So I went out today, for the 6th time. I haven't got a single coyote yet, but this time I changed my tactics.
Rather than mid day, I went for dusk. Figured maybe they would be waking up to go hunting around then.
I also changed my wind tactics. Every other time, I had the wind in my face like they tell you to do, and nearly every time it seems a Coyote gets downwind of me, smells me and then takes off. *I am solo hunting, so I can't see behind me that easily.
Now today I didn't do that. I decided to have the wind blow across me and onto a frozen lake where if a coyote did try to get downwind of me, he'd be pooched.
Well I started out howling, nothing. So I moved on to cottontail in distress. Still nothing. Last attempt about at the 1 hour mark I moved on to Jackrabbit.
I am about to give up, and here comes what I thought was a young coyote racing across the field from my right side heading really quick to my downwind. He gets about 100m from me and puts on the brakes. He is staring at my Mojo decoy. But he smells me. I acquire with the scope, and low and behold it was no coyote at all. A Red Fox. I could have taken him, but I was here for coyote. So I let him loiter for a while, hoping if there were any coyote there, they would get jealous and come see what the fox was up to.
After about 5 minutes the fox leaves because I adjusted my position back to where I was before I saw the fox.
I call with the Jackrabbit call for a bit longer, and then take a nice 10 minute break to watch. Nothing shows. I'm giving up for the day. It is nearly sundown and soon I won't be able to shoot.
I get up to a knee, following the advice of many coyote hunters, and have a look around. Nothing. I stand up put my rifle down and start packing my bag. By chance I glance back out on to the frozen lake, and there is a coyote trotting in the middle of it, heading quickly to my downwind. I slowly drop prone, and pick up my rifle on its bipod. The coyote throws on the brakes. He has reached my downwind and he can smell something is funny. He sees my mojo decoy, and is calculating. I know I only have a few more seconds before he decides to either advance or take off. I squeek on my call lightly trying to bring him closer. He isnt going anywhere. He must smell me. I aim one dot up on my scope, thinking he is about 500m away. Miss. He bolts left to where he came from. I then kiyi on my howler trying to get him to stop, hoping for another shot. He does. I fire again. Miss. Now he goes the other direction and he is quickly gaining range on me. I let him go.
I was disappointed that I missed him. But this is the first coyote I've managed to call in and take a shot at. Every other time they have skunked me. Despite this I was elated that my mouth calls were bringing in live critters! I am really starting to think that my dry spell was mostly due to time of day. At dusk it was like the woods were coming alive. Ravens were milling about, obviously following the fox. A huge owl was loitering. Then a coyote shows up! I was thrilled. I smiled all the way home.
I get home and I pull up my map, and range it out. 300m. I also was elevated about 10-15 ft from the lake surface. By aiming off too high, I must have shot right over his back!
I learned some lessons today:
-remember what you are zeroed at. I keep thinking I'm zeroed at 100m, when really I did it at 200m.
-don't call too much. Long pauses are good. Coyotes can't help but be curious. If the source of the sound stops, they will move closer to investigate, sometimes throwing caution to the wind.
-if you are elevated, you don't need to compensate so much for distance
-Coyotes will almost always try to get to your downwind.
Despite my miss, this definitely upped my confidence as I was starting to think I was doing something seriously wrong. Now I just need to work on my range estimation.
Rather than mid day, I went for dusk. Figured maybe they would be waking up to go hunting around then.
I also changed my wind tactics. Every other time, I had the wind in my face like they tell you to do, and nearly every time it seems a Coyote gets downwind of me, smells me and then takes off. *I am solo hunting, so I can't see behind me that easily.
Now today I didn't do that. I decided to have the wind blow across me and onto a frozen lake where if a coyote did try to get downwind of me, he'd be pooched.
Well I started out howling, nothing. So I moved on to cottontail in distress. Still nothing. Last attempt about at the 1 hour mark I moved on to Jackrabbit.
I am about to give up, and here comes what I thought was a young coyote racing across the field from my right side heading really quick to my downwind. He gets about 100m from me and puts on the brakes. He is staring at my Mojo decoy. But he smells me. I acquire with the scope, and low and behold it was no coyote at all. A Red Fox. I could have taken him, but I was here for coyote. So I let him loiter for a while, hoping if there were any coyote there, they would get jealous and come see what the fox was up to.
After about 5 minutes the fox leaves because I adjusted my position back to where I was before I saw the fox.
I call with the Jackrabbit call for a bit longer, and then take a nice 10 minute break to watch. Nothing shows. I'm giving up for the day. It is nearly sundown and soon I won't be able to shoot.
I get up to a knee, following the advice of many coyote hunters, and have a look around. Nothing. I stand up put my rifle down and start packing my bag. By chance I glance back out on to the frozen lake, and there is a coyote trotting in the middle of it, heading quickly to my downwind. I slowly drop prone, and pick up my rifle on its bipod. The coyote throws on the brakes. He has reached my downwind and he can smell something is funny. He sees my mojo decoy, and is calculating. I know I only have a few more seconds before he decides to either advance or take off. I squeek on my call lightly trying to bring him closer. He isnt going anywhere. He must smell me. I aim one dot up on my scope, thinking he is about 500m away. Miss. He bolts left to where he came from. I then kiyi on my howler trying to get him to stop, hoping for another shot. He does. I fire again. Miss. Now he goes the other direction and he is quickly gaining range on me. I let him go.
I was disappointed that I missed him. But this is the first coyote I've managed to call in and take a shot at. Every other time they have skunked me. Despite this I was elated that my mouth calls were bringing in live critters! I am really starting to think that my dry spell was mostly due to time of day. At dusk it was like the woods were coming alive. Ravens were milling about, obviously following the fox. A huge owl was loitering. Then a coyote shows up! I was thrilled. I smiled all the way home.
I get home and I pull up my map, and range it out. 300m. I also was elevated about 10-15 ft from the lake surface. By aiming off too high, I must have shot right over his back!
I learned some lessons today:
-remember what you are zeroed at. I keep thinking I'm zeroed at 100m, when really I did it at 200m.
-don't call too much. Long pauses are good. Coyotes can't help but be curious. If the source of the sound stops, they will move closer to investigate, sometimes throwing caution to the wind.
-if you are elevated, you don't need to compensate so much for distance
-Coyotes will almost always try to get to your downwind.
Despite my miss, this definitely upped my confidence as I was starting to think I was doing something seriously wrong. Now I just need to work on my range estimation.
