Last minute Laredo trip

Yellowhammer

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I got a last minute invite to hunt in Laredo this past weekend with it being the last weekend of regular deer season, so I packed my bags and gear and headed that way. I met up at my friend’s house near Houston, and we made the drive down Friday and got there just in time. Just inside the gate, he dropped me off at a blind with my guns and calling gear. I left instructions not to pick me up until at 30 minutes after good dark, as I was going to do a set after dark.
I didn’t see any deer from the blind before it got dark, so I got down and walked about 200 yards south to set up on a big tank dam with a view to the south and the wind was from the SE. Nothing showed before they came to pick me up, so we went to camp to unload our gear, and get some supper.

There were about 10 in camp with the being the last weekend, and it was about 10 before we got supper cooked and eaten. There were a couple of young guys in camp who wanted to go out with me and do some night calling so I grabbed by gear and waited for them to get geared up. We made a stand about a half mile from camp at a spot on the north fence line where I can killed a coyote last year. I wasn’t sure we were far enough from camp as I could hear an occasional laugh or noise from there in the calm night air.

After about 5 minutes of baybee cottontail, I switched to nutty nuthatch, and 2 minutes later a big tom came from the brushy fence line into the road headed for the caller. It took me less that a second to switch on my scope light and drop him. He was a nice cat, and tipped the scale at 22 pounds.

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We made a few more stands at some likely spots, but nothing showed, and by 12:30 the youngsters (21 and 23) were ready to head back to camp.

The next morning we headed out to the deer blinds and I saw about a dozen deer and one really nice 10 point, but does, spikes and mature 8s or less where the order of the day. So, I laid out a nice big doe with the 25-06. A couple of the guys came around in the jeep to pick up the deer to take back to camp for the camp hand to skin, and I headed out to make some stands. Unfortunately, about 9am the wind turned out of the north, and within an hour or so was gusting up to 23 mph. After calling until noon, I called it quits and headed to camp to check on my deer. The wind never let up, so I just waited for the evening deer hunt. The weather said the wind was going to turn to the East by daylight the next morning and lay down to almost nothing. I saw several deer from the blind that evening, but the one mature 8 was too far to confirm as a shooter, so nothing died.

The wind continued to howl, so since I had little sleep the night before I decided to go to bed early and hit it in the morning. I went back to the same deer blind and saw a really nice buck that must have been in the 140s. I was getting twitchy until I saw he had 9 points and not 8. I like getting to come back here, so he was safe for another day. By 9, the deer were drifting off and I heard some coyotes yipping not far to the East, so I climbed down, switched the 25-06 for the AR and set out my caller in the sendero. Almost as soon as I started in on Caggie Cottontail, I saw a coyote bust into the sender 300 yards out at a dead run towards me. At 200 yards he had never checked up, and I muted the caller. At a 100 he was just starting to slow down, and since the lane was narrow, I decided I better take the frontal shot. Just as I touched off the trigger he made a jog to his right and I missed. He was gone just as quick and I was kicking myself for not waiting for him to stop. Of course if he had just ran on by, I would have been kicking myself for not taking the shot.

I back up my gear and started putting in some stands, but by noon I had not seen any more. At high noon, I ended up in an area I had called a coyote last year, and I said to myself, “if there is a coyote anywhere, it is here”.

This is what it looked like.

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A pipeline right of way through the brush, with the wind quartering away from me to the right (wind was a little SE). I started with caggie cottontail, and about 2 minutes in heard something in the brush to my right and saw a fawn pop out of the brush. I turned back toward the caller and there was coyote. He saw me and turned to go back into where the deer had come from. Then a doe came charging out, 10 yards over chasing a different coyote. I was trying to line up on him as he streaked down the pipeline towards the gate hoping he would stop but he didn’t. I glanced back to my right and there stood a third coyote which I shot. He spun and yipped and I hit pup distress. He was still moving and then he got his legs under him and started to leave. I dropped him on the run as he was leaving and neither of the other 2 showed again.

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I took a couple of pictures and moved down the pipeline back to the east about 600 yards and set up again. Less than 2 minutes in and I had 2 coyotes coming out not 20 yards away to my right. Looks like they actually came from over my shoulder back towards the last stand but from the south side of the pipeline and not the north where the others had been. The one that came all the way to edge was 90 degrees to my right from where my rifle was pointed and dared not move. He was giving I the look over, and was glancing back up the pipeline the way I had come. He didn’t like it and went to leave the way he had come and I whirled to the right and dropped him. The quick shot was back, and I had to finish him like the first.

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I made several more stands and saw nothing else. I got back to camp about 3pm with just time to eat what little lunch was left over and headed back to the deer blind hoping for shooter buck to come by.

I didn’t see many deer, and no shooters, but I did hear a few coyotes yipping just before dark, and one was pretty close. That made me end the deer hunting a little early and climb down to swap guns and set out the caller. After a few calls the coyote just barked back, so he knew something was up. After dark I moved down the pipeline from the stand (different pipeline than earlier) and started calling again. Almost immediately I had coyotes yipping, not thing showed. I moved on down the pipe line to the east and tried again. Again I had an immediate yipping once the call started but pretty close. I scanned to my right and saw eyes in a different direction from the yipping. It was a cat that had just came out of the brush and set down about 50 yards away. He was behind the only little mesquite bush there. I got greedy thinking the coyotes might show, and hurried and tried to shoot thru the bush. A miss! Coyote never showed either.

I moved down the pipe line about 400 yards and started calling again. Almost immediately yipping to the south. I started shinning that way and knew they were coming. A minute later I scan towards the caller and a coyote is standing under the caller. I switch on the scope light and he is done leaving town. I never even got off a shot.

I made several more stands and never even got any eyes. I was walking into a spot to call, but realized the grass was way too tall. Then I saw something black in the road and realized it was hogs. Turns out it was 3, and one died.

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It was pretty late by this time I knew I had an 8 hour drive home the next day so I headed back to go to bed. I slept in until just after daylight, packed my stuff and got ready to go. Some of the ones left in camp where either going out to shoot a doe (late doe spike season started Monday) and a few were going to shoot doves as it was the last day. Since I was loaded and ready but they were not leaving yet I decide to make a few early stands. It was foggy and colder than the day before and the wind had turned from the SE back to the North. I called until almost 10 with nothing seen but Cara Caras. I called it day, and we made the drive back home.

I ended up calling in 7 coyotes (that I saw anyway) and 2 bobcats. Killed 2 coyotes, missed one and killed on bobcat and missed one. Not the best percentage, but I have done worse.


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Hunt yesterday, last night and this morning with Venatic. He got 3 coyotes and mmmmissed one, and I got a cat and a chupacabra.

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