10 called in in 9 stands. All Planets in Alignment or What?????

Hyperwrx

New member
Andrew (kodiak62) and I went down South today for a morning of calling. By 10:30 we were dripping sweat and called it a day not before calling in 9 coyotes and 1 bobcat in 9 stands. I don't see numbers like this and we saw so many coyotes I should have wrote down stand by stand what happened as I have a tough time remembering. Andrew correct me if I make an error.

Background- I did all ladder stands and Andrew was standing. We both used shotguns only. All stands we misted. All but 1 stand I used the Minaska All-In-One caller. All stands but 1 I used rabbit distress (1 stand was a woodpecker distress).

Stand 1- Hard charger to the right of the ladder. Comes in from downwind. He turns as I spin and raise the shotgun. I hit him as he's running away. Dead.

Stand 2- Coyotes comes in from downwind circles arund Andrew and ends up 40 yards from caller 70 yards from me. I try everything in the book to get him to come closer and he's rooted so I stand up on the ladder to get above the bushes and shoot from there. He laughs, gives me the finger, and runs off.

Stand 3- Up against heavy thick cover. Call one in and it hangs up at about 60 yards. Andrew tries lip squeaking it in and he refuses to budge. He turns and Andrew shoots and the coyote scampers off apparently unscathed.

Stand 4- Walk 150 yards off the road. fairly open with thick cover behind us. calling starts and I see a large crow dive-bombing something about 100 yards out into the desert. I thought to myself, their bent about something and its probably a bobcat. 2 minutes later I hear Andrews gun go off and he shot a 25 pound bobcat 10 feet from the Minaska. It came in at an angle I couldn't see his approach. Good job Andrew.

Stand 5- I end up hand calling as I forget the Minaska at the last stand #4 in the bushes- duh. Oddly enough my hand calling is our first blank stand of the morning. Crap.

Stand 6- Get caller back and set up in nice flat with creosote area. Andrew is downwind. Minute 2 I get a hard charger from upwind coming at the caller. At 50-60' out I see it running through an open area and I take the shot as its running- mistake #1. I miss and the disoriented coyote turns toward me as making a wide 50' 180 degree turn. I shoot again at about 25' and miss again! I can believe this and bear down for the last shot as the coyote passes right in front of my ladder. CLICK! I didn't load in a 3rd shell for some reason. Coyote laughs, flips me off and runs away. By far the worst exhibition of shooting I have ever been a part of. No excuses. I need to take more time and have the mind to bark and stop the coyote before shooting.

Stand 7- Blank stand.

Stand 8- Bad stand selection on my part. Cross wind but where I positioned Andrew had his wind blowing past the route the coyotes would take coming in to the caller. As luck would have it, a triple comes in. They're flying in through the creosote bushes and as the first 2 come into the Andrews wind they spin a 180 and head back out. Coyote #3 is in the bushes a bit longer and takes the time to take a piss in our general direction before bugging back out the way he came in. None ever really offered us a good shot with the shotguns. A rifle would have resulted in at least 1 dead coyote on this stand.

Stand 9- It's hot now. We call in thick stuff with short visibility. I am not on my ladder. I'm standing Andrew sitting. 5 minutes in I hear running behind me. I don't turn and glance over at Andrew hoping he can see behind me. He's looking into the thicket of trees and raises his shotgun. I cut the caller and start lip squeaking hoping whatever he sees will come out into the open. Nothing shows. At stands end he says he had a coyote pup slip into the stand, look at him sitting there from the thick stuff. By the time he raises the gun it slips back into the void of darkness and we never see him again. Nobody saw what was making the running sound behind me.

We then retire to some local greasy Mexican restaurant where we eat tacos de carne asada and call it a day. 2nd Picture was taken in their parking lot.

Haven't had such a successful day in I don't know how long. This area is prime and seems unmolested by predator hunters this year. Even though we only put 2 in the truck having so many come in while calling makes the hunting worthwhile.

