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Author
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Topic: How to tell a friend?
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jerryboy
Knows what it's all about
Member # 231
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posted August 17, 2003 07:56 AM
Hey gang,
I have a friend who has swown an interrest in coyote hunting. Great I thought. Someone to share the phisical torture I enjoy LOL.
Well, he has lots of guns. High dollar Glocks.2 safes full or fifles.And Makes Great $. Not that any of those have to do with coyote hunting,but I think he may have problems I haven't picked up on yet.
We met at the range where I shoot and he has a great heart. Kind and slightly opinionated on guns. The biggest problem is,he is a terrible shot.
I reloaded some light rounds for his rifle,advised him to get a good bi-pod and have been shooting with him every weekend. He got to where he was shooting a cool inch with some 30 cal. speer hps. The shot into one hole when I shot his gun. When we first worked his load up,we sighted it in for him. I'm no expert but he was flopping them all over the paper at 100. His rifle has an adequite trigger and I thought maybe he just needed some help. I tryed helping him with basic shooting methods and he always does the exact oppisite. He isn't slow,I work in a group home and work with 8 special men every day.
The bottom line is, he cant hit the broad side of a barn. We had a good week a few weeks ago and he was grouping well 1-3 inches and I took him out to a farmers cattle field. This place was crawling with Coyotes. I called one in with Krustys call he made for me. The coyote charged from 400 yds or so across a pasture along a tree line and I Whispered "don't move". He didn't move and I was standing in a brush patch and it was mid day and very hot. I got on him and was about to squeek and stop him when my buddy yells " Shooooooot! Shooooot!!! Shoot it!!!!!!"
I jerked and missed my first coyote at 75 yds!
Needless to say I was pissed.Very pissed. I Kindly asked him to always be silent when I'm shooting.It's like screaming as a person is making a golf putt. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) Ok,so I got over it. Everyone misses right?
Other points with him which leads me to think he isn't cut out for it.
He is like a herd of rhinoceris in the woods.Even on an open trail,he is equal to 50 drunk elephants. I never realized how quiet I really was till I took him out.LOL
Even when standing still he is loud,Don't ask me to explain that,he pulls it off somehow. One day I tryed to show him how to stalk. Even to stalk our next stand location,LOL. I said "watch me walk man" Then you do it. He watched,then walked his normal clumbsy way. I just don't get it! ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
One more thing, I have to hold fences and practically show him how to cross barbed wire fences.As he is climbing through,or over them, I'm holding them,and he whines and is always wanting to hit the car for refreshments and such. I can also hear him breathing loudly from 10 yards away. He is healthy,about 280 and 6'4".
I can see the weight being a prob as he is gonna be more weigh snapping twigs and such.But I can hear him from anywhere "clump clump clump"
I managed to call up 2 different groups one evening. He missed one at 150 yards and I didn't think much of it. We went to the other side of the farm and I waited till a couple groups sounded off at dusk and gave a holw. I was leaning against a tree about 30 yards from him.
He was sitting facing the cow pasture and 4 coyotes appeared.It was right at dusk and I seen them because the sum was sitting right behind them,giving a nice clear silouette.The movement was very obvious(to me). I whispered,pppppssssttt..... Hey ,Don, look at the clearing!!! He never heard me! I said it louder, he never heard me. By this time, I raised my voice as the coyotes were 200 yards away and not paying attention to our location. I ended up having to almost scream at him. He finally responded. I pointed out the 4 nice sized coyotes in the clearing and I swear it took him a few minutes to spot them through his 12x scope. he finally sees them and says ok, I got one! He took aim,I thought this was the time to push what I had tought him at the range,"Slow squeeze Don" "Don't even think of shooting unless there is gonna be a dead coyote on the ground over there." There were 3 Coyotes in open view for several minutes. "I asked if he seen the one out in the open with no bushes or trees near him.(The coyote was standing broadside for what seemed like several minutes). He said yes and I let him take his time and shoot. The coyote dropped his head and took a step,I squeeked loudly and he picked up his head and stared in our direction for a few more seconds. Boommmmm! He flat ass missed again. Missed 2 coyotes in one evening.
I'm not sure if I should continue as I don't like to give up on anyone or anything. But He is supposed to be a bad ass hunter.
I have tryed to lecture him on coyote hunting and it seems like he is listening,but maybe not.
We have went out a few times and I have been working on his teqs ,and I'm not one to try to change anyone. But he asked me to help him and does the exact oppisite. Any advice would be taken. Thanks, jerryboy
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Boom!!!!!! Whop!!!!!!!!!!
Posts: 39 | From: Innnnnnnndiana | Registered: Aug 2003
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Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
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posted August 17, 2003 08:48 AM
Whew! About halfway through that first paragraph, I was sure you were my buddy Doug and talkin' 'bout me. But then you got to the clump, clump, clump part. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Seriously, there are a lot of guys out there that think this li'l game of calling coyotes is just a matter of trouncin' in, floppin' down, making some God-awful sound for, oh, two or three seconds, then having coyotes run over you from every direction. They've watched some videos, read some books, maybe seen a few spots about it on the television, not realizing that it takes days of video fieldwork to get enough good footage for the twenty-four minutes of that half-hour show. Granted, what we do isn't rocket science, but to be consistently productive, you've got to have some grasp of the advanced concepts and tactics that is coyote calling.
