Well my wolf hunt turned into a yote hunt when we stopped to call a spot where my buddy missed one at long range yesterday when he was out "working" This is way out in the boonies, not my usual coyote haunts.
Set up at the end of a small lake and began with a few greeting howls. We heard a couple howls but they were on the other side of the lake and to our right a bit, quite a ways back in the bush, maybe a kilometer.
We decided to reposition and headed back up the road a few hundred yards and got set in the snowbank roadside. No way a guy could venture off the roadway without snowshoes as the snow is crotch deep (which I found out a couple times the hard way). Howled one more time with a response from them, then after a bit I switched to Lightning Jack distress and cranked it up to get the volume out there.
I'd call for 45 seconds then mute it for a few minutes. After 10 minutes I tried a couple more greeting howls but with no response. A couple minutes later and I glance up the slope and notice something out of place at the top, 560 yards away. It moved and sure enough, a coyote, no wait, TWO coyotes began to trot down through the snow towards us, angling downwind of course. They stopped at a flat spot @ 420 yards but we let them come, soon they were @ 360 yards, and again they kept coming. Due to the terrain they dissapeared for a bit but we were ready for them when they popped up on a rise 240 yards away.
We were going to 1-2-3-BOOM them but they didnt want to play that game. Musta caught our wind or some glare off our rifles, as they stopped, turned around and trotted back a bit. Mistake was made here on their part when they turned for a second look. I rocked the one on my side and before my buddy could get a shot off at his, it was down into the dip and out of sight. I turned my Fx3 to 'Wounded Yote' and half a minute later the 2nd yote appeared heading back up the hill on the same trail they came down on.
He stopped for 6-8 seconds @ 360 yards. I gave my buddy the range, he dialed up his elevation turret, and let one rip out of his 280 Improved. I thought he got the sucker but the yote just lurched at the shot and took off into the snow. A near miss. He headed back uphill and I couldnt get a range on him until it was 2/3 the way to the top, around 420 yards. Crank the knob up some more and another Vmax was heading his way, but no luck connecting again. By the time he reloaded and was on the dog again he was cresting the horizon @ 560 and out of sight.
What good fun
here's their path
here's her bad decision to look back
and here she is, an old warrior female. Both bottom canines busted off and she wasnt all that heavy. Im sure its a tough winter for these bush yotes. Im standing on snow that is probably up to my stomach
250 yard shot with the 243, the 70 grain Nosler BT exited out her ribs with a hole the size of a lemon. All four of the yotes Ive got with the 243 since Boxing day have been instant kills, I like that. Hit one more spot before dark, but didnt call anything in. All I got was wet feet and legs when I broke through the slough ice even with snowshoes, loon s**t stink #$&@^@
hmmm, day off work tommorow, AND Tuesday, I wonder what I will do?
Set up at the end of a small lake and began with a few greeting howls. We heard a couple howls but they were on the other side of the lake and to our right a bit, quite a ways back in the bush, maybe a kilometer.
We decided to reposition and headed back up the road a few hundred yards and got set in the snowbank roadside. No way a guy could venture off the roadway without snowshoes as the snow is crotch deep (which I found out a couple times the hard way). Howled one more time with a response from them, then after a bit I switched to Lightning Jack distress and cranked it up to get the volume out there.
I'd call for 45 seconds then mute it for a few minutes. After 10 minutes I tried a couple more greeting howls but with no response. A couple minutes later and I glance up the slope and notice something out of place at the top, 560 yards away. It moved and sure enough, a coyote, no wait, TWO coyotes began to trot down through the snow towards us, angling downwind of course. They stopped at a flat spot @ 420 yards but we let them come, soon they were @ 360 yards, and again they kept coming. Due to the terrain they dissapeared for a bit but we were ready for them when they popped up on a rise 240 yards away.
We were going to 1-2-3-BOOM them but they didnt want to play that game. Musta caught our wind or some glare off our rifles, as they stopped, turned around and trotted back a bit. Mistake was made here on their part when they turned for a second look. I rocked the one on my side and before my buddy could get a shot off at his, it was down into the dip and out of sight. I turned my Fx3 to 'Wounded Yote' and half a minute later the 2nd yote appeared heading back up the hill on the same trail they came down on.
He stopped for 6-8 seconds @ 360 yards. I gave my buddy the range, he dialed up his elevation turret, and let one rip out of his 280 Improved. I thought he got the sucker but the yote just lurched at the shot and took off into the snow. A near miss. He headed back uphill and I couldnt get a range on him until it was 2/3 the way to the top, around 420 yards. Crank the knob up some more and another Vmax was heading his way, but no luck connecting again. By the time he reloaded and was on the dog again he was cresting the horizon @ 560 and out of sight.
What good fun
here's their path
here's her bad decision to look back
and here she is, an old warrior female. Both bottom canines busted off and she wasnt all that heavy. Im sure its a tough winter for these bush yotes. Im standing on snow that is probably up to my stomach
250 yard shot with the 243, the 70 grain Nosler BT exited out her ribs with a hole the size of a lemon. All four of the yotes Ive got with the 243 since Boxing day have been instant kills, I like that. Hit one more spot before dark, but didnt call anything in. All I got was wet feet and legs when I broke through the slough ice even with snowshoes, loon s**t stink #$&@^@
hmmm, day off work tommorow, AND Tuesday, I wonder what I will do?
