Baiting


Nice going JMark. What bullet did you use? I am like you, if a coyote doesn't go down on the spot I begin to worry. A couple of seasons ago I shot one (centered in the chest area) with the 6x45 and it ran like a scalded cat. Went maybe 40 yards, but I like them to drop where they stand. So far the 17 Remington has dropped them DRT, three for three with the 25 gr Hornadys.

Stay after 'em.

 
There is an excellent article in this months Predator Extreme magazine about comparisons of bullet calibers, weights, compositions, velocities, etc. and their effectiveness. Great Read!!
 
Well,well, hello everyone. It's been a few years but I'm back. Took some time away from hunting for personal reasons (all good), but I'm back in the hunting "saddle" and it's super! thought I'd post a picture from the other nights outing. One of each flavor.
It's so great that this forum is still alive with posts from familiar folks and new ones alike.
Keep Bait'in and Bang'in!
gobblergetter

http://s697.photobucket.com/user/gobblergetter/media/IMAG12052.jpg.html

 
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Nice going Gobblergetter, and glad you are back.

Yesterday, suddenly, I got the urge to hunt from the cabin again, even though I haven't seen a coyote in over three months. Deer were out everywhere yesterday and I thought perhaps it might be a good night. I hoped to get on a couple of skunks the trail cameras have caught recently, but of all unexpected things, a coyote showed up. But, I must say that I am feeling rather sick today. The coyote got away, another first for me. Seems this is a season of firsts, with my first missed deer earlier in the season, and now a wounded and un-recovered coyote.

After the shot last night, I pondered whether to check to see if he was lying in the tall grass at the edge of where he was standing when I shot. I saw him fall and roll into the grass. I finally decided to go out and check, and hoped that I wouldn't scare another one off by being out. I expected to find it lying there or on the bank between the lower road and the cabin path. It was snowing a bit and I thought if I waited until morning, I might not be able to track it just in case it ran off.

The coyote went down the bank to the tram road, then down the hill from that and into a rocky hillside. It was slippery going down there, especially by flashlight, in the snow. I tracked it around the hillside for about 100 yards and suddenly it jumped up within 15 yards of me and ran down the hillside. I didn't see it where it was lying. It was crippled pretty bad but could still move. I had my Kimber 45 with me but was unable to get a shot since it happened so quickly.

There was a large pool of blood where the coyote was lying. At that point I saw it's eyes via flashlight, close to another 100 yards down the hill. I decided at that point to return to the cabin and wait until morning to resume tracking. I was hoping to find it dead. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

This morning I resumed tracking and picked up the blood trail near the area where I saw it's eyes last night. I followed the trail maybe another 100 yards further down the hollow, crossed our farm boundary and onto company land (where I can hunt). After going a ways, it was clear the coyote was headed to the thick stuff.

Suddenly it jumped up again within 15 yards of me and ran into the most awful tangle of mountain laurel and blown-down trees that you have ever seen. I fired once with the 17 Rem just hoping to stop it, but I didn't hit it.

Here is where the coyote bedded up last night.






You can see the blood where the coyote lay last night.






And here is what it looks like beyond the bedding place. Terribly thick. I can't even begin to walk through that.
The coyote was bedded under the blown-down logs that go over top of the rock.










I gave up the chase after the coyote went into that thicket. The thicket covers the whole hillside going down the hollow for quite a ways, so there was no hope of me getting it.

I know that hindsight is a wonderful thing in reflecting on what "should have been" but seems it's always a learning experience from one event to another.

First, I shouldn't have taken the shot. The coyote was at the upper end of the bait site when I first turned on the IR. He jumped and ran down the hillside and turned as if he were coming directly toward the cabin. I took a shot at him moving and should not have. I guess I was under pressure to get him since it has been so long since I have seen one, 3 months and 1 week to be exact. That quick decision cost me.

Second, in hindsight, if I would have had a shotgun with me when tracking I probably could have got him this morning and definitely last night. I even thought about returning home this morning and getting a 22 rifle with a low mag scope, or a shotgun, but decided not to. That cost me too.

This is the 10th coyote I have shot from at the cabin site, and the first to get away from me. I shot one other coyote with the 6x45, perfect hit, but it ran maybe 40 yards. All others went down at the site. This coyote broke my record, but it was clearly my fault. I feel sick at the moment, and also feel for the coyote since he will have a hard time hunting, if he survives.

I guess my poor decision last night further illustrates the need for all of us to try to make clean shots and kills and to not rush a shot.



 
If you jumped that coyote twice, and saw it both times, I'm willing to bet he is dead in that thicket. I have tracked quite a few under those same conditions and if you get that close before they jump they are mortally wounded. I would be willing to bet he is right in that thicket. I feel for you though, I also have remorse for a wounded coyote. I love the Bang Flop!
 
last night I shot a 30 lbs. female same bait i got the 42 lbs the night before.I couldn't believe it, after I walked all over looking for the male. She was super cautious but finally gave me the shot.She went 30 yards as I hit below center which is where I was aiming but since it down hill couple of fragments exited 1 in. from bottom.A .224 vmax would of blown a huge hole with that hit but the good ol 17 rem. had a bb size exit.another beautiful coyote.
 