My current hunting partner was the same way, except that he's not 7 feet tall and 280#. he clomped his way in, wore nylon coveralls (I swear they were nylon. Every step sounded like a flag flapping in the wind.), and he is an accomplished deer hunter. After a couple traipses to our setup, he realized and commented that he couldn't hear me wlking, even when he stopped and stood still. I told him it was just a good habit I'd picked up somewhere.
Do you keep this guy or kick him to the curb? Tough question. You have to ask yourself what's more important - calling coyotes or killing coyotes? And is his friendship and the time you spend together in the field enjoyable enough that it's worth a few lost coyotes to have a good time? I've got several friends that enjoy going with me once or twice a year who aren't all that good of hunters, but I enjoy their company and the time together allows us to reaffirm our friendship. Maybe you should hunt with him occasionally and, all the while, impress upon him the necessity of being very, very quiet in your approach, while on stand, and your egress, and when things go south, be sure to point out to him what factors (noise) contributed to the failure.
As far as shooting goes, more time on the range, or work to call them into shotgun range, outfit him with a twelve and magnum buckshot while you handle the rifle for hang-ups and going aways.
On another note, your description made me recall one night when I was running my hounds with some old friends. I got to their house and they told me we had to pick up one other guys that would be riding with me. Then, for some reason, they giggled and snickered as they climed into their truck. Hmmm. anyway, we got to his house and this guy's silhouette appeared in the door of his little wood-frame house. And I mean to say he FILLED that door with no room to spare. Seven foot -two inches tall and 340 pounds on the hoof. He sounded like a herd of cattle coming off that front porch and I was sure he wouldn't fit in my Ford Ranger, but he did. His head was crammed up against the headliner, his knees were level with his nose as he assumed some bizarre fetal-like position, and I had to literally lean halfway out the driver's side window going down the road. Fifth gear and reverse to the far right on the shifter were out of the question. At one point that night, this guy (we'll call him Larry for no other reason than the fact that this was his name.) got to panting and breathing so hard that I couldn't hear the dogs trailing. I'm a trained medic with fifteen years street experience and I was praying to God that this guy didn't code on me out there in the middle of nowhere. If he had, he'd have been DRT (dead right there). Anyway, we drove around one section and stopped to listen for the dogs and while I was out of the truck, I turned around to see the characteristic glow of a lit cigareette. I looked at the two "former" friends of mine and told them, "You sumbitches are gonne get me killed now." as I turned around and went back to break the news to Larry that nobody, and I mean NOBODY smoked in my new truck. Surprisingly, he was very nice and didn't argue a bit. We managed to get him extricated from my li'l truck later that night without further incident, but damn! That guy was big as a moutain and noisy as a freight train, so I can empathize with you.
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I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5440 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
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Locohead
World Famous Smoke Dancer
Member # 15
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posted August 18, 2003 10:36 PM
Here's an odd little story for you Jerry. I took this nutty friend of mine out with me one time. I took him shooting trap once and he loved it so much he bought a super nice 12 gauge even though his high score had been 2-3. We had gone pheasant hunting this day but had time for one coyote stand before heading home.
I wanted for him to get his first chance at calling and shooting a coyote. So I lent him my rifle and I armed myself with a Sceery. This guy started coughing and never stopped all the way to the stand. Granted he did try to muffle the sound in his collar. But he was driving me nuts. I felt like it was a major waste of time and in one of my most productive spots ever. He coughed the whole time I sang the "...blues". It was driving me mad!!! Not 3 minutes into the call a nice triple arrived!!!
Wierd huh? Now this guy thinks like Lance described. He thinks coyotes are easy to call and anyone can do it. It seems that everytime I go pheasant hunting with this guy I see more coyotes than pheasants. I've even shot a bunch. He still does EVERTHING wrong, but we still see a few and we ALWAYS have fun. He has even become a bit of a lucky charm for me.
My 2 cents...If you are a recreational hunter, Keep taking him along. Try this, bring a camera, calls, binocs and let him do the shooting alone. You be the coach. He will learn more every time you take him out. And don't let the fact that he can't shoot worth a darn bother you. I would way rather see my buddy miss a coyote than to shoot one myself. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
[ August 18, 2003, 10:40 PM: Message edited by: Locohead ]
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I love my critters and chick!!!! :)
Posts: 2219 | From: CO | Registered: Jan 2003
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jerryboy
Knows what it's all about
Member # 231
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posted August 19, 2003 07:15 AM
Wanna rent your pal? LOL You guys have all been there yourselves I see. Just as I finished typing this yesterday,Don(my friend) called and asked to go again. I went for it. Did I mention that every time he calls and we go calling,he is still sitting there in his underwear? After he called and said he was ready waiting on me? I told him yesterday when he called,if he wasn't ready,I was gonna drive on by LOL. I hate that, worse than a woman! He was ready to go as I suggested.
