I had a really fun time with the coyotes this afternoon/tonight. I started with a set in an elevated deer shooting house before dark. I put the call and decoy where I thought I could best see the coyotes coming if they came in from the same direction I've seen them come into this stand before. This spot has been one of my most productive stands to call from and today proved to be no exception.
I wasn't in the stand more than five minutes when two coyotes jumped out of nowhere and went straight my decoy. Unfortunately, they figured it out instantly and scattered. One went back from where they came from and the other ran across the road. This all happened so fast, I didn't even have time to get my gun up and out the window before they were out of sight. I managed to get off a shot at the one who crossed the road, right as I saw it disappear, but my aim was not true. I was shooting a day rifle with no thermal so there is no video.
Two educated coyotes.
So I packed it up and moved to another spot. This was behind the camphouse. About 15 minutes into the call I spotted a single yote coming to check out the delicious sounds of a baby cottontail in distress right at dark.
This sucker came readily across a long freshly planted sunflower field, and when he got close enough I let him have it. I saw it drop about the time I heard the tell-tale sound of a solid suppressed hit. But in my excitement of calling in another yote that night I forgot to turn on the DVR so again there is no video. And to make matters worse, the grass around the tree it was standing by was so tall I only saw it fall, and really don't know what happened after that, and went I went over to find my prey, it was gone......
It's now dark and I try one more set on the way to another property. This one was a freshly planted bean field. I walked out into the middle to take my position. As soon as I had made it back to my gun from putting out the foxpro, I look and see two more coyotes coming right to me. Actually one was coming right to me and the other was in the process of turning back. He ultimately disappeared, but left his friend on a collision course with me. I literally had just turned on my scope to scan and there he was standing in the middle of the road looking right in my direction. I was back lit by the bright half moon and wouldn't be surprised if this yote saw me standing there 150 yards away. At least I was closer to impersonating Stephen Spielberg this time and managed to get the camera turned on for a brief film.
And last but not least half-way through my drive home, I pull over to another property I check on and set out the call. About 15 minutes into it, an owl lands on the ground near the speaker. This thing looked huge standing there on the ground. Video on, I've got some neat footage of this predator taking flight and swooping down over the speaker before flying off and landing in a tree in the background.
Five minutes later there is a coyote standing right in my ambush point,`a ditch crossing between two fields. The ditch was grassy so I didn't see him coming. Click on the camera and click off my safety and down number three goes into a spinning and yelping blur of legs and debris. I blast him again for good measure, which instantly brings him to a complete stop.
Guess what? No video for any of this either. No majestic owl. No Tasmanian devil spinning coyote either. I never actually checked the camera, I just clicked the button and hoped. Instead of switching the record on, it must have already been turned on and I turned it to the off position. Sheeze???? Bonehead?
But I did figure out why the last yote came to such an abrupt stop with my second shot.
It was a very action packed outing regardless. I can't wait to get back out.
I wasn't in the stand more than five minutes when two coyotes jumped out of nowhere and went straight my decoy. Unfortunately, they figured it out instantly and scattered. One went back from where they came from and the other ran across the road. This all happened so fast, I didn't even have time to get my gun up and out the window before they were out of sight. I managed to get off a shot at the one who crossed the road, right as I saw it disappear, but my aim was not true. I was shooting a day rifle with no thermal so there is no video.
Two educated coyotes.
So I packed it up and moved to another spot. This was behind the camphouse. About 15 minutes into the call I spotted a single yote coming to check out the delicious sounds of a baby cottontail in distress right at dark.
This sucker came readily across a long freshly planted sunflower field, and when he got close enough I let him have it. I saw it drop about the time I heard the tell-tale sound of a solid suppressed hit. But in my excitement of calling in another yote that night I forgot to turn on the DVR so again there is no video. And to make matters worse, the grass around the tree it was standing by was so tall I only saw it fall, and really don't know what happened after that, and went I went over to find my prey, it was gone......
It's now dark and I try one more set on the way to another property. This one was a freshly planted bean field. I walked out into the middle to take my position. As soon as I had made it back to my gun from putting out the foxpro, I look and see two more coyotes coming right to me. Actually one was coming right to me and the other was in the process of turning back. He ultimately disappeared, but left his friend on a collision course with me. I literally had just turned on my scope to scan and there he was standing in the middle of the road looking right in my direction. I was back lit by the bright half moon and wouldn't be surprised if this yote saw me standing there 150 yards away. At least I was closer to impersonating Stephen Spielberg this time and managed to get the camera turned on for a brief film.
And last but not least half-way through my drive home, I pull over to another property I check on and set out the call. About 15 minutes into it, an owl lands on the ground near the speaker. This thing looked huge standing there on the ground. Video on, I've got some neat footage of this predator taking flight and swooping down over the speaker before flying off and landing in a tree in the background.
Five minutes later there is a coyote standing right in my ambush point,`a ditch crossing between two fields. The ditch was grassy so I didn't see him coming. Click on the camera and click off my safety and down number three goes into a spinning and yelping blur of legs and debris. I blast him again for good measure, which instantly brings him to a complete stop.
Guess what? No video for any of this either. No majestic owl. No Tasmanian devil spinning coyote either. I never actually checked the camera, I just clicked the button and hoped. Instead of switching the record on, it must have already been turned on and I turned it to the off position. Sheeze???? Bonehead?
But I did figure out why the last yote came to such an abrupt stop with my second shot.
