Close to far or far to close

C

Crouchy

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So. I under stand that a bird in hand is better then 2 in the bush.... but that ain't going to keep me from trying for the 2. So my question is regarding coyote hunts. I have sat twice now this year. First sit shot my first fox. Well.... my buddy was first shooter but shooting a 6.5 creedmoor he opted for a head shot as he wanted to tan it .. well funny enough my barber buddy managed to just give the fox a hair cut. So I was watching as it turned. A quick woof and he stopped. Noticed my buddy fighting a jam i ended up taking the shot.

Now the question. I have been watching alot of coyote videos as it is that season and trying to scratch the itch you could say. It seems that alot of guys when they have multiples show up they always shoot close dog first. Now I understand if a dog is getting shy or about to break your wind stream then start shooting.

However. I would rather shoot the far one first as the closer a running shot is the higher the probability is... now I haven't been lucky enough to have the option to double. Anytime I have had more then 1 it has been 2 and it was me and a bud... so 1 each.

What is your go to assuming your wind is great and any or all shooting options are in your own personal shooting range.
 
take the better shot opportunity first, then look at the second one. Your plan may work sometimes but more times then not your going to miss the running shot, even the tv pros miss lot of them.
 
I have a very accurate rig and I know my rifle and my bullet. In the double or even triple scenario, I go for the farthest dog as long as the nearest dog has its head down and is on the move. It has worked for a few doubles. Never managed a triple unless I had another shooter with me.
 
I’m not greedy. I take the best opportunity first. Worry about the second chance after that. I have Killed doubles (sort of) where one dog comes in then a second dog minutes after. Never had more than 3 come in at one time and there always seems to be a brave/ dumb one that checks things out. The others seems to hang back and watch the dumb/brave one die. I generally kill the brave ones
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cdn1canhunt said:
I’m not greedy. I take the best opportunity first. Worry about the second chance after that. I have Killed doubles (sort of) where one dog comes in then a second dog minutes after. Never had more than 3 come in at one time and there always seems to be a brave/ dumb one that checks things out. The others seems to hang back and watch the dumb/brave one die. I generally kill the brave ones
The lurkers live to see another day.
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I have always like the saying.... there are bold coyotes and old coyotes but no old bold coyotes.
 
It all comes down to how the scenario plays out. Gotta remember that the videos you watch are mainly looking for good footage before everything else.
I have killed 5 in one stand close to far and I have lost doubles and triples doing the same by trying to think it through and be fancy.
My advice is do what feels natural in the moment and don't overthink it. As soon as you start thinking about shot 2,3,4,5 you end up forgetting about shot 1 and everything falls apart.
 
Yotarunner said:
It all comes down to how the scenario plays out. Gotta remember that the videos you watch are mainly looking for good footage before everything else.
I have killed 5 in one stand close to far and I have lost doubles and triples doing the same by trying to think it through and be fancy.
My advice is do what feels natural in the moment and don't overthink it. As soon as you start thinking about shot 2,3,4,5 you end up forgetting about shot 1 and everything falls apart.
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Good advice.
 
cdn1canhunt said:
I’m not greedy. I take the best opportunity first. Worry about the second chance after that. I have Killed doubles (sort of) where one dog comes in then a second dog minutes after. Never had more than 3 come in at one time and there always seems to be a brave/ dumb one that checks things out. The others seems to hang back and watch the dumb/brave one die. I generally kill the brave ones
The lurkers live to see another day.
Click to expand...

Have you noticed if in general they tend to be getting less dumb/brave by taking those genetics out of the gene pool?

I always wonder about that, in our area grouse are VERY sketchy and you rarely see the "dumb bird sitting on the road while i walk up to it" and more hear them take off from a distance before you were ever close enough to even think about getting a shot off.

Is this because those birds see a lot of pressure and get spooky because of it, or did we kill off all the dumb birds and the smart ones were left over to breed?

The answer to everyone's question might be to shoot the more cautious one first so you'll have more dumb/braves ones later
 
For me its pretty much always the harder/further one first, but its dependent one each individual set though. Like are they casually walking in or running full bore, is one behind a small hill, going to catch my wind... Something like that.

Im a prone shooter so the first shot for me is always the most stable. I also like to setup on the high ground so I can see whats in my arcs of fire.
 
cdn1canhunt said:
How many time have you been out ?
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I only started 3 years ago... first year was hand calls. next year was a foxpro.... I average at least once a week jan, feb and march. 2 sits per outing. I would say that my average is a sighting every 3 outings? The average is going up as I get better at playing the wind as well as my choice in calling and being silent.
 
One more little tidbit that I have discovered. During mating season if a pair comes in always try to shoot the smaller (female) of the 2 if it's possible. Often the males don't want to leave the Mrs behind and can be called back in with kiyi's or fight sounds.
 
I have been successful shooting farthest first, then stopping the running dog(s) with a whipped pup distress call. I can see scenarios where that wouldn't work all the time though, so for me it is not set in stone.
 
Crouchy said:
I only started 3 years ago... first year was hand calls. next year was a foxpro.... I average at least once a week jan, feb and march. 2 sits per outing. I would say that my average is a sighting every 3 outings? The average is going up as I get better at playing the wind as well as my choice in calling and being silent.
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Keep after them. Use prey distress now , then Use coyote vocals through Feb and march. Sounds like you are doing just fine for calling is the East. Set up is key to killing em. Good luck
 
I always try to shoot the back one but I've been burned a few times and learned my lesson and don't get too greedy.

If I have my foxpro there I will usually go for it. The foxbang usually gets them to stop atleast once if they aren't too close to the one I shoot first.
 
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