It has been 14 days since I was last out calling. I had to get out of the house or go nuts!!! I drove out to my friend's ranch in Montana this morning. It was only -12º when I left Williston. I met with my friend and got some directions on where his land boundaries were and set out to call. He only has a little over a section of land, but it had some juicy looking draws. I called in two places and got no coyotes to come in. Then, in the 3rd place I was going to call, his nephew's big black dog was out running around on the prairie right where I was going to call. The dog was out chasing deer!!! I scouted around the area a little more and found some cougar tracks!!! I noticed some ATV tracks in the areas I walked into on his farm. I think the government trapper is still working that area. There were not many coyote tracks on my friend's land. However, I did see some cougar tracks in the snow. He did tell me that two cougars had killed three sheep on a neighbor’s ranch last week and told me to be careful. I’ll try to get permission to call from a few more land owners and maybe head out that way again some day.
I decided to leave Montana and head to North Dakota to call coyotes in more familiar territory. I drove west on a trail and parked my pickup out of sight behind an old abandoned farmstead. I walked in along a prairie trail to the south being careful to stay hidden from the territory I wanted to call. I worked my way to a little rise overlooking a big valley to the south and west and some rolling hills to the east. I set the FoxPro up on a fence post, aimed it SW into the wind, and got back to the NE of the e-caller about 40 yards on the top of a little knoll. I dialed in the woodpecker distress sound. The wind was maybe 5 mph at the most and out of the WSW with bright sunshine. I had made one real slow sweep with my eyes from ESE all the way around to the NW and was scanning back slowly to the SW again when I spotted a coyote about 1/2 mile to the SW of me heading in my way. I slowly moved the rifle around and when I looked back out to the SW I saw a second coyote cross the fence line and then a third one came after that one. The lead coyote was about 150+ yards ahead of the other two. It didn't look like I'd have a chance at a double unless I took a chance and let this first one come on by and waited for the other two. He came in fast and crossed the fence just on the west side of the prairie trail about 120 yards from my location. The other two coyotes were still coming, but this first one looked the biggest so I wanted to be sure I got at least this one--to heck with the double--I'll take the sure thing every time! He got to about 40 yards away from the e-caller (which I had turned off by now) and stopped, giving me a perfect 80 yard shot at the front of his chest between his front legs. He piled up in a heap! The 30 gr. Starke RPV did it's job again. I started to yelp with my voice, but the other two coyotes were running away. I switched the FoxPro to the Coyote Pup Distress sound and started that playing and one of the coyotes stopped, looked back, and started to come back in toward me. The other one just disappeared to the SW. The one that stopped and came back crossed the prairie trail about 300 yards south of me and was circling in a NE direction. I let the FoxPro play. The coyote was now ESE of me and heading to get the wind. I crawled over to the east side of the hill I was on, turned my scope up to 16x and got the coyote in the scope. I gave three sharp barks and the coyote stopped, I centered the crosshairs just behind his left front shoulder and squeezed off the shot. He was 200 yards away when I shot and as soon as the bullet hit he fell down, but got up and did about 5 or 6 death spins and fell over dead. The bullet did exit, but the hole was very small, smaller than a dime.
I gathered up my rifle and caller and walked back to the pickup and drove right up to the back side of the hill I had been on. Then I walked out and got the 2nd coyote. It was a small male. I had hit it a little higher than I thought I was aiming. I guess he was quite a bit below me as I was up on the little hill. I dragged him back up toward the pickup and hung him on the corner fence post. Then I walked down south and picked up the first coyote I shot. He was a pretty nice colored male and quite a bit bigger than the other one. I hung him up on the post too and snapped a bunch of pictures. The little male weighed 25 pounds and the bigger one weighed 31 pounds.
This first picture is of the little male. He had an ugly open sore on his front leg as you can see in this picture.
This next picture shows the Silverfox with the double he just bagged. Look real hard and you’ll see the Predator Master’s camo cap on Silver’s head!!!
