Like many places in Eastern half of the U.S. we had a couple of storms pass through last week. The first was last Saturday and Sunday. We left family commitments in Texas a day early to give plenty of time to be home and prepare, and to get in a night hunt prior to the storm. Season just opened.
It was 80's and 90's down there and my wife thought we should wait the storm out in Texas.
After driving 10 1/2 hours on Thursday , we got home and unloaded before dark and I broke out the gear and thought I would get a few stands in.
On the first stand I had one come through some cows, almost immediately, to baby cottontail.
I moved a mile East and had a triple respond almost as quickly. I was hunting at an old pasture winter feeding spot and they were ducking in and out of some waist high broomweed. Finally got a clear shot and dropped the first. The second stood there looking at the first (bad mistake) and the 3rd high tailed it West. I was able to get on the last one at about 225 yards and sent one out there. It hit the spine in front of the tail and required a follow up shot.
I made one dry stand after that and decided I was pretty well used up for that day.
My son and I got together the next night just before the storm was to hit and made several stands. We alternate calling on every stand with the caller watching over the call and the upwind side and the other watching the downwind side. Well on this night I ended up with all the trigger time on a double and 2 singles. I sure felt bad about that.
These two coyotes came from exactly opposite directions and fell 10 feet apart at about 200 yards from the call. They both circled into our wind and were getting ready to leave but waited just a little to long.
The humidity went way up, it got cold and we got tired so called it a night.
By the time I got up Saturday morning the freezing drizzle had already begun. I hauled the coyotes off and watched it storm for the next 2 days.
I went Monday night after the storm moved out and was able to get a double on the 3rd stand but the snow was really crunchy and they just weren't responding well.
Conditions weren't right so I stayed home and waited for the next front to move through Thursday night. That one left us with 5 more inches of new snow.
I headed out with my night gear at 4:30a.m. just as the snow was ending and shot 2 singles on 2 stands. The Eastern horizon was getting pretty light so I went home and grabbed my daytime gear and shot a bobcat and another single. The single was a female that responded to an invitation howl and estrus chirps. The daytime 2 got first blood on the new Weatherby.
I headed back out just after dark and had a double on the first stand come screaming in to rabbit. A single on the next stand did the same and I never saw another before going home at 2 a.m.
Yesterdays results
The first 2 nights we had a pretty good East wind and the last day was under a very bright, almost full moon with clear skies and fresh snow. Almost like daylight. Sure like hunting those fronts. Coming and going.
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