It seems I took fewer pictures this year than in previous years, but still had a good time.
Venatic and I drove all day Tuesday and didn't get to the hotle until 3am our time (2am Tucson time), and so we were late getting to our fist stand on Wednesday which was about 9am.
We were in some decent looking area, with good sign, but just didn't have much luck. Venatic say one slip by after a little howling that I never saw, and later that evening he shot a coyote.
We got back to the hotel just as the little briefing was wrapping up, but met up with Birddog3 to devise a plan to hunt together the next day. Roger had hunted with a new guy and he had gotten his first called coyote, and they think they say another. After making a plan to meet at 5am the next morning, and went next door to the Cracker Barrel for supper, and then we hit the hay as we were totally wiped out.
We met Roger the next morning and headed out. The first stand Roger's caller malfunctioned, so we used Venatics fusion the rest of the day. We were in much better looking area than the day before, and we hunted hard all day. We only saw 2 coyotes. One was a [beeep] bent to run right over the caller, and nothing we did would get him stop. I finally threw a shot at him as he was leaving, but it was a miss.
We got to the PSE event center for supper a little late as usual but the food was good and Al Morris was in the middle of giving his presentation.
We met up with a another Texas guy (whocares, who is the one who had hunted with Roger the day before). We picked him up at his hotel early and went back to the same area as before because we knew it was a good area even though we had not had much luck the day before.
The first stand was one of those that every coyote hunter looks for. Elevation, good view close thick cover. Venatic started with 3 howls and was immediately answered by coyotes in 2 directions, one of which was close. After few minutes he started some rabbit and a coyote came streaking in. I was screened by brush, and after he got to the caller he circled back behind the way he had came, but made the mistake of stopping and Venatic dropped him right there.
We but in a lot of stands, and ended up calling in 8 total for the day.
One stand Venatic started with some howls and then went to raven fight. Almost immediately a coyote came in that Venatic had a easy shot on, but he was letting him come in for John. John barked and mmmmissed! at pretty close range. When he shot I saw the coyote hauling butt, and Venatic saw a second coyote that had been coming. We got nothing.
A little later we are set up overlooking a wash and have gone through multiple sounds when at about the 11 minute mark a coyote come bailing off the bank over my right shoulder not 15 feet away. As he gets to the caller I shoot him center mass and he starts to spin and try to leaving. Then it got western as they say and fired again, and as he ran right back the way he came I stood up to fire 2 more at him as he hit the brush. I took off after him, but he had only gone a few feet and piled up. The first shot had done the job. One of the 3 follow up shots broke a back leg and the other 2 were misses as far as I could tell.
One the next stand, we are again over looking a wash, in fact we had called this exact spot with Roger the day before. Both John and David are set up to my right, and a few minutes into the call I see a coyote cross the wash a 100 yards or so to my right. Then a few minutes later I see him crossing back the way he came and hear John wolf at him. Minutes go by an nothing. We break the stand, and I ask David why they didn't shoot. He said "I didn't see anything, but I think I heard John doing something. John comes over and says there were actually 3 coyotes, but again, no shot was fired.
The next stand it getting on to dusk, and we walk in close to another spot we had called the day before. We set up looking down into a big bottom with a good view and the caller in the bottom. David is left, I am middle, and John is right. Two minutes in I hear something to my right crashing brush and think David must have fallen off his stool on the slope, but then I hear him wolf as a coyote goes tearing by. This coyote did exactly what the one I had shot did and bailed off the hill right beside him. I again had brush screening me and as the coyote runs off I try and track him. He finally stops about a 100 yards out, but behind some a little brush. As I fire, I hear the report of David's rifle. He was shooting through brush too, and we both miss the coyote, but kill a bush.
The last stand was a no show, so we ended the day with 8 called, 2 killed and 2 missed.
We again get back just in time to gets something to eat and visit a little.
The next morning will be the egg shoot.
We were able to sleep a little later since we were not going to hunt, and got to the range about 8am. They asked me to be the range master again this year, and Reb8600 had already done a great job of having things set up, and working smoothly.
Here are a couple of pictures I stole from Desert Ram that show me on the firing line, first with the regular shooters, then with the Masters or former champions.
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It is always fun to see what everyone is shooting and watch the different styles of shooting off chairs, cushions, sticks and what all.
Again, so very good shooting, and you can check out the eggshoot thread for all the details. I did try to write down how it all went down, and gave it to Reb for his write up. I also tried to get down what everyone was shooting, as least the caliber/cartridge.
After the egg shot, we hit the Sportman's ware house and took a short nap before the banquet. We got to the banquet in time to visit a little, get something to eat, buy some raffle tickets and check out the prizes. I threw a few tickets towards the Savage Predator and the nightforce scopes, but not enough to beat out some of the other lucky members.
After everything was doled out, and the awards presented, be said good bye's to new and old friends and went back to pack the truck and turn in for the night. We left about 5:30 the next morning, and rolled into Venatic's house about 9pm. 3 hours later, I was back home pretty well beat after the week.
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