Yotarunner
Custom Call Maker
So since I have moved to the town I now reside I have lusted over the ground surrounding a feedlot just a mile north of my place.
In years past I have stopped in and been told by workers and pen riders that there was already guys with rights to trap the area and nobody else was allowed in.
Well a week ago I run across one of their pen riders on TikTok of all places and as soon as they saw I'm a coyote hunter practically begged me to come kill them!
"They are everywhere and some are even sleeping in the horsepen on the hay!!"
Sure enough a quick text to the owner and he said to go ahead!
After a quick scouting mission I came back with plans to try and call some out of the hills surrounding the deadpile.
With a south wind predicted the truck was sparked east of the pit and I began to hike what turned out to be a lot further than first assumed.
PXL_20230320_015223864.MP by brad harder, on Flickr
The truck is hiding behind where the fencepost ends in this picture.
After hoofing it through knee deep snowdrifts I made it to some hard ground and sat for a breather.
As if on cue coyotes lit up all around and I began glassing. To my south I found 4 laying up in the thick bush where I plan to do some shotgun stands later and to the north I found 3 coyotes that had been napping on the hillside.
With the north coyotes very much in calling range I joined in on the howling, then some pup distress and even some cottontail distress but like bait pile dogs usually do they layed back down and showed zero interest.
With no other course of action available I crouched down and kept going along the hard packed snow hoping that the next rise would produce some napping coyotes in range.
Sure enough I crested the hill to find 2 dogs fighting over some bones. still too far away I let out the most aggressive pup distress I could muster and slowly they began walking towards me.
Here is where it all started to fall apart. My south wind was now swirling just about anywhere but south and the path the coyotes would take was bringing them to my new downwind where I did not have enough visibility!
Soon as the coyotes ducked behind a hill I began a mad dash through the snow to try to gain enough altitude to see down the hill they would be rounding.
As I feared the loud crunchy snow gave me away and coyote #1 bolted from behind the hill headed back the way he came. I howled and barked and woofed and barked again and finally the coyote stopped for a shot and at 250 the swift dropped him. not seeing the second coyote I walked to the top of my hill to see it standing there looking at me. My barking and woofing had caught it's attention and it was trying to figure out what to do. Unsure of what was going on it began to leave as well. With only bipods I had no rest to take the 200 yard shot but after looking around I spied a tall fencepost not far away. After sprinting to the fencepost the barking and howling commenced again but this time it was not stopping. In a last ditch effort I grabbed the first call I could lay hands on and blew what turned out to be a cottontail call. The coyote stopped and the swift claimed coyote number 2!
PXL_20230320_015214993.MP by brad harder, on Flickr
The most conveniently tall fencepost was exactly the right height to shoot off of.
PXL_20230320_020013465.PORTRAIT by brad harder, on Flickr
In years past I have stopped in and been told by workers and pen riders that there was already guys with rights to trap the area and nobody else was allowed in.
Well a week ago I run across one of their pen riders on TikTok of all places and as soon as they saw I'm a coyote hunter practically begged me to come kill them!
"They are everywhere and some are even sleeping in the horsepen on the hay!!"
Sure enough a quick text to the owner and he said to go ahead!
After a quick scouting mission I came back with plans to try and call some out of the hills surrounding the deadpile.
With a south wind predicted the truck was sparked east of the pit and I began to hike what turned out to be a lot further than first assumed.
PXL_20230320_015223864.MP by brad harder, on FlickrThe truck is hiding behind where the fencepost ends in this picture.
After hoofing it through knee deep snowdrifts I made it to some hard ground and sat for a breather.
As if on cue coyotes lit up all around and I began glassing. To my south I found 4 laying up in the thick bush where I plan to do some shotgun stands later and to the north I found 3 coyotes that had been napping on the hillside.
With the north coyotes very much in calling range I joined in on the howling, then some pup distress and even some cottontail distress but like bait pile dogs usually do they layed back down and showed zero interest.
With no other course of action available I crouched down and kept going along the hard packed snow hoping that the next rise would produce some napping coyotes in range.
Sure enough I crested the hill to find 2 dogs fighting over some bones. still too far away I let out the most aggressive pup distress I could muster and slowly they began walking towards me.
Here is where it all started to fall apart. My south wind was now swirling just about anywhere but south and the path the coyotes would take was bringing them to my new downwind where I did not have enough visibility!
Soon as the coyotes ducked behind a hill I began a mad dash through the snow to try to gain enough altitude to see down the hill they would be rounding.
As I feared the loud crunchy snow gave me away and coyote #1 bolted from behind the hill headed back the way he came. I howled and barked and woofed and barked again and finally the coyote stopped for a shot and at 250 the swift dropped him. not seeing the second coyote I walked to the top of my hill to see it standing there looking at me. My barking and woofing had caught it's attention and it was trying to figure out what to do. Unsure of what was going on it began to leave as well. With only bipods I had no rest to take the 200 yard shot but after looking around I spied a tall fencepost not far away. After sprinting to the fencepost the barking and howling commenced again but this time it was not stopping. In a last ditch effort I grabbed the first call I could lay hands on and blew what turned out to be a cottontail call. The coyote stopped and the swift claimed coyote number 2!
PXL_20230320_015214993.MP by brad harder, on FlickrThe most conveniently tall fencepost was exactly the right height to shoot off of.
PXL_20230320_020013465.PORTRAIT by brad harder, on Flickr
Last edited by a moderator:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ooPV8j t=_blank]PXL_20230324_020131534.PORTRAIT