Another season starts

Snowshoes

Well-known member
Coyote number one, a scruffy looking thing that came into some yelps from my cow horn howler. Did only one stand but at least got to blow the dust out of the barrel. (97 yards)

Coyote number two, Late afternoon hunt that pulled this nice male across a canola field from a large bush patch using cottontail distress. Forgot to take a field picture of this one. (205 yards)


Today my son came with hunting and he connected on two.
Coyote one, seen magpies flying near a draw as we were walking to the area we wanted to call, glassed the area for less than a minute before seeing the reason for the magpies. His first coyote shot at 117 yards. With one down we continued to our destination only to find the area thick with cows. Change of plans and we walk back to the field. Debating what we were going to do when we happen to see a coyote heading across the stubble for the trees. A quick range is confirmed of yardage and then coyote number two is down (217 yards).
 
Originally Posted By: Darrel WytonHey good start! Looks like a good day together!
Thank you, Yesterday was good for sure, Today was better yet!
My son made the trip down to go coyote hunting once again.
Today turned out to be a spot & stalk hunt.
First coyote to be taken was Jr.'s (305 yard shot, 223AI 64 gr. Berger Varmint bullets with a good charge of N133.


Next spot we checked out was the west side of a set of corrals where we seen a dead calf from the day before. Worked our way up out of the valley to see 3 coyotes near the dead calf. We did the "on the count of 3- you take the right one and I will take the left one (which happened to be the closest one also)" We have tried this in past hunts with mixed results, sometimes we get one or miss both but today was a double hit with two shots being fired at the same time. The third coyote ran a few yards and looked back to see what happened to the others. Not a smart move as I sent a 52 gr. Berger into its boiler room. Shots were 105, 111 & 116 yards.
this one was mine (the closest one to us)

My hunting partners coyote (11 yards further than mine)

This is the one that trotted into the field. (3rd)


Next coyote shot was only a quarter mile from where the three lay. We happened to intercept this one as it was heading across the field towards the trees. My son was generous and waved me to move ahead for the shot. I got set up on a fence post but lost the coyote in the scope for a bit. When I found it again it was up on a grassy mound and about to enter the trees. I barked to stop it and the rest is history.
 
looks like your really sucking again..........as in years past
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look forwards to seeing whats in store. good luck SS.
 
Great stories and pics as usual. Looking forward to seeing how your season goes, and we are hoping to start our season after we get done deer hunting (Muzzle Loader) in MN. Good Hunting.....
 
Originally Posted By: titch--Agreed. I always get one ruff one for sure though.
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I will toss 10-15% of what I shoot due to mange or shoulder lice?/mites?
Unfortunately its not a periodical thing here, its a yearly thing.
 
Nice, looks like you are starting strong again...
Congrats to you and your son, I will be starting down here soon... Looking forward to reading more about your hunts.
 
I left early the morning of Nov. 11th for Montana to try my luck on coyotes. I met a friend from Minnesota there and although the coyote count was low we really enjoyed our time hunting. We seen some great coyote country and a pile of deer but the unseasonable warm temperatures made for poor response from coyotes.


I left on the 16th for home, which had just received a heavy blanket snow. Drove all day and made good time with only two stops for fuel and stretch the legs.
Roads were good and I never seen snow till an hour before home. The further north I traveled the more snow I found. We had roughly 8 inches of the white stuff when pulled into our yard.
I did make the journey out to call coyotes at first light the morning of the 17th and the first place I chose was a ravine 4 miles from home.
Never seen anything there and after 20 minutes I found myself walking back to the truck with plans of my next location. Drove a couple miles on snow covered roads and then down an oil lease road where I parked the truck next to some
pasture land. The heavy accumulation of snow was taxing the legs on my 500 yard journey but I had a good feeling about this spot. Settled in by a corner post that gave me an elevated view of willow choked slough bottom that historically holds coyotes. Started the e-caller off with mole squeaks
and let them play for a couple minutes, then sat and waited before switching over to an open reed. I was about to put the mole squeaks back on when I see a coyote standing at the edge of the trees. The coyote is just looking the field over so I slowly lift the e-caller up and put mole squeaks on, the
coyote starts trotting straight towards me but stops 2 or three times to look back. I figure there to be a second one but can't see it. The coyote
then stops at roughly 275 yards and turns around and walks back towards the trees. The winds is perfect and I am sure the coyote never picked me out. It stops just shy of the trees, which I have already ranged at 317 yards. I raised up a bit with the cross hairs and touch off the trigger. I hear a
whap, the coyote yelps and tears off into the trees. Chamber another round and pull out the howler to do some yelps when I see a second coyote skirting the edge of the trees but unfortunately it was leaving. I gave some yelps anyways but the second coyote never came back. I sat for a minute watching
in hopes something might appear and sure enough I see a coyote along a fence line roughly 500 yards away. Its calm out so I try some more mole squeaks but not sure the coyote heard them as it disappeared into a draw and not sure what way it was headed. Play some cottontail and here comes the coyote
which is shortly followed by another. The two cover roughly 200 yards and then stop. I play some squeaks and here they come again. I let the lead one get to 209 yards and when it stops, down it goes. The second one trots back towards the bush and stops on a mound, raise up a bit with the
cross hairs and drop it in its tracks. Called some more but nothing else shows. (third coyote was 319 yards)
Four coyotes seen and three hit. I walk back and get the truck and drive down to where the first one tore into the bush. Found a light blood trail that led into the trees, which were so thick I had a hard time finding a spot to get into them. The bush was only fit for coyotes and magpies, not
humans! I was down on hand and knees at times trying to follow the faint trail. Long story short, I spent an hour and quarter looking but never found it after losing all sign.
Finally called defeat and walked out to collect the other two. The second coyote shot was not a good coyote but the last one was decent.




