dustinyotes
New member
I took this week off work to do some deer and coyote hunting, deer season opened on Monday and with my kids busy teenage schedules they only had certain days that they could hunt. My 16 year old daughter could only hunt opening day due to many other obligations so we headed to some property that my family ownes to see if we could fine her a deer. After hiking around all morning we found this doe bedded down in the trees and she made a great 150 yard shot and had her deer for the year.
There was a large fire that burned over 50,000 acres this summer and our family property was mostly all burned up, I was happy to see that there were a few deer still around.
My wife and I hunted deer on Tuesday but we were only able to come home with sore legs and feet at the end of the day.
Wednesday was the day that my boys (13 & 14 years old) were able to go hunting but they could only go in the afternoon. I took this opportunity to head out and see if I could find a coyote or two. A couple miles down the road from my house I came across this guy.
I texted this photo to my older son to get him pumped up for the afternoon hunt, I'm sure it made his school day go by even faster.
This was the first day that the temperature has dropped down well below freezing, when I got to my first stand the temperature was 14 degrees and I had not put any cold weather gloves in my gear for the day, I did find a very thin pair of gloves in my jacket that helped a little. My first stand I called in a coyote to about 50 yards but it spotted me and I missed a shot as it was leaving. I blame the frozen fingers for the miss.
The next stand I started with a few howls and after about 10 minutes I turned on some rabbit distress and this male coyote show up about 20 yards to my right from behind me. As I was slowly turning to get a shot he saw me and started to move away through the sage. I waited until he got to a small hill about 75 yards out and barked and he stopped and looked back at me and I dropped him with a 55 grain NBT from my savage 243.
I have used 58 grain v-Max's in the past with very poor results but I have read that the 55 NBT's were better on coyotes and so far I am happy. This coyote had about a nickel size exit and dropped very fast.
Next stand I did the same call sequence and this female showed up to my left about 50 yards. I barked her to a stop and down she went with similar bullet performance.
This coyote had a very nice hide.
On my next stand I again did the same calling sequence and had the male coyote show up on my left. On this stand I had a large sage brush on my left that was blocking me from making a shot. As I was trying to maneuver to get a shot I spooked the coyote and it turned and started to leave. When I finally got high enough to see over the brush I lip squeaked and the coyote stopped and looked back and the third coyote went down with similar bullet performance again.
I had just enough time for one more stand before I needed to head back to town and pick up my boys from school. I got to my next spot and you guessed it I did the exact same calling sequence that had been working all morning and had a coyote show up to my right at about 60 yards. I turned the call off and started to turn for the shot but got busted, the coyote circled around in front of me but I couldn't get a shot through the brush. When the coyote got around to my left it winded me and turned and started heading back to my right, I made a shot and hit it but had to make a follow up shot to put it down for good.
This time the bullet hit large bones and the exit was not good, but over all I am happy with the 55 grain NBT bullets.
I picked up my boys and we headed up to my family property again and my older boy (14) was able to get him a doe. He made a great shot and was very happy.
Yesterday morning I went back deer hunting with my wife and youngest daughter (5), I always like to go back and check gut piles for coyotes so after our morning hunt we went to were my daughter had shot her deer on Monday and sure enough there was a coyote there. I missed the easy 150 yard standing shot but I did connect on a 200 yard running shot with my 300 WSM (not fur friendly).
In this photo you can see the fur on the ground were I hit the running coyote and slide marks and were the coyote landed.
This is looking up at my pickup were I was standing (I had to zoom in a little so you could see the pickup).
This is the coyote and Sako 300 WSM. The coyote is covered in soot and ash from his tumble.
Later that day I snuck in on this buck with my wife and daughter (5 years old) she loves to go hunting with us and will be a great hunter, she was very proud of her dad. Not the biggest of bucks but the experience with her is better than any big buck.
Overall it has been a great week with my family.
There was a large fire that burned over 50,000 acres this summer and our family property was mostly all burned up, I was happy to see that there were a few deer still around.
My wife and I hunted deer on Tuesday but we were only able to come home with sore legs and feet at the end of the day.
Wednesday was the day that my boys (13 & 14 years old) were able to go hunting but they could only go in the afternoon. I took this opportunity to head out and see if I could find a coyote or two. A couple miles down the road from my house I came across this guy.
I texted this photo to my older son to get him pumped up for the afternoon hunt, I'm sure it made his school day go by even faster.
This was the first day that the temperature has dropped down well below freezing, when I got to my first stand the temperature was 14 degrees and I had not put any cold weather gloves in my gear for the day, I did find a very thin pair of gloves in my jacket that helped a little. My first stand I called in a coyote to about 50 yards but it spotted me and I missed a shot as it was leaving. I blame the frozen fingers for the miss.
The next stand I started with a few howls and after about 10 minutes I turned on some rabbit distress and this male coyote show up about 20 yards to my right from behind me. As I was slowly turning to get a shot he saw me and started to move away through the sage. I waited until he got to a small hill about 75 yards out and barked and he stopped and looked back at me and I dropped him with a 55 grain NBT from my savage 243.
I have used 58 grain v-Max's in the past with very poor results but I have read that the 55 NBT's were better on coyotes and so far I am happy. This coyote had about a nickel size exit and dropped very fast.
Next stand I did the same call sequence and this female showed up to my left about 50 yards. I barked her to a stop and down she went with similar bullet performance.
This coyote had a very nice hide.
On my next stand I again did the same calling sequence and had the male coyote show up on my left. On this stand I had a large sage brush on my left that was blocking me from making a shot. As I was trying to maneuver to get a shot I spooked the coyote and it turned and started to leave. When I finally got high enough to see over the brush I lip squeaked and the coyote stopped and looked back and the third coyote went down with similar bullet performance again.
I had just enough time for one more stand before I needed to head back to town and pick up my boys from school. I got to my next spot and you guessed it I did the exact same calling sequence that had been working all morning and had a coyote show up to my right at about 60 yards. I turned the call off and started to turn for the shot but got busted, the coyote circled around in front of me but I couldn't get a shot through the brush. When the coyote got around to my left it winded me and turned and started heading back to my right, I made a shot and hit it but had to make a follow up shot to put it down for good.
This time the bullet hit large bones and the exit was not good, but over all I am happy with the 55 grain NBT bullets.
I picked up my boys and we headed up to my family property again and my older boy (14) was able to get him a doe. He made a great shot and was very happy.
Yesterday morning I went back deer hunting with my wife and youngest daughter (5), I always like to go back and check gut piles for coyotes so after our morning hunt we went to were my daughter had shot her deer on Monday and sure enough there was a coyote there. I missed the easy 150 yard standing shot but I did connect on a 200 yard running shot with my 300 WSM (not fur friendly).
In this photo you can see the fur on the ground were I hit the running coyote and slide marks and were the coyote landed.
This is looking up at my pickup were I was standing (I had to zoom in a little so you could see the pickup).
This is the coyote and Sako 300 WSM. The coyote is covered in soot and ash from his tumble.
Later that day I snuck in on this buck with my wife and daughter (5 years old) she loves to go hunting with us and will be a great hunter, she was very proud of her dad. Not the biggest of bucks but the experience with her is better than any big buck.
Overall it has been a great week with my family.
