An interesting successful hunt today

[ivarhusa]

I am feeling a bit uneasy about my skills as a coyote hunter, or more specifically as a 'caller'. My two coyotes this season were both bagged before I could start calling.  Mind you, I have spent enough time "e-calling", that I should have thought it would have contributed to my success, but not so much. I've yet to get a critter in my sights (not to say they aren't there) using the e-caller.  I use a variety of sounds, too (wounded rabbit, pup distress, turkey, dog snarl, and more).

I came to a two-track I'd driven before, but this time I noticed the red "no vehicles beyond" sign, and of course respected it.  The road was 2 to 3 miles long.  I am barely under way when I notice a fresh coyote track, adult.  The ground had been swept clean by rain a day or so ago, and this was crisp, even in the powdery soil.  I knew a yote had been this way, and probably earlier this morning (it is about 10am).

I proceeded about a mile and saw an encouraging draw, leading away from the road that I thought could be a travel corridor (but what do I know). I set up my call in wheat stubble to the left of the road, and hunkered up to an abandoned (no wire) fence line to the right, giving me a good look down the road and into the wheat stubble. I no sooner park my carcass and raise my rifle to my shooting sticks when I see a yote coming back my way along the road, about 250 yards out.  I don't know how he didn't see me setting up my call or coming down the road. The luck of the terrain, I guess.

I let him come in closer and he had no idea I was there. At 86 yards (later measured), he turned and presented me a broadside shot, so I took it. One 40gr Vmax out of the 204 went into the chest on his right side, and didn't come out. Dropped right there. It was just luck that I stopped just there.  Had I walked another couple minutes, he would have been gone.


I saw about two dozen mule deer, too.  Here are a few.

[Sidewinder]

Never look a gift coyote in the mouth   Look at it as improving your stealth skills. 

[tlbradford]

You played this stand perfectly.  Even though you did not "call" the coyote in, you realized there was one in the area, you took a path to your stand that allowed you to be concealed, and you stopped when you got to an area you felt held coyotes.  You defeated every sense the coyote uses to detect you, even though it was very close.  Good job.

[VarmintVentilator]

You got to have some of those good timing events to compensate for the bad timing hunts.  Good Job.   

[ivarhusa]

I gotta agree that sometimes "good luck timing" can offset some "bad luck timing".  Here was the setup:


The red X is where the coyote met his demise. The X to the right was where I snuggled up to the brush and the black X to the left is about where I put my e-caller (unused, as it were). The slight undulation in the road is what probably screened me from the coyote as I was setting up.

[ser300wsm]

Sounds to me like you did it just right. Nice job...