...nope, probably not what you were expecting from me, but this story isnt about double rye and cokes 
Headed out this morning an hour before sunrise to a spot not far from town, maybe 15 minute drive from my house. Clamped my boots into the snowshoes and hiked up to the fields. First order of business for the day was to try and locate some yotes, so I cranked up the Fx3 and let some Randy Anderson serenade go. Had a single howl from the east of me, and it sounded not too far away, so I was going to concentrate on it.
Hiked half a kilometer to the north to get the breeze in my favor and I stopped for a breather and heard a whole pack of yotes howling to the north west of me a mile or so away. I was tempted to go for them but the wind wasnt right so I kept heading north until I hit a fenceline and headed east. Snow is very crusty and crunchy now and I didnt like my odds of getting into the area without alarming any coyotes within earshot.
I was about 30 mins hike from the truck when I found a good looking spot to make a stand. I set my Foxpro and Jack in the Box decoy (just got it yesterday for Xmas) out in the field on a rise about 75 yards from the treed fenceline where I planned on hiding.
I started the set like I usually do. A couple howls using the Randy Anderson female interrogation howl. Almost instantly I had one howl back at me from the east, and it sounded pretty close. A minute later, a few yotes began to howl to the north east of me, and I could see them racing around the field about one kilometer away. I turned the Fx3 to Lightning Jack distress, and watched the yotes in the far distance. They never moved much for a few minutes but then I could see them trotting closer
I would call for 30 seconds, then mute it for about 2 minutes. The yotes had gone out of sight on their way towards me, but I knew they were coming. They popped into view about 600 yards out, it was quite the sight to see, the three of them trotting in with the sun rising on them. The lead dog was a hundred or more yards ahead of the other two, and it dissapeared in a coulee in the field. I switched sounds to Guinea Pigs, and set the volume so low that I could barely hear it from 75 yards away. I just wanted to coax the dogs in.
The lead dog popped out of the dip and onto a rise in the field, a glance through the Leupold set on 9x made my mind up that it was within range, I held on his chest and fired and I could see the hair fly on impact through my scope. I quickly reloaded, changed sounds to Coyote Death, and turned the volume up.
I could see one of the other yotes running away, at a distance I guesstimated to be 400 yards. He stopped and looked my way and I fired, but hit low. Turns out he was more like 550 yards...
After a couple minutes the yote I missed, he began howling and barking at me. I came back with the Male Challenge howls, and it went back and forth for a few minutes. Then I see yote #3 come out of a dip in the field about 500 yards out. I watched him howl and bark at me for almost 10 minutes, as he slowly made his way towards my position. Just when it looked like he was going to come in, he turned and began trotting away. He jumped up on a big clump of dirt in the middle of the field, and I knew he was a LONG way away, but decided to try anyways. He was far enough away that my rangefinder wouldnt pick either him or the dirt clump up. I held for 400 yards, but saw my shot hit the snow wayyy low. He turned and ran but stopped to look back, and I held even higher, but again, hit low. Later inspection found that it was actually 564 yards from the dirt clump to where I shot from.
So there I am sitting, rifle out of ammo, yote running for the trees 700 yards out, I glance over along the fenceline to my left and I see a yote standing at the edge of the field watching my direction. My ammo is in my bag, four feet behind me. I lean waayyyyy back, fumble the zippers, pull a 243 shell out of the bag, drop it in my rifle and close the bolt. Lucky me, coyote is still standing there looking my way. I have a branch in my way so I have to slink down and shoot below it. It was facing me and I held dead center and let one rip. The coyote dissapeared from sight and I sat there for a couple minutes watching for it running somewhere, but it never did show.
I loaded my rifle up, grabbed my camera, and started to walk towards where the first yote I shot lay. I get to him, a nice male, 302 yards away. My first kill with my new 243 Winchester! The 70 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip entered just left of center and didnt exit. The yote dropped in his tracks. I look over to where the last one was when I shot and I see it laying in the snow.
I drag the male over to the 2nd yote and see that its a small female, and it got hit right between the eyes. Its one eye was popped out like a cartoon. 275 yards from where I was sitting.
So, five shots fired, two dead, and lots of fun. What a morning!
So there's my long winded story. Hadnt killed a yote since early September, so I guess my fingers were a bit itchy.
