Blew it on a wolf - Season 13
- Thread starter Chas
- Start date
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
I thought that wolf looked strange but I couldn't put my finger on it, good catch.
I didnt notice that either. As far as I know there are no collared wolves on the mainland here unless its an escapee from the study on Michipicoten Island offshore in Lake Superior
One of those days....
Last day to fill a 2021 tag and decided to head out this morning to fill it. Woke up to mild -2C and about 4 inches of wet new snow. Based on the wind I thought would hit the golf course. After getting the truck brushed off, got out to the highway to find traffic backed up and the highway closed northbound which I needed to take to the golf course.
OK - plan B - had set some rabbit snares yesterday on the hydro line so lets go there. Highway open southbound so all good. Road going into the line not plowed and one fresh set of wolf tracks. Get to the parking spot, walk in and set up the caller. Sit down, just get the handset out and the snowmobile trail groomer comes out of the treeline. Operator gets out and is banging on the sled groomer. Hops in the tractor - ok I am thinking - go the other way. Nope, here he comes right at me. Big smile and a wave as he goes by.
Let things settle down, play a single wolf howl. After waiting a few minutes, another. Two minutes later, see movement far treeline and out pops a coyote - 450 yards down the line crossing over. Find him in the scope but no way I am going to take the shot. Crosses the line and into the south treeline. Tried some coyote calls after waiting a minute or so but doesnt pop out anywhere.
So packed up and head home - one tag not used and time to do the 201 mandatory report.
Pulled the trail camera behind my fence and some good shots. We threw a grapefruit rind out there after Christmas for the birds and low an behold, 2 coyotes checked it out.
Happy New Years folks!
Last day to fill a 2021 tag and decided to head out this morning to fill it. Woke up to mild -2C and about 4 inches of wet new snow. Based on the wind I thought would hit the golf course. After getting the truck brushed off, got out to the highway to find traffic backed up and the highway closed northbound which I needed to take to the golf course.
OK - plan B - had set some rabbit snares yesterday on the hydro line so lets go there. Highway open southbound so all good. Road going into the line not plowed and one fresh set of wolf tracks. Get to the parking spot, walk in and set up the caller. Sit down, just get the handset out and the snowmobile trail groomer comes out of the treeline. Operator gets out and is banging on the sled groomer. Hops in the tractor - ok I am thinking - go the other way. Nope, here he comes right at me. Big smile and a wave as he goes by.
Let things settle down, play a single wolf howl. After waiting a few minutes, another. Two minutes later, see movement far treeline and out pops a coyote - 450 yards down the line crossing over. Find him in the scope but no way I am going to take the shot. Crosses the line and into the south treeline. Tried some coyote calls after waiting a minute or so but doesnt pop out anywhere.
So packed up and head home - one tag not used and time to do the 201 mandatory report.
Pulled the trail camera behind my fence and some good shots. We threw a grapefruit rind out there after Christmas for the birds and low an behold, 2 coyotes checked it out.
Happy New Years folks!
Actually is is boiling down to a scarcity of animals, excessive gas prices and the weather - its either dumping large quantities of snow or -35C....
That being said, I was teaching CFSC this weekend - when I came out Friday night from the classroom about 11PM, a big coyote was running down the street towards me... Paddle2DAC was out Saturday morning on the golf course but nothing showed up and no fresh tracks. Started snowing last night and after shoveling and blowing again - I know I will have to do more tomorrow morning.
Last couple of weeks are showing very few tracks on the hydro line area we hunt, I hauled more bait out on Thursday and we dont seem to have any wolves in the area. I pulled trail cameras but havent had a chance to look at the pictures. I stepped out of my snowshoe harness a couple of times and sank to my crotch in snow - I think that travel is limited right now till we get some heavy crusting. We havent been up to the blind in a month as the snowbanks on the highway are preventing us from safely parking there, and there is too much truck traffic on Highway17 to risk a vehicle accident. I junked my daughters old truck which was disposable (the baitmobile we called it), so we need to get dropped off there for an afternoon.
One of our partners is extremely ill with liver failure and waiting for a transplant, so he isnt able to go out and I have been taking him out of town for medical appointments. Hopefully will get out this week for a sit.
