Fur - Mo - Van on the Road Again

He is still alive! I was beginnin to think you'd froze up out there, and they was gonna find you and the van when the snow banks thawed in the spring. Kinda like that old Mastodon in the glacier!!
 
LOL... been staying warm... no problem there... even at night, with it's 3-17 degree temps... some nights, that is. The next 3 days will have a high of 20, and lows will be 3-6. I love the 40's... it's just perfect hunting weather.

I was a little spooked about living in a van out here in this weather, but so far so good.

But I'm cheating a little bit by hanging out at Luca's house at night... like now... before I got out to the van. Even though they insist that I stay on their couch... the van is home sweet home.... I just hope it doesn't turn into a full size chest freezer.... with me in it...LOL. Just kidding, it's all good, I haven't even had to turn on my heater yet at night... just once in awhile during the evening for a few minutes before bedtime.

I guess I'll close for now...nighty night Guys.
 
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I finally got my first Montana coyote today... but I should of had 8 by now... but mistakes happen.

I called in two out across in front of me this afternoon, and the dead one saw me move, and started trotting towards me... when I finally got it to stop, it was 70 yds, and the 107 sierra went in the neck and made a large hole out the back side...bummer... I should have aimed lower...but heck... I was excited, and NOT THINKING AT ALL. It's partner ran straight away, but finally stopped way out there, but my bullet missed to the left... durn wind... I keep forgetting about the wind... and probably low as well. I later ranged it to be 436 yds... which is a easy shot for Luca's super shooter, but I didn't do my part. I would have rather hit the far one instead of this close one. The rifle and scope are set dead on at 300 yds... and if I had a sound mind during the action, I would have looked over the scope to get a feel of the range at the point where I thought he might stop, which he did, but looking through the scope, I couldn't get a feel on the yardage... so I held dead on, which was wrong. Now I know that it drops about 14" and the wind drift was probably about 10"...at that range... so if I had been thinking, I would have held off and high, for the kill. I guess I need a button to push, so it puts everything in slow motion so I'll have more time to think these things through.

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It's a small start for my Coyote Fur Van Wrap. It's now in Luca's freezer... I need a whole lot more before the wrap will come together.


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Deer hunters running the roads isn't making things easy either... but I do understand. I've seen my share of Mule Deer and Sharptail Grouse.

Looks like the weather will get better this next week... high's in the mid 30's... which is good, as long as the wind doesn't get up.

The last three nights sleeping in the van, without heat, was from 2 degrees to -8... but I made it pretty good, didn't even get cold... but it's hard to crawl out of bed.... BURRRRRrrrrrrr.
 
Just be careful in those below freezing temps..Quit beating yourself up about the misses due to the wind...That takes some serious practice that us "Easterners" don't get on a regular basis...for some reason the wind out west is 'different' that that around the Mississippi and east...Thanks for checking in...
 
Good to see some dead in the thread, congrats. It's REAL easy to put your brain in neutral when it should be in the calculus setting. Calm winds and standing yotes to ya!
 
That's my coyote hunter....braving the cold and eating frozen food and drink.....Daniel Boone eat your heart out! Nice coyote! Awe...SNOW!!!! Yes you have been hacked...your wife is on. LOL
 
Dan now you know being a coyote hunter, you have to keep watch on your downwind side. An here you have let your wife get down wind. Great post Ms. Brothers!!
 
It's going to get cold cold cold this weekend... highs -2... and -14 at night... WOW... but Lucas says to hang around until this weekend's Coyote Contest and he and I and his buddy will kill some dogs in that cold weather... so... I guess I gotta hang in there until then... and after this weekend I guess I'll head south towards OK, KS.... at least that direction. I haven't killed enough coyotes to go home yet.

I had a wonderful opportunity today. Lucas was calling around the hill from me, and after 20 mins, I spotted a sitting coyote on a ridge top, watching him and his dogs. I ranged it at 500. I had been hitting Luca's gongs with my CZ 204 consistently at 500 yds... so I took the shot...BUUTTT.... you have to consider the slight breeze at that range with a 204. I should of held for a half mil of breeze, instead of dead on... Man O Man... I gotta get my head on about this wind and even the slight breezes. After that miss and some spitting, stomping, and biting cactus plants... I re-shot his gong at home and hit it again....BUT... I held that half mil. Mils mean nothing to me in SC terrain... but out here it's a chapter in the Bible... so to speak...LOL.

After hitting that gong today with the slight breeze...Luca flops down in his yard for a one shot prone shot at the 1050 gong... he shoots...jumps up and says.. I got it... but I heard nothing, yet he says... wait... listen... and then I heard the gong sing... WOW... what a wonderful sound.

