I have had a long string of days I wanted to go out after deer season closed on November 24, but the doggone wind would blow 20+ mph every time I planned a hunt. With winds like that, I stay home!
well, I finally got my butt out on the prairie today for a little rest and relaxation calling coyotes. I had a day off from work today so I headed up north of Williston. The wind was out of the WSW for most of the day and this morning it was only blowing about 5 mph! A RARE day! As I approached the prairie trail to the first place I was going to call, I spotted 2 coyotes to the west of the road I was on. They ran west and I figured I'd just let them be until the next time I'm out that way. I drove to my next calling site. The first place I called nothing came in, but I spotted a coyote laying up out of the wind about 3/4 mile away to the WNW. I backed off my hill and walked north. I peeked over the hill to see if he was still there and spotted a second coyote to the west of him. I kept going north until I could crest the hill without those coyotes seeing me. I found a good spot to call and started out with the howler. At the 7 minute mark I saw 3 coyotes on the horizon to the WNW. They were coming from the north. I howled again and the lead dog started coming. At the 16 minute mark one coyote came over the hill to the NW of me, stood, looked, and darted back west over the hill? I had no clue why it disappeared. Just then I spotted two more coyote heads peeking at me from the west. I lip squeaked and they both started coming down the hill. They stopped a couple of times and finally hung up at about 150 yards. I picked out the lightest one of the two and while it was looking right at me touched off a shot right between the front shoulders. It dropped like a ton of rocks! The 30 gr. Starke RPV bullet did its job nicely. I got a hurried shot at the other one just before it topped the hill, but I led it too much! This one was a nice male with a bobbed tail. I figured I had seen 6 coyotes in that one spot. With a partner, this would have been an easy double.
Next place I called I spotted a coyote about 3/4 of a mile to the west of me. I don't know if it saw me when I walked in or not, I doubt it. After I had called for about 15 minutes it finally got up and started to walk toward me at a very slow pace. When it got to a fence line about 500 yards west of me it stopped. It finally crossed the fence but finally laid down in the stubble and wouldn't come in. It was laying in a spot where there was no way I could sneak up on it for a shot so I left the area. While driving down a prairie trail on my way to Hwy 85, I rousted a coyote out of a hay field. I stopped the pickup, got the gun out, rested on the hood of the pickup and took a 300+ yard shot and led that one too much! I am going to have to learn how to shoot one of these days!
I called in a two more places and didn't get any takers. Finally, I got up into one of my favorite coyote hunting areas on the west side of Hwy 85. Thousands and thousands of acres of CRP, prairie, some crop land, and very few people living up there. I set up and called to the WSW, into the wind, with my Pee Wee Critr' call. Nothing after 7 minutes so I did a female invitation howl on the Austin Howler. About a minute later I had a coyote answering me from the NNW. I imitated him and we chatted for just a bit. Then everything was silent. I kept working between the howler and the Pee Wee Critr' call. Finally, at the 34' mark on the stand I spotted 2 coyotes coming from the NW. One was a real nice light colored one and the other one was a dark brown. The lead coyote was the dark one and when they got to about 100 yards from me he started to circle to the east to try to get around and get my wind and the female stopped at about 100 yards and watched her mate. I put the crosshairs between the shoulders on the light colored one and touched off a round. Down she went in a heap. Again, the 30 gr. Starke RPV bullet did a fine job. I got two running shots on the male, but this time I shot behind him. I just can't get it right!!! This female was really nice. Heavy and light colored. I have a hanging scale ordered from Harbor Freight and it should be here any day. I'll be weighing these coyotes so I won't have to guesstimate their weight anymore. Once again, this was a situation where if I would have had a partner we would have likely had another double!
The last stand of the day found me on a nice ridge looking into the wind to the WSW. At about the 8 minute mark I howled and got an answer back from the NW. I turned my body around to face the NW and tried to work that coyote a bit. At the 30 minute mark I spotted a coyote coming out from behind the hill I was on headed to the NW. I tried to get it to stop, but it wasn't having any of that. I flung a shot at it but it was about 350 yards away and the shot dropped short. I found its tracks later. It had come in behind me from the SSW when I was concentrating on the coyote howling to the NW. It circled around the hill I was on and walked not 50 yards from my calling position, but I was on the west side of the hill and couldn't see to the east where the coyote walked! A partner on the downwind side would have bagged that coyote.
It was a good day anyway. I saw 13 coyotes today, got the two that I had decent shots at and shot at four others and missed. I have been chomping at the bit to get out and finally did. It was white enough so the white coveralls and white ski mask looked OK.