That being said, I was teaching CFSC this weekend - when I came out Friday night from the classroom about 11PM, a big coyote was running down the street towards me... Paddle2DAC was out Saturday morning on the golf course but nothing showed up and no fresh tracks. Started snowing last night and after shoveling and blowing again - I know I will have to do more tomorrow morning.
Last couple of weeks are showing very few tracks on the hydro line area we hunt, I hauled more bait out on Thursday and we dont seem to have any wolves in the area. I pulled trail cameras but havent had a chance to look at the pictures. I stepped out of my snowshoe harness a couple of times and sank to my crotch in snow - I think that travel is limited right now till we get some heavy crusting. We havent been up to the blind in a month as the snowbanks on the highway are preventing us from safely parking there, and there is too much truck traffic on Highway17 to risk a vehicle accident. I junked my daughters old truck which was disposable (the baitmobile we called it), so we need to get dropped off there for an afternoon.
One of our partners is extremely ill with liver failure and waiting for a transplant, so he isnt able to go out and I have been taking him out of town for medical appointments. Hopefully will get out this week for a sit.
Read this thread, then about 2 hours later having a fire outside wolves started singing, sent the coyotes into a yipping frenzie. Tried to get a recording of it, but mic’s on Iphones I found out suck for that sort of thing. Would have been a comical inspiration booster for ya!
Daughters eyes turned to saucers when she heard the first wolf let it rip.
Daughters eyes turned to saucers when she heard the first wolf let it rip.
Thanks I’m hopping to
Sorry for the big pictures, forgot to resize them
Not much of an update as things have been pretty quiet for the past month. If its not brutally cold, it warms up and dumps another 6 - 12 inches of snow. I was all dressed to go out last night when I got a phone call as I was heading out. After an hour on the phone, I came up and it was starting to snow, and I decided to hell with it and started cooking supper. Figures - I should have gone out...
I also pulled the trail camera behind our fence to see what was on it as there have lots of tracks in the snow. Last week, a coyote jumped over the drift against the fence onto my upside down boat and wandered around our back yard. Unbelievable snow depths - I encountered a 6 foot high drift between our houses two weeks ago I had to shovel out a gate to get the sleds out of the backyard. Today, when I stepped off the deck to wade out to the camera, I sank past my crotch in snow. A few of the pictures off the camera - including a pair of coyotes.
Things on the hydro line have been very quiet until this week - the snow is very deep and fluffy - the animals havent been moving out of the timber where the snow is not as deep. At one of our bait sites, we have a very well fed fisher eating the bait - check out some of the temperatures on the camera shots:
Some canines showing up as well:
Have a transient pack of 3 that shows up on an irregular basis - here they are on another baitsite:
Hope you enjoy the pictures - we always seem to get one in mid February so hopefully will have one on the stretcher in the next few weeks.
Regards
Chas
Not much of an update as things have been pretty quiet for the past month. If its not brutally cold, it warms up and dumps another 6 - 12 inches of snow. I was all dressed to go out last night when I got a phone call as I was heading out. After an hour on the phone, I came up and it was starting to snow, and I decided to hell with it and started cooking supper. Figures - I should have gone out...
I also pulled the trail camera behind our fence to see what was on it as there have lots of tracks in the snow. Last week, a coyote jumped over the drift against the fence onto my upside down boat and wandered around our back yard. Unbelievable snow depths - I encountered a 6 foot high drift between our houses two weeks ago I had to shovel out a gate to get the sleds out of the backyard. Today, when I stepped off the deck to wade out to the camera, I sank past my crotch in snow. A few of the pictures off the camera - including a pair of coyotes.
Things on the hydro line have been very quiet until this week - the snow is very deep and fluffy - the animals havent been moving out of the timber where the snow is not as deep. At one of our bait sites, we have a very well fed fisher eating the bait - check out some of the temperatures on the camera shots:
Some canines showing up as well:
Have a transient pack of 3 that shows up on an irregular basis - here they are on another baitsite:
Hope you enjoy the pictures - we always seem to get one in mid February so hopefully will have one on the stretcher in the next few weeks.
Regards
Chas
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On Friday we started off on another blizzard and as the snow was starting to blow my wife and I went for a drive to check out the hydro line bait. Nothing there at the time and I decided to check out another section of the line where Paddle2daC had set out a bait with a friend.
