Snowshoes
Well-known member
My weather station indicated no detectable breeze but did show it was supposedly out of the southwest. First thought I had was, so often these calm mornings don’t make for great coyote calling.
Walked a little over a quarter mile from the truck to a spot on the edge of a small grove of trees.
Glassed the flats and seen a couple different coyotes but they were over a half mile away. I break the morning silence with a couple howls which attracts a couple magpies that land in the tree branches overhead. The magpies pick me out and waste no time vacating the area.
Five or so minutes had passed and was about to give some more howls but the sight of a coyote working its way towards me halted those plans. The coyote would trot 50 to 75 feet between stops, at which time it would the look the area over for that “new to the area coyote”.
The temptation to shoot the coyote could only be curbed for so long and when it stopped at 108 yards, I pulled the trigger.
Quickly switched to the Sceery cottontail closed reed which after a few minutes brought a pair of scruffy looking coyotes my way. They were coming in from the northwest but at roughly 300 yards they hit the brakes, turned around and ran back the way they came.
It was then I noticed the breeze had switched and was now coming from the southeast. It always amazes me how keen the coyote sense of smell is.
With the unpredictable breeze, it was time for me to pack up and leave this area.
Walked a little over a quarter mile from the truck to a spot on the edge of a small grove of trees.
Glassed the flats and seen a couple different coyotes but they were over a half mile away. I break the morning silence with a couple howls which attracts a couple magpies that land in the tree branches overhead. The magpies pick me out and waste no time vacating the area.
Five or so minutes had passed and was about to give some more howls but the sight of a coyote working its way towards me halted those plans. The coyote would trot 50 to 75 feet between stops, at which time it would the look the area over for that “new to the area coyote”.
The temptation to shoot the coyote could only be curbed for so long and when it stopped at 108 yards, I pulled the trigger.
Quickly switched to the Sceery cottontail closed reed which after a few minutes brought a pair of scruffy looking coyotes my way. They were coming in from the northwest but at roughly 300 yards they hit the brakes, turned around and ran back the way they came.
It was then I noticed the breeze had switched and was now coming from the southeast. It always amazes me how keen the coyote sense of smell is.
With the unpredictable breeze, it was time for me to pack up and leave this area.