Snowshoes
Well-known member
Clear skies and fairly fresh snow made for a very nice morning to be out enjoying nature and all its surroundings. With a couple good spots in mind, combined with a temperature of 0*F and a light breeze from the southwest, the conditions looked very favorable for calling coyotes.
As I reach my first calling location which is among a patch of weeds on the south facing slope of the ravine, I notice a dozen or so mule deer feeding to the east of me and a few whitetails in a field to the southwest. The mule deer who are a couple hundred yards away, are aware of my presence but not overly concerned.
My location:
Using a diaphragm reed, I sends a couple almost eerie howls echoing down through the ravine. The mule deer now decide to distance themselves from me as I watch them slowly make their way to higher ground.
After 4 or 5 minutes, I try a bite call to see if I could entice a coyote from the trees but nothing shows. I then switch to my e-caller and play some baby cottontail which produces a coyote within a half minute. I mute the caller and slowly move the rifle into position but the coyote looks as if it has me pegged. It stops in a bad location giving me only a view of its neck and head. The way the coyote is acting, I’m afraid it’s going to bolt at any moment. Zoom the scope up to 22X and touch off a shot ( ranged the hill in front @ 122 yards). My furry target disappears and I can only hope its down. Called for a bit longer but nothing else shows. Pack up and head down the hill to where the coyote should be. No coyote to be found! A clean miss, as there was no blood or hair which also was confirmed by the fresh retreating tracks that were so well written in the snow.
A little frustrated, I found the hill was steeper and the trail seemed longer on my walk back to the truck.
Second location has me set up on the edge of a clump of trees which overlooks a fair sized slough. The far side of the slough has a fairly thick stand of trees paralleling the east and south shoreline which historically has been the home of a coyote or two.
Once again, start off with a couple howls using a diaphragm reed but this time its one that was designed to sound like a big dominant male. Within a couple minutes I do see a coyote running but unfortunately not toward me. Well, scared one away and hopefully not the only one. Now I’m thinking I should have stuck with the higher pitched sounding diaphragm call.
Wait for a bit before sending the soundwaves of the bite call across the slough to the far bushes.
Instantly, I have a coyote barking and howling at me from the bush to the southeast. Over the next 15 minutes we trade insults at each other but neither of us is willing to venture from the trees. Finally the coyote walks into a small opening and I can now see it for the first time. The coyote wasn’t backing down but wasn’t about to venture across the slough to kick my butt either. Took a couple ranges and made the appropriate adjustments for the 302 yard coyote. Zoomed the scope up to 22X and touched off a shot that once again missed its intended target. The coyote wasted no time vacating the area and I once again felt the walk back to the truck seemed further than usual.
Tomorrow is another coyote hunting day
As I reach my first calling location which is among a patch of weeds on the south facing slope of the ravine, I notice a dozen or so mule deer feeding to the east of me and a few whitetails in a field to the southwest. The mule deer who are a couple hundred yards away, are aware of my presence but not overly concerned.
My location:
Using a diaphragm reed, I sends a couple almost eerie howls echoing down through the ravine. The mule deer now decide to distance themselves from me as I watch them slowly make their way to higher ground.
After 4 or 5 minutes, I try a bite call to see if I could entice a coyote from the trees but nothing shows. I then switch to my e-caller and play some baby cottontail which produces a coyote within a half minute. I mute the caller and slowly move the rifle into position but the coyote looks as if it has me pegged. It stops in a bad location giving me only a view of its neck and head. The way the coyote is acting, I’m afraid it’s going to bolt at any moment. Zoom the scope up to 22X and touch off a shot ( ranged the hill in front @ 122 yards). My furry target disappears and I can only hope its down. Called for a bit longer but nothing else shows. Pack up and head down the hill to where the coyote should be. No coyote to be found! A clean miss, as there was no blood or hair which also was confirmed by the fresh retreating tracks that were so well written in the snow.
A little frustrated, I found the hill was steeper and the trail seemed longer on my walk back to the truck.
Second location has me set up on the edge of a clump of trees which overlooks a fair sized slough. The far side of the slough has a fairly thick stand of trees paralleling the east and south shoreline which historically has been the home of a coyote or two.
Once again, start off with a couple howls using a diaphragm reed but this time its one that was designed to sound like a big dominant male. Within a couple minutes I do see a coyote running but unfortunately not toward me. Well, scared one away and hopefully not the only one. Now I’m thinking I should have stuck with the higher pitched sounding diaphragm call.
Wait for a bit before sending the soundwaves of the bite call across the slough to the far bushes.
Instantly, I have a coyote barking and howling at me from the bush to the southeast. Over the next 15 minutes we trade insults at each other but neither of us is willing to venture from the trees. Finally the coyote walks into a small opening and I can now see it for the first time. The coyote wasn’t backing down but wasn’t about to venture across the slough to kick my butt either. Took a couple ranges and made the appropriate adjustments for the 302 yard coyote. Zoomed the scope up to 22X and touched off a shot that once again missed its intended target. The coyote wasted no time vacating the area and I once again felt the walk back to the truck seemed further than usual.
Tomorrow is another coyote hunting day
