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Author
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Topic: 50%
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Tim Behle
Administrator MacNeal Sector
Member # 209
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posted February 27, 2005 11:34 AM
I had a morning of fifty percent straight across the board.
I called coyotes on 50% of my stands. Killed 50% of the coyotes I called and was able to bring home 50% of the coyotes that I killed.
All in all, it was a great morning, How'd y'all do?
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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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Rich Higgins
unknown comic
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posted February 27, 2005 11:47 AM
Tim, why were you unable to bring home the other 50% that you killed?
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Greenside
seems to know what he is talking about
Member # 10
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posted February 27, 2005 12:23 PM
Friday 1 stand,1 shot, 0 taken home
Yesterday 7 stands,4 called,2 shot and 2 taken home
Posts: 719 | From: IA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Tim Behle
Administrator MacNeal Sector
Member # 209
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posted February 27, 2005 04:02 PM
Up until yesterday, I was just about ready to give this new Voodoo rifle away to any home evil enough to take it. I had taken it out on several occasions, but for some reason, every stand I called with it, produced no coyotes. I called with out it, and called a coyote on every single stand. I was convinced the rifle had some kind of evil voodoo spell woven into it that would not allow me to see a coyote while holding it.
Yesterday, on the sixth stand, the spell was finally broken. Despite a hard blowing wind, I had a coyote come in, and squalled him to a stop at about 75 yards. The rifle did a hell of a great job, and I was convinced that once again, Ol' DAA had steered me in the right direction when he said that the 100 Grain bullets produced little if no fur damage.
I had some other things to get done during the day, so that was my last stand.
But this morning, I gathered up what was left of that box of ammo and headed out the door. I drove the 50 miles up the road to the area I wanted to hunt, and turned off of the highway only to find that not only had someone closed the always open gate, they had put a lock on the damned thing as well ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
Hating to back track, I moved on down the highway looking for another open gate. After a few miles, I shifted into looking for any unlocked gate, but had the same bad luck. My course was taking me closer and closer to the mountains, someplace I really didn't want to be to call coyotes. But when I finally got past all of the "No Trespassing" signs, I was at the base of the foothills.
I carried the FoxPro out and started walking though grass that ended up being much taller than what it looked from the road. Half a mile later, I settled on a large wash. I hung the caller from a low branch near the bottom of the wash, set the 60 second delay and hurried back up the side of the hill to my seat. The sun just crested the horizon and the sounds started.
With in minutes, I had three mule deer does stamping their feet from 75 yards from the caller. Unsure of what was disturbing their morning, but pissed about it none the less. Fifteen minutes later, those three does were still there, the only other visitor I had was a small hawk looking for an easy meal, and the only other sound I had heard, was howls from a wolf pen a mile and a half away.
As much as I hated to do so, I gathered my things, went back to the truck and backtracked several miles past the locked gate I had been stopped by earlier.
Finding a beautiful cattle guard with no signs on the other side of the road, I turned in and made my way past a few houses. I found a large bush on the side of the road and parked next to it for a second try.
I set up less than 75 yards from the truck with my back to the rising sun and pulled out my faithful Ed Sceercy (SP?) mouthcalls. I called on and off for about five minutes, when I heard what sounded to be a herd of cattle coming in, complete with grunts of a pissed off bull. I turned to look only to find 3 coyotes running in from behind me on the right. I dropped the lead female as she crossed past, but the brush was so thick, the other two had disappeared before I could even open the bolt.
Two coyotes in two days with the voodoo rifle! I was impressed and excited, but managed to stay seated and call for another five minutes before getting up to claim my prize.
Back at the truck, I made a corner on the road and headed down a little two track. A mile or so down, I came to another corner and decided to make another stand.
I carefully climbed the fence and made my way out to some open ground. I again pulled out the mouthcalls and let the song begin. Along about my third series, I caught movement off to my left. The only single coyote I was to call today was slinking in through the brush. Being as I was working mouth calls, he was doing he best to get from upwind to down wind while staying at least 100 yards out. And he was doing a good job of it. Running from bush to bush, and taking his time to stop and look from behind each one.
