The Baron of Bufflehead
01-10-2010, 05:36 PM
It seems so much harder to get out now with 2 kids in the house, but I did the best I could on the weekend.:rolleyes: Went out Saturday afternoon. Did one dry stand (not even tracks) at one farm, then dropped by a friend/farmers place to give him a couple coyote calls. Ended up helping him build some shelves, going out the feed the deer... didn't get back on track for my last stand until sunset. I was going in there and saw a coyote but she (?) busted me before I could get a shot. There were plenty of tracks around and I was kicking myself for coming in so late as it was too dark to do a good setup. But I had a plan to try and catch her in the same place today... and it worked.
I couldn't get away until late afternoon and I got to my spot around 3:30pm. I figured I hadn't spooked that coyote too bad yesterday and maybe they were using these fields in the afternoon. I snuck in very carefully, staying behind cover and glassing the fields carefully as I approached. Good thing I was on high alert because I just caught a glimpse of this coyote coming up the fence line I was on, and right toward me! When I saw her she was only 150 yards out so I eased down to my knees behind a big mound of dirt all grown over with weeds. I had to slide over on my knees a bit to get a clear shot at about 20 yards. I didn't dare slide over any further so I peeked over the mound and confirmed she was still coming. There was a 10-15mph crosswind so I figured just let her come - this was gonna be close! A couple seconds later she showed up and I was wishing I had a shotgun. She made me at about 20 yards and swapped ends, but I just stood up and whacked her on the run at about 40 yards. She wasn't a big one by Ontario standards, tipping the scale at 28#. She had a nice hide but unfortunately the .204 put a fist sized exit hole on her side and literally blew the guts out of her. I carried on and did a stand for sundown, but nobody else showed up. I did find a spot where the coyotes have been laying up under some overhangs in the brush/dirt mounds that were leftover when the farmer cleared out a bunch of fence. The place was plastered with tracks and there were also a few beds on the mounds where they probably sun themselves during the day. From there they can watch field back toward the road and I'll bet I've been busted more than once by a lookout up there. Now I know to stop at the road and glass those mounds before turning off the paved road and driving the 1/2 mile along the field edge to where I usually park.
So the coyotes are around... I wish I could put some full days in! But then again I'd need an undisturbed night's sleep to last a whole day and I haven't had one of them since November 27th.:up:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y216/thebaron1/10-1-1002.jpg
I couldn't get away until late afternoon and I got to my spot around 3:30pm. I figured I hadn't spooked that coyote too bad yesterday and maybe they were using these fields in the afternoon. I snuck in very carefully, staying behind cover and glassing the fields carefully as I approached. Good thing I was on high alert because I just caught a glimpse of this coyote coming up the fence line I was on, and right toward me! When I saw her she was only 150 yards out so I eased down to my knees behind a big mound of dirt all grown over with weeds. I had to slide over on my knees a bit to get a clear shot at about 20 yards. I didn't dare slide over any further so I peeked over the mound and confirmed she was still coming. There was a 10-15mph crosswind so I figured just let her come - this was gonna be close! A couple seconds later she showed up and I was wishing I had a shotgun. She made me at about 20 yards and swapped ends, but I just stood up and whacked her on the run at about 40 yards. She wasn't a big one by Ontario standards, tipping the scale at 28#. She had a nice hide but unfortunately the .204 put a fist sized exit hole on her side and literally blew the guts out of her. I carried on and did a stand for sundown, but nobody else showed up. I did find a spot where the coyotes have been laying up under some overhangs in the brush/dirt mounds that were leftover when the farmer cleared out a bunch of fence. The place was plastered with tracks and there were also a few beds on the mounds where they probably sun themselves during the day. From there they can watch field back toward the road and I'll bet I've been busted more than once by a lookout up there. Now I know to stop at the road and glass those mounds before turning off the paved road and driving the 1/2 mile along the field edge to where I usually park.
So the coyotes are around... I wish I could put some full days in! But then again I'd need an undisturbed night's sleep to last a whole day and I haven't had one of them since November 27th.:up:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y216/thebaron1/10-1-1002.jpg