Headed out this morning an hour before sunrise to a spot not far from town, maybe 15 minute drive from my house. Clamped my boots into the snowshoes and hiked up to the fields. First order of business for the day was to try and locate some yotes, so I cranked up the Fx3 and let some Randy Anderson serenade go. Had a single howl from the east of me, and it sounded not too far away, so I was going to concentrate on it.
Hiked half a kilometer to the north to get the breeze in my favor and I stopped for a breather and heard a whole pack of yotes howling to the north west of me a mile or so away. I was tempted to go for them but the wind wasnt right so I kept heading north until I hit a fenceline and headed east. Snow is very crusty and crunchy now and I didnt like my odds of getting into the area without alarming any coyotes within earshot.
I was about 30 mins hike from the truck when I found a good looking spot to make a stand. I set my Foxpro and Jack in the Box decoy (just got it yesterday for Xmas
) out in the field on a rise about 75 yards from the treed fenceline where I planned on hiding.I started the set like I usually do. A couple howls using the Randy Anderson female interrogation howl. Almost instantly I had one howl back at me from the east, and it sounded pretty close. A minute later, a few yotes began to howl to the north east of me, and I could see them racing around the field about one kilometer away. I turned the Fx3 to Lightning Jack distress, and watched the yotes in the far distance. They never moved much for a few minutes but then I could see them trotting closer
I would call for 30 seconds, then mute it for about 2 minutes. The yotes had gone out of sight on their way towards me, but I knew they were coming. They popped into view about 600 yards out, it was quite the sight to see, the three of them trotting in with the sun rising on them. The lead dog was a hundred or more yards ahead of the other two, and it dissapeared in a coulee in the field. I switched sounds to Guinea Pigs, and set the volume so low that I could barely hear it from 75 yards away. I just wanted to coax the dogs in.
The lead dog popped out of the dip and onto a rise in the field, a glance through the Leupold set on 9x made my mind up that it was within range, I held on his chest and fired and I could see the hair fly on impact through my scope. I quickly reloaded, changed sounds to Coyote Death, and turned the volume up.
I could see one of the other yotes running away, at a distance I guesstimated to be 400 yards. He stopped and looked my way and I fired, but hit low. Turns out he was more like 550 yards...
After a couple minutes the yote I missed, he began howling and barking at me. I came back with the Male Challenge howls, and it went back and forth for a few minutes. Then I see yote #3 come out of a dip in the field about 500 yards out. I watched him howl and bark at me for almost 10 minutes, as he slowly made his way towards my position. Just when it looked like he was going to come in, he turned and began trotting away. He jumped up on a big clump of dirt in the middle of the field, and I knew he was a LONG way away, but decided to try anyways. He was far enough away that my rangefinder wouldnt pick either him or the dirt clump up. I held for 400 yards, but saw my shot hit the snow wayyy low. He turned and ran but stopped to look back, and I held even higher, but again, hit low. Later inspection found that it was actually 564 yards from the dirt clump to where I shot from.
So there I am sitting, rifle out of ammo, yote running for the trees 700 yards out, I glance over along the fenceline to my left and I see a yote standing at the edge of the field watching my direction. My ammo is in my bag, four feet behind me. I lean waayyyyy back, fumble the zippers, pull a 243 shell out of the bag, drop it in my rifle and close the bolt. Lucky me, coyote is still standing there looking my way. I have a branch in my way so I have to slink down and shoot below it. It was facing me and I held dead center and let one rip. The coyote dissapeared from sight and I sat there for a couple minutes watching for it running somewhere, but it never did show.
I loaded my rifle up, grabbed my camera, and started to walk towards where the first yote I shot lay. I get to him, a nice male, 302 yards away. My first kill with my new 243 Winchester! The 70 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip entered just left of center and didnt exit. The yote dropped in his tracks. I look over to where the last one was when I shot and I see it laying in the snow.
I drag the male over to the 2nd yote and see that its a small female, and it got hit right between the eyes. Its one eye was popped out like a cartoon. 275 yards from where I was sitting.
So, five shots fired, two dead, and lots of fun. What a morning!
So there's my long winded story. Hadnt killed a yote since early September, so I guess my fingers were a bit itchy.
Ya broke the jinx 
