masshunter
Active member
Figured I'd make a stand or three before the big snow. It was coming down pretty hard at 6am so rather than deal with optics I grabbed my Ruger Red Label, big mistake. Hit a local stand that gave up three last year, played a couple howls, and female wimpers, then switched to Nutty Nuthatch and titmouse tantrum. Maybe 5 min in a yote boils out of cover and runs right up knocking over the call and keeps going away. I hit him with DC at about 30yds and he starts thrashing so I gave him the second barrel with BB right thru some small hemlock branches and he starts yelping. I'm jumping up trying to stuff in a couple more shells and he gets his feet under him and takes off. Now I remember why I bought the 930 Mossberg that's sitting home. Anyway I sit back down and play pup and canine distress for 15 min but know I'll have to start tracking before the snow covers the tracks. I started finding blood, and that feels good as shot gunned yotes don't bleed much through the thick fur. He lay down several times and bled in a couple hundred yards and I'm feeling good until he leads me to a big old log pile and goes right in. I cut a long sapling and poked around any opening I could find and heard him moving but nothing to shoot at. I even tried to smoke him out with a small fire but couldn't keep it going in the snow. Made 5 more stands before the wind and heavy snow started. I guess that's it for this year unless I can get in a stand Thursday.