# Bad day for the dogs (pic)



## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hi guys: After viewing fallguy's and Jaybic's pictures about their first coyotes of the year, I thought I'd submit mine.

Only one problem, though, I don't recall which of the five I got that day is my first one of the year (LOL). Good luck and shoot straight. Saskcoyote


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## kevin.k (Dec 31, 2005)

nice picture! good size coyotes


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## fylling35 (Jun 15, 2007)

Good Work!

I like to see that.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

You've got a nice crop of coyotes up there. Nice calling!


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## Wyomingpredator (Oct 16, 2007)

as the saying goes a bad day hunting is better than a good day at work. Looks like your day beat all nice work


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## dfisher (Oct 12, 2007)

Nice shooting. Great pic!
Good work,
Dan :beer:


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## thepain1 (Dec 20, 2006)

very nice keep them saskatchewan coyotes coming in :sniper: :beer:


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## CoyoteBlitz (Apr 11, 2007)

Nice yotes
:sniper:


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

Sask,

I envy you! Nice pic of 5 gorgeous coyotes!
You're the real deal - always like to hear from you. I'm assuming the new goal is 6? Maybe yet this season? :beer:


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

Nice yotes, what caliber gun is that :beer:


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hi 308: The gun I used for this particular hunt was a Tikka Whitetail Hunter .223. I also use a Remington 700 BDL .223. The ammo I use in both is Speer 50-grain TNT Hollowpoints over 25 grains of IMR 3031, chronographed at about 3160 fps.

Hi kdog: Thanks for the reply. I've always enjoyed reading your posts as well. Your posts with their observations and in-depth questions tell me you know coyotes and coyote hunting. It's a pleasure to exchange views with someone who has your knowledge.

As to new goal of six, this is what happened on yesterday's hunt. (As usual I'll give a warning this could be lengthy so if any of you aren't interested, you can stop right here LOL).

Got out while still dark, did a couple locating howls and got responses, before I went to my first stand. First stand, got responses from three different directions but no takers. After about 15 minutes, I decided to move on and as I was walking away from my stand I heard a lone howl. There he was, about 500 yards away, sitting atop a hill in a stubble field and looking in my direction, howling (not a threat-bark which I would have expected, but a howl). The only thing I could think of was that because I was wearing my Ghillie he didn't recognize me as a human.

I was a bit disappointed because with all the yotes that were responding to me I thought I'd pull something within range for sure. Obviously, I had him interested and had I called for another couple minutes maybe this guy would have come within my line of sight at the stand and I would have worked him. But I give a stand 15-20 minutes unless something's happening and because I didn't see him, I packed up. Oh, well, ain't the first time this has happened.

Second stand, pulled in a female. Bang flop.

Third stand, pulled in a pair. Bang-flopped them both. Here it was, 8:45 and I've got three on the ground. I had until noon for hunting (I only hunt til noon, anyway) so here were the makings of a very good day.

I targeted my next four stands to locations where I've called and killed, called in and shot at, called in, or at least seen coyotes in the past. Wouldn't you know it, I didn't see hide nor hair of a coyote.

So, a day that had had so much potential didn't pan out. What could have been a great hunt turned out to be just a good hunt.

Hey, I'm not complaining. Three coyotes is fine by my, especially when I know that come December, I can expect plenty of zero-dog days. There are going to be more than enough dry stands.

I've got the next two weeks off. Saturday, I'm heading to the west side of Saskatchewan for our annual week-long mule deer hunt, and I've got an elk tag as well.

This week, though, I expect to get out calling three, maybe four mornings. Hope the yotes co-operate. Good luck to all, and shoot straight.


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## 1 shot (Oct 24, 2007)

saskcoyote,
Those are great stories, keep them coming. Some of us really appreciate the stories of the hunts. 
:beer:


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hi 1 shot: Thanks for the reply. If you want to hear it, I've got another story, a sequel to "Bad day for the dogs". This one is called "Bad day for the hunter".

Went out this morning, a perfect day, temperature just above freezing, with a slight southeast wind. I made six stands and got skunked. Totally, completely, unequivocally, utterly skunked.

Not only did I not whack a coyote but I didn't even call one in. I was both surprised and not surprised -- surprised because the dogs have been working well lately so something should have gone right, but not surprised because that's the way coyote hunting goes. Some days it happens, some days it doesn't. When it "happens" enjoy it, when it doesn't, well...there's always tomorrow.

Today was a "didn't happen" but it was still fun and I encountered something I hadn't done before. As I was walking into one stand, I heard a pup distress, first time ever. I planned my calls around that. I did the howl, a pup distress, more howls, more pup distresses, a JR distress. Nothing worked. So as I'm walking out, I'm wondering what should I have done different.

That pup distress I heard could have been the result of any number of factors -- some big bruiser beating up on him, maybe a few porcupine quills...who knows?

I should have changed my calling to challenges. If it was a territorial male that was beating up on the little guy, then maybe he would have been in the mood for a scrap, and some challenges would have pulled him in and offered me a shot. I'm going out again tomorrow and maybe what I've seen today will make me a little better hunter.

