Opened the 2013-14 season last week and we hit the weather change perfecly. The area in which the ranch is located has been listed as one of the last in the state under the most extreme drought conditions. That may have changed Tuesday evening with the arrival of a cool front accompanied by a 3" rain that soaked the entire ranch. If the drought is not ended, a severe dent was put in it thanks to the Lord.
Should have known the rains were coming (had been predicted by weather bureau, but they have been known to be mistaken occasionally) as the turtles were out in force prior to the front, scheduled to arrive late Wednesday.
This ranch is mostly typical S. Texas brush and about only opportunity to see a coyote is when they are crossing or travelling the two tracks. This makes it impossible to "own your downwind" and we get busted quite often when they enter our scent cone undetected.
We made two dry stands Tue. evening and had one coyote circle across the sendero shown above about 350 yards upwind, w/no opportunity for a shot.
Wednesday morning, we set out before daylight for a favorite cattle guard on a roadway to the "boneyard" (a pit in which remains of field dressed game is deposited)and were just getting settled in at first light when a group of coyotes lit up within a half mile. I responded w/Tony Tebbe's howler, waited a couple of minutes and played the bunny blues on the Foxpro, which was placed 60 yards down the roadway. Right at two minutes after starting the call, a coyote trotted out right at the call but refused to stop when I barked. She was trotting away at about a 20* angle when I attempted to catch the last rib on her right flank with a 55 gr. Sierra from .223 AR. She almost went down, spinning, but regained her feet and ran back into the brush. I managed to get off a 2nd shot just as she reached the brush line, but felt like I had shot behind her.
Immediately hit the pup distress and waited to see if we might have any more takers. I began to worry that I might have clipped the coyote's right hip and worrying that if that were the case, the light bullet might not have survived the hip bone to enter vital organs with the possibility that we might be facing a couple of hours of tracking.
Five minutes after the shot, two more coyotes came from same direction as the first, but what turned out to be 250 yards out. One stopped broadside in the roadway and the other was moving, what I believed to be toward the call but I had not cranked my scope up from the 3x setting so was not sure. I elected to wait and see if they would close the gap, but my partner, who was shooting his Mauser 280 w/7.5X Leupold could see the coyote was indeed moving away from the call and he chose to take a poke at the standing partner. His aim/range estimation was true and his coyote was DRT! The third coyote ran into the brush, but almost immediately came back, stopping right behind his mate. I told my partner to take the shot, as he had the range already, but that was not in the cards as he missed the 2nd shot.
We decided the fun was over and it was time to get down to the business of checking out the results of my shot. Found where the coyoted urinated and clawed the caliche roadway as it spun, but I was concerned as there was no blood. Managed to find some fresh scraped spots on a trail right where the coyote disappeared and followed that trail...still no blood. Luck was with us as the ground was pretty bare under the trees and, to my relief, I spotted the dead coyote about 25 yards into the brush. The bullet had hit where intended and exited left front shoulder, leaving a 3" gaping hole. All in all we were not unhappy about two out of three this early in the season.
Wed. afternoon, we headed to the north end of the ranch, which is 14 miles long, north to south. The afternoon was uneventful as the heavy rains and lightning hit earlier than predicted and drove us south ahead of the front.
It had rained most of the night but stopped as we left camp in the dark Thursday morning. On the way out, I hit a slick spot in an area I thought was sandy and in an attempt to get out of the ruts, the jeep got a mind of it's own; while I was attempting to get it lined out w/the road, three big coyotes ran across the road 30 yards ahead of us.
We set up on an outside fence where we had spotted a trail beaten across a plowed field which led to a mott of trees on the adjacent propery w/o any takers, but were treated to yet another of South Texas' spectacular sunrises which are almost as rewarding as calling in a coyote for the shot.
On the way to our next stand, I spotted a coyote nearly a half mile ahead as it leisurely sniffed his way across the road and entered the brush, completely unaware that we were anywhere in the vicinity. I suggested we drive a bit closer, pull the jeep off into the brush, stalk to a spot within 300 yds of the brush mott and try to call him out.
I hung the call right behind us as we set up behind a tall mesquite for fear of being spotted if we moved around too much. Turned on a woodpecker distress call and within two minutes the coyote stepped out of the high grass (to the left of the jeep in picture below) into the two track about 100 yards from our spot. I had just slipped the safety on my rifle and was starting to squeeze the trigger when my partner shot. I saw the bottoms of all four feet as his 140 gr. bullet knocked the coyote over.
