Well....after 26 hrs, in 2 1/2 days of driving, I finally arrived.
She looked like this the first morning, but she started up and did her job.
I decided to take the Geo for a test run that evening, and drove her up on top of a hilltop so I could watch both valleys and draws. I put her camo cover on so that she would not look sky lined so bad. It was kind of a test to see if she would become part of the hilltop or not. I guess she did, because it wasn't long when two coyotes came down into a crop pivot area about 1100 yds out. They weren't heading my way, so I blew on my secret hand call that sounded like a monkey raping a parrot...it's a sound they never heard before...LOL. They started my way, but I just watched them to see how close they would get before they recognized us perched upon the hilltop. They never did, so I decided to take one out at the fence line at about 300 yds.
I tracked one in the scope as it came under the fence and paused for the shot...POW went the 22-243 AI... and away went the coyote, heading for the hills. That was a uncommon sight to see a coyote escape Mr. Thunder. I pondered that screw up all night, but wrote it off to coyote fever...LOL.
Well... the next morning we were sneak-driving down the rancher's road, when a coyote ran out from some round bails at about 250 yds. I thought...I got you sucker. Aimed behind the shoulder...POW... miss...WHAT? It jumped up on the bail looking around in confusion...aimed again...POW again...MISSED AGAIN. At that point I knew it was something more than coyote fever. For the next few hours I just sneak-drove around looking, not really calling, just looking around while wondering what was going on with my shooting. Then it dawned on me. I was shooting high. I remembered a couple of bucks I killed at home that were both right at 250 yds, and they were both high hits, but DRT. After lunch at the Mother Ship, I got out the target to see what's going on with my 300 yd zero. Bam Bam Bam... just what I thought...4" high. Duh...Stupid... how could I drop the ball on the most important thing...Duh again.... well... at least I didn't make a ridiculous vote for Hillary like some of those Minnesota Boys did...LOL.
I dialed her in and made another hill top blind set that evening. Did some calling, but nothing was interested. I could hear them howling or laughing up in those hills, but they were staying tight until that full moon came up.
I sure did enjoy the versatility of being able to sneak hunt along from the Geo's shooting turret position, and then after the hunt simply take 3 mins to fold everything back on top and drive her like normal...it took less than 2 mins to unveil her for the hunt.
The next morning I put her costume on and put her in first gear and 4x4 low, and basically just steered her along as she cheeped along at 1-2 mph. Finally I saw a couple of yotes moving up the hillside, while looking at me in confusion. One stared too long and let me get a range of around 650 yds. I quickly dialed my turret to #14, aimed the 20-250 AI behind the shoulder...POW... Whoop -Flop -Spin around- while biting at it's back leg. It hobbled over the hill top, which I later found it for the knockout blow. It was right then that I knew something was wrong inside of Mr. Dan, because he had no excitement or thrill about his longest kill yet. Even as I stood over it, I didn't even want to begin a coyote wallpaper rug with pictures or even carry it back. I marked the spot in case I decided later to come back for it... but I didn't... I had lost my hunt. I knew I wasn't at full capacity of hunting fever when I left home, but I thought I'd get it later when I arrived... but it never did.
Last year I was ecstatic with joy at being at that ranch in every way. It was kind of like the trill of my first kiss... but now it felt like I'd been married to her for 30 yrs.
I just tooled around the rest of the day wondering what I was going to do about getting up some hunting fever. I replayed that long shot and knew that I was not really into it...I called it the sloppy shot, because I was just dialing, aiming, and shooting, without even considering any wind drift or anything... just shooting. I could tell that I wasn't into the shot, so I don't really count it as my best shot. That one last year at 631 yds was my Best shot because I was really focused.
I just tooled around that evening and the next morning without much action, but I wasn't really trying either. I knew that they were up in the those hills and would have little chance of getting out of rifle range if I decided to roam around up there... but I just couldn't get it up... my want-to was gone... or maybe I never had it.
The coyotes had bawled out a sleeping spot in the side of this hay bail.
The cold weather and full moon at them hunkered down in those hills, so I just made a blind set that evening and waited for one to stir.
Finally a 300 yarder fell pray to the 22-243... but I didn't really care.
I woke up early the next morning with only one desire... drive home. I argued with myself for a hour or so about just heading south towards KS or OK... but I could tell that my heart was just not into it... so I pulled out the Geo drive shaft, hooked her up, and headed East.
My new plan is to hunt a couple of weeks in OK and TX with a friend during Jan.
Ms. Geo was a success in my opinion. Even the Rancher was really impressed that I could drive it around from it's turret position. He had to look her over from head to toe.
She did everything I expected her to do. I'm the one who let her down, because she was willing and able, but I wasn't. If she hadn't worked...I'd just say so. I have no pride left after the Cow thing. I knew that if I would wait a few days for a heavy snow, then those coyotes would be at my mercy if I would simply roam those hills with Ms. Geo's snow cover on... but I didn't care. So... I let her down... and you Guys as well... because of not having any good stories this year.
This year I have more pics than good stories.
Some inside pics...
And here I am now after two days of hard driving.
