After some poor shooting last week and some scope adjusting I went on a short hunt yesterday with my buddy Max.
Max didn't get to hunt at all last year and needed a tune up.
We parked the truck and walked over a rise into a spot overlooking a dry creek drainage. It was wide open where we set up with lots of brush and cattle in the distance. I put the call 40yds upwind in some soapweed and sat down in front of some cactus. Max nosed around a little then sat down close by. I started with a few howls to see if anything would respond. At around 10 min I started Jack distress and less than a minute I've got a hard charger coming from the downwind side. Max was looking the other direction and the coyote got to about 50 yds when Max saw him and the chase was on. It took me a while to get my call out and they were headed straight away when Max heard my KI-Yi and stopped about 200 yds. He looked back at me, looked at the coyote then started back. He came right to me and sat down watching the coyote. The coyote never gave any indication he knew I was anywhere around.
I watched the coyote for a minute or two and he kept looking from Max to where he had heard the call. He was too far for a good shot and still interested so I started the call up and he walked a few steps closer and stopped to look at Max. No reaction from Max so the coyote came a little closer and looked at Max again. I was proud of Max as he never moved a muscle. The coyote saw no trouble brewing and committed, coming from right to left and getting closer. He was really locked in on the sound. I barked him to a stop when he got straight in front of me and let one fly. I heard the hit but the coyote took off like he had other places he'd rather be, he didn't look hurt to me and I figured we'd have to track him. I picked up my stuff and started in the general direction. I looked through my bino's to find the spot I'd last seen him when I noticed what looked like a coyote laying in the shade of a cactus. Yep, coyote. He ran over a slight rise in the ground and I didn't see him go down. Max had stayed close after the shot so I guess he didn't see where to coyote went either. I started again with Max out front. Max was going to pass the coyote on the downwind and when he hit the scent he spun and went straight to the coyote.
He wasn't finished and looked like he would put a hole in my boot so I called Max off and ended it.
The shot was a little back but got the liver. You can see the entry on the left side. He was quartering to me more than I thought. Even the finishing shot at 5ft didn't exit.
He had the begining of mange so I left him. He was an OLD guy and hadn't missed many meals. Didn't look all that big but was plenty heavy. I talked to the rancher on the way out and he figured this was the coyote that had been hanging around the house (I shot him less than 1 mile from the house) for the last couple of years.
When he came in I thought he looked like an adult, he sure wasn't intimidated by Max. When I looked at his teeth he was missing the top right canine and had lots of wear and yellowing. Guess he won't be stealing chickens and such anymore.
Sorry I got so long winded, thanks for looking.
