4 first…
So it was the first day hunting of the New Year. It was the first time out with my new Fox Pro, it was the first time that we hunted this area for yotes and it was the first time we got over 3 yotes in a day. Needless to say we will be doing it all again real soon. My hunting partner and I finally live close enough to one another to make meeting in the middle a good deal. Before Christmas we lived over 3 hours apart and had lived 4 hours a part last fur season. Needless to say that limited our hunting greatly. Finally I moved just 2 hours away from his home. So on the first weekend we could, note the weekend before I spent moving into the new house. We planned on meeting at the ½ way point for each f us to enjoy a little Sunday revival. We met each other at first light on a perfect morning. There was no wind, which for Wyoming is a miracle. A storm that had put 2-3 inches of fresh snow on the ground the last 3 days was just breaking up. The sky was hazed with a light cloud cover and the light was flat. Man was this going to be a good day. We left one vehicle, opting to take my new Toyota over the Older Chevy Blazer. We headed away from the main highway. Our first stand was just as the sun began to light the day. On the way to our setup we cut 4 separate sets of fresh tracks. I set the Fox Pro about 50 yards down in the bottom of the draw. We called the spot for about 20 minutes. Only visitors we had were a dozen or so magpies and a very large golden eagle. We headed to find the next calling spot. I suggested a spot, but my partner in formed that the road went right thru what we would be calling. So I hit the gas in a hurry to get to the next stand. About ¾ of mile from where I was wanting to call a large group of sage grouse took flight. I told my buddy that there had to be a yote messing with them. Suddenly the truck was sliding to a halt. Door flew open and lead filled the sky. The yote escaped a little wiser. Man it seems that drive-bys are harder to hit than are other yotes. We made 2 mor stands without luck. Each time he called that day they would just sit and howl at him. Each time I set the Fox Pro up birds and more birds. Things were soon to change.
At about mid day, we made our way up a tricky little 2 track. We managed to jump 2 drive bys with the truck however, we did not connect. We went a mile further up the road and called. We called a little canyon that ran North to South and we set up on the west ridge facing east. It was my turn to call. My buddy circled up wind and set up about a 100 yards a way. I set up just as the flat part of our ridge dropped off. I could not see the very bottom of this canyon, however I did the fox pro behind me hoping that a yote would come right up on the small bench I was on. I hit the woodpecker in distress. After a few series, a yote sky lined at about 200 yards on the opposite ridge. As he started his way toward the call I turned the volume down quiet a bit. This made him break into a full run. Now remember I could not see the actual bottom. Neither could my partner. I make it a point to shoot yotes before they can disappear again. Too many times they have snuck out and never been seen. I lip squecked right before the yote was going to disappear below me. I steadied my 223 and squeezed the trigger. Suddenly my body filled with panic. There was not a round cambered in my . I carefully, yet quickly chambered around. The yote new something was up, but by the time he was nervous I sent him to the gut pile in the sky. The day was perfect.
Note all the small tracks in the snow behind me are sage grouse tracks. I need to get a sage grouse in distress sound on the FP.
I gathered the yote. Made my way to the truck. We took a quick pic and off to the next stand. The yote died at approximately 11:30am. Next stand was again my partners turn to call. We had a great setup overlooking to main draws and a good sized stock pond with running water. I am not sure of the details, but before my partner finished his first series he had shot and had one on the ground. Nice and quick. In 2 stands we made 5 hours of calling pretty productive. Sorry no pic of this one as my partner has not sent it too me.
