Thought you all might like it. Verminator2 and I entered a contest here sponsored by The Riley Store and Archery. V2 was in the Youth Hunt and I was entered in The Old Folks Hunt (everyone else). The hunt started Saturday morning and check in was Sunday at noon. We took my nephew with us to Riley so he could hook up with another of my brothers for the hunt. V2 and I started hunting at daylight.
The first stand had two coyotes come in at about six minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't see the second one and took the first one. V2 took a shot at the second one as it was leaving and promptly began to scold me saying, "We could've had a double!" I mumbled something about "a bird in the hand...." Anyway, it was a nice male and we had fur in the truck. The next stand has produced for us several times in the past. I heard a truck in the middle of the stand. Nothing showed and we found tire tracks coming out of the road 200 yards from our truck. Looked like some of the competition beat us to our next stand and messed up this one. So, we moved on.
Stand three was a new one for us. It was along a ditch bank. I put Lucky Bird on the Foxpro. A few minutes later V2 lip squeeks. I slowly turn to see two coyotes coming down the meadow. I pivoted towards them. The lead dog kept meandering towards us. The second dog was holding back maybe 150 yards away. V2 barks to stop the lead dog and I knew what was coming. Normally we take doubles left and right depending on where we're sitting but V2 was nervous about missing the farther shot so he shoots the lead dog out from under me! We have a little more "We could have had a double" talk...but, two coyotes are in the truck.
Stand four is on a piece of BLM next to the NWR. I see a coyote across the fence as we are setting up. When I start the call, it runs towards the fence and I'm thinking this one is ours. Several minutes later it still hasn't shown and eventually we see four coyotes lined out on a ditch on the Refuge. No sounds seemed to interest them so we had to sit there and watch them leave.
Stands five, six, seven and eight were blanks. At ten minutes into the stand number nine didn't look very good. At minute eleven, V2 says a prayer and at 12 minutes a nice female is bombing by him towards me and the call. (Amazing how hunting can increase faith at just the right moment!) No amount of barking or hollaring would stop her. But, she got a dose of .204 at 35 yards from me. We had several more dry stands and we put about 15 minutes into the next stand before I call the stand and get up to find the Foxpro. V2 had let Gracie, his JRT, loose and started to get up when he sees a coyote about 70 yards behind me looking at the dog. He was able to get back down on his bipod and make a nice 200 yard shot on a big male. We chaulked that one up to Gracie. It's the only reason we could think of for a mature dog not leaving with both of us in plain sight.
The next stand V2 sees one coming hard off a knob in front of us. I couldn't hear what he said over the radio and I tried to switch the Foxpro over to pup distress thinking the coyote was leaving. Somehow the pup distress preset got changed to the locator siren (
)and, needless to say, we never saw that coyote again 
That was it for Saturday. Since the hunt was a timed as well as numbers hunt, we drove back to Riley and checked in. Logged about 270 miles for the day.Sunday morning we set up in a draw with coyotes howling around us. I gave a couple of Female Invitation howls, waited a couple of minutes then started some Jackrabbit Distress. Within a few minutes, I saw a coyote leaving. I barked him to a stop, guessed him at 250, held high on his his back and promptly missed him. I shot one more time then V2 let loose what I assumed was a Hail Mary. I ranged the spot where I first shot at him and found it was really only 160 yards. I had shot over him. I was pleasantly surprised to hear V2 say he had rolled him with the last shot. It turned out to be the biggest coyote of our hunt. V2 hit him right in the butt at about 225 yards running.
We saw one more coyote driving but couldn't get him to come in to the call so.....Verminator2 won the youth hunt with three dogs and I took second in the adult hunt with my two dogs. Four coyotes won the hunt and I think there were only three other coyotes checked in. Coyote hunting is getting tough in Eastern Oregon! The hunt coordinator made sure all the youth got a door prize and allowed them to hunt for free. My hat's off to him for working at getting the youth involved.
We had a good time and learned a lot. It was a good weekend with my son and the best showing we've made in a contest hunt.
Here's apic of the fur. This looks like it will make some good "Summer Fur". It's well ventilated already!
(BTW that's my .243 AI
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