Correct Ranger, ball tips was my bad abbreviation for ballistic tips, sorry about that.
Well,... I got back home Sunday night and saw lots of deer . They are just coming up to enter the rut,...Im guessing another week and it will be full on down there. At my first stand Thurs evening I was in a tripod stand overlooking a nice greenfield about 100 yards long surrounded by hardwoods. I got in the stand around 3pm. At 345p a doe walked out followed by a few more does. Then this small year and a half old spike came out 50 yards from my stand and he tried to 'get lucky' with some of the does by running after them
. The spike was then followed by (2) six pointers and a small 7 pointer, those being two and a half year olds. None of the larger atlered bucks seemed to be interested in the does....yet. A few more does came out but I just let them walk since they werent really what I was looking for ....(A bigger buck).
Friday it poured rain all day and was windy and cold but that afternoon I went to another greenfield that had a nice 20 ft tower stand and only had a small spike come out about 415pm in the rain .
Saturday I went back to the first stand I was at and just like clockwork, here comes the doe out at 10 till 4pm. She had a few more follow her and a decent spike along with a button buck...I let them go for another day.
This is funny and I enjoyed watching this,.. one of the smallest does in the group acted like she was overdosed up on Redbull! She ran 3 other larger does completely off the field and was flailing her front legs at 2 of the other does by raising herself up on her hind legs and punching at them like a bad boxer!! She would them just tear out running all around circumference of the field just all happy or something. She reminded me of when I would give my late Boston Terrier a bath and she would just run all around the house like a bolt of lightening for about 10 minutes.
Sunday it was time to sorta head back home to keep pece in the family but we were to go North to the next county to hog hunt. The outside water pipes had frozen so we crow hunted early that morning and just drove around the 2000+ acres setting up in different spots for crows. Around 1100am we were on the backside of the property in some hardwoods and in some young planted pines. The guy I was with (Walter) wanted to show e a really nice large greenfield somwe parked his jeep and walked about 150 yards to a really nice greenfield. It had a shooting house on one end and in the hardwood part there was a ladderstand. To te back of where this stand was a small slough/creek and beyond that was young planted pines that was about 6 or 7 ft tall. It was beautiful there!! He wanted me to climb up it and just enjoy the view, so I did. He had brought my 12 ga along and it still was loaded #6 shot in it for the crows. I had my electronic caller back in the jeep and it has crows and predator calls. While I was in the stand I figured what the heck, I'll try to call something up but I didnt have any calls on me. I balled up my fist like when you blow through your fist trying to get it warm. I made a squeeling high pitched sound for about 30 seconds, then just watched the area for about 3 minutes. I didnt see anything so I did it again. (
Now keep in mind here that I have always wanted to go predator hunting and have watched tons of videos but have only been once before at a different place with no luck )
Suddenly, my eye caught some movement way to my right at 150 yards. All I was able to see was the back half of something trotting into the pines. I couldnt make out what it was. Walter was down on the ground about 10 ft away leaning up against a large oak but he was on the other side of the tree. I was wispering,.. Walter,... Walter about 10 times but he couldnt hear me. Im thinking he's as deaf as I am !! LOL I speak just a little louder and finally get his attention. He looks at me and I just point toward the direction of where I saw the movement. We still see nothing so I start a real soft lip squeel like something is wanting to be put out of its misery. All of a sudden, here comes a dark, almost black coyote out of the pines directly behind the stand about 70 yards!!! I have the tree I was in between he and I so he couldnt see me. He walks another 10 to 15 ft and just lays down on all fours like a cat getting ready to pounce.Im thinking he thought there was any easy meal to be had and was looking for it. Remember that Walter is only loaded up with # 6 shot for crows. If I had taken my 270 with me ( that was in the jeep) that would have been one dead sucker right there!! The yote stayed for about 45 seconds and figured something wasnt right so he high tailed it back into the pines. I was SOOO happy !! I have called in my first coyote! With just my hand at that!
I came down from the ladder stand And shout: DID YOU SEE THAT!!! and Walter says that was worth the price of admission right there
We high fived each other and both of us says we will come back and hunt yotes there soon. Im still on cloud nine today about calling that sucker in
So we head back to the cabin and I grab my gear and head to Walters brothers place for pig hunting. The bro has put out corn for us a day or two earlier. Brother points out in a large hay field where the hogs have been rooting all over. It looked like a bulldozer had gone crazy. We get up in a shooting blind but see no hogs that evening unfortunately. We will try them again at another date.
ps,....did I mention I called in my 1st coyote???
John