My Best Day of Calling.......very long post

captkb44

By captkb44
in Varmint & Predator Hunting

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captkb44 4-Pointer

captkb44

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Last year I gained access to a ranch out in West Texas, near where I grew up that has alot of praire dogs and coyotes. Me and a couple buddies tried hunting once last yr and had a blizzard move in and stopped out hunting short. Well for the past few weeks, I have been watching the 10 day weather forcast for that area and we finally decided to make a day of calling out there yesterday. The forecast was calling for sunny skies with temps starting out around 40 with a high near 70 and only a 5 to 10 mph south breeze. For once they got the forecast right!!!

We pulled onto the ranch right after 7:00am and unloaded the Kubota 4x4 RTV (I rented this just for this occassion and it paid for itself 10 times over). I opened the truck door and we had coyotes howling all around us. We get the RTV loaded up with our gear and head out. We had about 30 minutes before it was going to be light enough to see and shoot. We see a small prairie dog town ahead and decide to make our first stand there. I set up on the north side of a small stock tank and David sets up on the south side - we are both looking to the west. I start off with a raspy jackrabbit distress on one of my open reed calls. Not 3 minutes into the stand I hear BOOOM................WHOOOOOP!!!!! Coyote #1 came in from the south right out in the open for David to get a good shot on him. I hit the ki-yis but we didn't have any more takers on that stand.

Our second stand is one I will never forget the rest of my life!!!! I learned a few things on this stand that I won't make the mistake of doing again. We set up on another small prairie dog town, but this time we are looking to the south. I was sitting next to a small mesquite tree that horse shoed around me (mistake number one! ) Sitting there next to that tree cut off anything to my right and left...................my only shooting lane was straight ahead. I start off with the open reed call again and I no more get thru the first series of calling and look thru the tree to my left and I see not one but two coyotes and both are less than 50 yds from me. The lead dog had me busted from the start, so I was sitting there froze hoping he would swing on around past me for David to get a shot. NOT!!! This dog was very curious as to what that big camo blob was. He gets almost straight in front of me about 15 yds and turns towards me. The whole time I am trying my best not to move so they don't run off. I expected him to break and run back the direction they came from, but instead he comes towards me and gets to 10 ft from me. I am about to go crazy and my heart is pounding so loud I know that coyote had to hear it. The second dog is about 25 yds from me just standing there wondering what his buddy is doing. The whole time David is wondering why I ain't shot either of them . Finally David shoots the second dog and the one I had almost in my lap breaks and runs away from us and he is able to get him as well. The second mistake was not having one of us with a shotgun.....................that won't happen again either!!! So we have made two stand and have 3 coyotes in the truck.

Stand #3 is our first dry stand.

Stand #4 we set up on the north end of a small prairie dog town. I made up one of those turkey feather on a stick and string decoys and had it out 40 yds in front of us. David was set up about 50 yds to my left. I start off with the open reed call again and during the second series I catch movement to my right. There is a coyote coming in fast and hard about 50 yds out. He is far enough to my right, I can't swing on him and get a shot off. I stepped it off after the stand and where he ran by was only 15 yds. Thats twice I needed a shotgun!!!!

Stand #5 we decided to use the compu-caller. We are set up on yet another small prairie dog town (this ranch has lots of prairie dog towns), both of us are looking to the north. David is to my right about 30 yds and he is running the caller. Oh I forgot we made another big mistake ....................the remote to the compu-caller needed batteries.....................we forgot to stop and get any on our way out!!! Within 2 minutes I have a coyote out in front of me slightly to my left coming in on a rope. I am just fixing to get him in the cross hairs and bark at him when he breaks and runs straight away from me behind some brush. After the stand David said he thought that coyote caught him moving his gun. We keep calling and I hear David lip squeak and look to my right and see coyote #2, just as it breaks and starts to trot away from us. David hit him on the run about 75 yds out.......................to both of our surprise it was a head shot. David said there was a 3rd coyote that stayed out to the far right that I never saw or presented a shot for him.

So in 5 stands we have 4 coyotes in the truck and called in 7.

Stand #6 was our second dry stand.

Stand #7 was a very interesting stand. We set up on the side of a small hill looking to the east. The shallow draw below us had a pretty thick strip of cover and then on the other side it was real open. I start off with the open reed call again and within 3 minutes I see a coyote straight out from us coming in hard. David sees a second coyote and then all of a sudden that second coyote breaks out in a dead run after a big ol jackrabbit. Interesting to watch for a few second!!! The lead dog comes on in and stops about 75 yds out in some tall grass. All I can see is his head and I was able to claim my first miss of the day!!! I get on the ki-yis and David spots another coyote coming in from the north. We think it was the second dog that took off after the jackrabbit. We loose him for a few minutes in the draw below us and then he finally steps out in a small opening.................BOOOOM........................WHOOOOOOP!!!! I get my first coyote of the morning. As we start walking out to pick him up we just up 3 whitetail bucks that were bedded down in that draw. The 1st coyote that I missed came right thru where they were bedded and the coyote I shot was just above them and the deer never ran until we walked down there. Two of the bucks had real nice racks!!!