As we got to the area, I began telling him to try to be as quiet as possible(as I always do) and he was draggin' ass again. I found out what he was doing. He draggs his feet,and tires easily. Now,I'm not an olympic runner,but I can go 'till I decide to rest. 10 feet and he is ready to flop. He cant walk 100 yards,he is sloppy and tired before we reach the field. Anyways, we arrive to a good spot to over look the field. He sat his butt pad down and flopped like Cdog911 said. I mean he flopped.LOL I couldn't help laughing as I thought of Cdogs post. I then told him that it was important to be still,very still,deathly still as I was about to begin calling. He was still untill I began calling. He started fidgetting,messing with his scope, itching his back, messing with his bi-pod,moving arround,playing with his hat! I said, "hey Don, be still man" in a cool voice,he never really stopped. I think he has a listening disorder. I can say something, and I asked him what I just said.He can rarely repeat it. I dunno, he seems interrested but doesn't listen. Not that I'm pushy or over-bearing,but when I'm calling, be still damnit! LOL I showed him the fine art of crossing a fence Sunday too. He watched attentively and did it! He was tired of tearing himself a new a$$ LOL. I guess that's just a good skill I picked up hunting all my life. I'm getting older but I can still hop a fence like nobodys business LOL. I taught him to pick his feet up when he walked. He tryed it and was amazed at how much quieter it was,so was I.
You are right though,it is worth it to take a friend.
All we need to work on now is the moment of truth. Kill shots! LOL I think he flipps out at the moment of delivery. I had worked with him for 4 months with dummy rounds after I seen him jerk real bad one day. All my coaching is starting to show I guess. I put one real/one dummy/one real/one dummy in his rifle and he was jerking so bad he would almost drop the rifle LOL. But we got past that. He is just inconsistant. We will work on that I guess. Eventually he will kill a coyote. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) I'm not giving up for now. jerryboy
[ August 19, 2003, 07:21 AM: Message edited by: jerryboy ]
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Boom!!!!!! Whop!!!!!!!!!!
Posts: 39 | From: Innnnnnnndiana | Registered: Aug 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted August 19, 2003 03:54 PM
You guys are going to think I'm a bad person, but I can't tolerate that stuff.
Calling me up and canceling at the last minute will piss me off.
Missing several coyotes in a row will piss me off.
Talking, moving around, and not being serious about the stand agravates me.
Example:
I took a guy from work. We killed ten coyotes, and three or four(?) other assorted predators. He nailed the first one, and from that point forward, he missed everything I put in front of him. Never said much, so back at work, I asked him what he thought about it? He said it was the most intense thing he had ever done. End of comment. I bet he thought it was easy?
I like a guy that has the fever.....for starters.
Good hunting. LB
[ August 19, 2003, 03:55 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32363 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Barry
Knows what it's all about
Member # 34
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posted August 19, 2003 05:00 PM
Im with Leonard on this one.But I can tolerate bad shooting because I sometimes get this affliction.Noise and not sitting still,whining about things dont cut it.If Ive got time to hunt I have the fever,no matter the quarry.Unless Im taking a son or grandson out.
Posts: 133 | From: Trinidad CO. | Registered: Jan 2003
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Bofire
READ MY LIPS!
Member # 221
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posted August 19, 2003 07:17 PM
The guy is your friend, you have to be honest to be a friend. It may hurt but ya have to be honest.
You don't have to belittle or hurt, hopefully he will be as big as you and understand and you will be better friends and he a better hunter.
Carl
Posts: 322 | From: Wild West | Registered: Jul 2003
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Tim Behle
Administrator MacNeal Sector
Member # 209
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posted August 19, 2003 08:20 PM
I'm with Leonard,
If you can't shoot and can't be quiet, it doesn't mean you can't be my friend.
But I don't always take my friends hunting either.
I just fail to mention anything about hunting unless asked directly. I can screw up enough stands on my own, I don't need help on the rest of them.
Tim
[ August 19, 2003, 08:21 PM: Message edited by: Tim Behle ]
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Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take
an ass kickin'.
Posts: 3160 | From: Five Miles East of Vic, AZ | Registered: Jun 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted August 20, 2003 03:48 PM
quote:
I just fail to mention anything about hunting unless asked directly.
That sums it up for me, but damn! the rumors fly! I need to (extensively) evaluate the inquirer, and, all the while, remain aloof.
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32363 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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jerryboy
Knows what it's all about
Member # 231
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posted August 20, 2003 04:04 PM
I see where your comin from LOL. Me Coyote hunt , naaaaaaaaaa! LOL jerryboy
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Boom!!!!!! Whop!!!!!!!!!!
Posts: 39 | From: Innnnnnnndiana | Registered: Aug 2003
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