# Bad day for the dogs-2



## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Went out Friday while fighting the flu bug but it was the dogs that were feeling mighty unhealthy when the hunt ended. Had a good day which of course means the dogs didn't -- thus, here's Bad day for the dogs-2.

(Here's the heads up -- it's a lengthy one so if you don't like reading, here's your chance to move onto other things)

Got out at the crack of dawn. With a slight breeze coming from the northeast, I set up along side a east-west running bush, my back to the north and facing south. I put the FX3 about 40-45 yards straight south. Ripped out about half a dozen lone howls followed by a couple group howls and immediately, from a bush 3/8 mile to the northeast I got responses.

I immediately changed to a JR distress and within less than a minute, three hard chargers came in, catching me by surprise because they got so close before I saw them. I tried to bark them but they were going full tilt to the caller and didn't stop. Suddenly they scattered, I'm thinking because they caught the scent of the caller (or maybe a slight shift in wind direction wafted my scent to them).

Whatever it was, there were dogs going every which way, a regular three ring circus. One headed back northeast toward cover, one bolted southeast across the open field and the third headed straight toward me. I barked him to a stop, giving me a dead-on shot at About 30 yards. Bang flop. Big adult male.

I turned my attention to the dog heading southeast, took a running shot dead away at 100 yards (You can guess the result). He immediately turned and headed north toward the bush. I tried to ki-yi him with my voice but no luck.

Second stand, still slight northeast breeze. Set up along side an old, bushed road allowance, facing east. To my left (north) was a big block of bush. I placed the caller east-southeast of me about 50 yards, and about 60 yards from the edge of the bush.

Lone howls, then groups howls. Immediate response from a pair. Changed to JR distress and a couple minutes later, out comes an adult female headed straight to the caller. Barked and dumped her at about 50 yards. Switched to a ki-yi, then lone-group howls, then JR and within 3-4 minutes, out comes the second at about 70 yards. Barked her. Thwack.

She didn't go down but instead turned to the east and trotted off. I knew this dog was hit solidly and about 40 yards, she dropped dead as dirt. Examination of hit showed the bullet just behind her front shoulder but a couple inches lower than I had intended. Oh, well, the job still got done.

Next two stands, dry. Fifth stand was a pasture interspersed with islands of poplar-willow, with a large bush to the north. With the breeze still coming from the northeast, I set up facing into the breeze with a smaller open area, about 10 acres, in front of me which allowed me a good vantage point to see anything coming in from the west, north, east and south (My blind spot would have been a dog coming in from the southwest). I placed the FoxPro about 40 yards in front of me.

Played the usual medley but no takers. I was just about to pack up and call it a day (the flu bug was really starting to kick in) when I spotted a yote out in front of me (northeast) about 200 yards away. He was facing me directly, sitting on his haunches. He was interested in the JR distress but after a couple minutes of coaxing he still wasn't coming. 200 yards? No, I wasn't going to shoot. Figured I could find something to convince him to move closer.

I switched to the rodent distress and immediately he got up and trotted west, just outside the bush line, but not headed toward the south where the sound was coming from. When he was directly north of the caller and didn't show any intention of going toward the sound, it was decision time. Was he trying to get downwind or would he slip into cover?

If he was going to come downwind, great, he'd be virtually in my lap.

If he was uncomfortable and quickly slipped into cover, then I'd be out of luck. I barked him and got a broadside from about 110-120 yards. Thwack! He turned and slowly trotted toward the bush line 20 yards to the north.

The sound of the impact and his method of departure told me it was a mortal wound so he wouldn't go far but with no snow here yet, him getting into heavy cover even 10 yards could mean a lost dog. I walked toward the point at which he would have entered the bush and found him dead. He ran maybe 15 yards before tipping over.

An examination of the wound showed what I felt was perfect shot placement, two inches behind the shoulder and midway between the top of the back and bottom of the chest. It was a pup so I was a little surprised he didn't go down immediately. I was shooting my Remington 700 BDL, with 50-grain TNT Hollowpoints chrono-ed at 3160 which should have meant a DRT.

