Originally Posted By: Jeff MockI hate like heck to put you on the spot, but when I see a photo of a dead coyote and a hockey stick, well, there has to be a pretty good story behind that. Kind of like being in the check out line at the supermarket, and the guy in front of you has a roll of tape and some peanut butter. There just has to be a very good story behind it.
I look forward to hearing it.
Jeff
OK, Jeff, you asked for it.
About seven or eight years ago, Chub Eastman, my friend who was then the Sales Manager for Nosler Bullet (now a writer for Sports Afield) and I were on our annual hunt in Alberta. Generally, I would go up and murder a mulie and a whitetail, while Chub killed a whitetail and sometimes a moose.
So, the scene was north of Cochran, locally known as Bottrel, maybe ten miles south of Water Valley.
My guide's family owned a large hay field that was surrounded by dense bushcountry. It was prime whitetail country; really rolling hills, that backed up to the Rocky Mountains and you never knew if you'd catch elk, moose, deer or coyotes out in it. Every day, we would do a raid or three on the area and we often killed critters there.
One noon we were out in the middle of the rolling field, working with the tractor and setting up a blind out of round bales. We made it into a kind of castle, one that we could literally drive our truck into and watch out of several "portholes."
As we finished building our "castle," my guide, Jamie, yelled from the tractor, "Hey Steve, there's a coyote out about 300, why don't you shoot him with that .280?"
So, what's a guy to do? I leveled out on him and killed him.
And a second one popps up and starts running across the field. He was about the same range, so I lead him a LOT and fired for effect. I hit him, because his back side went down and his running became labored.
Then Jamie yells, "Hey Yank, why don't you run him down with the truck?"
Hey, it sounded great to me. Hitting a running coyote at 300++ yards is BS luck and a feat I'd probably not soon equal.
So, I jumped in the truck and sped across the field towards him. Eventually, he disappeard into a coullee and I closed the range.
While I wad sriving, I noticed that Jamie had a hockey stick in the back of the truck and my evil brain hatched a plan. I was fixing to shoot the coyote again, but if I could outrun the wounded dog, I'd just give him a slap-shot.
So, down into the coulee I roared with the Toyota and, sure enough, the coyote was there. He wasn't running too fast, so I grabbed the hockey stick and took out after the bugger.
About fifty yards from the truck, the coyote turned around, bared his teeth and made aggressive noises that made me maybe want to rethink the scheme. But, what the heck, it might still work.
So, I closed in and we had a bit of a human-coyote standoff, him growling and snapping his teeth and me maybe cursing a bit.
He lunged towards me and without thinking, I raised the stick and slammed it down precisely in the center of his skull.
And that killed him deader than a doornail. I was amazed.
My friend and guide, Jamie, told and retold that tale a zillion times. After that, many times I've been introduced to some total stranger, only to have the the guy or gal say, "Oh heck YEAH, you're the crazy Yank that killed the big old coyote with perfect SLAP-SHOT."
Indeed, indeed I am.
It is a local legend around Botrell, Alberta and, unlike most rural legends, it is TOTALLY TRUE.
Anyway, that is the story of the hockey stick coyote. And if I hadn't done it, I truly would not have believed it. That toothy bugger was trying his level best to BITE ME and I was amazed how sincerely dead a hockey stick can make a coyote.
Hope you enjoyed this yarn.
Steve
PS. Believe it or not, that evening Jamie and I were in the "castle blind" and towards dark we were literally surrounded by whitetail. I shot a quite decent 140-ish buck (4X4, plus eyeguards) out of them with my .280 Ackley using a single 140 Ballistic. It was about two days later that I shot a really cool 4X6, plus eyeguards mule deer buck from the same blind. The mule was really cool, with one typical side and the 6-point side being non-typical. Much to Jamie's chagrin, I also murdered a few more coyotes from the castle blind.
By the way, Alberta coyotes run pretty large and they are great fun to call and shoot. ST