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AZPredatorSlayer- Not thick as they get in Winter but nice. Andrew will skin it and have it garment tanned I believe. It's the largest one he's shot so he's gonna do something with it.

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Awesome Scott, that's one of the best looking cats I've seen a quite awhile, some great spots.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif

You had a steller day, no question about that... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Carry a small notebook in your pocket and keep notes to yourself... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Glad I'm not the only one sweating by 10:30a. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Nice job, Scott and Andrew. Nice lookin cat. Is that "porta-pottie" next to the mexican eating joint door, a reflection on their food? LOL
 
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Is that "porta-pottie" next to the mexican eating joint door, a reflection on their food? LOL



It is a reflection of the food. Those dives with no bathrooms are usually the best things going.

Good Hunting Scott, although I'm sure you had to be frustrated on a couple of those stands where things just didn't work out. Nothing worse than calling coyotes that you don't get a chance at and won't budge.. Basturds!!!!

Congrats on a good hunt.
 
Thanks Tim. What frustrates me more were the easy shots I missed.

The Mexican joint above I had never eaten at and Andrew spotted it and said, "hey, wanna take our chances at that place?" I pulled out my bacteria soap from my door panel and washed me hands and said sure, let's try it. I said, "I should make them wash their hands with this. Andrew said, "they should pour it over whatever I buy to eat." It was actually pretty clean and the food was very good.

I give Pico's Bean Shack 2 thumbs up!
 
Good job Scott /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif. That is a great looking bobcat for sure /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif. Even though you didnt get all called in coyotes you called them in. It will just make you shoot straighter since they were laughing at you as they ran away /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Pay back is a you know what /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
You got everything right there Scooter except my screen name. Its Kodiak61 nubbykins.

Yes we would have put at least 3 more dogs in the truck today if either of us had our rifles sighted in. Haha we both purchased new scopes and have yet to get them ready to go. To easy to forget about when you have shotguns at the ready.

The last stand is bothering me the most. I know most people would think missing the triple would be the most agonizing, but for me it was the last stand.

I was sitting there looking for movement behind Scott, sweating my arse off and then out of the corner of my eye I see this pup poke his head up. I raise my shotgun just as he walks into a small bush. I stayed there for a good 5 minutes pointing my shotgun at the other side of the bush waiting for him to come out. It was 30ft from me and I thought for sure I had a kill. Finally I gave up as I couldnt hold my shotty any more. I walk over there as the stand is done and see a wash that it escaped in. I should have pulled the trigger as soon as I seen it. I just thought for sure it would pop out the other side of the bush.

My only other real chance today was the one I took a shot at 65 yds away. Didnt even get one pellet into it. Dont know what the [beeep] happened there.

Was funny as [beeep] hearing Scott yell on that one stand. I'm off in the distance and hear "Bang"..... "Bang"..."[beeep]!!!!"....."Andrew I missed, I cant believe I missed from that close, I think my barrel is bent or something".

Lol

That bobcat was a sneaky little thing. I didnt even see it come in. I seen the same crows Scott did, but didnt see it walk in my field of view. By chance I took a look to the left where the caller was and saw the cat 15ft from the caller on the other side of the bush that Scott has his ladder set up in. Scott could have spit and hit the cat but he had now way to see it and it literally came up the only path possible he couldnt see. Just for reference on the cats size. I'm 6'2 295lbs. Scott is 5'7 160lbs. Cat weighed 25lbs I believe and is the biggest one I have ever taken. It was as big as Scotts dog. Just a pound or two lighter.

The way we set up stands today was excellent I thought. We picked angles using the wind and caller very well. We had most every zone covered and I think its why we saw so many. In the past it seems that many of our dry stands probably produced animals, we just didnt see them. Today I'm telling myself we fixed that problem. That or we just got lucky. I guess time will tell.

Fun day overall and looking forward to doing it again tomarrow.

Andrew Kerns
 
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Well done Scott!!

Great post, very nice pictures, I love the cats, they have great color.

I wunna hunt where you hunt /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

M
 
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