4th of July deer killer

G

g Bo

New member


So here's how it happened

For the past couple of years I've got out early on independence day to do one stand before I go back home to celabrate like normal people. You know parade, family dinner, watermelon and the hometown fireworks display.

Yesterday (July 3rd) I went out to scope a new area out. I walked in to the area and covered the area pretty good to check it out. I found a freshly killed little two point mule deer. It appeared to have been dead about a day. ( or there abouts) it was eaten on pretty good. There were coyote tracks all over the area. You could tell they had been feeding on it . I scoped out the area and decided on a spot to sit and call in the morning. The spot had thick brush and small elevated sand dunes. It looked prime except I would have liked to have more open areas for shooting lanes. I GPSed a spot so I could find it again in the morning in the dark.

I left home at 430 am this morning, drove to the area parked my truck in a ravine outta site and walked in about a mile. Set up in the spot (it was over the hill from the dead deer maybe 100 yards) the wind was good in my face on the walk in. I couldn't get anyone to go with me so i figured if one came in from the right direction it would be a good thing. The area was so hard to cover with only one set of eyes.
I sat as always listening to the sounds of the morning. It was hot (80 degrees) and as it got light I heard a large pack of coyotes howling right back about where my pickup was parked. Then another lone coyote lite it up about 100 yards away (over the hill towards the dead deer) I was really excited and was feeling pretty good about my chances. Started with a fawn in distress for a minute then went to some howling. I didn't feel real warm and fuzzy howling because it seemed like the open area to shoot with a rifle was spoty at best. After about 10 minutes I started a bird in distress. About a minute later I spotted a coyote watching me about 100 yards away. All I could see is his head above the brush. I raised the rock River to the shooting stix and I slipped away into the brush. You've been there, I thought, DARN! After about another 5 minutes. I did my own version out a KyYi. Shortly there after a male came exploding over a sand dune. I raised the Bennelli to my shoulder and let the 4 buck fly, down he went about 30 yards away. I wished I cyould have shot it with the suppressed rock River but a coyote down was the most important thing.

I continued to call and I could hear a couple more coyotes barking at me. They continued barking, I just could not put eyes on them. I kept looking through my binos. It went on for another 10 minutes. I decided to pull an old infidel trick (Jeremy) so I left the call on and dropped over the back side of the sand dune and scurried about 150 yards upwind outta sight. I peeked over the dune and I could finally see them about 300 yards away running back and forth barking. As I was peering over the dune is felt like the tin woodsman and cowardly lion in the wizard of OZ peeking over at the gaurds at the witches castle.
Anyway they wouldn't stop long enough to get a good shot. I don't think they knew I was there. They stared running downwind away from me. They were circling to wind the call. I dropped back over the dune and scurried out of site back to the call. I could catch glimpses of them through the brush about 300 yards away. I took a shot at one hoping to hit it while they were on the move.

anyway, I packed up and went over to the dead deer on my way back to the truck and took a pic.
it was a good morning. I was back home by 8 am and ready to have a somewhat normal 4 th of July.

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Nice work Gary...

You ever notice that when a coyote starts eating a dead animal, a lot of times they start eating at the anus?

We give them plenty of credit as being smart, but I don't know about this aspect of coyote
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That they do. Congratulations, g BO! Enjoyed the hunt.

Few years ago, we found a dead bull on which coyotes had been feeding and successfully staked it out before first light at least once a week. They had eaten the anus out and used the resulting hole as an entrance into their "dining room".

One morning at first light, I detected movement of the carcass and my pulse increased. After a long, anxious wait, a fair sized hog emerged from the stomach cavity. That was the first time I ever tried the AR with a 55 gr. NBT on a hog....it worked and I've shot a number of hogs with that load since. Only time it has let me down was on a hog walking directly toward me offering a chip shot between the eyes. I saw the bullet splash and the (large) hog launched over a low hill. Figured it would be dead on other side of hill, but apparently the bullet didn't penetrate the steep slope of the nose as I followed blood for 200 yards before brush got too thick to continue.

Regards,
hm
 
Originally Posted By: Infidel 762Nice work Gary...

You ever notice that when a coyote starts eating a dead animal, a lot of times they start eating at the anus?

We give them plenty of credit as being smart, but I don't know about this aspect of coyote
w00t.gif




Possums are also known for that trait; there's an old woodsman's adage back home, about the best way to catch a possum is to find a dead cow in the woods, take a burlap sack and a stick, get someone to hold the sack and beat the ribcage with the stick. You'll catch a whole sack full of possums.

I used to think it nonsense, until we had a game warden run over and kill 2 cows and calves that were lying in the middle of a woods road, pursuing a poacher without his lights on. Drove by that mess a few days later and there was obvious movement in the body cavity of one of the larger cows. Stopped and got out and kicked the carcass, and 5 possum ran out the cow's rear end.


Thoughts on the matter from a scientific perspective are that these creatures go through hard times then gorge when opportunity affords. Their digestive track is lacking in enzymes and bacteria needed to digest the huge meal they consume. And, by starting with the intestines, the natural digestive bacterias and enzymes in the carcass' intestines, aide in jump starting the scavenger's/predator's digestive tract. Likewise, allowing the meat to decay for a day, (or five in the possums' case), allows the meat to begin breaking down and the bacteria caused by decomposition also aides in the meals' digestion.

While eating the @ss out of a dead critter first, may not seem intelligent to us, there is a logical explanation for why they do.
 
great story and a great start to your independence day. Anytime you can work an Oz reference into a story that doesn't end at a strip club you've done well.
 
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