Rolled a hard charger this morning

M

masshunter

Active member
Figured I'd make a stand or three before the big snow. It was coming down pretty hard at 6am so rather than deal with optics I grabbed my Ruger Red Label, big mistake. Hit a local stand that gave up three last year, played a couple howls, and female wimpers, then switched to Nutty Nuthatch and titmouse tantrum. Maybe 5 min in a yote boils out of cover and runs right up knocking over the call and keeps going away. I hit him with DC at about 30yds and he starts thrashing so I gave him the second barrel with BB right thru some small hemlock branches and he starts yelping. I'm jumping up trying to stuff in a couple more shells and he gets his feet under him and takes off. Now I remember why I bought the 930 Mossberg that's sitting home. Anyway I sit back down and play pup and canine distress for 15 min but know I'll have to start tracking before the snow covers the tracks. I started finding blood, and that feels good as shot gunned yotes don't bleed much through the thick fur. He lay down several times and bled in a couple hundred yards and I'm feeling good until he leads me to a big old log pile and goes right in. I cut a long sapling and poked around any opening I could find and heard him moving but nothing to shoot at. I even tried to smoke him out with a small fire but couldn't keep it going in the snow. Made 5 more stands before the wind and heavy snow started. I guess that's it for this year unless I can get in a stand Thursday.
 
Jeeze, tough morning right there. If I didn't have to work I would have been out there aswell, I figured they would have been moving pre-storm.

Sounds like you probably meat hit him, he'll be fine more than likely. A second DC he might have been dead but who knows, it's tough when they run right over the caller then keep going. At least you found that log pile that might pay off in the future. It might be worth taking a look today seeing if tracks are leaving it.

Always exciting when you have one come in regardless of the end result. Until next season...
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A bear guide once told me that when they roll around before they run off its usually a leg that's been hit. It was going away when I hit so it was more point than aim. Good Idea to look for tracks today. Would love to be out this pm but have an appointment.
 
Checked the log pile at 3:30, no tracks coming or going, in fact no tracks to be seen when I walked the dog, must be holed up in the thick stuff.
 
Went back again this morning and found tracks leaving the log pile. Followed about 100yds, no blood, but a broken gait, not the even spaced tracks. Time to clean up the gear and put it away for next year, and put in a little more range time this summer, if only to build up confidence.
 
Awesome story, if anything reminds all of us that you don't get everyone, and it will help you focus in the future. I look at every miss and every successful stand and try to place "learning points" to the setup. Great write-up, felt like I was right there with you!
 
Been there... I have had a few shotgun totes get away... one was a cleeeeean miss at 15 yards excited and didn't get my head down (patternmaster hadn't opened up much) on the gun but rolled him on the follow up and tracked him a long ways but never recovered him... the other have taken faces and bodies full of turkey loads in the spring... they are dang tough
 
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