Posted for Spike:
This morning, March 11, I went back to the spot where I could not find the coyote that I shot at and hit the other day. Here's a photo of some of the country I was calling in.
I called for forty minutes with my FoxPro and was about to give up when I saw this coyote on edge a small ridge. I thought he was coming my way but he just stayed in the same spot.
Naturally the adrenaline started flowing and I thought that he would have to come closer before there would be a chance of a good shot. The longer he stayed in the same spot the more I tried to get the pistol in a steady position. I tried every call the fox pro had plus the mouse squeaker without luring him away from whatever it was that held him in that spot. When I figured he was not going to come to the call, I decided to try a shot when the pistol settled down.
Here is a photo of the rock I rested my Encore on during the shot:
I had checked the sight the other day and she was 3" high at 70 yards, I had no idea of the distance because of the irregularities in the terrain. I held the pistol down tight on the cushion and put the cross hairs near the top of his back. I squeezed the trigger and when the encore fired the sight picture was lost, but I heard that familiar “THUD” of a hit. He started yelping and when I could get a bead on him again I shot a finishing shot, but do not remember hearing thud. What ever happened he stopped trying to get up.
When I paced off the distance I discounted lots of steps because of the uneven terrain and still came up with 283 yards. If I had known that was the distance I never would have fired the shot. From where the coyote died I looked back at the rock and could not believe the distance. I guess it’s better to be lucky than good.
Here's the Encore and another of it's victims!
I took a picture of what had held the coyote’s attention but it did not come out. The object was a deer foot and eight inches of shin bone. I was offering a juicy rabbit, a fawn, a woodpecker and puppies. I guess if we knew how coyotes think they would be extinct.
Finally, here's a photo of the coyote caller and Encore shooter extrodinaire--Spike himself:
For those of you who are not familiar with Spike's weapon, it is an Encore .223 caliber with a 15" barrel. The scope is a 2x model. He shoots 50 gr. Hornady bullets that leave the muzzle at around 2,850 fps. He has it sighted in to be about 3" high at 70 yards, so at 285 yards it is about 4" low. I know lots of folks with rifles and high powered scopes who couldn't pull off that shot and our Spike does it with his little Encore!! Whooooeeee Doggy!!! Great job Spike!
This morning, March 11, I went back to the spot where I could not find the coyote that I shot at and hit the other day. Here's a photo of some of the country I was calling in.
I called for forty minutes with my FoxPro and was about to give up when I saw this coyote on edge a small ridge. I thought he was coming my way but he just stayed in the same spot.
Naturally the adrenaline started flowing and I thought that he would have to come closer before there would be a chance of a good shot. The longer he stayed in the same spot the more I tried to get the pistol in a steady position. I tried every call the fox pro had plus the mouse squeaker without luring him away from whatever it was that held him in that spot. When I figured he was not going to come to the call, I decided to try a shot when the pistol settled down.
Here is a photo of the rock I rested my Encore on during the shot:
I had checked the sight the other day and she was 3" high at 70 yards, I had no idea of the distance because of the irregularities in the terrain. I held the pistol down tight on the cushion and put the cross hairs near the top of his back. I squeezed the trigger and when the encore fired the sight picture was lost, but I heard that familiar “THUD” of a hit. He started yelping and when I could get a bead on him again I shot a finishing shot, but do not remember hearing thud. What ever happened he stopped trying to get up.
When I paced off the distance I discounted lots of steps because of the uneven terrain and still came up with 283 yards. If I had known that was the distance I never would have fired the shot. From where the coyote died I looked back at the rock and could not believe the distance. I guess it’s better to be lucky than good.
Here's the Encore and another of it's victims!
I took a picture of what had held the coyote’s attention but it did not come out. The object was a deer foot and eight inches of shin bone. I was offering a juicy rabbit, a fawn, a woodpecker and puppies. I guess if we knew how coyotes think they would be extinct.
Finally, here's a photo of the coyote caller and Encore shooter extrodinaire--Spike himself:
For those of you who are not familiar with Spike's weapon, it is an Encore .223 caliber with a 15" barrel. The scope is a 2x model. He shoots 50 gr. Hornady bullets that leave the muzzle at around 2,850 fps. He has it sighted in to be about 3" high at 70 yards, so at 285 yards it is about 4" low. I know lots of folks with rifles and high powered scopes who couldn't pull off that shot and our Spike does it with his little Encore!! Whooooeeee Doggy!!! Great job Spike!