First blood with new rifle
Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:11 am
I bought another .204 recently and was eager to initiate it. Most of our crops around here are about 4 to 6 weeks behind due to the wet spring we had so I either have to find a cut hay field or a pasture to call in. Yesterday morning the temperature was 52 degrees and a heavy fog thanks to hurricane Gustav remnants leaving behind 2+ inches of rain the day before.
I went to a farm that had a pasture next to a big creek bottom of corn to the east and woods to the north. I set the FoxPro down 47 yards toward the bottom of the hill near a clump of grass and settled in by the only tree on the hill and waited for light and the fog to lift.
There was a buzzard roost in the woods and as it got light, they silently flew off the roost and sailed over me, some as close as 20'.
About 30 minutes later, there was a temporary lift in the fog so I gave a few lone howls on the caller. Considering the limited area I could see, I didn't want to focus the sound toward me since I was sitting in the open by the tree. I waited for a while and then started the caller on rabbit distress #2 on a low volume. I shouldered my rifle since I wouldn't have much time if something came in from the north or south of me around the hills.
The caller hadn't been on a minute when all of a sudden their was a set of ears came trotting along the hill to the right of the caller. The coyote wasn't 20 yards from the caller when I saw it. I put the cross hairs on it just as it ran up within 7 feet of the caller and stopped to look at it. I dropped it on the spot with a 39 gr. SBK.
I let the caller keep running for about 30 seconds and then turned it to a pup distress for another 25-30 seconds. Shortly after I turned it off, a second coyote started barking over the hill where this one had come from. I turned the caller to the pup death cry and let it cycle three times. The coyote went down into the corn field and worked it's way down directly in front of me but didn't expose itself. If it did, I couldn't see it for the fog. The coyote then worked it's way out farther into the bottom all the time barking and howling like it was trying to get it's partner to answer. This went on for about 20 minutes until someone way on east starting shooting doves. The coyote shut up and I figured the game was over but decided to sit for a while longer and enjoy the morning. About an hour after sunrise, the sun was still struggling to burn through the fog.
About ten minutes later, the coyote started barking again just over the hill back where I heard it the first time. I figured I would sit and wait to see if it would track the coyote I had shot. The coyote kept barking and howling and finally worked it's way back to the east across the bottom.
I went down to check out the coyote I had shot and pick up the caller. The coyote was a male and weighed 37 lbs., heavier than I thought he would weigh. I hit him in the chest with no exit. He had a lot of scars on his face and some worn teeth.
My new rifle is a CZ 527 American with a 4.5 x 14 Burris scope and has a very nice walnut stock on it.
Here's a picture from the coyote looking up the hill to the tree I was sitting by.
I had to stop and take a picture of nature's beauty as I headed back to the truck.
I went to a farm that had a pasture next to a big creek bottom of corn to the east and woods to the north. I set the FoxPro down 47 yards toward the bottom of the hill near a clump of grass and settled in by the only tree on the hill and waited for light and the fog to lift.
There was a buzzard roost in the woods and as it got light, they silently flew off the roost and sailed over me, some as close as 20'.
About 30 minutes later, there was a temporary lift in the fog so I gave a few lone howls on the caller. Considering the limited area I could see, I didn't want to focus the sound toward me since I was sitting in the open by the tree. I waited for a while and then started the caller on rabbit distress #2 on a low volume. I shouldered my rifle since I wouldn't have much time if something came in from the north or south of me around the hills.
The caller hadn't been on a minute when all of a sudden their was a set of ears came trotting along the hill to the right of the caller. The coyote wasn't 20 yards from the caller when I saw it. I put the cross hairs on it just as it ran up within 7 feet of the caller and stopped to look at it. I dropped it on the spot with a 39 gr. SBK.
I let the caller keep running for about 30 seconds and then turned it to a pup distress for another 25-30 seconds. Shortly after I turned it off, a second coyote started barking over the hill where this one had come from. I turned the caller to the pup death cry and let it cycle three times. The coyote went down into the corn field and worked it's way down directly in front of me but didn't expose itself. If it did, I couldn't see it for the fog. The coyote then worked it's way out farther into the bottom all the time barking and howling like it was trying to get it's partner to answer. This went on for about 20 minutes until someone way on east starting shooting doves. The coyote shut up and I figured the game was over but decided to sit for a while longer and enjoy the morning. About an hour after sunrise, the sun was still struggling to burn through the fog.
About ten minutes later, the coyote started barking again just over the hill back where I heard it the first time. I figured I would sit and wait to see if it would track the coyote I had shot. The coyote kept barking and howling and finally worked it's way back to the east across the bottom.
I went down to check out the coyote I had shot and pick up the caller. The coyote was a male and weighed 37 lbs., heavier than I thought he would weigh. I hit him in the chest with no exit. He had a lot of scars on his face and some worn teeth.
My new rifle is a CZ 527 American with a 4.5 x 14 Burris scope and has a very nice walnut stock on it.
Here's a picture from the coyote looking up the hill to the tree I was sitting by.
I had to stop and take a picture of nature's beauty as I headed back to the truck.
Way to go on breaking in a new rifle and teaching it well!
great job