JTPinTX
Custom Call Maker
I just love hunting in the snow. Any kind of hunting in the snow is great. But especially, I like calling in the snow. There is just something about calling predators out across a fresh blanket of white that is special. Now here in the Texas Panhandle we get a fair amount of snow, but it is not an everyday thing. It seems that for me to get the snow without the Blue Norther wind, and fit it into my schedule around work and family where I can go call is tough. So whenever I get the opportunity I try and make the most of it. Yesterday I had one of those chances.
My 6 year old daughter killed her first deer Saturday night. We got it home and she helped skin and bone it out. Not many girls that age will jump right in there with a knife and get busy, but she will. By the time we got done the wind was already ripping out of the north, and I knew we were in for it the next day. The seeds of an idea were planted then. When I got up in the morning it had already started to snow. As we got the meat trimmed, cut, ground, and packaged, it just kept coming down. I was on a mission to get done with butchering, because other plans were taking serious hold in my head.
By 2 pm we were done and there was plenty of snow, but the wind was still howling. Visibility was around 300 yards, so I sat in the recliner for a bit as the sandman erased 30 minutes of my life. When I came to I remembered I needed to dump the deer carcass, and I had a plan for a spot where I could come check it later. A good predator hunter always has several plans working at once you know! So I got dressed and in the pickup. The plan was to call a couple stands, and if it stunk just drop the deer and come home.
I made the first set in a creek bottom where I thought I might get lucky and scrounge up a cat. No such luck though, it was a blank. From there I drove over to the place where I was going to drop the carcass, but I wanted to call a long valley first before I drove to the drop site.
I came in from the high ground over on the west side, with the wind coming from the north. In front of me was a wide draw that runs basically north to south, and I was about 150 yards from the rim where the slope started to break over into the valley. With the pickup hid behind me, I sat the CS-24 about 50 yards out in front of me, and put my back to a scrubby mesquite that had a lot of trash down around the base of it. I called for about 15 minutes using a couple of sounds, but had no takers. Then, way off behind me to the NW I heard a howl. I hit female submissive howl on the Foxpro and got an answer back. I answered again. At that point I decided to just sit tight for a bit and see what would develop. Develop it did. Within a minute or so I could see two coyotes barreling up the slope towards me coming hard from the east. I knew there had been coyotes in that valley I was calling! There was a barb wire fence 100 yards out, and they came right under it and stopped, facing me. The .220 Swift popped up, ready to open the dance.
(Clint Eastwood voice from Unforgiven) I got lucky in the order, but then I have always been lucky when it comes to killin' things I guess. (Clint voice off) The first coyote to come under the gun was the female. She took a 69 SMK to the center of the chest and dropped instantly. The male ducked back under the fence and ran to the northeast, putting a slight ridge between me and him. I could see his head bouncing through the grass occasionally, but I had no shot. Preset #1 on the caller is coyote pup distress #3, and I hit it. That did the trick, it stopped him for a look. All I could see was his eyes and ears over the top of the ridge, a shade over 200 yards away. Just like Lot’s wife, he should not have looked back, because it cost him his life. With only a tiny aim-point, the next 69 SMK sizzled just over the top of the grass on the rise and hit him nearly dead center, just above the eyes.
They were both young coyotes, but had nice pretty winter coats. I gathered them up and took some pictures, then loaded them up in the truck. Next I dumped the deer carcass, and looked at my watch. Time was getting away from me, I had to get moving! I barely had time for one more stand.
I flew down the road to the rancher’s home place a few miles away for my last set. He had called me a few days earlier to tell me about a big, dark male coyote he was concerned about. It was hanging around dangerously close to his barn and cattle pens, and he had a couple of small dogs he thought might be in danger from it. Being nearly out of light I just pulled into a cut in the county road about 300 yards south of his barn. I left the pickup and jumped the fence into his pasture, my back to the west again, facing east where I thought he should come from.
I opened with a female submissive howl. Normally I would have let that work for a bit, but light was fading fast. After about a minute I let rip with waning jack. The first series was still playing, and I scanned my eyes to the right. As I did, I caught movement in my periphrial vision even further to the right. Aaargh, I had been back-doored, and it was him! I swung the rifle to get on him, but he was already headed away down the fence-line to the south trying to get away. I barked and barked, but he would not stop. Back to faithful preset #1 on the Foxpro, that did the trick! He stopped about 250 yards out and I let rip, but was flustered and shot high. The bullet cut his spine though, and took his drive wheels out from under him. He spun around a couple of times and then stopped. I settled down, and then settled his hash. I kept playing the song for a bit hoping for another, but one was all I got there.
With barely any light left I went to look at tracks and figure out just what had happened. When Mr. He-Dog came barreling across that road cut looking for the interloper into his territory, he had nearly ran into my pickup. He hadn't seen it until it was too late. He came right on up my side of the cut, and as soon as he cleared the fence turned south to get away from the pickup. That is what he was running from, he hadn't seen me until I swung on him. That just kicked him into high gear.