So, a good day for me, a bad day for the dogs. Shot at five, got four. Yes, there's a question. I love the FX3 but when I have more than one coming in and I shoot, I can't get to the ki-yi sound soon enough. By the time I pick up the key pad, punch in the sound 'up' or 'down' button, hit the 'send' and then thumb the volume 'up' button to get the sound loud enough, a running yote is out 250 or more yards. Even if I would get him to stop then, I'm just not a good enough shot to feel confident at 250 or 300 yards.

Kdog in an earlier post said he used a Song Dog with good success. Now, finally (yes, here it is) the question. Could you guys give me your opinions on which callers out of the many on the market are worth considering. I want something that's simple to use, something that will put out a ki-yi and not take five seconds to find the right place on the reed. The only howler I currently use is a Sceery which is great for locating yotes but it's not the answer to the ki-yi problem.

Thanks for the anticipated replies. In the meantime, good luck and shoot straight. Saskcoyote.


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## Quacker Wacker (Oct 12, 2006)

Nice job! I was wondering what u use for barks are there barks on the call or do u just yell a deap Bark! to stop them? :sniper:


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## 1 shot (Oct 24, 2007)

Another great story!


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Hi 1 shot: Thanks for the reply. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. If by relaying my successes or failures helps anyone improve their hunts, then it's mission accomplished.

Quacker Whacker: When I bark, it's by voice. If I were to use the FoxPro, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the action because things happen fast when one or more yotes come bustin' in.

The large majority of the coyotes I shoot appear quickly and I generally don't see them coming in from a long way off. That's probably because of the terrain I hunt (plenty of bushes and woodlots up here).

It takes too much time to push all the buttons on the FoxPro to be able to quickly stop a yote. When I 'bark' I don't imagine it sounds much like a genuine coyote bark but I think it's just the strange, unexpected sound that stops the coyote for that instant.

When I do stop the coyote, I shoot immediately. No such thing as a measured, calculated trigger squeeze. I know when I bark, the yote pinpoints me immediately and I have to get off the shot in that short moment when he's wondering just what the heck I am. I may have a bit more time from longer distances but because most of the yotes I shoot are 40-60 yards, the crosshair gets on him and bang!

As to my question about the calls that produced good ki-yi's, were easy to use and produced the sounds I wanted without much fussin', the reason for that is my wife is headed to North Carolina on Wednesday.

Up here, we don't have anywhere near the selection of calls you guys have down south. So when she asked what she could pick up for me when she was in North Carolina, I thought if I could get some suggestions on calls that worked well for successful coyote hunters, then that's what I'd have her pick up.

I guess most guys on this forum don't mess with ki-yi's and thus can't provide the info I wanted. But that's okay, I could go with kdog's suggestion and see if she can round up a Song Dog.

If she can't find one, well, that's fine too. I guess I'll just have to keep doing what I'm doing. Maybe I'll even be able to perfect a ki-yi on my own (LOL) although I'd appreciate getting some feedback on calls that would fit the bill. Any suggestions?

In the meantime, good luck and shoot straight. Saskcoyote


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

Great stories sask! Thanks for taking the time to write out the details.

As you noted, I do use the Song Dog - my favorite. I too have not been able to manage the remote buttons and get/stay on a coyote before he or she gets way out there for a shot. If you buy one of Major Boddicker's Son Dogs, and take the rubber band off, you will find that with minimal practice you can Ki-Yi quite easily. The Ki-Yi sound is made then by biting down on the reed with lip or teeth pressure and sliding back toward the tip of the reed. No need to be precise, just start near the far end of the reed and slide back - trying to sound of course very pitiful. You may be well aware of how to Ki-Yi Sask, but I thought I would add that for the benefit of other readers who may want to try this also. For those that use Critter Calls/Song Dogs, I have also found that I like calling with the tube/reed upside down. I think it just depends upon your teeth, and how they fit on the call.

Congrats Sask on the successful day! Hope you recover soon.


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## bud69652 (Feb 6, 2006)

Love the story keep em coming, quick question? what rifle were you using and what grain and ammo type?


