hunt0168
Well-known member
3 sets last night. Lots of snow melted off but still knee deep with heavy crust. Not fun or ideal, but I had to get out.
First set was torture getting in and setup. Blank.
Second set I got an immediate response. A few minutes of various vocals and had one pop out at 375. Worked it in but it was angling hard for the wind and I tried a long head on shot (for me at night) at 275 because it was getting nervous, nose in the air, head bobbing. Missed just to right as I saw snow fly in the background.
Set 3, another lousy hike in, with no response for about 20 minutes. Played a series of Bustin Fur Audio Howl Off and went quiet. About a minute later I hear howling and it sounds just like the call I just played but quieter. I thought, WTH? I hit the mute button on my remote thinking I somehow accidentally unmuted, and the caller starts playing, then I hear another howl directly left of me. Scan left and a coyote is standing at about 200. I’m looking through tree limbs because I’m tucked under a tree because of the moon. It starts heading uphill which clears the limbs but it’s now pushing the point where I get busted by the wind. As I’m trying to rotate around my tripod on this crusty snow it stops and stares right towards me then starts a fast trot uphill giving me that look back every second or two. I woofed, it stopped and I rushed the shot. I heard the impact and admittedly got a little happy when it appeared to start stumbling. It went over the rise and out of sight. Well I broke trail to go pick up my coyote only to find very sparse blood, and the stumbles were just from it breaking through the crust. It made it into a tangle of brush that I was just not willing to go into.
In closing… I haven’t forgotten how to call in a coyote over this long winter break from the insane snow we’ve had. I do think I have forgotten how to shoot though! Felt good to pull the trigger. I have a couple more weeks to try and redeem myself.
First set was torture getting in and setup. Blank.
Second set I got an immediate response. A few minutes of various vocals and had one pop out at 375. Worked it in but it was angling hard for the wind and I tried a long head on shot (for me at night) at 275 because it was getting nervous, nose in the air, head bobbing. Missed just to right as I saw snow fly in the background.
Set 3, another lousy hike in, with no response for about 20 minutes. Played a series of Bustin Fur Audio Howl Off and went quiet. About a minute later I hear howling and it sounds just like the call I just played but quieter. I thought, WTH? I hit the mute button on my remote thinking I somehow accidentally unmuted, and the caller starts playing, then I hear another howl directly left of me. Scan left and a coyote is standing at about 200. I’m looking through tree limbs because I’m tucked under a tree because of the moon. It starts heading uphill which clears the limbs but it’s now pushing the point where I get busted by the wind. As I’m trying to rotate around my tripod on this crusty snow it stops and stares right towards me then starts a fast trot uphill giving me that look back every second or two. I woofed, it stopped and I rushed the shot. I heard the impact and admittedly got a little happy when it appeared to start stumbling. It went over the rise and out of sight. Well I broke trail to go pick up my coyote only to find very sparse blood, and the stumbles were just from it breaking through the crust. It made it into a tangle of brush that I was just not willing to go into.
In closing… I haven’t forgotten how to call in a coyote over this long winter break from the insane snow we’ve had. I do think I have forgotten how to shoot though!
Felt good to pull the trigger. I have a couple more weeks to try and redeem myself.
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