Still though, it was a really great day. I called three stands and got three dogs. Two were on a double, one of those with a shot I was really proud of. The third was a problem coyote the landowner wanted me to get, and you always have to be proud when you hunt and take out a specific animal like that. Sure goes a long way in landowner/hunter relations. And to top it all off, I got to do it in the snow. Just perfect.
My 6 year old daughter killed her first deer Saturday night. We got it home and she helped skin and bone it out. Not many girls that age will jump right in there with a knife and get busy, but she will. By the time we got done the wind was already ripping out of the north, and I knew we were in for it the next day. The seeds of an idea were planted then. When I got up in the morning it had already started to snow. As we got the meat trimmed, cut, ground, and packaged, it just kept coming down. I was on a mission to get done with butchering, because other plans were taking serious hold in my head.
By 2 pm we were done and there was plenty of snow, but the wind was still howling. Visibility was around 300 yards, so I sat in the recliner for a bit as the sandman erased 30 minutes of my life. When I came to I remembered I needed to dump the deer carcass, and I had a plan for a spot where I could come check it later. A good predator hunter always has several plans working at once you know! So I got dressed and in the pickup. The plan was to call a couple stands, and if it stunk just drop the deer and come home.
I made the first set in a creek bottom where I thought I might get lucky and scrounge up a cat. No such luck though, it was a blank. From there I drove over to the place where I was going to drop the carcass, but I wanted to call a long valley first before I drove to the drop site.
I came in from the high ground over on the west side, with the wind coming from the north. In front of me was a wide draw that runs basically north to south, and I was about 150 yards from the rim where the slope started to break over into the valley. With the pickup hid behind me, I sat the CS-24 about 50 yards out in front of me, and put my back to a scrubby mesquite that had a lot of trash down around the base of it. I called for about 15 minutes using a couple of sounds, but had no takers. Then, way off behind me to the NW I heard a howl. I hit female submissive howl on the Foxpro and got an answer back. I answered again. At that point I decided to just sit tight for a bit and see what would develop. Develop it did. Within a minute or so I could see two coyotes barreling up the slope towards me coming hard from the east. I knew there had been coyotes in that valley I was calling! There was a barb wire fence 100 yards out, and they came right under it and stopped, facing me. The .220 Swift popped up, ready to open the dance.
(Clint Eastwood voice from Unforgiven) I got lucky in the order, but then I have always been lucky when it comes to killin' things I guess. (Clint voice off) The first coyote to come under the gun was the female. She took a 69 SMK to the center of the chest and dropped instantly. The male ducked back under the fence and ran to the northeast, putting a slight ridge between me and him. I could see his head bouncing through the grass occasionally, but I had no shot. Preset #1 on the caller is coyote pup distress #3, and I hit it. That did the trick, it stopped him for a look. All I could see was his eyes and ears over the top of the ridge, a shade over 200 yards away. Just like Lot’s wife, he should not have looked back, because it cost him his life. With only a tiny aim-point, the next 69 SMK sizzled just over the top of the grass on the rise and hit him nearly dead center, just above the eyes.
They were both young coyotes, but had nice pretty winter coats. I gathered them up and took some pictures, then loaded them up in the truck. Next I dumped the deer carcass, and looked at my watch. Time was getting away from me, I had to get moving! I barely had time for one more stand.
I flew down the road to the rancher’s home place a few miles away for my last set. He had called me a few days earlier to tell me about a big, dark male coyote he was concerned about. It was hanging around dangerously close to his barn and cattle pens, and he had a couple of small dogs he thought might be in danger from it. Being nearly out of light I just pulled into a cut in the county road about 300 yards south of his barn. I left the pickup and jumped the fence into his pasture, my back to the west again, facing east where I thought he should come from.
I opened with a female submissive howl. Normally I would have let that work for a bit, but light was fading fast. After about a minute I let rip with waning jack. The first series was still playing, and I scanned my eyes to the right. As I did, I caught movement in my periphrial vision even further to the right. Aaargh, I had been back-doored, and it was him! I swung the rifle to get on him, but he was already headed away down the fence-line to the south trying to get away. I barked and barked, but he would not stop. Back to faithful preset #1 on the Foxpro, that did the trick! He stopped about 250 yards out and I let rip, but was flustered and shot high. The bullet cut his spine though, and took his drive wheels out from under him. He spun around a couple of times and then stopped. I settled down, and then settled his hash. I kept playing the song for a bit hoping for another, but one was all I got there.
With barely any light left I went to look at tracks and figure out just what had happened. When Mr. He-Dog came barreling across that road cut looking for the interloper into his territory, he had nearly ran into my pickup. He hadn't seen it until it was too late. He came right on up my side of the cut, and as soon as he cleared the fence turned south to get away from the pickup. That is what he was running from, he hadn't seen me until I swung on him. That just kicked him into high gear.
Still though, it was a really great day. I called three stands and got three dogs. Two were on a double, one of those with a shot I was really proud of. The third was a problem coyote the landowner wanted me to get, and you always have to be proud when you hunt and take out a specific animal like that. Sure goes a long way in landowner/hunter relations. And to top it all off, I got to do it in the snow. Just perfect.
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