10yo's First Coyote!

rainshadow1

Custom Call Maker
Milestone just before deer this year!

Lots has been changing for me lately, for the good! (Finally!)

Recently found a beautiful someone to pick up the pieces and move on with, so I married her last weekend! In that process, I'm relocating from NW Washington's Olympic Peninsula to the east slope in the center of the state, Selah WA... coyote central!

A couple weekends ago (I've been too insanely busy to post) I took my two sons out to check the zeros of our deer guns, the day before we were to drive to deer camp. First time I've been out, here in Selah. There's a very well known backroad here, so I headed up it.

It was getting late in the day so I just found the first turn-off in that road and followed it. Looking for a simple spot to shoot a few times at 100, just to make sure the guns were on. Lo and behold, first spot I turn into ended in 300 yards with shooting benches and marked ranges. Perfect established place to shoot.

I had promised the boys we'd do a coyote stand before we shot, and I didn't have time to find a separate location, so we just hiked through the heavily used shooting area, and off to the side for a few hundred yards, found a lone sage bush in the open grassy plain and set up.

I set myself to the left, covering down and back to the shooting area, I set my younger son David to the center, looking down and right, and I set my older son Alex to the right, looking right, and up behind us.

I started calling with a hollow bell fawn bleat of my own concoction, then switched to a raspy jackrabbit I got as a gift from Kerry Carver.

About 10 minutes in, after a particularly panicked and frantic series, a coyote came bouncing through the high grass and stopped almost directly in front of David. From Alex's side, but he never saw it.

David didn't see it either, I said, "D! Right in front of you!"

He said, "What? Where?"

I grabbed his shoulders and pivoted him about 10 degrees right and he said, "OHHHH!!!!"

The coyote hopped a couple more times to see us over the grass.

I said, "Get him! Right in the chest!"

David said, "BLAM!"

Coyote was dead before it hit the ground, 243 center chest at about 65 yards.

David's first called coyote kill!

I got an approach video on FB, I'll try to load up here....

https://www.facebook.com/steve.tormala/videos/10210918183620942/




I'm excited about living here now! Some logistics to work out, and lots of driving because I'm still co-parenting week to week, but the coyote and cougar hunting here are a little bit amazing! This was just the beginning! Hopefully we'll be getting out a LOT more now that life is coming around for us!

dcoyote1_zps11pie2ih.jpg



HOMnomination_zpskztnelgn.gif
 
Congrats Steve, on son's 1st, your new better half, fresh starts, etc..
Keep the boy's hunt'n with you, that's as good as it can get !!
 
That's about as good as it can get. Kudos to you and your sons for sharing some quality time together, and special kudos to David on his first coyote kill. You have two good hunting buddies hooked for life. Good news about your new lifemate too.
 
I don't remember all that many coyotes, but I still vividly remember the first called coyote. A couple years older than your son. Glad to hear life is good!

- DAA
 
Right on Steve! I'm trying to get my eldest her first this year too. I hope I'm as successful as you. Best of luck with the family changes and relocation.
 
Congrats David & you too Steve ! Awesome shot !! Sounds like life is going great for you !

Look forward to some more now, cats too ! Have a great season !
 
Love the smile on his face your a great dad for taking him hunting.I would have loved to do that when I was his age but my Father was not a hunter....
 
Back
Top