Was a great morning here in Boise Idaho, 10' F, 5-10Mph winds out of the SE with crystal clear skies.
First two stands are a bust, but on a day like this we are gonna have some luck we can feel it. Third stand we get set up and start in with the bird in distress sequence. I am looking out at the gulley in front of me when all the the sudden.
BUZZZZ BUZZZZZ BUZZZZZZ BUZZZZZZZ. My wife calling
phone going off in my pocket. I sigh and reach for the phone to turn it off when.BOOM to my left. Mark my partner waits about 10 seconds and sends his Pup in distress call we give it 20 seconds then breaks cover. I stand and ask him where his dog is. 35 yards in front of him down his lane of fire this nice female never twitched. He thought he saw a pair but in the thick sagebrush nothing presented.
The next two stands are also busts, lots of tracks in the skiff of snow but nothing would come in for the calls.
Its getting late now and on the drive back to town we see what seems to be a good last stand for the evening. Rock outcroppings looking down on a 3 fingered draw with clear lanes of fire down each. We find a place to park that hides the truck and open the door. We are greeted with the yapping of coyotes. This is gonna be good we say to each other as we gear up and start the climb up to our vantage point.
No sooner did we crest the top when 4 mule deer break and run in front of us. They are the tail end of a herd of about 20 moving up the hill. Then the coyotes start yapping again. Searching for them we soon discover 5 coyotes are the ones pushing the deer, they have no clue that we are downwind of them with the sun at our back.
We kneel quickly and get our sticks set up, my partner reaches for the Foxpro call and sends out a challenge call. This stops all 5 of them in their tracks looking back at us from 300 yards. Another challenge call rings out and two of the dogs in the back change directions and start walking back to us.
Its time to bring them home. Pup in distress call rings out and plays on loop. As if on a leash being dragged to us all 5 yotes bear down on us at dead run. One pulls up at 150 Yards, another at 200+, I lose track of the others. MY partner says he is going to take the one at 125 and sets up for the shot.
The Sagebrush in 30 feet in front of us explodes with fur and teeth as a large male with killing on his mind bears down on the call. That just so happens to be sitting between my partner and I.
Mark turns and cracks a shot at the male. I squeeze a shot at the dog sitting at 200 and miss. She had done a direction change when Marks .223 went off and was not stopping to look back.
Then to my left Mark says disbelieving I missed Justin take him. The male had pulled up and jumped over a sagebrush presenting a broad side shot. I chambered another round and fired.
The last events took place between 4:01:15 and 4:01:25
Was a good day.
JDB