Went out for a quick stand before supper. Parked the truck on the east side of a large block of bush and walked to south side of the block. Set up in front a clump of wheat straw and started off with some cottontail distress. Almost instantly I have a coyote coming along the edge of the field. I let this one get well within range before pulling the trigger. 109 yard shot drops this one.


 
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Friday November 18th
I'm taking advantage of the white background to spot those wiley coyotes.
The morning was 21F with a 5 mph breeze out of the east and cloudy. I drive to a spot where I called in a coyote with my son almost a month earlier netting one big male.
Set up on the fence line and started off with some cottontail which I let play for a minute before muting. Do another sequence of cottontail and once again mute. Some glassing reveals a coyote to the east but its a fair ways off. After glassing this coyote for roughly 4 minutes I decide to move south to the bush and then east to the edge which should give me a better opportunity for a shot. I take a quick look around and see a young bull moose crossing the field 300 yards to the west of me. I duck down to keep hid from the coyote and head for the cover of the trees to the south. Once to the edge of the trees I glance back to see the moose standing in the
field and staring at me. I work my way through a thin stand of trees and decide to hide behind a little snow covered popular tree. Range the coyote (or maybe the hill behind at over 500 yards) and notice this coyote is busy hunting mice. Time to get its attention and some jackrabbit calls that start
out relatively low and keep getting increased till the coyotes ears pick up the sound. The coyote wastes no time and starts trotting my way. He is making good time and then comes to an abrupt halt at about 300 yards. It stares my direction but doesn't budge. I turn on the ecaller to mole squeaks
and the coyote continues to stare. I had a feeling there was something other than myself that the coyote was looking at and slowly glanced behind me only to see my moose buddy now standing 150 yards away. This big black object of a moose is not helping matters. The mole squeaks continue and the coyote
decides to cut to the bush to the south by following a draw giving me only glimpses of its back. The coyote gets to the edge and blends into the back ground making it hard to see but I do notice its still heading my way. A couple disappearing acts but it does finally show up roughly 200 yards to the southeast of me. The shooting sticks are too low so I kneel up and use a fork on the snow-covered popular tree as a rest. The coyote starts trotting again and I give a bark to stop it, the coyote keeps trotting and another bark is required. The coyote stops and I have to reposition the rifle which causes all the snow from the tree to fall down the back of my neck and my
face. I temporarily loose sight of the coyote and by the time I get re-focused the coyote is on the move again. Ticked off at blowing a golden opportunity I watch the coyote disappear into the trees directly south of me. I watch the edge for a few seconds and then think, what if this coyote is trying to get downwind of me. I turn around and set up looking back
towards the spot the moose had been at. Not even a half minute passes ( the mole squeaks are still playing but almost not noticeable) when I see the coyote walk out of the trees to the southwest of me. He trots into the open and this time I make sure not to give him another chance to get away.
Shot it 32 yards.
I forget to look around before standing up and scare a second coyote towards the bush at almost the exat same spot as the first one went. Played a couple different sounds but the coyote had busted me and wasn't about to come in
 
