Snowshoes
Well-known member
The temperatures had riser to above the freezing mark overnight and there was light rain showers this morning when I left the house. The hi-way was icy but not too icy to keep me at home.
I went back to the same area as my last outing, where I would be watching for any coyotes traveling from the slough bottoms to their bedding grounds.
Twenty minutes after setting up, I see three coyotes leave the reeds of the slough to the north and head for the bush to the west. Two looked to be decent coyotes and one was iffy. Two minutes later I see a forth follow the same route as the others and this one was definitely a rough looking character.
Glassed the fields and sloughs for an additional twenty minutes and after no other sightings, I decided to relocate to where the four coyotes were last seen.
A 500 yard walk got me to where I would set up in slough bottom east of where the coyotes had entered the bush earlier. Ranged a few spots to the west before calling.
Last time I called here, I used the e-caller but today calls would be all air powered.
A couple howls with the diaphragm reed never produced any responses over the next 5 minutes so I switched to cottontail distress. A half minute of whaling rabbit sounds is sent into the trees and hopefully four sets of furry curious ears.
A minute passes and here comes a coyote from the west. It being the last coyote to enter the trees, it was the first to come and check things out. The worst looking coyote of the four now stands broadside to the west of my location. A case of bird in hand ( or coyote in hand), I take the shot. A 143 yard shot has coyote number 46 down.
After dropping the coyote, I get right back on the cottontail distress call and within a minute here comes coyote number two. This one is roughly 80 yards north of the downed coyote. I bark to stop it and 155 yard shot has the second scruffy coyote down. (Coyote # 47) Never did see the two well furred coyotes of course!
I went back to the same area as my last outing, where I would be watching for any coyotes traveling from the slough bottoms to their bedding grounds.
Twenty minutes after setting up, I see three coyotes leave the reeds of the slough to the north and head for the bush to the west. Two looked to be decent coyotes and one was iffy. Two minutes later I see a forth follow the same route as the others and this one was definitely a rough looking character.
Glassed the fields and sloughs for an additional twenty minutes and after no other sightings, I decided to relocate to where the four coyotes were last seen.
A 500 yard walk got me to where I would set up in slough bottom east of where the coyotes had entered the bush earlier. Ranged a few spots to the west before calling.
Last time I called here, I used the e-caller but today calls would be all air powered.
A couple howls with the diaphragm reed never produced any responses over the next 5 minutes so I switched to cottontail distress. A half minute of whaling rabbit sounds is sent into the trees and hopefully four sets of furry curious ears.
A minute passes and here comes a coyote from the west. It being the last coyote to enter the trees, it was the first to come and check things out. The worst looking coyote of the four now stands broadside to the west of my location. A case of bird in hand ( or coyote in hand), I take the shot. A 143 yard shot has coyote number 46 down.
After dropping the coyote, I get right back on the cottontail distress call and within a minute here comes coyote number two. This one is roughly 80 yards north of the downed coyote. I bark to stop it and 155 yard shot has the second scruffy coyote down. (Coyote # 47) Never did see the two well furred coyotes of course!
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