Suddenly filled with the hope of a truck load of yotes we hurried to the next set up. This set up was in a huge canyon. We entered the canyon and set up where the main canyon and side canyon came together. Again we set up on a little bench where person could not quiet see the bottom. My buddy sat about 80-yards down wind, looking primarily down the canyon. I set up right where I could see up both draws pretty well. After a few minutes of Woodpecker, my partner had a yote come bailing off the top of the opposite ridge. He watched and got turned around. As soon as he shifted position the Coyote froze. Somehow the yote spotted him eventhough it was walking almost straight away from him. He got his up, and never saw the yote again. It literally disappeared. I never saw the yote, I just keep hunting like nothing happened. Soon I head some rock roll. I had one coming hard from my side now. It was coming so hard down the slope that its tail spent more time over its head than it did over its but. I let it come again I turned the volume down and let the call run. At about 100 yards out it stoped giving a perfect shot I aimed squeezed and again no bullet, no bang, just an empty chamber. By this time the yote was far enough under me to have disappeared. I quickly chambered a round in the 223 wishing that now I had my shotgun as the yote would appear right in fron of me. I readied my self. And as quickly as the yote vanished below me he appeared at 8 yards in fron of me. I found fur in the scope and sent him to the great gut pile in the sky. It was awesome 3 stands three yotes. Day was running out on us, and my wife and I were invited to our new neighbors house for dinner at 6:00pm. I could not pass up one more stand. We had a very similar setup this time. Except my buddy and I switched up spots. He sat looking up the 2 main canyons and I looked down the 2 canyons. I placed the Fox Pro right in between at about 50 yards. This Time I had a yote coming down the opposite hill at about 250 yards. When out of no where a huge yote came charging to my right. This surprised me as it had to run right past my partner. I swung around and barked stopping him at about 18 yards. I found fur and let him have it. My buddy then opened up on the yote on the opposite hill. But it was to no avail. After looking things over my buddy admitted that he was so fixed on the yote across the canyon that he quit looking in the bottom. This yote had came thru the brush at about 40 yards from him. Oh well I do not mind it at all. Light was fading and I had 55 minutes to make an hour long highway drive plus a 15 minute drive. We loaded this last yote in the truck and hurried back to the main road. Once we got to the truck, we made one final imotalization shot of my 3 yotes for the Fox Pro contest and I headed home. Arriving home in my soaked cammo some 15 minutes late I changed quickly and made it just in time for dinner. Luckily my neighbor is a big time hunter as well. His wife like mine expects hunters to be a ½ to a full hour late from hunting.
If you look closely you will see the fox pro in between me and the last yote. It was close to dark, but the fox pro is on the tailgate and you can make out the handle with the yotes leg providing a back color.
So it was the first day hunting of the New Year. It was the first time out with my new Fox Pro, it was the first time that we hunted this area for yotes and it was the first time we got over 3 yotes in a day. Needless to say we will be doing it all again real soon. My hunting partner and I finally live close enough to one another to make meeting in the middle a good deal. Before Christmas we lived over 3 hours apart and had lived 4 hours a part last fur season. Needless to say that limited our hunting greatly. Finally I moved just 2 hours away from his home. So on the first weekend we could, note the weekend before I spent moving into the new house. We planned on meeting at the ½ way point for each f us to enjoy a little Sunday revival. We met each other at first light on a perfect morning. There was no wind, which for Wyoming is a miracle. A storm that had put 2-3 inches of fresh snow on the ground the last 3 days was just breaking up. The sky was hazed with a light cloud cover and the light was flat. Man was this going to be a good day. We left one vehicle, opting to take my new Toyota over the Older Chevy Blazer. We headed away from the main highway. Our first stand was just as the sun began to light the day. On the way to our setup we cut 4 separate sets of fresh tracks. I set the Fox Pro about 50 yards down in the bottom of the draw. We called the spot for about 20 minutes. Only visitors we had were a dozen or so magpies and a very large golden eagle. We headed to find the next calling spot. I suggested a spot, but my partner in formed that the road went right thru what we would be calling. So I hit the gas in a hurry to get to the next stand. About ¾ of mile from where I was wanting to call a large group of sage grouse took flight. I told my buddy that there had to be a yote messing with them. Suddenly the truck was sliding to a halt. Door flew open and lead filled the sky. The yote escaped a little wiser. Man it seems that drive-bys are harder to hit than are other yotes. We made 2 mor stands without luck. Each time he called that day they would just sit and howl at him. Each time I set the Fox Pro up birds and more birds. Things were soon to change.
