Been chasing a pair of coyotes for 3 weeks, a very wary pair who has dodged pot shots from the farmer and become accustomed to any type of call I would throw at them. I hunted them twice a day every day for almost 3 weeks. Educated to say the least.
Yesterday I got a break, my wife and I spotted them from the main road in broad daylight trotting through the field, half way between two concessions. Went home, got my gun and went to the back of the property to try to get them in for a shot, when I got there the female was curled up in the snow, the male down lower watching over her. As soon as they heard my calling the male bolted in the opposite direction, confirming it was the pair I was after and giving me a bit of hope that I had stumbled on their den, finally.
This is a pay job, farmer and township were both eager to see these gone.
I went back around the block to the main road, both coyotes were half way up a treeline separating two fields, curled up and sleeping in the snow. This is the tree line, 5'-6' drifts up both sides, half way between the origin of this picture and the railway line at the end of the treeline.
I went back home and got my son, left him in the van to keep an eye on them while I made my way the 500 yards I needed to trek to get a shot off. I did the first 300 yards in snowshoes, moving only when the wind would pick up to cover my noise. At about 200 yards from the dogs I called my son to see if they were showing any sign of being alert, he was still glassing them from the highway. I took of my snowshoes and did the last 200 yards on my belly.
I could not see the coyotes at any part of the journey, so I counted on him to keep me posted on what they were doing. He called and told me I was about to cross right over them. I stood slow and was about 50 yards from 2 sleeping coyotes, but I could only see one.
I put my sights on the male, still curled up, and dumped a 55 grain Blitz in him. The shot destroyed the animal, 4 holes, each one bigger than the next. That was a first for me. Not a photogenic moment.
The female bolted in to the field, and paused at 100 yards to see what the noise was all about, took her heart out. We kept her, hanging in the shop now, my son promised to make a small rug to replace a synthetic one in front of the fireplace in the gun room.
That was this rifles first double, and it did it quite nicely. That Swift is a serious varmint round, even in the wind, and better yet, this one has some memories attached to it now as well.
This pair of coyotes has been entering a barn and killing and eating livestock, 50 yards from the farmers house, his dog has been hiding under some haybales since the pair started haunting the farm, only coming out to eat.
Happy to have these coyotes off my daily list, and happier my son got to participate in the hunt as well.
On to the next ones!
Some damage, and the final result, the male did not make the cut of appropriate photos.
Yesterday I got a break, my wife and I spotted them from the main road in broad daylight trotting through the field, half way between two concessions. Went home, got my gun and went to the back of the property to try to get them in for a shot, when I got there the female was curled up in the snow, the male down lower watching over her. As soon as they heard my calling the male bolted in the opposite direction, confirming it was the pair I was after and giving me a bit of hope that I had stumbled on their den, finally.
This is a pay job, farmer and township were both eager to see these gone.
I went back around the block to the main road, both coyotes were half way up a treeline separating two fields, curled up and sleeping in the snow. This is the tree line, 5'-6' drifts up both sides, half way between the origin of this picture and the railway line at the end of the treeline.
I went back home and got my son, left him in the van to keep an eye on them while I made my way the 500 yards I needed to trek to get a shot off. I did the first 300 yards in snowshoes, moving only when the wind would pick up to cover my noise. At about 200 yards from the dogs I called my son to see if they were showing any sign of being alert, he was still glassing them from the highway. I took of my snowshoes and did the last 200 yards on my belly.
I could not see the coyotes at any part of the journey, so I counted on him to keep me posted on what they were doing. He called and told me I was about to cross right over them. I stood slow and was about 50 yards from 2 sleeping coyotes, but I could only see one.
I put my sights on the male, still curled up, and dumped a 55 grain Blitz in him. The shot destroyed the animal, 4 holes, each one bigger than the next. That was a first for me. Not a photogenic moment.
The female bolted in to the field, and paused at 100 yards to see what the noise was all about, took her heart out. We kept her, hanging in the shop now, my son promised to make a small rug to replace a synthetic one in front of the fireplace in the gun room.
That was this rifles first double, and it did it quite nicely. That Swift is a serious varmint round, even in the wind, and better yet, this one has some memories attached to it now as well.
This pair of coyotes has been entering a barn and killing and eating livestock, 50 yards from the farmers house, his dog has been hiding under some haybales since the pair started haunting the farm, only coming out to eat.
Happy to have these coyotes off my daily list, and happier my son got to participate in the hunt as well.
On to the next ones!
Some damage, and the final result, the male did not make the cut of appropriate photos.
