yotefever
PAKMAN
Member # 418
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posted January 15, 2005 12:57 PM
The Winding Trail Ends
With the cold weather (-20 with the wind chill) and being a weekday, I thought I could get out and have the woods to myself and a few coyotes too.
I headed to a stand that looked promising in the past but never got any responses there. It over looks a bend in the Milwaukee river, about sixty feet above it’s banks with lots of rabbit sign. I figured on staying out all day hoping that they would be moving around, in need of fuel to stay warm. I set up and started to call with my new calls I just got from Paul ( Moose57) and Al (TheHuntedOne)(guys from Predator Masters). Nothing came in but I did see two new sets of coyote tracks, which brought a smile to my face. I’ll be back.
I went to a new spot up river and to the west that I never noticed on the map before ( I thought it was all private land there). Since I was making so much noise walking in the icy snow, at the first stand, I thought I would try this place out since it has a snowmobile trail. They were icy but a lot quieter than the snow. The rain had melted most of the snow and what snow was left had a layer of ice on top. Well I had a nice walk until I got to the river, it had flooded over, from the rain and was now one big ice rink. I went back half way to the truck and set up to start calling. Nothing.
So I went to an area I hunted late last season and only saw fox tracks. It looked good and I thought the coyotes might be back in the area. The hunting pressure is pretty hard there.
I parked off the road and got my stuff, then headed down the trail. I thought I would try the spot and stalk and stop if I saw a good area to call. I started my slow walk and went a couple of miles and finally stopped and thought I would try some calling. Nothing.
So I started to head back to the truck and make one last stand about 400 yards from the end of the trail. I started with a couple of sets with the squeaker I got from Paul then followed up with some cottontail blues from Al’s call.. It sure sounded good to me, hopefully the coyotes would like it too. Well I waited about 10 minutes and saw some movement just off to my left. At first I thought I was dreaming, could I finally have called in a coyote down here (I’ve managed to call them in, in northern Wisconsin but only one, here in the southeast). He was headed to my left to get down wind.
Well I cocked the hammer on my 14” OTT 6tcu Contender, brought up the 6.5x20 Leupold EFR to my eye and waited (not long) for him to get out from behind a tree. There he was. I put the cross hairs just behind his shoulder and pulled the trigger. BANG and he was gone. I got out my Crit-r-call and did a few yelps. Nothing. I couldn’t see any sign of a hit, through the scope, so I’m starting to feel bad. I wait a few minutes then head over to where I shot.
When I get there I don’t even see any tracks in the snow, now I think I was dreaming. I start to look over the area and finally see his tracks coming into the spot. At least I know I did see it, lol. I start to make some circles around the area and can’t find any tracks, what the heck? About the fourth or fifth time around I finally find a track about thirty feet away. No blood. I can’t believe I missed that shot, it was only about sixty yards but there were small branches. I figured I hit one and missed.
Well I start to follow the tracks and four tracks later I see a drop of blood, hooray!
I look ahead hoping to see it laying there and finally under a large pine tree there it is.
It turned as I shot and the bullet entered in front of the left rear leg and exited the right side of the neck. It sure stunk. It reminded me of a gut shot deer.
So I tie on my drag rope and start to get him back to the truck. Then I stopped and got the camera out to get some pictures.
Here I am with my natural snow camo beard
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/yotefever/FirstCoyoteAndMe2.jpg
Here's the winding trail
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/yotefever/FirstCoyoteWindingTrail.jpg
To the left of the closest tree back by the piness is where he was when I shot
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/yotefever/FirstCoyoteShot2.jpg
The tree on the right is the close one in the previous pic, you can see why I thought I might have missed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/yotefever/FirstCoyoteShot.jpg
Here is the equipment I used, and the coyote
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/yotefever/FirstCoyote.jpg
I found him under the pine in the background
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v135/yotefever/FirstCoyoteRestingSpot.jpg
Posts: 4 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2004
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