All in all, we had a decent fall, that was until November 2nd when a sudden switch from “fall” to “winter” hit us with vengeance. Lots of snow followed with relentless winds changed the looks of the landscape in a hurry.
With coyote fur prices in the tank, I hadn’t any real plans for hunting this season, however when I seen a group of 5 coyotes standing in a field, I decided to make an exception.
It was mid November and as I drove down a lease road late one afternoon, the last remaining rays of light made viewing to the southwest a challenge. I notice a group of objects in a field to the west and with some straining of the eyes, I make out 5 coyotes. This group of five were a quarter mile out and looked to be surrounding some sort of object. I just kept driving at the same rate of speed as they payed me no attention. Try as I might, I couldn’t identify the object holding the coyotes interest with my naked eyes. * Note to self, put a pair of binoculars back in the company truck*
There wasn’t enough time in the day to return for a stalk but I would be back first thing in the morning.
The next morning as I made my way along a slough bottom towards a treed covered cut-bank, I realized I should have been wearing snowshoes. The snow drifts were dense enough to hold my weight about 60 percent of the time but the other 40 percent consisted of breaking through the wind packed snow and sinking past my knees. It was tough walking along the slough bottom but it got considerably worse once I reached the trees. The snow from wind swept fields settled in great depths of the trees. Instinctively, I tried picking what looked to be the hardest packed snow but still found some soft spots and ended up in waist deep snow. I literally found myself using nearby tree branches or my shooting sticks to help drag myself out. At this point of time I was really wondering if this stalk was really worth the effort. I didn’t even know if there would be a coyote in the area but persistence ( or more likely stubbornness) prevailed and I kept plugging along. One last stop to catch my breath (and consider if my “Last Will and Testament” was current
) I scanned the field from the edge of the trees. I see a raven swoop down and out of sight near the area I seen yesterdays coyotes. At this point I wasn’t about to travel any further and “calling” would likely be my best option. Shortly after setting up at the edge of the field, I see a coyote coming across the field and heading my direction. When the coyote disappears behind a small knoll, I move the gun into position and wait to see what unfolds. From where I sat, I couldn’t see the area of yesterdays interest but I hoped for the best. A minute passes before the single shows itself and I get a quick range of 146 yards, which is followed with a well placed shot to the chest. As the gunshot sound waves spread across the land, I expect to see coyotes fleeing the area but there was no others. I got up and walked to the crest of the hill to see what might have held the coyotes interest yesterday. The binoculars reveal a dead fox laying amongst a heavy amount of coyote tracks. I guess the fox’s presence wasn’t welcomed here.
I notice behind the downed coyote, another one peaking from the next hilltop. With the rifle 30 yards away, I opt to just take a picture of the pair. After a quick picture, I slowly make my way back to the rifle but the coyote seemed to sense it was time to leave the area and headed back to safety of the trees.
Picked a better travel route to get back to my vehicle but I would have once again benefited from a set of snowshoes.
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