Was finally able to get out and do some more hunting with this weekend. With my old partner Tim. I was using my .17 Predator with the new Nagel 30 gr. bullets, at about 4050 fps. We got into the coyotes pretty good.
I shot the first coyote of the morning, an adult male, at about 100 yards, frontal facing shot. Just a DRT bang flop and no exit wound. Textbook perfect!
Second customer of the morning, came in on my side again. Got to see something unusual, have seen it a few times, but only a few. This coyote was barreling in at a gallop from my right side. I was tracking him in my scope and all the sudden he missed a step and did a face plant, HARD, right into the dirt! I mean, full speed, face first right into the ground. Remember, I hadn’t shot yet, LOL! He stood up broadside to me, at 75 yards, in a big cloud of dust, shaking himself off and had an embarrassed look on his face. That’s when I put a 30 grainer right behind his shoulder. Bang flop. No exit.
Next stand we had another fun experience. Have had a lot of coyotes hit the caller over the years, but never one quite like this. This adult female came charging hard straight for the caller. She was coming right up my barrel at me and I probably could have tumbled her before she reached the caller. But, I was feeling like a coyote hog, wanted Tim to get a shot. Was hoping she’d break to his side when she got up to the call. But she went all the way up to the call ten yards from me and started slashing at the Foxpro with a vengeance! I saw her jaws slashing, bit that Foxpro at least three times, just going to work on it like a chainsaw. Her teeth were flashing and slashing like crazy. Then she got he handle and battery pack in her mouth and started to shake the dang thing!! That’s when it dawned on me that she might actually damage the wires or something so I jumped up and hollered at her. She took off like a bat out of hades. Tim missed the running shot, I got lucky and rolled her up on a full run just before she got over the hill. About 75 yards, quartering away. Raked a hip up into the liver area, rolled her butt over tea kettle. No exit.
Tim got the next one with his .243, a big old female.
Then it was my turn again. Female, frontal facing, 25 yards, no exit.
Then we picked up a pair. I shot a huge old male, running at the caller, frontal facing, rolled him at 15 yards, he died five feet from the caller. No exit. Minute later an adult female came in and stopped to sniff the dead male and Tim dropped her. The female isn’t small. She’s a pretty decent sized coyote for this area. That male Is just freaking huge. Has to be in the top 20 biggest I’ve ever killed in my life.
Then it was Tim’s turn again, he whopped the crap out of one with his .243.
Then it was my turn again. Got another big male, not as big as the one two stands earlier, but still a big coyote and a real old timer. He’d been running this sage brush for a lot of years. Shot him at 80 yards, broadside, bang flop, no exit.
Finally, last stand of the day, had a sneaker that I didn’t even see until I noticed her standing 10 yards away looking at me. A YoY female, drilled her with the frontal facing shot at 10 yards. Expecting some mess, but there wasn’t any. No exit.
After we carried that last little coyote back to the truck, we just decided to put up the tent right there for the night. Grilled up some good steaks, sat around sipping some good whiskey and talking about old times for awhile before bed.
First stand of the morning yesterday, we each killed one. Mine was a YoY female, 50 yards, broadside. Hit the shoulder and opened up a 50 cent piece entrance hole. Bang flop though.
Next stand, Tim got another one with his .243, had to shoot it twice. It was a longer than usual walk to the truck and the coyote was shot to doll rags, we just left it laying there.
Next stand, an adult female got all the way in to the call without offering a shot, then left, without offering a shot. She finally stopped to look back from 300 yards out and I put one right through her precious heart. Dropped her in her tracks. 300 yards, broadside, had a quarter sized exit wound.
And that was pretty much it for testing the Nagel 30 gr. this weekend. A good time for sure!
We did make one more stand on the way home. Tim shot a big old boss dog male. An old warrior, he had tattered ears, scars on his face, you can even see a couple porcupine quills stuck in his nose in this picture. Which also shows how old he was. Always special to get the old fighters like this one.
