yellowknifedave
Regular
- Location
- Somewhere in SK.....
Long post.....sorry guys.
Well, it was the first day of holidays, and the temperature was -32 C, so I figured it would be a good day to go coyote hunting. I packed my stuff into the car, and drove the 25 minutes to my hunting spot. I arrived right at sunrise, and hiked in on a trail for about half a mile and tried my luck calling. I waited about 20 minutes all together, then decided to move along. Hiked in another half mile and found a great spot to try again. I sat down, got as comfortable as I could and started calling.
I called for about 3 minutes, ending with some dying wimpers, and then got set for the long wait. Within about two minutes, a coyote came out of the bush and sat itself down directly infront of me at about 60 yards. Close enough I figure, so I shouldered my savage 24v in 223/20 ga and pulled the trigger. Click..... So I unshoulder the rifle, recock, shoulder it again and click. I know the thing had frozen up in the -32 weather. I figured if the coyote was patient enough, eventually with enough tries the thing might move enough to get me a shot. 5 more clicks, and no boom.
A second coyote comes out of the bush and sits just 15 yards behind the first one. I am positive that I have had eye contact with the first coyote, but it still allows me to shoulder and click at it an additional six times. I even took time to open the action, wiggle the hammer a bit, wiggle the firing pin etc. with these two coyotes staring right at me. I figure, maybe that coyote is just bad luck, so try number 12 is at the coyote that is a little behind. They are both sitting pretty, looking like they are posing for a picture. I shoulder for the unlucky 13th time at the rear dog, and sure enough, click..........
I definitely had eye contact with the second dog, and it watched me shoulder and aim at it, then drop the rifle to my lap. It got up slowly, turned away and walked back into the bush. I have been made, I thought. Oh well. It was a nice morning. About twenty seconds later the first coyote gets up and turns around and slowly walks back to the bush.
No good, I think. So I open the action, work the firing pin back and forth several times, pull the trigger about 20 times and it almost seems that they are functional by now. Up until this point, the hammer was travelling as if in slow motion, and I was unsure it was hitting the pin. Now it was, but I am not sure how hard the contact was. I figure the rifle might work, about 4 minutes have past since the coyotes turned tail, so I start another calling session.
Within about 90 seconds, both coyotes come out of the bush at a trot, straight towards me. I shoulder the rifle again in preparation. They get about 20 yards away, and the trailing coyote took a nip at the lead one. There is a quick little fight (less than 20 yards in front of me) where the lead coyote establishes its dominance. The coyote in the back retreated about 15 yards and sat facing me in the snow. By this time, a third coyote had arrived at the edge of the bush in front, and held at about 90 yards away, just watching what was going on.
By this time, the dominant coyote is about 10 yards away, now to the side, and it looks like it will go behind me, so I let out a few wimpers on the call to get it to stop. It didn't, but now it new where I was, so it turned and still at a trot, I shouldered and .........click. They coyote stopped trotting, and was kind of crooked - headedly looking at me while still walking towards me.
He got within 5 yards, and I actually felt a little nervous, so I stood up and growled at him. He was close enough that I could have smacked him with the but of the rifle. Note to self - next time fix bayonet.......
The thing turned and started to go away, still staring at me and probably thinking what is that thing (I was wearing white snow cammo, a white belaclava, and maybe looked like a six foot snowshoe hare?). The two lead dogs slowly trotted away into the bush while staring at me the whole time. The third coyote still held his position at the edge of the brush. I sat and watched him for about three minutes, then decided to start the long hike back to the car.
The story doesn't really end there. Once I got up and started walking back to the car, I got twenty yards when one of the coyotes started yipping like crazy. I kept walking, and could tell by the yipping that it was following me. It held at about 100 yards behind me for about 3/4 of a mile.
I have had many coyote hunting experiences that have ended with a boom. This one will be the one that stays with me the longest, because it is the most unique. Just figured I would share the story.
Now, I will strip that rifle apart, thoroughly remove all of the oil or solvent in the action and dry it out. Will go out and meet these three coyotes again on the 27th.