Stand #8 we set up on a small hill with a dry tank to the east of us and a deep and thick draw to the north. I start calling with the open reed. About 10 minutes go by and we were getting ready to call it quits, since everything else that morning was coming in hard in the first 5 minutes at most. I spot ears just above the grass to the northeast of us. I take a look thru the scope and to my surprise its a bobcat. All I can see is his head thru the scope, but thats all I needed. BOOOOOM..................WHOOOOOP and down she goes.

Stand #9 we set up on another small hill looking down into a mesquite flat to the east and south with a crp field to the north. The wind had picked up just a little out of the south. We were thinking we would call something in from the mesquite flat. After about 5 minutes of calling on the open reed call, I spot a coyote way out to the northeast, just sitting there looking our direction. He is at least 600 yds out and doesn't appear to want to come any closer. I do a few ki-yis and here he comes running in. He starts to angle to where he is going to wind us but stops about 300 yds out. BOOOOM...................Whooooop and down he goes. I love my .204!!!!

In 9 stands we have 6 coyotes and 1 bobcat and its only 1:00pm.

Stand #10 we set up on another small hill overlooking a mesquite flat. David is running the compu-caller again and after 6-7 minutes of cottontail duet a young coyotes comes straight in to us from the east. I bark at him and stop him about 50 yds out and let the .204 do the rest. I hit the ki-yis but no more coyotes wanted to come play.

Stand #11 we are set up on another small prairie dog town looking to the west. I am watching the back door on this stand and David is running the compu-caller playing grown jackrabbit distress. We are practically sitting back to back and after 5 or so minutes I hear David say "Oh %^@$#^!!! I turn just in time to see a coyote running away and into the brush. David did get a shot off but he missed. This coyote came out not 20 yds from us right where we least expected it. Another stand we should of had a shotgun with us.

We decide to make our way back towards the pickup but we found another prairie dog town not 300 yds from where the truck was parked that we did call earlier that morning. So we stop and make a stand. Since the remote wasn't working David decided to put the decoy and it out about 30 yds, start the compu-caller and run back to where we were going to sit. To our surprise it worked. Not 2 minutes into the stand here comes coyote #1 but it hang up about 300 yds out and then circles around and leaves out without presenting either of us a shot. We hang with it and I let out a few distress sounds on my open reed call and here comes coyote #2 on a dead run. He checks up about 250 yds out, standing broadside. I put the cross hairs on him and down he goes.

We take about a 30 minute break at the truck and kinda regroup. We head back out and make 4 more stands. Stands #13 and #14 produced nothing.

Stand #15 we set up on a small prairie dog town looking to the east with the sun at our back. I start off with the open reed call and at the 5 minute mark here comes mr. coyote. The way we are sitting David has his rifle pointed to the southeast and I have mine pointed to the northeast. This coyotes comes in due east of us....................right in between were we pointed. So one of us was going to have to move. I whisper to David............Take him!!! I can't was his reply.............you take him!!! I can't either was my reply back. This coyote is only about 75 yds out, but he makes a fatal mistake. He looked back behind him, like there was another coyote coming in. I moved into position and when he turned back towards us I let the .204 do its job again.

Stand #16 was out last stand of the day and we decided to call the same spot that we started off at, but we set up on the south end of the prairie dog town this time. David is running the compu-caller and I swear it was less than a minute here comes mr. coyote from the north on a dead run. David has the better angle so when the coyote checks up and stops about 200 yds out, David lets his .204 do its job.

We started the day at 7:30 that morning and when we got loaded back up and was pulling out the gate it was 7:30pm. In 12 hours we made 16 stands, shot 10 coyotes and 1 bobcat. This was by far my best single day of calling ever. Had we been smart and had the shotgun with us, we could of had 3 more coyotes in the truck. It was alot of fun to say the least, but we also learned alot. Its only a 2 1/2 hr drive from here so we are planning a return trip in about 2 weeks. I will post some pictures once I get them downloaded.

Thanks for reading!!!

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captkb44 4-Pointer

captkb44

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Re: My Best Day of Calling.......very long post

Here are the pictures we took

This is what we had in the truck by lunch.

T-BarcoyoteHunt10-13-06001.jpg

A better picture of the bobcat.

T-BarcoyoteHunt10-13-06002.jpg

Here is David with the last two coyotes we shot.

T-BarcoyoteHunt10-13-06008.jpg

And here I am with the last coyote I shot.

T-BarcoyoteHunt10-13-06007.jpg

As we were starting to leave I took a picture of the sunset.......................thought it was a good way to end a good day.

T-BarcoyoteHunt10-13-06009.jpg

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