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Coyote down on 12-30-2015

Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 8:38 pm
by Silverfox
This has been a very slow coyote season for me. I have been busy watching grand kids play volleyball and now basketball. Something always seems to get in the way of getting out to try to call in a coyote or two. I was out one full day with my hunting partner back on November 2. We only saw one coyote and that one was running away when I started to call. We called at 9 different spots and no blood. One thing in our defense though, it was very windy. That’s our excuse and we are sticking to it!!!

Well, I finally got out for some coyote hunting on December 30. The wind was out of the WNW at 5 to 10 mph and the temperature was around 10º. I had business to attend to in the morning, but was able to head out at about 1:15 p.m. and parked the pickup about a half mile west of the land owner’s ranch house. I walked to the south along the fence line down into a wooded coulee. I stirred up about 8 mule deer and they went running off to the west. I called at that spot for 25 minutes and drew a blank. I headed off walking to the NNW about three quarters of a mile to a different set of coulees and called there for 25 minutes and struck out there as well.

After getting back to the pickup, I decided to go SW of this area to a place where I had seen coyotes last winter. I drove on a lease road and got about 3/4 of a mile west of the ranch buildings and parked in a low spot. As I started walking the south down into the coulee, I could see human footprints and debated whether I should continue or walk back to the PU and find a different spot. I continued walking. I came to an east/west fence I had to cross, but before I could cross the fence I noticed a coyote about 60 yards away that was slowly trotting to the south. I knelt down, raised my rifle, and flipped off the safety. Fortunately, the coyote stopped and turned broadside to me looking back to see what was intruding on its territory. I settled the cross hairs right behind the left front shoulder and squeezed off the shot. The coyote stumbled, spun a couple times, and then stumbled to the southeast about 10 yards and fell in a heap. She had been about 125 yards away when I fired. The entrance hole was tiny and the exit hole wasn’t very big either.

My search for where the coyote was bedded down was successful. She had found a nice spot on a southeast facing side hill kind of on the down-wind side of a big rock and had a very nice resting place out of the wind.

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I looked to the south of the bed location toward where the coyote had stumbled to and was lying in the brush and snapped a couple photos there too. There were some nice fat Black Angus cows coming to check out the disturbance. Here’s a photo of the coyote lying in the brush in her final resting place.

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I snapped a couple photos making sure I photographed the side of the coyote that the bullet entered her body and also took a picture of the exit side. Here’s a picture of the bullet entry side.

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As I was taking pictures there were about 20 cows coming towards me. I put a drag rope on her and carried her to a nearby tree and hung her off a branch. I didn’t want the cows to trample on her and damage the hide. I had left my rifle and backpack at the kill spot and I could see the cows sniffing my gun and backpack!!! I approached the cattle very slowly so they wouldn’t stampede and trample on my rifle and backpack. They seemed fairly tame and I was able to rescue my rifle and backpack without any problem.
Here’s a photo below showing the side the bullet exited from and looking from the coyote up towards the coyote’s bed and the fence where I shot from. She is lying right where she finally stopped. I didn’t bother to take the time for a “Hero Photo,” but I’ll try to remember to do that next time I have a successful hunt. This female coyote weighed 24.5 pounds.

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I walked about 200 yards south, set up my FOXPRO and 10 minutes into the stand I had a mad sounding coyote barking and howling out to the west of me over the top of a butte. I switched the caller to the Goldfinch in Distress sound. At about 12 minutes into the stand he finally appeared at the top of a butte about 300 yards WNW of me. I cranked up the power on the scope a bit, but I figured he would come down the butte and I’d have an easier shot. As I was getting my rifle adjusted to get a look at him through the scope, I could see him quickly turn away and in about two steps he disappeared from sight before I could pull the trigger!!! I hit the wounded coyote sound and waited. I finally heard him howling from what sounded like a long way to the west and that’s the last I heard from him. I sure wish I would have gotten a shot off. It would have been a chip shot for my Savage 12VLP .204 Ruger and a 1 in 11 twist super match grade Pac-Nor barrel shooting 39 gr. Sierra BlitzKings. But, wishes don’t get it done!!! It was one of those would-a, could-a, should-a moments and I won't get a mulligan!

Re: Coyote down on 12-30-2015

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 3:20 pm
by Sidewinderwa
Nice outing, always nice to get out and get a yote or two. Do you do anything with the pelts? Should be good pelts with it being that cold.

Re: Coyote down on 12-30-2015

Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 6:39 pm
by Silverfox
Sidewinderwa--When I was a bit younger I used to process my furs and send the stretched and dried furs up to the Dominion Soudak auction in Winnipeg. For about the last 20 years, however, I have been selling them in the round and that's what I'll be doing with this one. Eastern Montana and NW North Dakota do have some fairly decent looking coyotes, but we have our share of scruffy ones too.

Re: Coyote down on 12-30-2015

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2016 10:41 am
by Sidewinderwa
Hey if it pays for some gas money, it is all good!

Re: Coyote down on 12-30-2015

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 6:18 pm
by GTOHunter
Nice Shooting SilverFox.....I always enjoy reading Your Post and seeing Your Informative and interesting pictures!