Once again, I got a bit long winded, sorry about that.
well, I finally got my butt out on the prairie today for a little rest and relaxation calling coyotes. I had a day off from work today so I headed up north of Williston. The wind was out of the WSW for most of the day and this morning it was only blowing about 5 mph! A RARE day! As I approached the prairie trail to the first place I was going to call, I spotted 2 coyotes to the west of the road I was on. They ran west and I figured I'd just let them be until the next time I'm out that way. I drove to my next calling site. The first place I called nothing came in, but I spotted a coyote laying up out of the wind about 3/4 mile away to the WNW. I backed off my hill and walked north. I peeked over the hill to see if he was still there and spotted a second coyote to the west of him. I kept going north until I could crest the hill without those coyotes seeing me. I found a good spot to call and started out with the howler. At the 7 minute mark I saw 3 coyotes on the horizon to the WNW. They were coming from the north. I howled again and the lead dog started coming. At the 16 minute mark one coyote came over the hill to the NW of me, stood, looked, and darted back west over the hill? I had no clue why it disappeared. Just then I spotted two more coyote heads peeking at me from the west. I lip squeaked and they both started coming down the hill. They stopped a couple of times and finally hung up at about 150 yards. I picked out the lightest one of the two and while it was looking right at me touched off a shot right between the front shoulders. It dropped like a ton of rocks! The 30 gr. Starke RPV bullet did its job nicely. I got a hurried shot at the other one just before it topped the hill, but I led it too much! This one was a nice male with a bobbed tail. I figured I had seen 6 coyotes in that one spot. With a partner, this would have been an easy double.
Next place I called I spotted a coyote about 3/4 of a mile to the west of me. I don't know if it saw me when I walked in or not, I doubt it. After I had called for about 15 minutes it finally got up and started to walk toward me at a very slow pace. When it got to a fence line about 500 yards west of me it stopped. It finally crossed the fence but finally laid down in the stubble and wouldn't come in. It was laying in a spot where there was no way I could sneak up on it for a shot so I left the area. While driving down a prairie trail on my way to Hwy 85, I rousted a coyote out of a hay field. I stopped the pickup, got the gun out, rested on the hood of the pickup and took a 300+ yard shot and led that one too much! I am going to have to learn how to shoot one of these days!
I called in a two more places and didn't get any takers. Finally, I got up into one of my favorite coyote hunting areas on the west side of Hwy 85. Thousands and thousands of acres of CRP, prairie, some crop land, and very few people living up there. I set up and called to the WSW, into the wind, with my Pee Wee Critr' call. Nothing after 7 minutes so I did a female invitation howl on the Austin Howler. About a minute later I had a coyote answering me from the NNW. I imitated him and we chatted for just a bit. Then everything was silent. I kept working between the howler and the Pee Wee Critr' call. Finally, at the 34' mark on the stand I spotted 2 coyotes coming from the NW. One was a real nice light colored one and the other one was a dark brown. The lead coyote was the dark one and when they got to about 100 yards from me he started to circle to the east to try to get around and get my wind and the female stopped at about 100 yards and watched her mate. I put the crosshairs between the shoulders on the light colored one and touched off a round. Down she went in a heap. Again, the 30 gr. Starke RPV bullet did a fine job. I got two running shots on the male, but this time I shot behind him. I just can't get it right!!! This female was really nice. Heavy and light colored. I have a hanging scale ordered from Harbor Freight and it should be here any day. I'll be weighing these coyotes so I won't have to guesstimate their weight anymore. Once again, this was a situation where if I would have had a partner we would have likely had another double!
The last stand of the day found me on a nice ridge looking into the wind to the WSW. At about the 8 minute mark I howled and got an answer back from the NW. I turned my body around to face the NW and tried to work that coyote a bit. At the 30 minute mark I spotted a coyote coming out from behind the hill I was on headed to the NW. I tried to get it to stop, but it wasn't having any of that. I flung a shot at it but it was about 350 yards away and the shot dropped short. I found its tracks later. It had come in behind me from the SSW when I was concentrating on the coyote howling to the NW. It circled around the hill I was on and walked not 50 yards from my calling position, but I was on the west side of the hill and couldn't see to the east where the coyote walked! A partner on the downwind side would have bagged that coyote.
It was a good day anyway. I saw 13 coyotes today, got the two that I had decent shots at and shot at four others and missed. I have been chomping at the bit to get out and finally did. It was white enough so the white coveralls and white ski mask looked OK.
Once again, I got a bit long winded, sorry about that.