Yotarunner
Custom Call Maker
This one won't be quite as well layed out as my other hunting writeups but figured may as well post it for everyone's enjoyment anyways.
Saturday was one of the few coyote contests we have up in this neck of the woods and this is how it went for me.
With piles of ground scouted and mapped out I started my day off at the feedlot right next to home (this contest allows all legal take including bait and deadpits). The walk in spooked 3 coyotes lounging on some bales and going for the bird in hand approach I shot the first one that stopped at my barking. No more luck at that spot after the shot.
Spot 2 was the deadpit at my work. Quick hustle to the ridgetop showed 4 coyotes already leaving in the distance and one standing at the pit. Not wasting time I centered the crosshairs and kerWHOP dog #2 was down.
From here I made my way east to a neighbor's standing corn that has been attracting coyotes like crazy. Just about to make the turn I spied a head and ears dropping behind a hill!
Hoping I was right in my suspicions I parked in the ditch and hustled down the fence line and sure enough a pair was just about to get over the next hill. A 250 yard shot put down the female and the male hit the afterburners never to be seen again.
The snowshoes were donned and #3 was retrieved
Hustling to the corn patch I rolled in to see a sleeping coyote in the distance get up and leave and another coyote rounding a bend towards where I planned to call.
Opting to leave the loud snowshoes behind I stalked around the hill in the hopes that the fleeing coyotes didn't warn their buddies. Only 30 yards from my preferred calling location my eyes caught movement. Sure enough a coyote mousing along the field edge had seen me but with my snow camo against the white sky couldn't tell what I was. Frozen in place I waited and finally attempted a lip squeak to try and coax it behind the hill below me. It sat down. With no other choice I slooowly got down behind the gun and got on the coyote. At the crack of the rifle I was rewarded with the sight of a coyote practically flying away across the snow running away! Pissed at missing an easy 150 yard shot I stomped through the drifts and snow to my next stand where I called up a coyote and missed the exact same shot!!
The next 3 stands produced nothing but sore knees from the hard sometimes knee deep snow.
Texting with the fiance about my agitation over missing 2 easy shots and now blanking stands she said "don't worry your going to get the next 2"
Now noon with a bright sun and rising winds i wasn't expecting much at this new spot but you don't know until you try.
Vast open ground for hundreds of yards didn't give me much hope but after a series of Jack on one of my handcalls I caught a speck in the distance that appeared new. Out of breath I keyed antelope Jack on the FoxPro and sure enough the dot began to move.
At 150 yards I sat up and the female came to a stop only to be met with 3800fps of 50gr vmax. Since she had come from almost a mile away I keyed TT den raid and cranked the volume right away another speck appeared and slowly got larger the large male checked up to look at his mate lying in the snow and kerWHOP!
The female was an old withered female with aging teeth and the male was an absolute monster that just about won me heaviest coyote. (38lbs)
This next stand I hunted weeks ago and got a double but knew there should be more and boy was I right!
Didn't take pics this time but here's the area. Just imagine triple the amount of snow!
Walking in I spotted a coyote sunning on one of the hilltops and upon reaching the stand location and other sat up on the next hill over.
Praying there was more coyotes I went straight to antelope Jack on the FoxPro. Almost instantly a pair of coyotes popped up from the bush in the valley and began slowly lurking towards me. The coyotes on the hilltops slowly watched their kin stalk closer and closer to me and finally at 150 yards I woofed and with a WHUMP coyote 6 was down.
The second of the pair dove into a choked Coulee never to be seen again, an unseen coyote darted back into the bush where it had been coming from. Then 800 yards in the cornfield 4 more coyotes began running up the hills into cover!
No more coyotes came to the call.
Following a feedroad towards where the coyotes in the corn vacated to I made a hasty stand right on the 2 track. Not much to say but after throwing the book into the bush I expected them to come from a small pup snuck up behind me and I killed it at 80 yards.
By now the wind had begun to reach galeforce. I made one more stand by a large bush with no luck.
Contemplating ending the day early due to wind I drove west and like a switch was flipped I popped out of the random squall and was back in delightful sunny weather.
Parking the truck I donned the snowshoes and walked half a mile to my next spot. Large drifts of snow blanketed the small bushes I usually sit at. Spying the corner brace of the fencepost I hurriedly placed the FoxPro and sat down. Soon as I began blowing the jackrabbit distress I realized my folley. I couldn't see $#!*. The bracepost I sat against offered terrible visibility and if they showed it would have to be fast. I switched to the FoxPro and after 15 min of calling my eyes caught movement as a set of ears sprouted from the shallow grass. Sitting up and positioning myself made the curious coyote step up the hill enough to allow for a head on shot. Coyote 8 was down!
2 more stands made with no luck.
The other half of my team in another area picked up 4 which put us 3rd of 35 teams
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