YKD
Well, it was the first day of holidays, and the temperature was -32 C, so I figured it would be a good day to go coyote hunting. I packed my stuff into the car, and drove the 25 minutes to my hunting spot. I arrived right at sunrise, and hiked in on a trail for about half a mile and tried my luck calling. I waited about 20 minutes all together, then decided to move along. Hiked in another half mile and found a great spot to try again. I sat down, got as comfortable as I could and started calling.
I called for about 3 minutes, ending with some dying wimpers, and then got set for the long wait. Within about two minutes, a coyote came out of the bush and sat itself down directly infront of me at about 60 yards. Close enough I figure, so I shouldered my savage 24v in 223/20 ga and pulled the trigger. Click..... So I unshoulder the rifle, recock, shoulder it again and click. I know the thing had frozen up in the -32 weather. I figured if the coyote was patient enough, eventually with enough tries the thing might move enough to get me a shot. 5 more clicks, and no boom.
A second coyote comes out of the bush and sits just 15 yards behind the first one. I am positive that I have had eye contact with the first coyote, but it still allows me to shoulder and click at it an additional six times. I even took time to open the action, wiggle the hammer a bit, wiggle the firing pin etc. with these two coyotes staring right at me. I figure, maybe that coyote is just bad luck, so try number 12 is at the coyote that is a little behind. They are both sitting pretty, looking like they are posing for a picture. I shoulder for the unlucky 13th time at the rear dog, and sure enough, click..........
I definitely had eye contact with the second dog, and it watched me shoulder and aim at it, then drop the rifle to my lap. It got up slowly, turned away and walked back into the bush. I have been made, I thought. Oh well. It was a nice morning. About twenty seconds later the first coyote gets up and turns around and slowly walks back to the bush.
No good, I think. So I open the action, work the firing pin back and forth several times, pull the trigger about 20 times and it almost seems that they are functional by now. Up until this point, the hammer was travelling as if in slow motion, and I was unsure it was hitting the pin. Now it was, but I am not sure how hard the contact was. I figure the rifle might work, about 4 minutes have past since the coyotes turned tail, so I start another calling session.
Within about 90 seconds, both coyotes come out of the bush at a trot, straight towards me. I shoulder the rifle again in preparation. They get about 20 yards away, and the trailing coyote took a nip at the lead one. There is a quick little fight (less than 20 yards in front of me) where the lead coyote establishes its dominance. The coyote in the back retreated about 15 yards and sat facing me in the snow. By this time, a third coyote had arrived at the edge of the bush in front, and held at about 90 yards away, just watching what was going on.
By this time, the dominant coyote is about 10 yards away, now to the side, and it looks like it will go behind me, so I let out a few wimpers on the call to get it to stop. It didn't, but now it new where I was, so it turned and still at a trot, I shouldered and .........click. They coyote stopped trotting, and was kind of crooked - headedly looking at me while still walking towards me.
He got within 5 yards, and I actually felt a little nervous, so I stood up and growled at him. He was close enough that I could have smacked him with the but of the rifle. Note to self - next time fix bayonet.......
The thing turned and started to go away, still staring at me and probably thinking what is that thing (I was wearing white snow cammo, a white belaclava, and maybe looked like a six foot snowshoe hare?). The two lead dogs slowly trotted away into the bush while staring at me the whole time. The third coyote still held his position at the edge of the brush. I sat and watched him for about three minutes, then decided to start the long hike back to the car.
The story doesn't really end there. Once I got up and started walking back to the car, I got twenty yards when one of the coyotes started yipping like crazy. I kept walking, and could tell by the yipping that it was following me. It held at about 100 yards behind me for about 3/4 of a mile.
I have had many coyote hunting experiences that have ended with a boom. This one will be the one that stays with me the longest, because it is the most unique. Just figured I would share the story.
Now, I will strip that rifle apart, thoroughly remove all of the oil or solvent in the action and dry it out. Will go out and meet these three coyotes again on the 27th.
YKD
, that must have been awesome, have em up close like that...nice fur on those critters, a mix of color, man their fun to hunt eh..Winter can be fun