6mm06, I understand the wanting to get one and taking the shot you did ...... been there done that... enough said. good news is you have activity and the draught maybe over.
 
I used the berger 25 gr, target hp.My loads are 3600 fps and I need to get it up 4000 for more shock.I have dropped several on the spot at 3600 but 4000 should stop the 20 to 30 yard runs on those center mass hits.I gut shot one once and the next day I tracked him half a mile and lost him.I spent 30 min or more trying to find his track in the maze of tracks around.He had circled several times and it was tuff.I saw a track under a pine bow and followed it into the only place I had not been,A balsom thicket.He jumped up and took off and I dropped him with my hornet.I was happy happy happy as I dragged him 1)2 mi. home.I was way excited on that shot as it had been awhile between action.I was sure I was right on his lungs but I must of jerked the trigger in my excitment.I hate when I screw.Its so important to concentrate on the trigger squeeze, Lose your trigger finger and you pay.It is fun though after all these years to still get so excited you have to tell yourself to slow down ,take a breath,what fun.Id look beyond where you last saw him ,you just might have a happy drag.
 

JMark,

Most likely he is in that laurel thicket, perhaps dead or still alive. Problem is I can't begin to walk through that stuff, and visibility is basically a few feet at best. The whole hillside is like that, valley to ridge top, running at least a hundred yards or more down the hollow. It would be the classic needle-in-the-haystack find.

I also used the Berger 25 gr. Match Target bullet. That coyote would have dropped on the spot I think if I had done my part.


 
This might sound really stupid but. Has anyone tried dry dog food for bait? I was just thinking that they could not carry it off and it would be easier to replenish than dragging out a carcass or staking chunks of animals.
 
I have used dry dog food as bait. In previous winters when my bait pile has run low I would broadcast dry dog food around the site and they would clean it up usually the first night. Now that I think about it, red fox especially liked it.
 
ditto what twp36 said ---- what I do when bait is low....2-3 gal pale mixed with dry dog food any household scraps and some bacon fat, fish skin or guts.. you get the idea... fill with water let freeze. I don't like the full 5 gal. pales as much they seem to take longer to freeze down. I don't like waiting. It also allows me to spread it around and they can't drag it off. Have fun..good luck
 
6mm 06 been there, not a great feeling, but bound to happen. Coyotes are one of the most incredible survivers we as North Americans can hunt. I once seen a large male with the bottom half of hind leg missing still an open wound, and a snare broke of around its neck so tight breathing must have been excruciating. Never rule him out.

Things have been slow here, but are picking up. The cold weather is making them hungry , and frozen lakes are helping them travel. My bate sites seem to be getting hit daily. My first siting was last evening from one of my shacks on my second sit, an average size coyote a 350 yards. I never reached for the gun. Things are warming up this week between -12 to -20 (lol)

With some luck and timing this week will be the first kill of the year.
 
Yotie, thanks.

Welcome to this forum. It's a great place with good people.

Good luck with your hunting. We all look fordward to hearing of your successes and seeing photos from up your way.

I am interested in seeing photos of your hunting shack and countryside if you would like to share that.

 
How`s everyones bait sites?

I put out 2 about 10 days ago, whole beaver and deer parts. First 24 hours they were visited by a cat and a coyote but did not feed on it. They sat there a week, with tracks around but no interest. I added fresh beef scraps and it got hit. Hit again the last 24 hours but just the beef. Hard to imagine they wont eat beaver or deer yet. The ground is practically bare here now. Deep snow will help but IDK. Ive sat over them morning and afternoon for 8 days now. Seen 4 crows and a hawk.
 

Four crows and a hawk sounds about like my place. I guess I did beat you by just a little though since a possum showed up last night, and a skunk the night before that.
 
Add three bald eagles and a golden eagle to the list of sightings and you have my bait pile (or what's left of it after they ate). I had coyotes around mid week, right after the last snow. With rabbits and MICE easy to come by, as well as a few early season winter tick moose kills on the ground, they arent coming to the open country yet. A foot of powder in the woods will change that quickly. With that said, my neighbors bagged three over bait mid week (right after the snow- see a pattern here?).

I tried rigging up a Chamberlain alarm system to my bait over the weekend but can't seem to get the range needed (~200 yards to my bait). I'm not sure what I did wrong with the antenna mods. I'd really like to get an alarm system working on my bait. The moon phase right now isn't good for us non-IR equipped folks and I hate blind scanning with a light.
 
4thlaker. What model Chamberlin do you have? And where did hear about antenna mods? I know some guys here have mods done to other brands.

Thanks and Good luck
 
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