cold weather coyote

Yotarunner

CGN Regular
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Location
Eastern Alberta
so this cold snap has had me itching to go calling but wind and blowing snow have kept me from heading out until today. with the temps around the -30 mark and winds only blowing 6kmh i rapidly finished work and headed out for some end of the day calling.
my first stand was a new setup on an old location. with the only large tract of bush for quite a ways this section of land is home to most of the coyotes that feed off the feedlot deadpit nearby. i have pressured this area so hard in the last few years that the coyotes have become mostly nocturnal but this new location seemed like a good one.
this new spot had me sitting on top of a large dugout bank in a flat open pasture facing towards the bush that the coyotes live in with only 150 yards visible in front of me.
knowing these dogs are aware of all my handcall tricks the foxpro was brought along and after some howls and vole squeaks i switched to red fox pup distress.
not long after the sound of a poor baby fox drifted off into the trees i had magpies all over the place focusing largely on one patch of bush. knowing this to be a good sign i played the sound again and just like that a face appeared over the hill quickly followed by another.
with the call muted i let the pair curiously walk in all the while trying to see the call which was hidden behind the side of the dugout bank to force them around my side to catch the wind.
not moving a muscle i waited until the lead dog snuck behind the bank and quickly snatched up my shotgun and pulled back the hammer as i leaned to see the dog he made a break for it but was no match for the nickle plated bb hitting him at 23 yards. i made a hail mary shot with the 222 on his female with no luck.
coming in this big male almost apeared to be limping and when i got up to him i found he had a deformed paw complete with claws and everything.
for those of you wondering if places can be called more than once this is proof it can be done. just have to change tactics and sounds.


the top right corner is the bank i shot him from


at this point the camera had a fit about the cold and stopped saving pictures so i had to take a paw pic at home in the dark.


so happy that my 3 week losing streak was ended in such epic fashion i rushed to make another stand. i wont say much either than within 30 seconds of jack distress a dog charged in to 16 yards that i clean missed with my shotgun. i have known that that gun does not fit worth a crap but a miss at 16 yards dictates that something must be done so until then the 870 is coming out.
 
Very nice looking dog. I also call the same areas sometimes the same day with good results. I find I try to give it about a 2 week span after that and they seem to have forgotten
Great story
 
I've quit going out in weather like you were in for quite a few years.

My arthritis just gets to irritating. Good for you, nice looking, healthy animal that looks to be PURE COYOTE without any domestic dog cross.

16 yards??????? Now, IMHO that's CLOSE.

The only place I've ever shot Coyotes with a shotgun was around the fenced feed lots in the area. I sometimes felt bad for them as they were mostly after the corn silage and haylage they were finishing the animals with to bring up their fat content for market. They seldom went into the enclosures and were after the feed that spilled outside onto the ground. Once in a while there was a dead calf for them to feed on.

The feed lot owners didn't like them around at all. The animals they were feeding would push against the fences out of curiosity or a natural instinct to get at the predators.

Maybe one in a hundred was actually guilty of causing any damage but, just like firearms enthusiasts, they all got branded as criminals for that less than 1% problem animal.

We didn't get a lot of them in those lots. They ran at the sight of any human. Even in the fields, if they noticed humans, even several hundred yards away, they would run.

Your blinds must be quite good and set up so the wind won't take your scent to them.

As far as audio calls, we found they would be successful ONCE. Then the only thing they attracted was Magpies and Ravens. The Coyotes could pick up on the same calls and tone very quickly.

I got rid of my Foxpro caller and kept my mouth actuated calls. I usually have at least half a dozen that I work but sparingly, to bring them into rifle range.

Good on you for bringing that one in so close, in the field. That takes a lot of patience, especially in this weather.

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019

Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day

If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest
 
I've quit going out in weather like you were in for quite a few years.

My arthritis just gets to irritating. Good for you, nice looking, healthy animal that looks to be PURE COYOTE without any domestic dog cross.

16 yards??????? Now, IMHO that's CLOSE.

The only place I've ever shot Coyotes with a shotgun was around the fenced feed lots in the area. I sometimes felt bad for them as they were mostly after the corn silage and haylage they were finishing the animals with to bring up their fat content for market. They seldom went into the enclosures and were after the feed that spilled outside onto the ground. Once in a while there was a dead calf for them to feed on.

The feed lot owners didn't like them around at all. The animals they were feeding would push against the fences out of curiosity or a natural instinct to get at the predators.

Maybe one in a hundred was actually guilty of causing any damage but, just like firearms enthusiasts, they all got branded as criminals for that less than 1% problem animal.

We didn't get a lot of them in those lots. They ran at the sight of any human. Even in the fields, if they noticed humans, even several hundred yards away, they would run.

Your blinds must be quite good and set up so the wind won't take your scent to them.

As far as audio calls, we found they would be successful ONCE. Then the only thing they attracted was Magpies and Ravens. The Coyotes could pick up on the same calls and tone very quickly.

I got rid of my Foxpro caller and kept my mouth actuated calls. I usually have at least half a dozen that I work but sparingly, to bring them into rifle range.

Good on you for bringing that one in so close, in the field. That takes a lot of patience, especially in this weather.

TURF THE LIBERALS IN 2019

Liberals really like POOR people, they're making more of them every day

If you can't vote CPC, stay at home in protest

Yep these dogs were both within 2 miles of our feedlot. Not many come into the yard for silage as I don't tend to let them live long.
I never use blinds as they take too long to setup and the more time you spend fiddling with a blind the more time a coyote has to see or hear you. I prefer a homemade white ghilly suit and the ability to sit extremely still when dogs show up. I was sitting on top of a dugout with notging to hide me but camo and the snow I was sitting on.
As far as calls are concerned it dosnt matter whether it's handcalls or Ecalls if they have heard it before they are not coming. I try to switch it up from hand to Ecall depending on what I have been pressuring em with.
Id say thank you for comenting on my patience but it was only 15 min for the first 2 and about 30 seconds for the one at 16 yards haha.
 
Awesome stuff! I love shotgunning coyotes.

I too switch up calls. I'll even run the E-caller and mouth call on the same set sometimes. Howl with one, distress with the other kinda thing.

If they've heard it before, and were educated, they aren't coming. I'll go to the local hunting store to see what calls they have and I WON"T buy those cause lots of guys have em already.

Excellent stuff Yotarunner!
 
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