Now, onto something else. I have a bad habit of rambling on (so that's why I appreciate comments from guys like you and kdog). Here's my philosophy.

I'm always looking to learn how I can outsmart Wily so replies that offer some information help me -- and I'm hoping help others in their hunts -- are much appreciated.

That's why the posts I submit are generally quite detailed and contain a lot of information (and that's why I give readers a 'heads up' that they're long because I don't want them to endure reading a long post that they don't want to read). The more information I can supply to other guys on this site, then maybe the better for them to supply answers to the questions I have.

Take, for example, my post on "Bad day for the dogs". What I tried to do was paint a picture of my hunt -- the lay of the land, the window direction, how and why I set up the way I did, how the coyotes reacted, how I reacted to the coyotes, what the results were, and how I felt I could have improved upon my stands. It wasn't my intention to boast. My intention was to give guys a 'feel' for how the day unfolded and how the hunt may apply to their situations.

The same with my reply to a new hunter when he asked me about the type of call I had and the sequences I used. Not only did I pass that info on but I went into detail about what experiences I had using certain calls and sequences, and in my estimation why they worked, and why they didn't. I hoped it helped him at least a little bit.

That's why I enjoy this forum and submitting and reading posts on various aspects of yote hunting.. I'm hoping I can pass on some of the knowledge I've gained and in turn absorb some of the knowledge that other hunters have acquired and are willing to offer. I don't think anyone of us, veteran or novice, should be too proud to take pointers from those who have something to contribute.

The knowledge that many guys on this site can provide and the knowledge I've acquired come from the school of hard knocks and time spent in the field -- hunting, watching, observing, understanding, (and, yes, messing up), and listening to what experienced coyote hunters have to say.

I've read plenty of articles on coyote hunting, and have watched plenty of videos (kdog: Bill Martz is one of the best, same goes for Ed Sceery) but the best advice I've found, however, comes from ordinary guys who've 'been there, done that', ordinary guys just like us who've messed up a few times but who've shared that knowledge and have learned from it to the point we've become better and more successful hunters.

There's a place for humor on this site because it adds a refreshing twist. And that's how I view this forum, one that has a place for humor as well as an opportunity for those who want to learn. If you want a chuckle, then the opportunity's available. If you want to acquire knowledge, then ask a question. Sometimes, unfortunately, asking legitimate questions doesn't bring many responses but quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality. We know which responses are worth paying attention to.

I enjoy writing and sharing what I've learned and I'm hoping guys like you are willing to share with the rest of us some experiences that we can use to make our hunts better.

I'm going out again tomorrow. Will I whack a yote? Who knows, but I'm sure gonna have fun trying.

In the meantime, shoot straight and good luck. Saskcoyote


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

Sask,

Sorry I don't have any stories to tell - yet. My hunting won't get cranked up until (sadly) late December.  So if I fail to say much, it is because I simply haven't been out.

Thanks though for the detailed, thoughtful stories and advice. I think that most agree that experience (good and bad) is the best teacher. By you relaying your stories, we all have the luxury of learning through your experience. (The whole idea behind a forum)

When it comes to being detailed, that (in my estimation) is the single most important factor in successful coyote calling. It's all about paying attention to detail.

Thanks again for the insightful stories/info. :beer:


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## coyotebuster (Oct 8, 2007)

Hey saskcoyote what kind of terrain do you find the most productive for calling them yotes in?

Moorhead MN


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Saskcoyote

Yes, thanks for the stories indeed.


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hi Coyotebuster:
Thanks for the question. What type of terrain do I find most productive for coyotes? Well, I live in a part of Saskatchewan called the parkland which has areas of wide-open cultivated field and areas with a fair amount of woodlands. I opt for the woodlands although they generally border the fields. Wide-open cultivated fields may have a good number of slough bottoms and willow patches where yotes like to hang out but it's a devil to find a good set-up and I would be more exposed while walking in. I find it's much easier to slip into a good stand when there are trees to use for cover.

It's also a matter of percentages. I've found that a 100-acre woodlot is much more likely to hold coyotes than a 2-acre slough bottom. Plus it's much easier to hide my truck in wooded areas as opposed to a wide-open area. Then I factor in the amount of walking time; the less you walk, the less chance you have of getting busted, and the less time spent walking means more time spent calling.

I don't know if what I've mentioned pertains to your situation but I've found it works for me

You guys are brutes for punishment but I've got another story from today's hunt. (It's a long one so those of you who don't like long posts, you better stop reading right now. You've been warned. LOL).

My first story was "Bad day for the dogs". The sequel was "Bad day for the hunter". Well, today's story is a woefully sad one filled with despair and misery (LOL). It's entitled "Worse day for the hunter " and as I sit here and think about what happened today, I still can't believe it. Call it what you want, I calling it screwing up. Big time.

