This is topic Went on a little hunting trip.. in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on February 26, 2008, 01:25 PM:
Finaly got a 3 day window for a hunting trip out to S.D. The ground conditions and weather was good, so i loaded up the truck and headed west.
First day out i located a group of coyotes by howling in the early mourning. They where scattered a bit so i moved in on the closest one first. I walked in about a half mile and got set up, i started with some estruss chirps and then glassed the area for a coyote or two. I spotted one laying on a hill side looking in my direction so i gave it a few more chirps. Nothing happened the coyote continued to lay there looking in my direction..I tried a few other sounds and still no response from the coyote so i packed up and moved on to the next coyote. I got into another good looking area and set up. Started calling and and same thing happened as the first stand, had a coyote laying on hill side about 800 yards out and could not get it to respond. I moved on and made 3 more stands and also found two other coyotes with the same results. The rest of the day it was zip no coyotes seen or heard. Well i saw a total of four coyotes the first day and relized i can find them just could'nt get them interested into comeing in and hopefully tommorrow would be a better day.
2nd day i stopped by a creek with a deep drainage to the west and a grove of old cottonwood trees to the east. I also saw some scat along the edge of road so i decided to hoof it in to the deep drainage to the west. I went in about a half mile again and set up and called for 25 minutes and no takers so i headed back to the truck. As i walked over a small hill next to the truck a group of coyotes start to yip and bark from the grove of cottonwood trees. Well they know i'm there now so i just laughed and got into truck and drove off down the road a few miles and found another good area so i made a few more stands and once again no takers. I got to thinking about those coyotes back down the road and thought now wouldbe a good time to apply what i was taught by Scott H.. I checked the wind and also looked to see where the sun was sitting and then i looked over the area down the road where the coyotes where with my spotting scope. "Bam" a bolt of lightning strikes me from the heavens and i relize this canbe done. I headed back down the road and was prepared to take it to'em. I kept driveing south till i could find a place to hide truck from veiw and would put me down wind of the grove of tree's. I found a nice little hill next to the road and there just happen to be a field approach there so i pulled in and parked. I sat for 10 minutes and then gathered my gear up and headed into section walking straight east useing the lay of the land for cover. I walked in close to 3/4 of a mile and then started to work my way south towards the grove of trees and a little back to the west. I made it to the edge of trees and set up 100 yards out from edge of tree's. I started calling with rodent and bird sounds combined and then waited for 5 minutes. Nothing! I grabbed my Wiley-one female howler and let out a lone howl and then waited. With-in a few seconds i could see three of them comeing straight on towards me from with-in the trees. Two of the coyotes stopped at the edge of tree's side by side so i aimed for the coyote to the right and fired and the coyote to the left drops dead and the other two run back into the trees never to be seen. As i walked down to the dead coyote i noticed some weeds and small tree plants sticking up that where in my line of fire and realized the bullet had struck one of them and deflected and thus hitting the coyote to the left..LOL
I don't know if Scott could hear me! But i said thanks...I took some pic's of the grove of trees i called into and a pic of the coyote and then moved on to a ranch i wanted to hunt yet today..
I got a few miles from the next ranch and stopped to look over an area and while i was doing this a rancher stopped and asked if everything was ok, i said yes i was just looking for areas to hunt coyotes and he replied he has a few around and i could hunt his ranch if i wished.
I accepted to hunt his ranch and he gave me a run down on the coyotes and there travel routes and what areas they feed in and bed down in. He also said he had a dead cow that they where starting to feed on but only started eating off of it yeaterday. The rancher said it would be best if i called this area just before dark and said good idea and told him i had another ranch down the road i could make a few stands on till later in the day.. I went to the other ranch and made a half dozen stands and saw nothing and decided it was time to head back to the new ranch and see what happens. As i'm comeing up to the area where the dead cow is i see a coyote out on the flats comeing through the long grass, i looked around and there was no place to hide truck so i decided to take a shot at the coyote not knowing if i could call it in or not. Anyway i shot and i missed the coyote. The coyote runs back towards the west heading for a deep revine and goes behind a hill first with the revine a little farther west. I turned the truck around and drove down the road aways and parked. Did'nt see the coyote so i decided to head into the section and get to the end of revine and try calling the coyote in, what do i have to loose! I got to the reviine and relized it was getting dark awfull quick and did'nt know if i could see the coyote if it decided to come up the revine when i called. I started calling with my AP-9 and after a few minutes i switched to my Wiley-one female howler and let out a lone howl. The coyote pops up out of revine on the west side and from reading his body langauge i knew it was'nt going to stick around so i aimed and fired and the coyote went down. I lazered the distance and it was 318 yards.. Only two coyotes where shot on this 3-day trip and 12 where seen all together.
This area i hunted has had at least four calling contests and other hunters includeing one from Wisc. plus some of the local ranchers and the time of year i was out there is pretty late. I have a tough bunch of coyotes i have to work with and besides all the pressure i thought i did ok. I still have alot to learn and next year i have a bunch of stuff to try on certain individual coyotes that have been conditioned throughout the years. They just require a little more time and everything has to be perfect when i do go after them and I WELL BE BACK.
I also got to meet Randy Roede for the first time and he is a hell of a nice guy and has been very helpful. Thanks for the dinner Randy...
I have talked with Scott H. off and on and the first question Scott asks me is if i have applied what i learned from him. My answer is yes, i have been calling at home all fall and winter and have used everthing i learned from Scott. My coyotes are still non-responsive but i will figure them out sooner or later. What have the results been when i apply what i learned from Scott on the S.D. coyotes? This trip i was able to find more coyotes that i would have missed other wise. I now look at coyotes differently and realize i have to treat most of the coyotes as an individual rather than just a coyote. I need to pay more attension to there body language and adjust my calling and sounds used according to each coyote. That is something i do here when hunting them but never applied it to when i was calling. Another thing i have applied that i got from Scott is how to set up my stands, i now try to make them as perfect as i can and still have room for improvement but i'm getting there..
Anyway i would like to thank Scott H. and Randy R. both of you are great bunch of guys and really have helped my calling and i thank both of you. Most would be wise to listen to what both of you have to say, there is alot of knowledge that can come from both of you that can help callers almost anywhere... Thanks .... Tim A. http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/TA17Rem/IMG_1413.jpg[/IMG]] 
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Posted by smithers (Member # 646) on March 02, 2008, 05:16 PM:
Nice story, TA. Not a bad trip at all. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Looks like a mud pit out there. Using that turkey seat, I still would have had four inches of snow under my ass. I haven't seen the ground in over a month. Which is nuts, as the last couple of years it has looked like your pics around here.
P.S. Where's all the fur from the tail on that first one?
edited: because I repeatedly repeated my own self and despise repititiousness, er something like that...
[ March 03, 2008, 04:21 PM: Message edited by: smithers ]
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on March 02, 2008, 06:36 PM:
its there just a bag angle. I perfer to call this area when ground is clear of snow and dry.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on March 07, 2008, 01:47 PM:
TA,
Man, I'd love to read your story, but I can't, because your photos are too big.
Scrolling back and forth and back and forth, I lose my place, and it's a strain on my brain!
Krusty 
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