Left home this morning at 4:45 to get a stand in before work. I've had a pretty good month so far with as few trips I've made into the field. My time has been limited because I've been building my wife a waterfall in the back yard (I could send pics of the waterfall if anyone is interested) for the last month to try and repay her for her patience in supporting me with my coyote hunting addiction. I only share afew of the sucess stories but this was a not so usual stand. The calling one in and missing the supposedly easy 100 yards shot has happened several times before. But this is a lesson I learned this morning that I feel will make me a better more productive hunter.
I parked my truck just off a major highway and only walked about 1/4 mile to alittle rise (Knoll ) in the sage brush. It was almost totally clear country on three sides out to about 250 yards. I sat in the dark listening to the sounds of the morning. Mostly cars driving down the highway on their way to work. It was finally light enough to shoot so I tried to call between cars so the sound would travel. I called for over a half an hour. Nothing!! I kept scanning The absolutely wide open flats around me, slowly turning my head from side to side so as to not but detected by making to much movement.
I turned my head back and looked directly in front on me and like often happens a lone coyote had closed the gap in the wide open flat from 250 yards to about 150 and was trotting directly to me. As always when I'm at a stand I sat with shotgun laying across my lap and my rock River resting between my legs on the shooting stix, I decided to try and stop it with a squeak and shoot it with my suppressed (hoping for another double) rifle instead of the shotgun. I raised my gun and got it in the scope. Hit my stock mounted speaker. The adult female came to a stop at about 100 yards. I was hoping for a broadside but she wasn't going to turn and present that opportunity. I hurried the frontal shot and couldn't believe I missed. She wheeled around and started to run away. I have watched it on videos many times when they shoot coyotes on the run but to this point haven't had much sucess doing that. I shot a second shot and missed again. The coyote really kicked it in high gear. I concentrated on the next shot at 190 yards and rolled her. She was moving so fast she actually rolled about 10 yards before she came to a stop in a big cloud of dust.
This was the view looking west after my third shot. If you look close you can she the coyote out in the flat just past the shadows
Looking down at my gun, thankful for the old girls performance
The piled up coyote after she stopped rolling
The set up looking south
OH! And the obvious lesson I already know is consentrate and don't miss the standing shot. BUT if you do you can make those running shots, it's simple just don't pull the trigger until your dot or crosshairs on on the target. I believe I can make many of those running shots now when before I didn't have much confidence. You can do it too. I know I can now. But once again the first standing shot is by far the higher % shot so don't miss that one
Thanks for reading and keep sharing your stories
I parked my truck just off a major highway and only walked about 1/4 mile to alittle rise (Knoll ) in the sage brush. It was almost totally clear country on three sides out to about 250 yards. I sat in the dark listening to the sounds of the morning. Mostly cars driving down the highway on their way to work. It was finally light enough to shoot so I tried to call between cars so the sound would travel. I called for over a half an hour. Nothing!! I kept scanning The absolutely wide open flats around me, slowly turning my head from side to side so as to not but detected by making to much movement.
I turned my head back and looked directly in front on me and like often happens a lone coyote had closed the gap in the wide open flat from 250 yards to about 150 and was trotting directly to me. As always when I'm at a stand I sat with shotgun laying across my lap and my rock River resting between my legs on the shooting stix, I decided to try and stop it with a squeak and shoot it with my suppressed (hoping for another double) rifle instead of the shotgun. I raised my gun and got it in the scope. Hit my stock mounted speaker. The adult female came to a stop at about 100 yards. I was hoping for a broadside but she wasn't going to turn and present that opportunity. I hurried the frontal shot and couldn't believe I missed. She wheeled around and started to run away. I have watched it on videos many times when they shoot coyotes on the run but to this point haven't had much sucess doing that. I shot a second shot and missed again. The coyote really kicked it in high gear. I concentrated on the next shot at 190 yards and rolled her. She was moving so fast she actually rolled about 10 yards before she came to a stop in a big cloud of dust.
This was the view looking west after my third shot. If you look close you can she the coyote out in the flat just past the shadows
Looking down at my gun, thankful for the old girls performance
The piled up coyote after she stopped rolling
The set up looking south
OH! And the obvious lesson I already know is consentrate and don't miss the standing shot. BUT if you do you can make those running shots, it's simple just don't pull the trigger until your dot or crosshairs on on the target. I believe I can make many of those running shots now when before I didn't have much confidence. You can do it too. I know I can now. But once again the first standing shot is by far the higher % shot so don't miss that one
Thanks for reading and keep sharing your stories
Last edited by a moderator:
