12/27/11 Coyote
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 8:30 pm
Back on the morning of 12/26, I went out to the creek bottom before daylight to see if anything might be visiting the deer carcasses. It was a clear, frosty morning around 27* and I sat in the edge of the field down by the creek where I could see about 800 yards to the north up the bottom and about 400+ yards to the south. Across from me and to my left was a hay field along the other side of the bottom and straight across from me at 275 yards was the deer or I should say what was left of them.
Shortly after it started getting light, I say a coyote crossing the end of the field about 400 yards to the north of me. I gave a few howls to get its attention which it did, but it took a look and proceeded on. I then started with rabbit distress but it wasn’t interested. I kept watching that direction but never did see it again.
About 20-30 minutes later, two coyotes showed up in the hay field mousing. It was kind of comical watching them bounce around trying to catch the mice. I re-positioned and threw a few rabbit distress at them and all they would do was look my way for a bit and then go back to mousing. They were about 350 yards out and I wanted to get them a little closer for a shot. They worked their way over the top of the hill and disappeared. I sat there having a conversation with myself about not taking the shot and in about 15 minutes they worked their way back onto the side of the hill. I moved around to take the long shot and in the process, I accidentally blew my breathe on the scope lens and fogged it over. I tried clearing it off and before I did, they disappeared into a patch of brush never to be seen again that day.
The next morning, I got up at 4 am and checked the forecast and radar to see we had just had some snow. I looked out the door and sure enough, we had gotten just enough snow to make the ground white. I had my coffee and went back out to the creek bottom only this time I was going to sit on the opposite hill across the bottom from the deer carcasses. I was going to sit until it got light enough to see and then I was going to do some exploring. Nothing showed up so I made my way down to the field road way and found two fresh sets of coyote tracks in the snow and heading the same way as I was.
I slowly made my way across the bottom and across the hay field to check out a small field in the next bottom over that bordered a CRP field and woods. I hadn’t been standing there next to the brush 5 minutes when I caught movement in the CRP. It was a coyote and he was heading toward the open field below me. I quickly sat down and got my rifle on my sticks and watched the coyote come into the field. It stopped a few feet in and looked around and just as it looked up my way, I turned a 39 gr. Sierra B.K loose from my CZ 527 American at 118 yards. The coyote took a couple spins and lay down dead. I didn’t have my scales with me but I think the male coyote weighed close to 40 lbs. It had a nice coat on it for all the warm weather we’ve up until now.
Here’s a view from where I was sitting when I shot the coyote.
Here's a closer look.
Here's a view from the coyote to where I was sitting.
I've spent a lot of time out hunting deer this fall and haven't seen many coyotes. I've talked to other guys and they haven't had much luck calling anything in this season either. We've had a lot of warm weather so far this season and maybe when it gets colder they will call better.
Shortly after it started getting light, I say a coyote crossing the end of the field about 400 yards to the north of me. I gave a few howls to get its attention which it did, but it took a look and proceeded on. I then started with rabbit distress but it wasn’t interested. I kept watching that direction but never did see it again.
About 20-30 minutes later, two coyotes showed up in the hay field mousing. It was kind of comical watching them bounce around trying to catch the mice. I re-positioned and threw a few rabbit distress at them and all they would do was look my way for a bit and then go back to mousing. They were about 350 yards out and I wanted to get them a little closer for a shot. They worked their way over the top of the hill and disappeared. I sat there having a conversation with myself about not taking the shot and in about 15 minutes they worked their way back onto the side of the hill. I moved around to take the long shot and in the process, I accidentally blew my breathe on the scope lens and fogged it over. I tried clearing it off and before I did, they disappeared into a patch of brush never to be seen again that day.
The next morning, I got up at 4 am and checked the forecast and radar to see we had just had some snow. I looked out the door and sure enough, we had gotten just enough snow to make the ground white. I had my coffee and went back out to the creek bottom only this time I was going to sit on the opposite hill across the bottom from the deer carcasses. I was going to sit until it got light enough to see and then I was going to do some exploring. Nothing showed up so I made my way down to the field road way and found two fresh sets of coyote tracks in the snow and heading the same way as I was.
I slowly made my way across the bottom and across the hay field to check out a small field in the next bottom over that bordered a CRP field and woods. I hadn’t been standing there next to the brush 5 minutes when I caught movement in the CRP. It was a coyote and he was heading toward the open field below me. I quickly sat down and got my rifle on my sticks and watched the coyote come into the field. It stopped a few feet in and looked around and just as it looked up my way, I turned a 39 gr. Sierra B.K loose from my CZ 527 American at 118 yards. The coyote took a couple spins and lay down dead. I didn’t have my scales with me but I think the male coyote weighed close to 40 lbs. It had a nice coat on it for all the warm weather we’ve up until now.
Here’s a view from where I was sitting when I shot the coyote.
Here's a closer look.
Here's a view from the coyote to where I was sitting.
I've spent a lot of time out hunting deer this fall and haven't seen many coyotes. I've talked to other guys and they haven't had much luck calling anything in this season either. We've had a lot of warm weather so far this season and maybe when it gets colder they will call better.
