Coyote SMACKDOWN - trippledigitss Style! VIDEO ADDED

[trippledigitss]

And the triple digits in this smackdown are 2 - 4 - 3!   

Mama coyote bites the bullet - or should I say the bullet bit her!?

Another female.... geez, I wish I could call in female peoples as much as I call in female ky-oats! By now I'd have enough wool to knit a sweater!    (if you get my drift!) I've only ever gotten one male dog. 

So as most of you know I like to babble in my stories and drag it out, so today I will do a short version for those who dont like to read and just want the facts, and one with all the details.

Short version:

Went out to my honey hole Sunday morning and called in a female about the 30min mark. Dropped her with my .243 at about 57yds. End of story.

Detailed version:

I went out to my tried & true hunting spot on a private farm. I decided to take my .243 since the landowner claimed to see a cougar on her property recently and saw alot of cat tracks, big & small. As usual I set up in the same spot and put out Thumper, my rabbit decoy, and my FoxPro (which I had left out in the field last time out by mistake! So it had been sitting out there for over a month!) and sit down with my Savage Edge .243 next to me and my 12ga in my lap. Then I took Jerry Malbeck's advice (and a few others) and kept it simple to start with.

I started out really quiet - as usual - but without any barks or howls, just lip squeaks for about 15min. Nothing came in so I turned on the FireStorm and called with rodent distress. So about the 30min mark I'm thinking about changing to pup distress and I'm looking down at the remote and paused the call sequence. When I look back up I see a coyote standing in the open off to the right. (see pics) I think she saw me move my head and was looking right at me, so I stayed completely still and her attention went back to the decoy. So then my heart starts POUNDING (I love that part) and I'm thinking, 'should I wait til she's in shotgun range, or....?' Then she heads right to left and goes behind the trees, so as the trees blocked me I grab the rifle and draw down and wait for her to come out from behind the trees. But I couldnt find her in the scope and didnt see her come out so I look up from the rifle and go to grab the remote to restart the call and noticed her looking right at me from a space that looked about 18"-24" wide in between two trees. (see pics) So I slowly look back thru the scope and see her looking back & forth from me to the decoy - she's laying behind a log on the ground so all I can see is her head and she's looking right at me. So I'm wondering, 'should I wait, what if she spooks & leaves, should I thread the needle and  pop her in the head...?' I didnt know what to do. So rather than see her run off I decided to take the shot, I aimed at her neck just above the log thinking at 55-60yds the bullet would be rising (I dont know if 243 does that like a 223?) and take the shot, I dont see her drop or run so I'm assuming I got her but I cant see her behind the log so I dont know for sure. 

Then I thought I heard/saw something back in the woods about 125yds so I waited and called another 30-40min before I go check. I wanted a cat badly but no luck. Nothing comes out so I call it a day and go check. I get up close and sure enough I see a dead dog laying there - I cant believe I even doubted myself!  And so I dont even want to admit this part, but as I get closer I see she's still breathing, man I felt like CRAP that she was laying there suffering for 30min... So I finish her off with a quick shot to heart (hey - Bon Jovi!) with the rifle and that took care of it immediately. As I look closer I see that I hit her in the lower jaw and just about all but completely took it off.

Anyway - In the pics I show my stand, the area she came from and went to with red arrows, my call & decoy are in the green circle. Show where she was standing when I shot her and the view back to my stand from there. I also was filming with my iKam glasses but they froze and locked up and I lost the video from when she came out and when I shot. But I reset them and starting filming after my stand and walking up the coyote. I was bummed cuz it seems something always happens and I never get the full hunt & actual shot on film. 

[Huntboy]

 

[Machias]

Nice job and nice write up.

[doyourtime89]

Great pics and story....I have to get going on this stuff.  My son is always on me about getting out doing some coyote hunting.  I bought a foxpro caller and I need to get out and figure everything I can out about it so I can get my son some more hunting time.  He is on me about getting out when ever we can.

[bearmanric]

Nice write up. Cant wait to get out. Rick

[Heredoggydoggy]

Nice pelt!  Looks like she's been eating good, too. 

[trippledigitss]

Thanks guys! Yeah she was a fat little football for sure, she's been out there eating the property owner's chickens, turkeys, baby piglets, housecats, lap dogs, shepherd mix (that may have been a cat though), and just about everything else too. At 1st glance I thought the coat was nice too, but the closer I looked it was kinda ratty. It was really thick but had alot of matting or something under the top coat, not real clean. A couple of them I have gotten out there had very nice coats. I still wish I would have kept the pelt from the one I got out there with FC last year. I was going to give this one to this gal that wants carcasses for something, I think to practice taxidermy but not sure, but she didnt want her cuz the lower jaw was missing.  She wants them more "intact".

[predatorpro]

what a pig! nice coyote man! i tought you well! lol jk how big was the exit wound? if its smaller that a baseball or if its in the right spot alot of fur buyers dont use the whole coyote, you be suprised what they will take, its worth throwing her in the freezer and if a fur buyer dont want it than throw it out, it really looks like a good fur tho, they dont get much better!

[BOWHUNTER45]

SWEEEET ...LOVE all the details ... she was a fatty ...HUH ? 

[Heredoggydoggy]

SWEEEET ...LOVE all the details ... she was a fatty ...HUH ? 

Yes.  Pretty severe underbite, though.   

[trippledigitss]

what a pig! nice coyote man! i tought you well! lol jk how big was the exit wound? if its smaller that a baseball or if its in the right spot alot of fur buyers dont use the whole coyote, you be suprised what they will take, its worth throwing her in the freezer and if a fur buyer dont want it than throw it out, it really looks like a good fur tho, they dont get much better!

There was one at the back of the neck about the size of a golf ball, I think the jaw absorbed most of the force ? Then another on
the right side near the shoulder about the same size. But I already tossed it, not going back to pull it out either! And there is
NO WAY my wife would let me keep it in either of her freezers! 

(my browser - Mozilla Firefox - doesnt work right with the new site. The text box runs off the end of the page and I cant see the words past here -->
so I have to start a new line....) 

[trippledigitss]

SWEEEET ...LOVE all the details ... she was a fatty ...HUH ? 

BOWHUNTER - I just LOVE IT when you comment on a thread - no matter what you say - as long as that profile pic is to the left
of it!  Now where is KFHunter? We need to get him and that hot blondie in here!

[deerbandit]

Great story, you are very lucky to get out as often as you do.  Hopefully I will be able to this winter.  Thanks for all the details.

[trippledigitss]

Great story, you are very lucky to get out as often as you do.  Hopefully I will be able to this winter.  Thanks for all the details.

Yeah thanks, glad you guys liked the story with details. I'm always thinking I usually put waaaaayyy too much info in my posts and bore you all. Doesnt seem like I get out that much to me, especially with all my boys' sports & other stuff. I coach a soccer team and our last regular season game is Dec 3, so one more week of practice after Thanksgiving before  the game and the season should be over! Looks like my oldest boy is not playing basketball since he didnt make the Jr High team so I should have a few months off until baseball starts!  Dont get me wrong - I love seeing my boys play sports and being involved in all their activities, but I dont get much time to myself! SO I am planning on doing ALOT more hunting, fishing, clay shooting as soon as I have the chance! 

[rynokron]

Nice! All I seem to do is give out warning shots. Vince knick named me Chief Running Dog!