# Tough Weekend...



## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Tried every call I had & darn near every pre-program on my e-callers and never got a response Sat & Sun.

Snowing pretty good right now. Maybe if the temps drop this coming weekend may see more hungry & aggressive dogs...


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

I've tried three years in a row to hunt coyotes at some places where I saw a lot of sign and a few dogs during deer season. Usually I hunted the weekend after gun season was over. I've never seen a dog in the three years I did this. I liken it to all the gut piles and dead deer around. Why would a coyote want to hunt a squeeling rabbit when he has a fresh, steaming pile of cuts to gnaw on? I'll wait a bit longer until there's at least some snow on the ground and their bellies are rumbling again.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

NDTerminator said:


> Snowing pretty good right now. Maybe if the temps drop this coming weekend may see more hungry & aggressive dogs...


The moon was full last night. Wish we had this snow the last few nights for night calling. Maybe it will clear up for you!

Get into their comfort zone! :sniper:


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Have had the same problem ever since deer since rolled around. It's got me buffaloed.

Dead deer and gut piles? From the amount of yotes, magpies and ravens we have, those shouldn't last long. And even if they weren't hungry one would think they'd at least respond to a call and curiosity or territorial instincts would kick in.

We got a couple inches of snow last night with a touch more tonight and temperatures dropping so I'm hoping to break the drought tomorrow. But, based on my records, odds aren't good. But I keep telling myself I'm still having fun.


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

Saskcoyote;

I have the same problem here with deer season. I thought it was gut piles and such too. But I started getting into the areas that are inaccessible by truck and it was coyote heaven. I even came across a very fresh set of bobcat tracks!! Tried calling him but a coyote showed up about 30 seconds in and I couldn't help but bust him. I have a big bait pile by my house that I snare off of and I still call within 1/4 mile of it and kill coyotes regularly. I think its the vehicles driving around every little piece of cover that screws up the coyotes, in my opinion.


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## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Snowgooser: the 'truck' theory sounds as good as any I've heard. Went out yesterday morning and finally called in a critter. 

He was a wily one, no hard charging for him. He was heading for the downwind so I squeezed off. Missed. 

This time of year, especially, but it carries on right through December and into January, these guys are tough to fool. One would think that once the weather turns colder and the snow's deeper, they'd be more willing to come to the call, especially after deer season is finished but experience tells me it's tough slugging.

I'm off to spank some Montana roosters tomorrow a.m. but next week deer season is done so things should quiet down and it'll be back after the furry guys. This is the time I break out the JIB and hopefully put the hurt on 'em. :beer:

What about the rest of you guys? Are you seeing the same thing done there as me and Snow encounter up here? If not, send a few dummies my way (are you listening KingC)?


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

After I posted I headed out for the afternoon hunt. Was walking into my first set and saw a coyote stroll over a hill. I held up until he was out of sight and then set up and let loose with a dying rabbit. Instantly he did an about face and started to saunter in my direction. Unbeknown to me, between him and I was a gut pile!! After a long drawn out ordeal I was able to howl him into about 500 where he proceeded to lay down and go to sleep. Before he lay down I could see his monster belly through the scope. I backed out and will skin him another day. Went to my next set called 2 series and decided to move on. Picked up my decoy and just started to the truck and way off in the distance I see a spot come hauling over a hill. I hit the deck, got the bipod out and waited. This one circles down wind at 400+ yards. I was on him but just couldn't get the trigger squeeze on him. I know the country and the only available cover was close to 2 miles away, unless he was on the hunt. After those two debacles I called it a day. Tomorrow morning I have 5 stands that are all behind No Hunting signs that I scouted this morning. Should be a smoker as the wind is supposed to be down!


