon so i barked at him and looked through the scope and still couldnt see the dog.  so i looked up again and the sucker was making a DEAD RUN right at me.  i barked again and was getting ready to stand up when he stoped at 15 feet infront of me.  i knew id never find him in the scope and still hadnt had time to turn my scope down.  so i pointed the gun at where i thought it needed to go and shot.  the dog took straight off and i jacked another round in but he was already gone heading twords gutpile so i thought he might get a shot which turns out he saw the dog but never took a shot.

SO obviously later in the hunt as we were talking i mentioned that the whole thing really kinda freaked me,  which it did but i guess it just all happend so fast that i was never really scared just freaked out that the coyote came right at me instead of turning away or stopping to see what i was.  being really dark out still and not being able to see also added to the whole experience.  so obviosly gutpile mentions that 'arnt you the guy who said he could beat up a wolf and now your scared of a little coyote.'  which the coyote wasnt little it was a nice mature dog and was one of the larger ones ive seen in a while.  so i guess i would just like to add to my statement gutpile that 'i think i could take a wolf if i saw it coming and it was light outside'.   

no im not trying to start up so you think you can beat up a coyote or a wolf.  what im trying to find out how many of you carry a shotgun or sidearm in addition to your rifle?  i mean religiously pack the shotgun or sidearm not just occasionally.  i talked and thought about it alot today as we continued to hunt.  gutpile says its just not worth it cause of the weight?  however i keep hearing these stories about getting ran over by the coyote and what not?  i also recall hearing on a podcast that les johnson used to have his brother carry a shotgun and rifle when they hunted together and he mentioned that he often carries both.  what do you think?  i just cant keep thinking it sure would have been nice to have the old scatter gun or a sidearm at the very least.  perhaps ill pack the 9mm next time.   



anyways just wanted to share my little experience before gutpile twisted it into a shamefull experience of missing a 15 foot chip shot coyote 


--BH2BT


i also wanted to take a second and thank gutpile for everything hes done for me.  thank you for sharing your hunting spots and your knowledge.  thank you for taking me with you all those times i couldnt afford to go out by myself.  thank you for all the lunches and times you have driven.  thanks for everything.  your a good friend.

[GoldTip]

Well no matter how you twist it, it still sounds like a shameful experience of missing a 15yd chip shot.......

But yeah, even though I rarely have ever gone and called coyotes, I do always have one of my pistols on my hip as well as whatever rifle I may be using that day.

[AWS]

That's why all of my coyote guns now carry scopes that have 1-1.5x at the bottom end and hugh FOV's, I get a few shots every year that are just beyond my feet.  Tried carrying a shotgun but thats when they hang up, so I find a short handy rifle with a big FOV scope does the trick.  When I'm hunting with a partner sometimes one of us will carry a shotgun if the cover is thick and we always have one handy for no rifle zones.

AWS

[Galpster]

I always pack a side arm with me. Not an issue of weight and it is a good back up for many things.

I sure liked the story and the kind words you said to gutpile. In this holiday season lets not forget about our freinds and family.

[Big10gauge]

Ok let's hear Gutpile's version 

[Special T]

Savage makes an over under 223 and 12 gauge... I have one that is 22lr and 20 gauge... sound like what you need! 

[Gutpile]

Wow, no problem at all. No thanks necessary. I seem to remember someone taking me to a good turkey/ grouse/ bear spot a few times. At any rate, I'm sure you'd do the same. Besides, if the wifey ever kicks me out you know where I'll be knocking. 


We've all missed really close shots. If someone hasn't then they havent called in many dogs or they are full of shat. The low light level wasn't exactly our friend. 20 minutes later and that would have been a dead puppy. I just feel like packing a shotty and a rifle is waaaaaay overkill cosidering this doesn't happen often in the terrain we hunt. If it were thicker country I'd probably consider it.

[rasbo]

I just shoot them with my rifle..point blank..

[bighorns2bushytails]

well i think perhaps i just need to go out and buy a new handgun for a sidearm...  thats it yea i need another gun. 

atleast im getting the easy misses  out of the way early this season eh gutpile?



--BH2BT

[Gutpile]

Of course you need another gun. I've got a judge calling your name. That dog was close enough for a face full of buckshot. Just a thought. 

[JackOfAllTrades]

i mean religiously pack the shotgun or sidearm not just occasionally.

Of the thousand or so, (just to pick a round number so you can get a percentage), times that I've stepped into the woods for scouting, hunting, hiking.. I bet I would be safe to say that 995 times that I've had a hand gun holstered on my person.

I have shot Deer with pistol, while I had a rifle in the other hand. Shot a Bear at pistol range with rifle while the pistol was in the holster. The extra 3 pounds if holstered properly has never slowed me down and I'm all of 5' 8" and 170 pounds.

-Steve

[bighorns2bushytails]

gutpile hows that thing shoot the 45 colt?

--BH2BT

[Gutpile]

Good enough for a 15 foot shot. 

[bearmanric]

I'll be using a shotgun and 22-250 alot this year. wish the rain would stop. Rick

[bighorns2bushytails]

well decided for now on i am going to start packing my pistol.  was torn between my 38 spcl revolver or my 1911 but ultimately decided on the 1911 cause of the trijicon tritium night sights on it.  its chambered in 9mm so i get a few extra shots at that close 15 foot yote too.



a picture of the sights.



now im getting almost obsessed with calling one in real close so i can get a pistol kill.... is that bad?? 

--BH2BT