Strike #1.

Merdit

Active member
So it was my birthday the other day. That means I got a newly released calling DVD (it's kinda tradition, now). That means I spent the last three nights watching OTHER people call coyotes. So THAT means I don't care if it's been 97+ degrees and windy for the last week and a half and will be hotter today, I gotta make a stand.

I stuck around the house long enough to help with the kids and send my son off to school on the bus. Then I took my girls over west to check on the handful of heifers we have left thanks to two years of nasty drought. Headed back to the house to drop the girls off and grab my truck gun and calling gear. Hopped in the side-by-side and headed to the east side of the ranch with my fence fixing gear to get a little work done.

It was already 10:30 by the time I got to where I needed to do a little work. Much to my surprise, there was a decent amount of cloud cover, the south breeze was barely blowing, and it wasn't stinking, miserable hot, YET! It didn't take me long to switch from fence-fixing mode to park-my-tail-and-squall mode. I parked the Ranger next to our back fence, grabbed my gun and gear, and crossed the barbed wire over to my neighbors side.

I travelled into the breeze for about a half mile down in a narrow gully out of site. I made it to a spot that looked good to me when I had scouted the area last fall. It was just behind an earthen dam that was built across the gully to catch water for cattle. There were a couple beat up old cottonwoods and I was sure there would be water on the other side from finally catching a big rain in mid-August. I hung my Scorpion from a stubby cottonwood about 250 yards downwind of the dam, and then climbed up the edge of the gully 30ish yards downwind of the call. I sat down behind a couple of soapweeds to breakup my outline, and got my Striker set up on my knees.



I started the call out quietly on Lil' Rabbit. I decided the electronic would be the way to go to keep attention away from me for my first set of the year, and it might also allow for a little longer target acquisition time which never hurts when I'm using my pistol from a seated position. I let the call play its tune for a minute or so, muted it for the same, and then did it again. I then switched to DSG Cottontail for a minute on and off a couple times. I started to scroll through the call list on my new-to-me Scorpion's remote, thinking of maybe switching to another sound. I looked up to scan the area at about the 12 minute mark and a coyote had just slipped around the right end of the dam. It was padding in at an easy trot right in front of my gun at about 200 yards, just like it had read the script.

The call was on mute when I first saw the coyote. Since it was still coming in nice and easy right towards the tree the call was in, I left it that way. As the coyote came to under 100 yards or so, I smootched to get it to stop. It didn't. It was getting fairly close to the call. I began to think it would get to the tree, catch my scent, and skedaddle. I softly barked. Then barked a little louder. It stopped, looked up towards me, and then looked like it would keep coming. I didn't let it. It was facing almost directly to me, and my 50 grain Nosler struck it center chest for a clean bang-flop at just over 60 yards.

I hit my preset #1 to fire up the pup distress for a few seconds just like you're supposed to as I scanned for another. I then shut the call down and set for a few minutes watching before I gathered up my gear and snapped a few pics of my early season outing.



It was a little female in her summer clothes, of course. I was glad to see she wasn't naked, though.





Then it was back to work.
Thanks for looking.


 
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Awesome..

Nice pictures and very we'll written. I'm about to head out as we speak. I've been watching YouTube videos all night and I'm dying to get out there.
 
Originally Posted By: canislatrans54Congrats on getting your first of the year!!

(BTW...what DVD did you get?)

Thanks, Will. I used the electronic this time, but don't think for a minute that your howler wasn't close at hand. I've told you before that StinkHorn is GOLDEN!

The DVD was Randy Anderson's "Truth 10". My wife and son get a kick out of watching Randy with me, and it makes them want to go call with me. That makes it priceless

Originally Posted By: Matt AntleAwesome..

Nice pictures and very we'll written. I'm about to head out as we speak. I've been watching YouTube videos all night and I'm dying to get out there.

Thanks, Matt. Report back how you get along.
 
I knew #10 was coming out, but didn't realize it was now.
I've got all the rest (including the ones before Primos, & all the Verminators).
I'll have to look for the new DVD.

I figure that horn will get used...hahahahaha.
 
Nicely done. Thanks for taking the time to write up a nice coherent story and post good pictures. It was a pleasure reading about your hunt.
 
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