Yotarunner
CGN Regular
- Location
- Eastern Alberta
So far this season has had a bit of a slow start for me when it comes to killing coyotes. Long work hours and a busy personal life have robbed my coyote calling time but it's finally starting to slow down enough that I can get a few stands in!
Prior to this last weekend there was a few coyotes unfortunate enough to be around the feedlot while I was armed.
PXL_20241109_153401636.PORTRAIT~2 by brad harder, on Flickr
This poor nasty chupacabra was unlucky enough to catch a 450 yard hail mary shot with the 220 swift. With dogs like this showing up I'm going to get more aggressive at killing coyotes on the deadpit as I dont want mange spreading the way it did before I started hunting here.
PXL_20241110_185035583.MP by brad harder, on Flickr
Last weekend with the rain and snowstorm looming I found myself with a few hours to hunt before the rain started.
With no time to spare I pulled in to a narrow strip of pasture next to work that often holds coyotes. Sitting on the edge of a corn field looking to the pasture I started off with rabbit distress to no avail and 5 min later blew some chirpy bird distress on one of my handcalls. Nearing the end of my sequence I caught movement to my left as a nice young whitetail buck burst through a low spot into the open.
Watching his body language it was evident that he had been spooked from his bed and he kept looking back over his shoulder at whatever it was. The low spot to my left was out of sight from my position and though I could see over the hill this one spot would have a coyote right in my lap if it didn't circle downwind. With this in mind I keyed bird distress on the foxpro 40 yards to my right and sure enough not 30 seconds later a coyote popped into view. At 25 yards the coyote barely had time to flinch as my shotgun came up and a swarm of Hornady BB put him down. Like an idiot I was too focused on my next stand to take photos of this one
The next stand had me headed to a spot new to me last year. Usually this spot was a crop field with a small coulee of steep unfarmable grassland in the middle. This year the crop field had been left unfarmed and long brown weeds covered it offering me cover in areas previously barren and flat.
Setting down next to some extra tall weeds I surveyed the area. I could see far out ahead as well as the rolling hills to my left and right for the downwind. There was a slight ridge off my left shoulder that required I stretch to see over but it was open ground I could see a long ways off so it wasn't a big deal...or so I thought.
PXL_20241207_203347320.MP by brad harder, on Flickr
Starting off like the last stand with rabbit distress then bird distress on the handcalls to no avail I turned on tony tebbe's den raid on the foxpro. With no takers and already 20 minutes in the foxpro was muted and i stood up with my usual 360 "just in case" scan. Sure enough there was a coyote behind my position just about to catch my wind. He ran behind the hill and began the typical coyote bark bark bark warning. To keep his attention I turned the foxpro back on and grabbing my rifle sprinted to the top of the hill.
His barking and carrying on continued from the bottom of the hill and as I crested to see his position my outline spooked him into movement. Grabbing a howler on my lanyard I frantically stuffed it into my mouth upside down by accident and let out a loud unearthly squeal howl sound which stopped him for a 200 yard shot across the valley.
PXL_20241207_204610120.MP by brad harder, on Flickr
PXL_20241207_205236144.MP by brad harder, on Flickr
Walking back I cut his tracks and learned the story of how it happened. With the long weeds this coyote had been laying up somewhere in the usually wide open field. His approach took him around a hill and right up that skinny little blind spot that I didn't pay attention to. He had at one point been very much in view but behind my position enough that I didn't look back far enough in my scanning. Roughly 40 yards from where I sat he saw something he didn't like and circled behind me and wa son his way out when I stood up.
Prior to this last weekend there was a few coyotes unfortunate enough to be around the feedlot while I was armed.
PXL_20241109_153401636.PORTRAIT~2 by brad harder, on FlickrThis poor nasty chupacabra was unlucky enough to catch a 450 yard hail mary shot with the 220 swift. With dogs like this showing up I'm going to get more aggressive at killing coyotes on the deadpit as I dont want mange spreading the way it did before I started hunting here.
PXL_20241110_185035583.MP by brad harder, on FlickrLast weekend with the rain and snowstorm looming I found myself with a few hours to hunt before the rain started.
With no time to spare I pulled in to a narrow strip of pasture next to work that often holds coyotes. Sitting on the edge of a corn field looking to the pasture I started off with rabbit distress to no avail and 5 min later blew some chirpy bird distress on one of my handcalls. Nearing the end of my sequence I caught movement to my left as a nice young whitetail buck burst through a low spot into the open.
Watching his body language it was evident that he had been spooked from his bed and he kept looking back over his shoulder at whatever it was. The low spot to my left was out of sight from my position and though I could see over the hill this one spot would have a coyote right in my lap if it didn't circle downwind. With this in mind I keyed bird distress on the foxpro 40 yards to my right and sure enough not 30 seconds later a coyote popped into view. At 25 yards the coyote barely had time to flinch as my shotgun came up and a swarm of Hornady BB put him down. Like an idiot I was too focused on my next stand to take photos of this one
The next stand had me headed to a spot new to me last year. Usually this spot was a crop field with a small coulee of steep unfarmable grassland in the middle. This year the crop field had been left unfarmed and long brown weeds covered it offering me cover in areas previously barren and flat.
Setting down next to some extra tall weeds I surveyed the area. I could see far out ahead as well as the rolling hills to my left and right for the downwind. There was a slight ridge off my left shoulder that required I stretch to see over but it was open ground I could see a long ways off so it wasn't a big deal...or so I thought.
PXL_20241207_203347320.MP by brad harder, on FlickrStarting off like the last stand with rabbit distress then bird distress on the handcalls to no avail I turned on tony tebbe's den raid on the foxpro. With no takers and already 20 minutes in the foxpro was muted and i stood up with my usual 360 "just in case" scan. Sure enough there was a coyote behind my position just about to catch my wind. He ran behind the hill and began the typical coyote bark bark bark warning. To keep his attention I turned the foxpro back on and grabbing my rifle sprinted to the top of the hill.
His barking and carrying on continued from the bottom of the hill and as I crested to see his position my outline spooked him into movement. Grabbing a howler on my lanyard I frantically stuffed it into my mouth upside down by accident and let out a loud unearthly squeal howl sound which stopped him for a 200 yard shot across the valley.
PXL_20241207_204610120.MP by brad harder, on FlickrPXL_20241207_205236144.MP by brad harder, on FlickrWalking back I cut his tracks and learned the story of how it happened. With the long weeds this coyote had been laying up somewhere in the usually wide open field. His approach took him around a hill and right up that skinny little blind spot that I didn't pay attention to. He had at one point been very much in view but behind my position enough that I didn't look back far enough in my scanning. Roughly 40 yards from where I sat he saw something he didn't like and circled behind me and wa son his way out when I stood up.
Talk about your high fence canned hunts.