Saturday November 19th
The wind was blowing hard this morning and I didn't have that warm and fuzzy feeling about coyotes coming to the call. I did journey out but seen zero coyotes. Oh well, I got some walking in and I did check for sign in a couple new spots.
The wind let up by this afternoon so I decided to go out for one quick stand before supper. I went to the same area as Thursday evening but this time I parked in the farmers yard site and hiked almost to the half mile fence line to the west. The snow flakes now fell steady as I walked to my destination which happened to be on a bit of a side hill with a large snow covered clump of canola straw as a background. Visibility had been reduced and this looked to be in my favor.
Before pulling out the e-caller I see a mule deer buck standing by the edge of the trees but it was tough to see at times as it walked westward.First to be played was baby cottontail at a relatively low volume which was followed a few minutes later with mole squeaks. Nothing showed so I decide
to up the ante. Jackrabbit at 3/4 volume for 10-15 seconds and then cut down to 1/4 volume for another minute. I now have magpies in the trees closest to me squawking away and then I see a glimpse of what looked to be a coyote come out of the far trees and disappear behind the trees with the magpies. A
minute later a couple deer run out from the slough area and they kept looking back behind them. I hoped it was a coyote making them nervous but another minute passes and still no coyote. I turn on the jackrabbit sound for roughly 5 seconds,then mute. It only takes a few seconds and here comes
the coyote around the corner of the trees. Took two barks to get it to stop and when it does, I have the cross hairs centered on its chest.
The 52 grain Berger caught the coyote square and drops it where it stood.
(76 yards)
 
I was greeted this morning with light fog, calm conditions and temps. that were a few degrees below freezing. First spot I head to and as I crest one of the hills, I spot a coyote standing in the field a few yards north of the bush. I backtrack a few feet towards the trees so I could stalk closer. I get to a good spot and set up, range the coyote at 168 yards. Zoom up the scope and notice the coyote starts making its way towards me following the tracks from a quad. The coyote has a noticeable limp and looks to have mange ( no hair on its tail). The coyote covers 20 or so yards and
then stops, I have the cross hairs centered on my target and down it goes.
Walked up and seen this coyote was missing one front leg, and poor fur quality so it was drug into the bush. I continued a 150 yards and glassed the fields but no more coyote sightings. The breeze had now switched directions and my scent is now drifting into the trees I planned to call.

Back to the truck and drive 2 miles further west.
Next spot overlooks a large slough bottom and I'm set up on a fence line with a decent view of the area. I start off with some mole squeaks and its not long before seeing a 4 legged brown critter coming across the field. Its a whitetail buck and comes within 25 yards of me before hitting the brakes as it cuts my trail I walked in on. It turns around and trots a few yards before stopping to look things over. I try to get my phone out for a picture but the deer picks up the movement and trots off. I try some jackrabbit and wait, more jackrabbit and more waiting. Finish off with some yelps form a cow horn howler and within a minute I have a coyote at the fence line to the west of me. Range the coyote at 236 yards, pull the rifle into position and touch off a shot. The coyote does a couple spins and takes off running but only makes it 20 yards before piling up.

Next spot is another 2 miles west and almost 2 miles south. I park by a treed fence line and walk into a creek channel that is heavily treed. I have called here before but my old calling spot ( a sand pile) is no longer there so a switch of plans is in order. I see a brush pile to the north which is situated at the edge of a slough, so a couple hundred yard walk north is
where I head. Get set up and start off with some baby cottontail calls. I check the surrounding area with no results but a quick scan of the bush produces on coyote who is sitting down. I throw all types of different calls at this guy over the next 30 minutes but this coyote doesn't budge. I range
it at 265 yards and find an opening in the tree branches where I think I can thread a bullet through. Zoom up to 25X and touch off a shot. The coyote tears off down to the bottom where I lose site of it behind the creek bank. I thought I heard a hit so I pack up and head for the area I last seen the
coyote at. As I get to the creek channel I leave my rifle, backpack and stadium seat behind and jump across the narrow channel. Head up the bank and then to where the coyote had been. I see a number of coyote beds and now know why
this coyote wasn't coming to the calls as it likely watched me walk in and set up. I do see some clumps of hair and a good blood trail leaving the area. I follow this blood trail for roughly 300 yards before finding the trail end at a bush pile along the neighboring field. I'm pretty sure I know where this coyote is but being somewhere in the middle of a 20 foot high brush pile put it "out of reach".

So ended the morning with one good coyote, one bad coyote, and one lost coyote.
 
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