The camo coveralls are brand new and this was the first time I had ever worn them. They got broken in real quick like! They are the Snow Shadow pattern from Cabelas and really quite warm. I wish they had some chest pockets on them. I may try to talk my wife into sewing on two chest pockets.
This next picture was taken from the hill I was laying on. It is a view to the SW. The big male coyote is circled and the fence post I had the FoxPro on is also circled. The black arrow at the top of the picture is pointing to where I first was the lead coyote. There is a rock pile there and also a little dry creek bed near there as well.
I got those coyotes loaded and headed to the west on an old low maintenance road. I saw lots of coyote tracks and will go back there to do some calling. I wanted to get to a farmer’s place that had told me he hears coyotes howling nearly every night. I stopped in and he wasn't home, but his wife told me to go out there and get some coyotes!! I drove north of their house about 1/2 mile and then drove in on the summer fallow about 1/2 mile. I parked the pickup behind a hill and walked in to the west. I set the FoxPro up on a fence post about 70 yards from my shooting position. The wind was still from the WSW and I am forced to look right into the sun. I turned on the woodpecker sound again and in no time flat I spotted a large male coyote coming in from the west. He was on the south side of the fence line and when he got to about 200 yards out, he crossed under the fence and out into the summer fallow on the north side of the fence. I turned off the call and got the cross hairs on him. At about 150 yards out, he stopped and appeared to be looking right up at me. I'm sure he saw my shape because I was right at the horizon with nothing behind me but the clear blue sky. I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately for him, I pulled the trigger on him right then and there because I didn't like his posture. He looked ready to bolt! I looked at my watch and it had been 2 minutes and 30 seconds since I turned on the FoxPro. That is quick service!!! I turned the dial on the FoxPro to Coyote Pup Distress and let that run for about 3 minutes. Then I turned it back to the woodpecker sound for another 3 minutes. I turned the caller off and waited about 5 more minutes. Nothing else appeared. I walked down and got the FoxPro off the fence post and then went to the coyote. It was a real nice colored male and was pretty good sized. I dragged him back to the pickup and took a few pictures before loading him up.
He weighed 35 pounds when I got him home and hung him on the scale. I drove to the farmer’s house and he was home, so I showed him my three coyotes. He was impressed and said I could come out any time. It was about 5:00 p.m. so I quit and drove home! When I sell those coyotes, I should get enough money to buy a few gallons of gasoline.
It sure felt good to get out and commune with the coyotes again. Thanks for looking and reading!
I decided to leave Montana and head to North Dakota to call coyotes in more familiar territory. I drove west on a trail and parked my pickup out of sight behind an old abandoned farmstead. I walked in along a prairie trail to the south being careful to stay hidden from the territory I wanted to call. I worked my way to a little rise overlooking a big valley to the south and west and some rolling hills to the east. I set the FoxPro up on a fence post, aimed it SW into the wind, and got back to the NE of the e-caller about 40 yards on the top of a little knoll. I dialed in the woodpecker distress sound. The wind was maybe 5 mph at the most and out of the WSW with bright sunshine. I had made one real slow sweep with my eyes from ESE all the way around to the NW and was scanning back slowly to the SW again when I spotted a coyote about 1/2 mile to the SW of me heading in my way. I slowly moved the rifle around and when I looked back out to the SW I saw a second coyote cross the fence line and then a third one came after that one. The lead coyote was about 150+ yards ahead of the other two. It didn't look like I'd have a chance at a double unless I took a chance and let this first one come on by and waited for the other two. He came in fast and crossed the fence just on the west side of the prairie trail about 120 yards from my location. The other two coyotes were still coming, but this first one looked the biggest so I wanted to be sure I got at least this one--to heck with the double--I'll take the sure thing every time! He got to about 40 yards away from the e-caller (which I had turned off by now) and stopped, giving me a perfect 80 yard shot at the front of his chest between his front legs. He piled up in a heap! The 30 gr. Starke RPV did it's job again. I started to yelp with my voice, but the other two coyotes were running away. I switched the FoxPro to the Coyote Pup Distress sound and started that playing and one of the coyotes stopped, looked back, and started to come back in toward me. The other one just disappeared to the SW. The one that stopped and came back crossed the prairie trail about 300 yards south of me and was circling in a NE direction. I let the FoxPro play. The coyote was now ESE of me and heading to get the wind. I crawled over to the east side of the hill I was on, turned my scope up to 16x and got the coyote in the scope. I gave three sharp barks and the coyote stopped, I centered the crosshairs just behind his left front shoulder and squeezed off the shot. He was 200 yards away when I shot and as soon as the bullet hit he fell down, but got up and did about 5 or 6 death spins and fell over dead. The bullet did exit, but the hole was very small, smaller than a dime.