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

bud69652: Thanks for the reply. I use two rifles, a Tikka Whitetail Hunter and a Remington 700 BDL, both in .223. I used the Remington for my last hunt. The loads I use in both are 50-grain TNT Hollowpoints.

Yes, there's much debate about which is the best caliber. The reason I chose the .223 is simple -- I don't consider myself a great shot so within the range I feel comfortable, 200-250 or less the .223 can do anthing I ask of it. The .223 has a greater capability for a clean kill at a greater distance but I personally don't have the capability to consistently make those long shots.

That's why I envy guys who can knock off yotes consistently from 350 yards and I stand in awe of guys who can knock off yotes from 500-plus yards on a regular basis.

You see, I don't shoot those kinds of distances. First, because I'll probably miss. But secondly, and more importantly, I'm scared I'll hit what I'm shooting at but not hit it well.

To shoot at a distant target and knock off a leg, or bust a jaw only to have the animal get away and die a painful death is something I want no part of. I would sooner go home empty-handed than go home with a heavy heart knowing I caused an animal suffering.

Yes, there is the odd time when a close range shot will do the same thing and I've unfortunately had that happen to me but I do all in my power to absolutely minimize that occurence.

I would much, much sooner pass up a shot that has only a small percentage chance of me making a humane kill (based on my shooting abilities) than take a shot which has a much greater chance of wounding the animal and having it escape only to die a lingering death.

My personal experience with reloading, ballistics, trajectories and so on tell me most people who shoot long distances rely more on dumb luck than skill. Deer season up here opened today and if this year is anything like other years I'm going to hear from guys who shot their bucks with their 30-06s at distances of 400 or 500 or 600 yards -- or even 800 yards away.

How much did they raise for that shot (based on their rifle being sighted in for 200 yards)? When they tell me they raise a 12 inches above its back and hit it dead centre at a distance of 500 yards, I call them on it.

But at the same time, they'll never saw how many legs they've knocked off or how many gut shot deer they've had, deer that they can never find.

Everyone has their own ethics, mine are such that I believe the animal I'm hunting deserves my respect. And that's how I define myself as a sportsman.

No, I don't expect everyone to adhere to my sandards. If one's capable of making the long distance shot consistently, all the more power to him. I just don't believe in treating animals like video game targets in which a bad hit has no consequences.

There was a long-winded answer but you asked me about my caliber choice. I gave it to you, plus my reasoning. Hope it was helpful.

In the meantime, good luck and shoot straight (but only from distances you're capable of shooting from LOL) Saskcoyote.


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## bud69652 (Feb 6, 2006)

Definately, I shoot a .223 remington. I shoot 52 grain v-max out of mine. I don't feel comfortable enough to shoot anywhere past two hundred. I figure that I will probably end up missing or hit them in a spot where I can't find them. If I do spot them out past 200 I will usually return a few days later and come in from a diferent side as where I seen them come out from. Then I change up my calling sequence a little bit and see if I can't get them to come in a bit closer. About half the time this works, I figure it's better to get a clean shot on a few more varmits than missing or wounding a few that I wil never find.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

If you guys would shoot bigger calibers, you could shoot longer ranges with more confidence.


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## bud69652 (Feb 6, 2006)

If you send me the money to buy a new gun I'll consider it.  Until then I'll keep shooting them under 200


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## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

bud69652 said:


> I don't feel comfortable enough to shoot anywhere past two hundred. I figure that I will probably end up missing or hit them in a spot where I can't find them... I figure it's better to get a clean shot on a few more varmits than missing or wounding a few that I wil never find.


Bareback, he isn't shooting a rifle that is too small. Clearly, he is one of those rare men, one that can admit to his limitations. All a bigger caliber would do would be to make a bigger dustcloud where the bullet misses the dog. :wink:

In my own humble opinion, if you are trying to salvage fur, 22-250, .223, .204 are all great choices. For outright predator control, ANYTHING that you are comfortable shooting works great!


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

hagfan,

Well said. :beer:


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Not meant in a derogatory way at all. I think knowing ones limits is an admirable quality, one that more "hunters" should get to know.


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