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

it's going around this week. i had the toughest run in years this week. i credit some of that to the full moon cycle. dogs hunt hard all night and move off of the creek beds and flats at sunrise or so. i did salvage a little (darn little) by switching to plateaus and transition areas, but still only called up 4 dogs in 2 days. yesterday was a total bust. 14 stands in a row without any response, visual or auditory. also discovered that my 3 top areas got gunned from the air.  conditions were perfect on the days i hunted too. fresh snow, cold (0-15 degrees F), and wind was nearly nonexistant. wednesday i covered 83 miles, NOT counting the highway drive. i had fresh snow, and only cut 5 sets of tracks. my expectations for the year may need a little readjusting. i have always found coyotes to be less aggressive during the full moon, but this week was just plain tough. i even had a complete ignition and fuel system failure out in remote territory. i finally traced it to the main relay on top of the steering column housing. i lost an hour constructing a bypass harness so i could get ignition, fuel injection, heat and power windows back online. but hey, it beats hiking 16 miles back to the highway in zero degree weather. it also was better than going home at the start of the day! the coyotes get to rest a few days while i formulate a new game plan. it looks like some windshield time is in order again. at least i can take comfort in knowing things will likely improve!


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

That is a rough one. The things we do chasing these critters! Yesterday morning I had a decent morning. Called in a pair at sunrise and popped one at 200. His partner circled me at a ling damn distance though and had no interest in the ki-yi-yi after the shot. Went to my next set and called up a pair that sat on a hill at 500 staring at me. No idea what their deal was. Bust on my third set. Went to my last set at 11:30 and figured I would howl and just see what was what. The place lit up! And they wouldn't stop either. Long long story short I killed a big male after a challenge howl off between him and a second male. It was by far the coolest hunt I can remember. After I put them on the stretchers I thought I should take a picture. The big male measures 49" on the stretcher and the other one went 47". And this morning I am listening to the wind howling outside.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Looking a little better this weekend. Saw a dog as soon as I left the yard, about 3/4 north ( I believe that this was one of the two I eventually called in). Went down to the next prairie trail to turn around so I could get out in front of his line of travel & walk in to call. about 1/2 mile east of my barn I see two more fiddling around out in the section on south side.

I tried these two first, made two stands but never got them out of the sloughs.

I then walked north and set up on the first one I saw. About 15 minutes into the sequence a dog, probably the same one, comes out of a big slough a good 1/2 mile away and really takes his own sweet time coming in. I pop him at 225 yards when he tried to swing downwind. A 70 grain Ballistic Tip from a 243 really puts them down with authority, BTW.

As soon as I drop the dog, I hit the e-caller for a good minute of squalling, then shut it down. 5 minutes later, here comes another one which looks to be following in the tracks of the first.

This one comes in even more slowly, at 300 yards and upwind, he gets twitchy, pulls up, and starts to angle off. A couple squeaks make him to pause but not continue in. As he starts to move away again I squeak to stop him, hold slightly high on his shoulder (mistake, I should have held lower for the pretty fair downhill angle) and put it right over his back.

Far enough away so he really doesn't put it together and walks/trots away. Unfortunately he was on the back side of a slough and all I could see the couple times he stopped over the next hundred yards were the tips of his ears.

Still, three stands, two dogs called in, and one grassed ain't bad, particularly when it's one that is practically living in my yard...


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

Isn't that a sickening feeling when you hold a hair high and then put it right over him!? The only thing worse is compensating for a downward angle and shaving his brisket!


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

things improved for me too on monday. 3 dogs dead, 1 more winded me from behind the hill. wind shifted 90 degrees toward him as he went behind the rise! talk about the fickle finger of fate! wednesday brought brutal weather and no dogs were called.


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

Scouted a new area yesterday afternoon after a successful 5 coyote morning. Country so good looking that I was waking up last night looking at the alarm. Woke up this morning to 15 mile and hour wind, which isn't too bad, but -49 degrees with the wind chill. I am as tough as anyone when it comes to cold weather calling, but that was too much for me. The coyotes aren't going anywhere and is supposed to warm up a bit this afternoon, if you believe the weather man!


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