I have been hunting with my friend Mark now for several years. We have had our ups and downs in predator hunting, but in recent years we have been steadily improving. We have seen a lot together out in the desert. So I was intrigued when Mark told me that he had an odd request. He asked if I would be willing to take his mom hunting with us while she was out visiting for the holidays from New York. It really made me happy that he asked, I love taking people out for their first time, and what an honor to take my good friends mom out to see what we do on the weekends. I had no idea what kind of special day it would be.
We met and got Mark's mom Janet, outfitted in some ill fitting camo, and got her gunned up with a 12 gauge Mossberg. We had such a great time talking on our drive out to our hunting area. We explained to her how we hunted, and what to do on the stands. She soaked it up like a sponge. We arrived at our area at dawn, and no sooner had we turned off the highway (literally 100 yards), and we spot a coyote running out away from us. Mark tried to get a drop on it, but it was too far away. Janet was very excited to get to see a coyote, and so soon into our hunt. I had to take it as a good omen. We continued in, and another coyote bolted away from us. I figured that the hunting gods would not appreciate us thumbing our noses at them, so we threw out a stand. Nothing showed up so we continued up into the hills.
We were trying to find a particular trail with some very good washes on it. Along the way we stopped and called a couple of canyons that looked promising. We climbed into the hills toward a very interesting wash that was being fed by 4 separate canyons. We set up above the wash and began calling. About 6 minutes in, I see a black/tan blur dart down the hillside, and cross from my right down into one of the canyons. The coyote dropped into the canyon, and I lost visual contact with it. I alerted Janet to the coyote and the direction that it was moving, and she shifted her shotgun to get abetter line on it. I changed up calls, opting for some higher pitched calls, and a few squeakers. But the grown cottontail was the one that got the coyote to show itself again, probably 8 minutes later. It crossed right in front of myself and Janet, moving from our left and she got excited and whispered, "There it is!!!" She then pointed at it. It disappeared behind the brush again. I was scanning the hillside in front of us, when I hear Mark take the shot. The single shot, told the tale.
Mark nailed the coyote at 92 yards, almost directly in front of him. Mark was using his Specialized Dynamics 18in flat top in .17 Rem. He and I both had Scott build us up these fur friendly guns because of the number of foxes and bobcats that we have been taking. New to the cartridge, I had been worried about how the cartridge would tear up the fur on a fox, but that has not happened. I was then concerned with the effect it would have on a bobcat, and was very pleased with a one hit/one hole wonder on a male bobcat at 80 yards. Today we saw another one hit/one hole wonder. The coyote took the hit on the high left chest area, and it crumpled. Lungs were mush, massive hemorrhaging in the throat, and the hear ended up with about half the metal jacket inside it. I can officially say that I have ZERO concerns with the .17 Rem.
Janet was so happy, and so excited. The hole stand really got her blood pumping. It really was such a pleasure, and an honor to have been able to be a part of such a special day with Mark and his mom. I am sure that Mark will post to this and share his thoughts on this great day, and maybe he will get his mom to chime in
She has already put in her reservations for next year, with one stipulation, she wants to get to shoot the coyote next time. I hope I can oblige.
We met and got Mark's mom Janet, outfitted in some ill fitting camo, and got her gunned up with a 12 gauge Mossberg. We had such a great time talking on our drive out to our hunting area. We explained to her how we hunted, and what to do on the stands. She soaked it up like a sponge. We arrived at our area at dawn, and no sooner had we turned off the highway (literally 100 yards), and we spot a coyote running out away from us. Mark tried to get a drop on it, but it was too far away. Janet was very excited to get to see a coyote, and so soon into our hunt. I had to take it as a good omen. We continued in, and another coyote bolted away from us. I figured that the hunting gods would not appreciate us thumbing our noses at them, so we threw out a stand. Nothing showed up so we continued up into the hills.
We were trying to find a particular trail with some very good washes on it. Along the way we stopped and called a couple of canyons that looked promising. We climbed into the hills toward a very interesting wash that was being fed by 4 separate canyons. We set up above the wash and began calling. About 6 minutes in, I see a black/tan blur dart down the hillside, and cross from my right down into one of the canyons. The coyote dropped into the canyon, and I lost visual contact with it. I alerted Janet to the coyote and the direction that it was moving, and she shifted her shotgun to get abetter line on it. I changed up calls, opting for some higher pitched calls, and a few squeakers. But the grown cottontail was the one that got the coyote to show itself again, probably 8 minutes later. It crossed right in front of myself and Janet, moving from our left and she got excited and whispered, "There it is!!!" She then pointed at it. It disappeared behind the brush again. I was scanning the hillside in front of us, when I hear Mark take the shot. The single shot, told the tale.
Mark nailed the coyote at 92 yards, almost directly in front of him. Mark was using his Specialized Dynamics 18in flat top in .17 Rem. He and I both had Scott build us up these fur friendly guns because of the number of foxes and bobcats that we have been taking. New to the cartridge, I had been worried about how the cartridge would tear up the fur on a fox, but that has not happened. I was then concerned with the effect it would have on a bobcat, and was very pleased with a one hit/one hole wonder on a male bobcat at 80 yards. Today we saw another one hit/one hole wonder. The coyote took the hit on the high left chest area, and it crumpled. Lungs were mush, massive hemorrhaging in the throat, and the hear ended up with about half the metal jacket inside it. I can officially say that I have ZERO concerns with the .17 Rem.
Janet was so happy, and so excited. The hole stand really got her blood pumping. It really was such a pleasure, and an honor to have been able to be a part of such a special day with Mark and his mom. I am sure that Mark will post to this and share his thoughts on this great day, and maybe he will get his mom to chime in
She has already put in her reservations for next year, with one stipulation, she wants to get to shoot the coyote next time. I hope I can oblige.
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