So how did "Worse day for the hunter unfold"? Well, got out early to the most heavily wooded area of the eight geographical areas I call. As I drove past a large woodlot that I've often thought of hunting I stopped on the road about ¼ mile away and howled. Got a good response so I decided to give it a go.

Slight breeze from the west so I set up into the breeze. On my left, to the south as a large bush running straight east to west. Then about 300 yards up, it extended south to north. I set up in a small clump of bushes and expected dogs to come from either my left (out of the south), from the west (straight in front of me) or the northwest.

Called for about five minutes while keeping an eye on the stretch of bush running east-west and the stretch up in front of me 300 yards away that ran south-north. I positioned my caller about 50 yards to the northwest. Suddenly, I caught a flash of motion and a yote was in front of me. He came in upwind from the northeast, headed to the caller. Obviously he got the scent of the caller, lit the burners and headed south to the bush, crossing the scent trail I left when I positioned the caller. He was running broadside, I barked him and he turned and headed directly away, going west even faster than before.

I lifted the rifle, let off a round. He stumbled, hesitated and hit warp speed headed northwest with his belly nearly touching the ground. One more desperation shot at about 100 yards and he disappeared. Although I didn't hear a hit, I thought I may have tagged him on the first, or maybe got very lucky on the second. Walked out into the alfalfa field, didn't find a body. I walked back to the point I took the first shot and there was enough hair for my wife to knit me a pair of socks. But no blood sign.

Blew it! I'm not a great running-shot guy but of the three similar shots I've taken this season, I dropped two of them so the first shot I took (the one where he was running straight away) should have been on the money. Where it went wrong was I should have taken just a shade more time instead of hurrying the shot. Even though he would have been an extra 20-30-40 yards farther, I think I would have had more of a chance instead of snapping off a round. I know better (sheeesh).

Second stand. Dry.

Saw another likely area. Left the truck and walked into an alfalfa field with a woodlot to the north and another to the west. My thinking was that with a west breeze, I'd make my stand on the southern edge of the north bush and I could scan the whole field to the east, south and west and still see anything coming out of the north bush. As I got closer I saw the field was overgrown so seeing something coming in would be difficult. Walked further west, saw an elongated horseshoe cleared in the west woodlot, about 100 yards long and 75 yards wide.

I didn't feel comfortable with it because of visibility problems but since I had walked in this far, I thought, 'what the H&#8230;'.

About five minutes calling, I see a coyote galloping south to north across the end of that open horseshoe, about 75 yards to the west. It happened so quickly I didn't have time to even bark him, let along shoulder the Tikka. I tried to convince him to come back but no luck. All I can think of was that I pulled him to the edge of the clearing but because I couldn't see him, I didn't regulate the volume. Probably just blew him out of the area.

Kept on calling. Suddenly I heard dead leaves rustling about 20 feet behind me, to the south. I froze, not moving. Oh, oh, that's a yote. The rustling continued so I dropped the volume but then the rustling stopped. A minute later, sure enough, a yote appears at the edge of the clearing. I lower the volume, he moves toward the caller. I wait for him to clear some saplings and when he does, I fire with him standing broadside about 40 yards away.

No 'thwack' but a clump of hair. He highballs into back into the bush headed south, I stand and from my little knoll watch him through the bush about 50 yards and then lose sight of him. At the crack of shot, a second coyote that was about 20 yards to the west of this guy bolted and was gone. I didn't even know he was there (again, that visibility problem I felt uncomfortable about when I did the stand).

I didn't feel good about the hair flying nor about the absence of the 'thwack' but 'Hey', I'm thinking, "I NEVER miss gimmes like that'. Well, I blew what was a very easy shot. Looked for in the bush for 30 minutes for what I thought (no, 'hoped, prayed') would be a dead yote and nothing.

I still couldn't believe I missed, at least through no fault of my own, so I found a good spot and set up the target just to check whether the scope was out of wack.

Vindication. The scope was out but not by enough to explain why I missed. The scope was shooting an inch high and an inch to the left. I sight my rifles in for 50 yards so even with it being out that much, it should have been a kill shot.

Did another two stands, dry, then it was time to head for home.

I blew it big time today. On my first coyote, he came in from the northeast, a direction I couldn't have covered so that doesn't bother me, but I should have been able to stretch him out him when he was running dead away.

That second yote, I'm gonna have nightmares about this guy. It was an absolute GIMME and I messed up. After two belts of rum, I still don't know how I could have done it. Then, when I think about working a stand that I had doubts about and which ultimately resulted in me not seeing two coyotes that I called in because of poor visibility, well all I can say is it's time for a third shot of Ron Bacardi.

Five stands in total today. Called in four. Shot at two. Missed two. Ouch!

There's an upside, however. After today's catastrophe, surely there can't be a sequel named "Worst day for the hunter". But then again, after looking at what unfolded this morning, a "WORST&#8230;" sequel might just happen.

Do me a favor, guys. Next time you whack a yote, tell him this is payback for what his cousins did to Saskcoyote. In the meantime, good luck and shoot straight. Especially the 'shoot straight' part. Saskcoyote


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