rockinbbar
New member
Coyotes get pretty brave when they are around a headquaters on a ranch. This particular promlem comes from the Texas ranch. Heifers are usually calved out in the large pasture out in front of the house.
The heifers usually take longer to calve, and therefore are vulnerable longer to predators....in this case coyotes.
While we get down there try & control as much a we can, especially around the headquarters, if you wait awhile, new coyotes move into the territory....which is what has happed here.
Last year I even got pictures of a newborn calf that had been killed and eaten by coyotes.
Barbara went with her family to give them a hand at the San Angelo Stock Show, and I stayed behind and worked with targeting the coyotes there at the headquarters.
The first stand of the first morning I queitly got into the area and set up where I could see a good distance and started calling...
Almost instantly, a pair broke out of the brush and headed in...I had the sun to my back as it was peeking over the horizon and they were lit up great!
Then another male came out about 100 yards to the pairs' right.
This was a big dominant male, and he made up for being behind the pair and gained ground on them heading to the call.
This male actually passed the pair, and was in the lead...as they were coming in, at about 200 yards they pair held up, looking at the big male. Almost as soon as they had him spotted, they started hesitating, and acted more submissive to the big male, although there was two of them. It was at that time that I knew I had a CHOICE TO MAKE...
Do I kill the male, or try for the pair?
I decided the male being what he is, is probably one of the killers that had been killing calves, so I picked my shot and put him down with one shot at about 150 yards.
Then, I swung the AR over to the remaining pair that was quickly gaining the advantage of cover, only to watch them disappear as coyotes will...
In situations like this, I would PREFER to have the coyotes come in single & slow...but, as you know, that doesn't happen often enough, so we make the best with what we have.
Here's that first big male:
I must say that all the coyotes presented a rather stiking picture as they were all three coming in with the pink light of daybreak shining in their faces as I looked on through the NightForce.
The next stand more to the East of where I called got in a pair that were pretty hard chargers...at least the male was. THe female hung back somewhat, but I made the shot on the male and quicly swung around to deal the female some misery....
I managed to track her fine in the NightForce....(I use the mildot reticle) and got lead in her, but she wasn't hit very hard.
I lost track of her, and sent Buster out after her.
I saw he Buster had her held up in a mesquite tree and was actually tangling with her a bit.
I made quick work of her, and started out again on my mission.
Heading further East, I called in a brave female that actually came right by the truck to "back door" me...
Like I said, they can come in from the least favorable ways and directions....but, as she circled me and went a little closer to the sound of the call, she got sight of the MOJO Critter I had running in a clear spot next to the caller....
That was all it took! She threw caution to the wind and came into the stand. I layed her down with a shot as she decided that something was up as she smelled me at the Critter..
Amazing how using small details like decoy can turn a bad stand into a successful one.
The wind picked up and the coyotes shut it down, but yje next day was OK for awhile...
I called just South of a draw that had a dirt tank & this huge male came in ready to kick butt! He stpped to survey the area as he entered the stand, and a 55 gr V-Max caught him dead center of the chest. Game over for him!
Got another nice coyote in and put the hurt on it as well...
All in all, I got 7 of the pesky critters. They won't kill calves again.
The wind picked up, and I decided to go try my new NightForce on some prarie dogs and do the ranch some good there too!
Besides, it's a good chance to really "wring out" that scope and see what it can do....But, that's another story!
Thanks for looking!
I hope your late season is going well!
Barry
The heifers usually take longer to calve, and therefore are vulnerable longer to predators....in this case coyotes.
While we get down there try & control as much a we can, especially around the headquarters, if you wait awhile, new coyotes move into the territory....which is what has happed here.
Last year I even got pictures of a newborn calf that had been killed and eaten by coyotes.
Barbara went with her family to give them a hand at the San Angelo Stock Show, and I stayed behind and worked with targeting the coyotes there at the headquarters.
The first stand of the first morning I queitly got into the area and set up where I could see a good distance and started calling...
Almost instantly, a pair broke out of the brush and headed in...I had the sun to my back as it was peeking over the horizon and they were lit up great!
Then another male came out about 100 yards to the pairs' right.
This was a big dominant male, and he made up for being behind the pair and gained ground on them heading to the call.
This male actually passed the pair, and was in the lead...as they were coming in, at about 200 yards they pair held up, looking at the big male. Almost as soon as they had him spotted, they started hesitating, and acted more submissive to the big male, although there was two of them. It was at that time that I knew I had a CHOICE TO MAKE...
Do I kill the male, or try for the pair?
I decided the male being what he is, is probably one of the killers that had been killing calves, so I picked my shot and put him down with one shot at about 150 yards.
Then, I swung the AR over to the remaining pair that was quickly gaining the advantage of cover, only to watch them disappear as coyotes will...
In situations like this, I would PREFER to have the coyotes come in single & slow...but, as you know, that doesn't happen often enough, so we make the best with what we have.
Here's that first big male:
I must say that all the coyotes presented a rather stiking picture as they were all three coming in with the pink light of daybreak shining in their faces as I looked on through the NightForce.
The next stand more to the East of where I called got in a pair that were pretty hard chargers...at least the male was. THe female hung back somewhat, but I made the shot on the male and quicly swung around to deal the female some misery....
I managed to track her fine in the NightForce....(I use the mildot reticle) and got lead in her, but she wasn't hit very hard.
I saw he Buster had her held up in a mesquite tree and was actually tangling with her a bit.
I made quick work of her, and started out again on my mission.
Heading further East, I called in a brave female that actually came right by the truck to "back door" me...
Like I said, they can come in from the least favorable ways and directions....but, as she circled me and went a little closer to the sound of the call, she got sight of the MOJO Critter I had running in a clear spot next to the caller....
That was all it took! She threw caution to the wind and came into the stand. I layed her down with a shot as she decided that something was up as she smelled me at the Critter..
Amazing how using small details like decoy can turn a bad stand into a successful one.
The wind picked up and the coyotes shut it down, but yje next day was OK for awhile...
I called just South of a draw that had a dirt tank & this huge male came in ready to kick butt! He stpped to survey the area as he entered the stand, and a 55 gr V-Max caught him dead center of the chest. Game over for him!
Got another nice coyote in and put the hurt on it as well...
All in all, I got 7 of the pesky critters. They won't kill calves again.
The wind picked up, and I decided to go try my new NightForce on some prarie dogs and do the ranch some good there too!
Besides, it's a good chance to really "wring out" that scope and see what it can do....But, that's another story!
Thanks for looking!
I hope your late season is going well!
Barry
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