Looks like it is going to be a better year for coyotes this year as we saw a total of 10 coyotes and a lot more sign that last year and the best part is that looks like the weather migh repeat itself next Tuesday and we plan to be there.
Regards,
hm
Should have known the rains were coming (had been predicted by weather bureau, but they have been known to be mistaken occasionally) as the turtles were out in force prior to the front, scheduled to arrive late Wednesday.
This ranch is mostly typical S. Texas brush and about only opportunity to see a coyote is when they are crossing or travelling the two tracks. This makes it impossible to "own your downwind" and we get busted quite often when they enter our scent cone undetected.
We made two dry stands Tue. evening and had one coyote circle across the sendero shown above about 350 yards upwind, w/no opportunity for a shot.
Wednesday morning, we set out before daylight for a favorite cattle guard on a roadway to the "boneyard" (a pit in which remains of field dressed game is deposited)and were just getting settled in at first light when a group of coyotes lit up within a half mile. I responded w/Tony Tebbe's howler, waited a couple of minutes and played the bunny blues on the Foxpro, which was placed 60 yards down the roadway. Right at two minutes after starting the call, a coyote trotted out right at the call but refused to stop when I barked. She was trotting away at about a 20* angle when I attempted to catch the last rib on her right flank with a 55 gr. Sierra from .223 AR. She almost went down, spinning, but regained her feet and ran back into the brush. I managed to get off a 2nd shot just as she reached the brush line, but felt like I had shot behind her.
Immediately hit the pup distress and waited to see if we might have any more takers. I began to worry that I might have clipped the coyote's right hip and worrying that if that were the case, the light bullet might not have survived the hip bone to enter vital organs with the possibility that we might be facing a couple of hours of tracking.
Five minutes after the shot, two more coyotes came from same direction as the first, but what turned out to be 250 yards out. One stopped broadside in the roadway and the other was moving, what I believed to be toward the call but I had not cranked my scope up from the 3x setting so was not sure. I elected to wait and see if they would close the gap, but my partner, who was shooting his Mauser 280 w/7.5X Leupold could see the coyote was indeed moving away from the call and he chose to take a poke at the standing partner. His aim/range estimation was true and his coyote was DRT! The third coyote ran into the brush, but almost immediately came back, stopping right behind his mate. I told my partner to take the shot, as he had the range already, but that was not in the cards as he missed the 2nd shot.
We decided the fun was over and it was time to get down to the business of checking out the results of my shot. Found where the coyoted urinated and clawed the caliche roadway as it spun, but I was concerned as there was no blood. Managed to find some fresh scraped spots on a trail right where the coyote disappeared and followed that trail...still no blood. Luck was with us as the ground was pretty bare under the trees and, to my relief, I spotted the dead coyote about 25 yards into the brush. The bullet had hit where intended and exited left front shoulder, leaving a 3" gaping hole. All in all we were not unhappy about two out of three this early in the season.
Wed. afternoon, we headed to the north end of the ranch, which is 14 miles long, north to south. The afternoon was uneventful as the heavy rains and lightning hit earlier than predicted and drove us south ahead of the front.
It had rained most of the night but stopped as we left camp in the dark Thursday morning. On the way out, I hit a slick spot in an area I thought was sandy and in an attempt to get out of the ruts, the jeep got a mind of it's own; while I was attempting to get it lined out w/the road, three big coyotes ran across the road 30 yards ahead of us.
We set up on an outside fence where we had spotted a trail beaten across a plowed field which led to a mott of trees on the adjacent propery w/o any takers, but were treated to yet another of South Texas' spectacular sunrises which are almost as rewarding as calling in a coyote for the shot.
On the way to our next stand, I spotted a coyote nearly a half mile ahead as it leisurely sniffed his way across the road and entered the brush, completely unaware that we were anywhere in the vicinity. I suggested we drive a bit closer, pull the jeep off into the brush, stalk to a spot within 300 yds of the brush mott and try to call him out.
I hung the call right behind us as we set up behind a tall mesquite for fear of being spotted if we moved around too much. Turned on a woodpecker distress call and within two minutes the coyote stepped out of the high grass (to the left of the jeep in picture below) into the two track about 100 yards from our spot. I had just slipped the safety on my rifle and was starting to squeeze the trigger when my partner shot. I saw the bottoms of all four feet as his 140 gr. bullet knocked the coyote over.
Looks like it is going to be a better year for coyotes this year as we saw a total of 10 coyotes and a lot more sign that last year and the best part is that looks like the weather migh repeat itself next Tuesday and we plan to be there.
Regards,
hm