Need to call Chan this week, see if he has the 25’s ready to go yet. If he does, I’ll get some ordered to try out in the old .17 Mach IV.
- DAA
I shot the first coyote of the morning, an adult male, at about 100 yards, frontal facing shot. Just a DRT bang flop and no exit wound. Textbook perfect!
Second customer of the morning, came in on my side again. Got to see something unusual, have seen it a few times, but only a few. This coyote was barreling in at a gallop from my right side. I was tracking him in my scope and all the sudden he missed a step and did a face plant, HARD, right into the dirt! I mean, full speed, face first right into the ground. Remember, I hadn’t shot yet, LOL! He stood up broadside to me, at 75 yards, in a big cloud of dust, shaking himself off and had an embarrassed look on his face. That’s when I put a 30 grainer right behind his shoulder. Bang flop. No exit.
Next stand we had another fun experience. Have had a lot of coyotes hit the caller over the years, but never one quite like this. This adult female came charging hard straight for the caller. She was coming right up my barrel at me and I probably could have tumbled her before she reached the caller. But, I was feeling like a coyote hog, wanted Tim to get a shot. Was hoping she’d break to his side when she got up to the call. But she went all the way up to the call ten yards from me and started slashing at the Foxpro with a vengeance! I saw her jaws slashing, bit that Foxpro at least three times, just going to work on it like a chainsaw. Her teeth were flashing and slashing like crazy. Then she got he handle and battery pack in her mouth and started to shake the dang thing!! That’s when it dawned on me that she might actually damage the wires or something so I jumped up and hollered at her. She took off like a bat out of hades. Tim missed the running shot, I got lucky and rolled her up on a full run just before she got over the hill. About 75 yards, quartering away. Raked a hip up into the liver area, rolled her butt over tea kettle. No exit.
Tim got the next one with his .243, a big old female.
Then it was my turn again. Female, frontal facing, 25 yards, no exit.
Then we picked up a pair. I shot a huge old male, running at the caller, frontal facing, rolled him at 15 yards, he died five feet from the caller. No exit. Minute later an adult female came in and stopped to sniff the dead male and Tim dropped her. The female isn’t small. She’s a pretty decent sized coyote for this area. That male Is just freaking huge. Has to be in the top 20 biggest I’ve ever killed in my life.
Then it was Tim’s turn again, he whopped the crap out of one with his .243.
Then it was my turn again. Got another big male, not as big as the one two stands earlier, but still a big coyote and a real old timer. He’d been running this sage brush for a lot of years. Shot him at 80 yards, broadside, bang flop, no exit.
Finally, last stand of the day, had a sneaker that I didn’t even see until I noticed her standing 10 yards away looking at me. A YoY female, drilled her with the frontal facing shot at 10 yards. Expecting some mess, but there wasn’t any. No exit.
After we carried that last little coyote back to the truck, we just decided to put up the tent right there for the night. Grilled up some good steaks, sat around sipping some good whiskey and talking about old times for awhile before bed.
First stand of the morning yesterday, we each killed one. Mine was a YoY female, 50 yards, broadside. Hit the shoulder and opened up a 50 cent piece entrance hole. Bang flop though.
Next stand, Tim got another one with his .243, had to shoot it twice. It was a longer than usual walk to the truck and the coyote was shot to doll rags, we just left it laying there.
Next stand, an adult female got all the way in to the call without offering a shot, then left, without offering a shot. She finally stopped to look back from 300 yards out and I put one right through her precious heart. Dropped her in her tracks. 300 yards, broadside, had a quarter sized exit wound.
And that was pretty much it for testing the Nagel 30 gr. this weekend. A good time for sure!
We did make one more stand on the way home. Tim shot a big old boss dog male. An old warrior, he had tattered ears, scars on his face, you can even see a couple porcupine quills stuck in his nose in this picture. Which also shows how old he was. Always special to get the old fighters like this one.
Need to call Chan this week, see if he has the 25’s ready to go yet. If he does, I’ll get some ordered to try out in the old .17 Mach IV.
- DAA
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