I gathered up my rifle and caller and walked back to the pickup and drove right up to the back side of the hill I had been on. Then I walked out and got the 2nd coyote. It was a small male. I had hit it a little higher than I thought I was aiming. I guess he was quite a bit below me as I was up on the little hill. I dragged him back up toward the pickup and hung him on the corner fence post. Then I walked down south and picked up the first coyote I shot. He was a pretty nice colored male and quite a bit bigger than the other one. I hung him up on the post too and snapped a bunch of pictures. The little male weighed 25 pounds and the bigger one weighed 31 pounds.
This first picture is of the little male. He had an ugly open sore on his front leg as you can see in this picture.
This next picture shows the Silverfox with the double he just bagged. Look real hard and you’ll see the Predator Master’s camo cap on Silver’s head!!!
The camo coveralls are brand new and this was the first time I had ever worn them. They got broken in real quick like! They are the Snow Shadow pattern from Cabelas and really quite warm. I wish they had some chest pockets on them. I may try to talk my wife into sewing on two chest pockets.
This next picture was taken from the hill I was laying on. It is a view to the SW. The big male coyote is circled and the fence post I had the FoxPro on is also circled. The black arrow at the top of the picture is pointing to where I first was the lead coyote. There is a rock pile there and also a little dry creek bed near there as well.
I got those coyotes loaded and headed to the west on an old low maintenance road. I saw lots of coyote tracks and will go back there to do some calling. I wanted to get to a farmer’s place that had told me he hears coyotes howling nearly every night. I stopped in and he wasn't home, but his wife told me to go out there and get some coyotes!! I drove north of their house about 1/2 mile and then drove in on the summer fallow about 1/2 mile. I parked the pickup behind a hill and walked in to the west. I set the FoxPro up on a fence post about 70 yards from my shooting position. The wind was still from the WSW and I am forced to look right into the sun. I turned on the woodpecker sound again and in no time flat I spotted a large male coyote coming in from the west. He was on the south side of the fence line and when he got to about 200 yards out, he crossed under the fence and out into the summer fallow on the north side of the fence. I turned off the call and got the cross hairs on him. At about 150 yards out, he stopped and appeared to be looking right up at me. I'm sure he saw my shape because I was right at the horizon with nothing behind me but the clear blue sky. I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately for him, I pulled the trigger on him right then and there because I didn't like his posture. He looked ready to bolt! I looked at my watch and it had been 2 minutes and 30 seconds since I turned on the FoxPro. That is quick service!!! I turned the dial on the FoxPro to Coyote Pup Distress and let that run for about 3 minutes. Then I turned it back to the woodpecker sound for another 3 minutes. I turned the caller off and waited about 5 more minutes. Nothing else appeared. I walked down and got the FoxPro off the fence post and then went to the coyote. It was a real nice colored male and was pretty good sized. I dragged him back to the pickup and took a few pictures before loading him up.
He weighed 35 pounds when I got him home and hung him on the scale. I drove to the farmer’s house and he was home, so I showed him my three coyotes. He was impressed and said I could come out any time. It was about 5:00 p.m. so I quit and drove home! When I sell those coyotes, I should get enough money to buy a few gallons of gasoline.
It sure felt good to get out and commune with the coyotes again. Thanks for looking and reading!
