Baiting

Normally I'm done hunting by now. But a couple of gunshop owners have been giving out my phone to people with coyote issues. Today I setup a new bait. Really nice deer blind for sitting in. From tracks it looks like a mated pair are running a food plot at night, mainly for pheasant. Had to put the bait east of the blind, supposed to be a s.e. wind next couple nights. Hope I can take them out quick. Needed snowshoes and sled to haul out bait. Will be single digit temps tonight. Tomorrow I will trim a shooting lane and hop in the blind. Will shoot the smaller of the 2 coyote, first. Want to kill the female, better chance a male will return the same night.
 

Spot, hope the new blind works for you. Anxious to hear how it goes. What distance to the bait? How late will you hunt?
 
Deputy supplied road kill deer, 150 yards. Will clean a shooting lane tomorrow, sit tomorrow night and next night if need to. I may hunt as long as people call, because fur has no value.
 
I had a close encounter last night, but no shot.

Around 9:05pm an alarm rang, I ran and grabbed the gun and went to the window. Just after I got set up in position and started recording video, a coyote trotted through my shooting lane at 100 yds. ~15' wide shooting lane, it ran straight across and never stopped. I expected it to show up again and/or pause for me, but it never did. It disappeared somewhere into the trees and brush between my house and neighbor's.

Around 10:30pm an alarm rang at the other corner of the property. I suspected it was the same coyote coming through in the opposite direction. I got the gun and went to the window and started scanning. I never did spot it, but i'm pretty sure it ran back through the same shooting lane I spotted it in earlier, because after about 2 minutes of scanning, my two outer alarms in that direction went off in short succession. Something was trotting away from me.

I did a series of lip squeeks to try to lure it back to me, but this coyote wasn't having any of it.

I need to put some fresh bait out.
 
Took the sled and hauled in propane tank and heater. After setting up heater in the blind, I checked the shooting lane. I had to trim and remove some brush and limbs, out near the bait some cattails and small willows. From about 25 yards it looked like coyote had fed on the bait, new coyote tracks between the blind and bait. Going to get in the blind before sunset, get my rifle position squared away. I think I will have early visitors. Bait is east of the blind, s.e. wind 12-15 mph tonight, 150 yards, couple inches of drift.
 
Quick evening, I got in the blind 10 minutes before sunset. Started the heater, glanced out the window and saw a female peeing near the bait. Open the window and set my death grip tripod up, the whole suppressor was out past the frame. I turned on the scope, and shot her standing when she stopped tugging on the deer hide. Watched her, only a couple tail flips. Started to try and take a photo thru the thermal, but the light behind me thru the blind Windows messed up the photo. Shutoff the scope, left on the tripod. Turned the heater up from pilot light to high. Looked out and saw a larger coyote, left edge of the shooting lane. He walked around downwind of the female, looking, stopped so I took the shot. He dropped flopped, rear up on back legs ballet spun and dropped. I texted the landowner, he said his daughter wanted to see the coyote. So I snowshoe and retrieve both up to the machine shop. Visited with both there, told them I would come back tomorrow night and stay longer. It looked like the whole rear was gone off the roadkill.
 
Spot
thumbup.gif
 
I left my nv scope on the 20p AR when my thermal scope arrived in Dec. Just wasn't sure if I would like it. So the thermal went on my TC dimension, I'm using the 204R barrel. It's a 1/10 twist, I have a suppressor on it. Shooting 40 gr BIB bullet, 26.9 gr IMR 8208. Addicted to thermal now, going back to the blind tonight. No significant exit damage, mostly no exit on a 100+ coyote with that combo.
 
Last edited:

Nice job, Spot !! Just reading your report gets my excitement level up.

Would like to know more about the 20 P when you find time, like how you size brass etc. I mentioned to my son two days ago that I would like an upper in 20 P.
 
My father in law has a couple .20 Practicals. One is an AR upper. I don't remember the brand. The other is a bolt action Savage model 11 that I chambered and re-barreled on my lathe. They are tack drivers. Especially the bolt action.

With the model 11, after I rebarreled it, the first 3 shots on paper at 60 yds fit in a group smaller than my pinky fingernail.

My FIL resizes and reloads for it. I believe he is using this Redding full lengh sizing die:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018049293

I think it's a .223 rem die, with a different size bushing for the .204 bullets. Then just resize any .223 or 556 brass as you normally would. I'm told it's very simple and easy, hence the name "practical".

I got another coyote last night. I'll try to get the video edited and uploaded tonight.
 
Congrats x2 spot, and one for you thumper.

You gotta have bait to play this game. It's really hard "work" but I kinda like it, especially with thermal. This hog was not supposed to take another step after the first shot. Thanks to DU for teaching me how to make a follow-up shot.



ofROcFi.jpg


OYZhOes.jpg


New house coyote stopped by while I was gathering bait.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top