I had a young man, Rudy, contacted me recently who wanted to learn to predator hunt. We did not know each other personally but he went to school with my oldest daughter and had seen my hunting photos on facebook.
We had went out once before and spotted a coyote out mousing in the field but could not get it to respond to the call.
He finally got a Saturday off work so we we're planning an early Saturday morning outing. I had a place picked out that worked with the wind.
But I received a phone call from a landowner Friday night telling me that he had a cow down and had run 6 coyotes off when he entered the field.
So we made a change of plans and decided to stalk our way to the cow early Saturday before sun up.
As shooting light revealed the bait we saw one lonely coyote tugging at the cow. Our view was partially obstructed so we can only see the top part of the coyote.
I told Rudy to get a steady rest, take his time and make a good shot when he was ready. He did just that and after the shot a coyote ran off from the cow.
If the coyote had dropped straight down we would not have been able to see it now because the obstruction and the coyote leaving the scene was not in any type of hurry and kept looking back.
Rudy and I both launched a shot or two as the coyote continues to the tree line.
I told Rudy that it is possible he dropped the coyote he was aiming at and this was another coyote that we could not see, but we will sit for a little while and then go check out the situation.
We sit for about another hour and a half watching over the dead cow. During this time three coyotes wander around the field about a thousand yards to our West at different times. They each mouse around before we loose sight of them in the contours of the field.
Then a pair come out on a pool dam about 300 yards to our west.
Each time we see a coyote I howl and give a distressed sound but they are not interested. They look over to acknowledge that they hear it but wont commit.
The pair of coyotes turn and return to the woodline to the south.
I decided we're going to relocate to the pool dam to try to interact with the now 5 coyotes we seen on that side of the field!
We loop by the cow and verify there is no coyote there and then make our way down the tree line to the dam.
I get the call and decoy out and as we are getting situated on the incline of the dam I am trying to instruct Rudy on how to best utilize the shooting sticks to get the best rest. After I move them a bit out from the receiver he says "There it is!". I say okay well remember where to place them next time.
And he said "No, there is a coyote!"
Before we even started calling this female had come out of the corner of the wood line and the fence line at about 200 yards.
I told him to get comfortable & steady and take his time cause she has no idea we are here. There is a slight knoll between us and we can see her head and just the top of her back. I lip squeak a bit and she looks our way but sits tight.
After the earlier shot I tell him to ease up the dam a bit to get a better shot.
He gets comfortable and lets a shot go and the coyote turns and runs into the woods!!
I let out a few quick ki-yis on my double reed howler from Reese Outdoors and she comes bolting back out into the field. She comes in to about 145 yards this time and as soon as she stops I introduced her to a V-Max!
She was an average female for this area tipping the scales at 36lbs 6oz.
As soon as I shot her I turned to Rudy and asked him when was the last time he had shot in that rifle? He said it was over 3 years ago so we went to the range later that day!
At 100 yards he was over 2 foot high!
We got it zeroed and he is ready for redemption!
He called me Sunday wanting to go before dark!
Yep, he's hooked!
We had went out once before and spotted a coyote out mousing in the field but could not get it to respond to the call.
He finally got a Saturday off work so we we're planning an early Saturday morning outing. I had a place picked out that worked with the wind.
But I received a phone call from a landowner Friday night telling me that he had a cow down and had run 6 coyotes off when he entered the field.
So we made a change of plans and decided to stalk our way to the cow early Saturday before sun up.
As shooting light revealed the bait we saw one lonely coyote tugging at the cow. Our view was partially obstructed so we can only see the top part of the coyote.
I told Rudy to get a steady rest, take his time and make a good shot when he was ready. He did just that and after the shot a coyote ran off from the cow.
If the coyote had dropped straight down we would not have been able to see it now because the obstruction and the coyote leaving the scene was not in any type of hurry and kept looking back.
Rudy and I both launched a shot or two as the coyote continues to the tree line.
I told Rudy that it is possible he dropped the coyote he was aiming at and this was another coyote that we could not see, but we will sit for a little while and then go check out the situation.
We sit for about another hour and a half watching over the dead cow. During this time three coyotes wander around the field about a thousand yards to our West at different times. They each mouse around before we loose sight of them in the contours of the field.
Then a pair come out on a pool dam about 300 yards to our west.
Each time we see a coyote I howl and give a distressed sound but they are not interested. They look over to acknowledge that they hear it but wont commit.
The pair of coyotes turn and return to the woodline to the south.
I decided we're going to relocate to the pool dam to try to interact with the now 5 coyotes we seen on that side of the field!
We loop by the cow and verify there is no coyote there and then make our way down the tree line to the dam.
I get the call and decoy out and as we are getting situated on the incline of the dam I am trying to instruct Rudy on how to best utilize the shooting sticks to get the best rest. After I move them a bit out from the receiver he says "There it is!". I say okay well remember where to place them next time.
And he said "No, there is a coyote!"
Before we even started calling this female had come out of the corner of the wood line and the fence line at about 200 yards.
I told him to get comfortable & steady and take his time cause she has no idea we are here. There is a slight knoll between us and we can see her head and just the top of her back. I lip squeak a bit and she looks our way but sits tight.
After the earlier shot I tell him to ease up the dam a bit to get a better shot.
He gets comfortable and lets a shot go and the coyote turns and runs into the woods!!
I let out a few quick ki-yis on my double reed howler from Reese Outdoors and she comes bolting back out into the field. She comes in to about 145 yards this time and as soon as she stops I introduced her to a V-Max!
She was an average female for this area tipping the scales at 36lbs 6oz.
As soon as I shot her I turned to Rudy and asked him when was the last time he had shot in that rifle? He said it was over 3 years ago so we went to the range later that day!
At 100 yards he was over 2 foot high!
We got it zeroed and he is ready for redemption!
He called me Sunday wanting to go before dark!
Yep, he's hooked!