finally after 5 years dog down

craig77

New member
Well about 5 years ago I learned of a lottery predator hunt in a public WMA in minnesota near my house.the park is approximately 3000 acres. it is used for winter recreation by cross country skiers and hikers so the department of natural resources restricted the firearm used in the hunt to shotgun with shot bb or smaller .over the years i have patterned the coyotes to some areas where they liked to hold up and it was surprising some of the areas I found them were the last place i would of thought to call.a farmhouse backyard, next to a off leash dog park and a small strip of woods behind a house. I have had several successful hunts but none that ended in a kill which i was ok with. The interactions I have had with the coyote have taught me valuable lessons about calling strategy and setup and coyote behavior. Saturday I was out for a ride with my wife and i notice a coyote out in a field bordering the park so the next morning i set up on a small ravine as close to the coyote I had seen in the field the day before. The ravine had trails beat down in the snow from the coyotes . Being that its February I used the breeding card . My first call from the shockwave was coyote duet which was immediately cutoff by the resident coyotes within 300 yards away I muted the shockwave and watched in the direction of the responding coyotes.as i watched over the small ravine through the brush a large male in prime fur came at a good pace toward the clearing which was my shot. Right as he was about to clear the brush I didn't squeeze the safety and a loud click from the safety froze him in his tracks he turned and headed back in the direction he came i was very disappointed in my rookie mistake on a beautiful dog .five minutes passed nothing I played several distress sounds nothing. In this park the coyotes do not respond to the old reliable cottontail or any rabbit for that matter.kid goat distress or vocals are go to for me .What i always read was don't leave without trying the pup distress so in a last effort i played pup distress 3 and to my amazement i couldn't believe my eyes a yote came charging through the ravine i raised my 12 gauge loaded with winchester varmint x BB and pulled the trigger the coyote rolled and didn't make another move i was shaking at the adrenaline from that encounter.it turned out to be a respectable male not the large coyote i seen originally but I'm ok with that.the memories of the hunt will stick with me and i give the coyote all the respect its due to being a fantastic predator built for survival and a beautiful creature that has its place in the north woods and is almost a mystical animal when the howls come from the wood at night
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craig77--Congratulations on connecting on a fine specimen!! Five years is a long, long time to keep trying, but your patience and perseverance paid off!!
 
First CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! WTO Keep up the great work--nothing like taking the smartest Critter in the North Woods----Thanks for sharing your Hunt---------------
 
I’ve been there and done that, lol ! Life’s lessons can be challenging, especially for predator hunters !

The two pelts I have is my first called in & first from my trapping days.

Nice pics ! Congrats on your success & it just keeps getting better with the more knowledge you obtain ! Wiley will continue your education !!!
 
Congrats! They are not easy to hunt around here. It took me two years of hand calling to get my first and that was night hunting with an AR. I have yet to kill a coyote that I called in during daylight.
 
I have tried at night with no luck. Seems where I hunt the first hour of daylight is best for sightings provided they are in the area .If there’s one thing I have learned about coyote hunting is the odds are stacked against you and your setup needs to be perfect or schools in session and I just educated another one!
 
You need to setup a stand like you're a general with an army out numbered 6 to 1. One or two ways it can go right and an endless amount of ways it can go wrong.

What area are you hunting? I'm not familiar with any WMAs with a lottery coyote hunt.
 
Well, now you are hooked !! Thanks for sharing, I have had good luck with those Win. BB when I carry my 12ga. The turkey loads also for gobblers
 
I am curious, I just noticed you are using a foxpro shockwave, that is a monster unit. I picked up the little inferno a couple years ago and that's got enough volume for coyotes a long way off to respond.

How loud are you playing your calls and do you ever try distress calls at low volume?
 
Yea the shockwave is a bigger unit I have a mid back pack called predator paradise my call barely fits in it . But that pack is comfortable . I usually start my calling low just to the point I can hear it . But it seems they have conditioned to distress calls but the shockwave is a great call but bulky.sometimes I feel like a pack mule.
 
Congrats, man! You DESERVE it!!

Let me get this straight.... You’ve been predator hunting for 5 years without killing ANYTHING? If so, you win the all time perseverance award! Good God man, I would have given up and moved to another sport years ago if that happened to me. Lol!
 
Yes , my wife told me you may as well not even take your gun bring the camera. I have had coyotes in rifle range but it’s restricted to shotgun a lot of Successful calling without the finish so when I finally sealed the deal I thought I won the lottery !
 
Try getting some less heard about sounds. I've called them in during the day with turkey calls and crow calls. The foxpro red fox distress has worked on some stubborn coyotes also. I would be trying wood duck calls or grey squirrels

For whatever reason, coyote whimpers and distress from my hand call brings a lot in but I cant remember a time that foxpro whimpers have clearly brought one in for me.
 
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