mikegranger
Active member
This is the first story with Bubba (the old hand) and Dash (the new pup). I may be exaggerating the dynamic part when it comes to the pup but I’ll let you guys be the judge of that. Just to set the stage, we went on an 11 day hunt from 18 – 28 November. Dash had not been away from home nor had any experience with coyotes other than the hide I’ve used to train him with. Bubba, on the other hand, has been on hundreds of coyotes. Matter of fact, this is his 6th hunting season. No doubt about it, he’s in his prime. Like last year, the story will have several chapters and be added to as I complete each section. It takes a while to write these so be patient. I’ve got lots of pictures and video clips. The clips are only OK. Please remember it’s just me calling, taking pictures, filming, controlling the dogs and finally, shooting. It does get hectic!
I really enjoy hunting out of an old 1968 Holiday Rambler trailer. It’s in fantastic shape for its’ age. I’ve done very little modifying to it as everything works. The only addition is a new Olympic catalytic heater on a flexible hose that can be moved around the interior. It’s extremely handy when temperatures drop in the negatives. I can place it underneath the table while I’m eating supper and writing up the days events. Another added advantage of the trailer is being able to expand my hunting territory. I don’t think twice about driving 200 miles to a good spot, especially if I have plenty of days to hunt.
There you have it, now lets get on with the story.
Sunrise on November 18, 2009 was absolutely beautiful. No wind, no clouds, temps in the teens. It’s been warmer than normal and this was the first day that really felt like winter. Work has been hectic and I haven’t been able to go hunting at all. So much so that Bubba was on the verge of disowning me. He was as happy as a kid in a candy store when I let him out of the box. Dash didn’t know what the heck was going on and was chasing Bubba around, thinking it was playtime.
It’s also deer season so I brought along the .7mm magnum. I saw a really nice whitetail near this spot last year. One never knows when an opportunity might arise.
The first stand was a bust. Each year I’m amazed at how Bubba picks back up right where we left off in the spring. The dog’s amazing!
On our way to the second stand I jumped a whitetail buck and doe. The buck looked pretty good so I put the dogs back in their boxes and grabbed the deer rifle and took off. But, not before checking the map. In Montana, one needs permission to hunt private property. No permission is needed to hunt most public and state land, as long as there’s legal access. Fortunately for me, the deer had run onto BLM.
As is usually the case, the deer weren’t where I last saw them. I glassed for a while then went back to the truck to get my predator calls. The dogs weren’t liking being left behind and were raising quiet a ruckus! On the way back to the hill to glass, saw two more whitetail bucks, one a smaller 4 point. As I was watching the small buck I glassed back to where the bigger buck should be and there he was with the doe and a fawn. As luck would have it, they were out in the wide open. I didn’t have anything to lose so took off towards them, hoping they wouldn’t bolt before I got out of sight in the coulee they had just came out of. Luck was on my side and they stay put. When I came out of the coulee there was a rise in the landscape concealing my sneak up to them. As I got closer, I saw a coyote sitting on the hill above the deer, looking towards the pickup. He must have been curious as to what all the barking was about. I belly crawled on up to the knoll and sure enough there were the deer looking at the coyote, not moving at all. Pulled my fanny pack off and put it on a rock in front of me. It made a perfect rest. Once the buck turned broadside, I put the crosshairs on the lungs and slowly squeezed. He jumped at the shot but I could tell he was hit hard. He ran maybe 100 yards and piled up. The 1968 vintage Browning Safari 7mm magnum did the job again. He was a nice 4 point. Not huge but a nice prairie whitetail. I didn’t get a picture, but burned into my brain is the vision of all three deer looking up the hill to the coyote; the coyote sitting on its’ haunches looking towards the pickup; and the soft rays of a rising sun reflecting off the surrounding frost and the bucks antlers. Wow! What a sight! And on top of that, knowing that without the coyotes help to hold the deer, they would already have been gone. God is good!
If Bubba could only talk! I'm sure he would be saying "Hey, we're supposed to be coyote hunting. What gives!"
On the way back to the truck, the little 4 pt buck made an appearance. I got this one on film!
What a great first day of hunting!
I really enjoy hunting out of an old 1968 Holiday Rambler trailer. It’s in fantastic shape for its’ age. I’ve done very little modifying to it as everything works. The only addition is a new Olympic catalytic heater on a flexible hose that can be moved around the interior. It’s extremely handy when temperatures drop in the negatives. I can place it underneath the table while I’m eating supper and writing up the days events. Another added advantage of the trailer is being able to expand my hunting territory. I don’t think twice about driving 200 miles to a good spot, especially if I have plenty of days to hunt.
There you have it, now lets get on with the story.
Sunrise on November 18, 2009 was absolutely beautiful. No wind, no clouds, temps in the teens. It’s been warmer than normal and this was the first day that really felt like winter. Work has been hectic and I haven’t been able to go hunting at all. So much so that Bubba was on the verge of disowning me. He was as happy as a kid in a candy store when I let him out of the box. Dash didn’t know what the heck was going on and was chasing Bubba around, thinking it was playtime.
It’s also deer season so I brought along the .7mm magnum. I saw a really nice whitetail near this spot last year. One never knows when an opportunity might arise.
The first stand was a bust. Each year I’m amazed at how Bubba picks back up right where we left off in the spring. The dog’s amazing!
On our way to the second stand I jumped a whitetail buck and doe. The buck looked pretty good so I put the dogs back in their boxes and grabbed the deer rifle and took off. But, not before checking the map. In Montana, one needs permission to hunt private property. No permission is needed to hunt most public and state land, as long as there’s legal access. Fortunately for me, the deer had run onto BLM.
As is usually the case, the deer weren’t where I last saw them. I glassed for a while then went back to the truck to get my predator calls. The dogs weren’t liking being left behind and were raising quiet a ruckus! On the way back to the hill to glass, saw two more whitetail bucks, one a smaller 4 point. As I was watching the small buck I glassed back to where the bigger buck should be and there he was with the doe and a fawn. As luck would have it, they were out in the wide open. I didn’t have anything to lose so took off towards them, hoping they wouldn’t bolt before I got out of sight in the coulee they had just came out of. Luck was on my side and they stay put. When I came out of the coulee there was a rise in the landscape concealing my sneak up to them. As I got closer, I saw a coyote sitting on the hill above the deer, looking towards the pickup. He must have been curious as to what all the barking was about. I belly crawled on up to the knoll and sure enough there were the deer looking at the coyote, not moving at all. Pulled my fanny pack off and put it on a rock in front of me. It made a perfect rest. Once the buck turned broadside, I put the crosshairs on the lungs and slowly squeezed. He jumped at the shot but I could tell he was hit hard. He ran maybe 100 yards and piled up. The 1968 vintage Browning Safari 7mm magnum did the job again. He was a nice 4 point. Not huge but a nice prairie whitetail. I didn’t get a picture, but burned into my brain is the vision of all three deer looking up the hill to the coyote; the coyote sitting on its’ haunches looking towards the pickup; and the soft rays of a rising sun reflecting off the surrounding frost and the bucks antlers. Wow! What a sight! And on top of that, knowing that without the coyotes help to hold the deer, they would already have been gone. God is good!
If Bubba could only talk! I'm sure he would be saying "Hey, we're supposed to be coyote hunting. What gives!"
On the way back to the truck, the little 4 pt buck made an appearance. I got this one on film!
What a great first day of hunting!
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