He had made it a full ninety degrees around me as was looking at me from behind a bush when he suddenly took off running back the way he had come. I knew I had done nothing to spook him, but found him in my scope as he crossed a clearing and tumbled him none the less. Lowering the rifle, I found the cause for his fear. A herd of 12-15 cattle were in hot pursuit. Lead by an evil long horned bitch, (Who will hold that title as long as we both live) Coming upon the dead coyote, she proceeded to stomp and gore his body, even giving him a fling with her horns.
I let everything calm down for a minute, before getting up to see what kind of damage was done to the coyote. As soon as she saw me, she flipped her head, pawed the ground and came at me at a full blown run. Not being nearly as stupid as I look, I turned the other way and made a quick beeline for the truck. Rich, I may have just turned 40, but don't think for a second that this old farmboy can't still clear a fence. Superman would have been proud of me in the way that I cleared those five strands of barbed wire with a rifle in one hand and my seat in the other.
A few flipped fingers and several foul words over the fence later, and I got into the truck and headed off for another stand. I prayed it wouldn't be quite as exciting as the last and got my wish. I didn't see a thing.
So I turned around and headed back to the highway. True to my memory, there was another way into the area that I had planned to hunt, and it still didn't have a gate to lock.
The set up on my next stand had brush so tall that I had no choice but to stand up. So I placed myself into an open "V" of the only tree close and started calling, and called some more. Then I called for a while longer. Finally after ten minutes of seeing diddly squat, I decided to leave. As I turned to go, I got to thinking about how this was such a good time of the year for howling. Although getting late in the morning, I decided to give it a try and went to fishing the little Johnny Steward Dog Howler hour of my shirt pocket.
I almost had it out of my pocket when I once again heard the sound of cattle running in, once again complete with the rumble of a pissed off bull. I was beginning to think my butt was toast, the only way out of that "V" in the tree I had concealed myself in was in the direction of the oncoming sound.
Imagine my delight when the sound turned out to be Four coyotes! Snapping the rifle around, I centered the crosshairs on the big, brown blur in my crosshairs and let it rip.
I worked the bolt and tried to get on the next coyote making his way to my left. In only a few steps, he got into the brush and disappeared. I spun around to find a confused coyote pogoing to a stop not 75 yards out. I centered the scope and dropped him, never seeing where the fourth coyote had gone.
It was at this point I came to the conclusion, that while DAA usually give some great advice, that should be listened to by all. Not everything Dave says should be taken as gospel. Obviously Dave isn't the superb caller as I am or he wouldn't have suggested the 100 grain loads as being fur friendly. I can tell you for a fact, that if you shoot a coyote in the shoulders at just under 8 feet, it's going to make a hell of a mess!
So I gathered up the coyote that wasn't scattered about and went back to the truck.
I made two more stands, but didn't see anything.
So that's how I made 6 stands, called 8 coyotes on 50% of them. Killed 4 coyotes and only got to bring home 50% of them.
The part that sucked was that it was only quarter until 10, and I was down to only one bullet. I looked in the local gas station, but they were out of .243 rounds so I had no choice but to go home.
[ February 27, 2005, 05:54 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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DAA
Utah/Promoted WESTERN REGIONAL Hunt Director
Member # 11
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posted February 27, 2005 05:31 PM
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
- DAA
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"Oh yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom, but they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em." -- George Hanson, Easy Rider, 1969.
Rocky Mountain Varmint Hunter
Posts: 2676 | From: Salt Lake City, UT | Registered: Jan 2003
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Rich Higgins
unknown comic
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posted February 27, 2005 06:41 PM
Just to have seen you clear the fence would have made a lifetime memory. To have videoed it would have been a trophy.
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted February 27, 2005 08:53 PM
That's a good story, Tim. You should submit it somewhere, get it published. Thanks for sharing. LB
[ February 27, 2005, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31490 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Tim Behle
Administrator MacNeal Sector
Member # 209
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posted February 28, 2005 05:25 PM
Rich,
If you'd have been there in that ghille suit and fooling with the camera, I'd have had time to walk back and leisurely climb the fence.
I was using some low and long wails, maybe she mistook it for a calf?
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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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