As we got there, saw a car and two men walking down the line, one with a rifle. We have had issues with others hunting over our baits (not illegal but not ethical) so I texted P2DC at work and asked if he knew anyone in a car that was out there in a snowstorm at his bait. We turned around and as we drove back I realized the second person was dragging a coyote. They werent dressed in camo, one in a back parka and the other in a red and black check jacket.
As I pulled up, I realized it the fellow in the black coat was P2DC's friend. They had decided on their lunch break to go out and check out the hydro line after a coworker had seen a wolf that morning. They first walked in on our bait which they did nit realize was there, and turned around and left immediately when they saw the bait. I had seen their fresh tracks when I had walked in a few minutes before. Nice to see some folks with ethics.
They checked out the other bait site which had fresh tracks and set up a small Foxpro caller (that had been borrowed from P2DC) and started with a rabbit in distress call. Almost immediately a coyote came out 200 yards away in the blowing snow. Two shots with a .308 Tikka and it was down. This was his first time hunting predators!
They thought it was a small one but when I lifted it up so they could put it in a plastic bag (for the trunk of the car
), I told them that it wasnt a small one - my guess is 30+ pounds. They were really excited and glad to see a couple of young guys getting into the sport.
And then they had to go back to work.
Both P2DC and I have told them that it doesnt always play out like that.....
As we got there, saw a car and two men walking down the line, one with a rifle. We have had issues with others hunting over our baits (not illegal but not ethical) so I texted P2DC at work and asked if he knew anyone in a car that was out there in a snowstorm at his bait. We turned around and as we drove back I realized the second person was dragging a coyote. They werent dressed in camo, one in a back parka and the other in a red and black check jacket.
As I pulled up, I realized it the fellow in the black coat was P2DC's friend. They had decided on their lunch break to go out and check out the hydro line after a coworker had seen a wolf that morning. They first walked in on our bait which they did nit realize was there, and turned around and left immediately when they saw the bait. I had seen their fresh tracks when I had walked in a few minutes before. Nice to see some folks with ethics.
They checked out the other bait site which had fresh tracks and set up a small Foxpro caller (that had been borrowed from P2DC) and started with a rabbit in distress call. Almost immediately a coyote came out 200 yards away in the blowing snow. Two shots with a .308 Tikka and it was down. This was his first time hunting predators!
They thought it was a small one but when I lifted it up so they could put it in a plastic bag (for the trunk of the car
), I told them that it wasnt a small one - my guess is 30+ pounds. They were really excited and glad to see a couple of young guys getting into the sport. And then they had to go back to work.
Both P2DC and I have told them that it doesnt always play out like that.....
Last day of the season until September and another day of crappy weather - mixture of blowing snow and rain mixture. Disappointing season, second year we havent shot a wolf, although we did score on a couple of coyotes early on. Brutal winter with constant blizzards and excessively deep snow, few animals, expensive gas prices and a reduced number of active hunters in our hunting group.
We have had a skinny wolf show up and managed to get a hunt in during the March break with My72Jeep, QHPenny and their daughter - was a beautiful day but nothing showed up to the calls.
Pulling some of the remote cameras, will post any good pictures when I get them
Well, spent part of the morning packing up gear, God willing, we will be back next fall and start (my) Season 14 chasing critters. Thanks for following along all these years.
We have had a skinny wolf show up and managed to get a hunt in during the March break with My72Jeep, QHPenny and their daughter - was a beautiful day but nothing showed up to the calls.
Pulling some of the remote cameras, will post any good pictures when I get them
Well, spent part of the morning packing up gear, God willing, we will be back next fall and start (my) Season 14 chasing critters. Thanks for following along all these years.
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That being said, all I needed was a to sit on the back deck at night. Fox and coyotes are hopping the back fence and coming right up to the back deck bar b que where I set up a trail camera in the snow bank. I hope the videos work - the second one shows the coyote trotting across the yard and effortlessly hopping the back fence.
Video links:
Pics:
Video links:
Pics:
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
You have to make some snowmen(persons) near your stands that look like sitting hunters with stick guns so the coyotes get acclimatized to the shapes