At about mid day, we made our way up a tricky little 2 track. We managed to jump 2 drive bys with the truck however, we did not connect. We went a mile further up the road and called. We called a little canyon that ran North to South and we set up on the west ridge facing east. It was my turn to call. My buddy circled up wind and set up about a 100 yards a way. I set up just as the flat part of our ridge dropped off. I could not see the very bottom of this canyon, however I did the fox pro behind me hoping that a yote would come right up on the small bench I was on. I hit the woodpecker in distress. After a few series, a yote sky lined at about 200 yards on the opposite ridge. As he started his way toward the call I turned the volume down quiet a bit. This made him break into a full run. Now remember I could not see the actual bottom. Neither could my partner. I make it a point to shoot yotes before they can disappear again. Too many times they have snuck out and never been seen. I lip squecked right before the yote was going to disappear below me. I steadied my 223 and squeezed the trigger. Suddenly my body filled with panic. There was not a round cambered in my . I carefully, yet quickly chambered around. The yote new something was up, but by the time he was nervous I sent him to the gut pile in the sky. The day was perfect.
Note all the small tracks in the snow behind me are sage grouse tracks. I need to get a sage grouse in distress sound on the FP.
I gathered the yote. Made my way to the truck. We took a quick pic and off to the next stand. The yote died at approximately 11:30am. Next stand was again my partners turn to call. We had a great setup overlooking to main draws and a good sized stock pond with running water. I am not sure of the details, but before my partner finished his first series he had shot and had one on the ground. Nice and quick. In 2 stands we made 5 hours of calling pretty productive. Sorry no pic of this one as my partner has not sent it too me.
Suddenly filled with the hope of a truck load of yotes we hurried to the next set up. This set up was in a huge canyon. We entered the canyon and set up where the main canyon and side canyon came together. Again we set up on a little bench where person could not quiet see the bottom. My buddy sat about 80-yards down wind, looking primarily down the canyon. I set up right where I could see up both draws pretty well. After a few minutes of Woodpecker, my partner had a yote come bailing off the top of the opposite ridge. He watched and got turned around. As soon as he shifted position the Coyote froze. Somehow the yote spotted him eventhough it was walking almost straight away from him. He got his up, and never saw the yote again. It literally disappeared. I never saw the yote, I just keep hunting like nothing happened. Soon I head some rock roll. I had one coming hard from my side now. It was coming so hard down the slope that its tail spent more time over its head than it did over its but. I let it come again I turned the volume down and let the call run. At about 100 yards out it stoped giving a perfect shot I aimed squeezed and again no bullet, no bang, just an empty chamber. By this time the yote was far enough under me to have disappeared. I quickly chambered a round in the 223 wishing that now I had my shotgun as the yote would appear right in fron of me. I readied my self. And as quickly as the yote vanished below me he appeared at 8 yards in fron of me. I found fur in the scope and sent him to the great gut pile in the sky. It was awesome 3 stands three yotes. Day was running out on us, and my wife and I were invited to our new neighbors house for dinner at 6:00pm. I could not pass up one more stand. We had a very similar setup this time. Except my buddy and I switched up spots. He sat looking up the 2 main canyons and I looked down the 2 canyons. I placed the Fox Pro right in between at about 50 yards. This Time I had a yote coming down the opposite hill at about 250 yards. When out of no where a huge yote came charging to my right. This surprised me as it had to run right past my partner. I swung around and barked stopping him at about 18 yards. I found fur and let him have it. My buddy then opened up on the yote on the opposite hill. But it was to no avail. After looking things over my buddy admitted that he was so fixed on the yote across the canyon that he quit looking in the bottom. This yote had came thru the brush at about 40 yards from him. Oh well I do not mind it at all. Light was fading and I had 55 minutes to make an hour long highway drive plus a 15 minute drive. We loaded this last yote in the truck and hurried back to the main road. Once we got to the truck, we made one final imotalization shot of my 3 yotes for the Fox Pro contest and I headed home. Arriving home in my soaked cammo some 15 minutes late I changed quickly and made it just in time for dinner. Luckily my neighbor is a big time hunter as well. His wife like mine expects hunters to be a ½ to a full hour late from hunting.
If you look closely you will see the fox pro in between me and the last yote. It was close to dark, but the fox pro is on the tailgate and you can make out the handle with the yotes leg providing a back color.