My 40 gr 204 sounds pitiful hitting the 500 yd gong compared to his 107 6mm.


This country is made for running around on my Honda 90... but BUrrrr... I can't seem to get it out.

This country is so nice and GIGANIC, that I know I'll miss it the day I leave it... let alone all those days back home... wishing I was out here.
 
Glad to hear you are having some fun, its gonna get cold cold cold in the next few days, 20 below here at night, be prepared if you are sleeping in the van and dont fall asleep with it running. Did you make it over to any of the Breaks country yet? Big game season ends tomorrow then give it a week or two then the calling will get much better. Coyote contest in mid december in Brockway by Circle if you are around I might go over to it.
 
LOL... Chetty... it's been a long long time since I heard the names of those videos I co-produced years ago with Quest...even had you part of one. WOW... that brings up a lot of old memories. I guess I'd have to name this video... Vanning for Montana Coyotes. But the scoreboard has them winning.

Chad... I didn't make it to the breaks, been hunting around this area off and on when Lucas was working. I've been running around with him more than hunting. I kinda just stepped into a lifestyle that was so different, that I just hang out and soak it in. But I gotta get after those coyotes this next week.

I don't run the vehicle at all at night... nor do I even run any type of heater at night... I just burrow down into my bag and blankets. If it wasn't for this contest... I'd probably head south... but I'm going to ride it out for now.
 
Well if you've worked up an appetite before you leave, run over to Wibaux, MT and eat at the Shamrock. I highly recommend the Sirloin Steak. You probably won't need to eat again until you get to Oklahoma after that one. (Might want to order it a step doner than you normally eat it, they tend to lean on the rare side when cooking beef out there.)

Not sure what it costs anymore, but when we were out there it was really priced ridiculously cheap. Steak covered a dinner platter, in fact hung over the edges in several spots, and was about an inch and a half thick. Rest of the dinner came on another plate. My french fries covered an 8" dinner plate 4 inches deep; my partner laughed! Until she brought his baked potatoe!! It had to have weighed 2 1/2 - 3 lbs. minumum! Don't know that I have ever seen a potatoe that big, before or since.

Decided to play it safe the next night and ordered the chicken dinner... WRONG! Half of a rather large chicken, 4 pieces of chicken covered the platter, French Fries again came on a seperate plate.

Unless things have changed you won't leave the Shamrock hungry!
 
Well let us know if that sirloin is still as big as it used to be, and whether you worked up enough appetite to eat.

As my partner exclaimed when the waitress set his before him... "That ain't a steak, that's a dam roast! I could feed my whole family on one of them. Does anyone eat all of one of these?"
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Dan,,,Heading into KS and OK won't be much different than what you have now, from what the Weather Channel was forecasting this morning...They are predicting a drop from 60* down to 9* for Denver and it will be rolling out of the Rockies and over the top 2/3rds of the US by next weekend, even Texas won't be spared...(Glad I'm in FL)...
 
Lucas went to work, so I went hunting this morning with my CZ 204, up and over the hill behind his place. I glass this coyote sunny himself at about 900 yds... which was too far for the 204... so I circled around the hill and setup my Flextone Echo caller on a fence post, about 50 yds from my hillside perch. After a few minutes of ramping up and down the Vole sound... Mr. Coyote comes a runnin. I mutted the caller so it would stop, but it didn't until I wolfed it to stop at about 50yds. The 204 hit it's shoulder area and splashed the heck out of that leg... I could put a Texas hat through the hole... that's the first time I've had that happen. Usually that little 40 grainer goes in and knocks it's tail in the dirt. Too much bone in the way this time. I drug it a good 1/2 mile back to Luca's freezer. With only 4 in it right now... we have along ways to go to fill up that big thing... hopefully this weekend's contest will help.


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Congrats on the growing pile of fur. The seat/gun rest looks to be a neat way to get steady, which way do you set in it?
 
I sit in it just as you see it there... but I put one of my legs through the back, so that I'm facing backwards in the seat, so that I can use that quick attach back rail for a rest for the rifle, while calling... and then it becomes the rest for my elbows, which makes for a steady rest. Last year I sat it in like normal, and used the back for a rest for one elbow, but by sitting in it backwards, I can rest both elbows, which is the ONLY way for me to be steady. I can be steady as a rock, even for long long shots. It's not as steady as prone and a bipod... but close.

I took the cloth back off my chair, and made the back rail with a broom handle stuck into two 3/4 pvc elbows... which quickly pops off to carry with the seat.

 
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