# Last coyote hunt of 2016.



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Thursday was my last coyote hunt of 2016, I have a job to do for a friend Friday and we will be doing some cooking and helping John get everything set up for his party Friday night. Arrived at Johns at 1:30 PM and met Lee and John all loaded up in Lees suv. Today we are going to start nearby at a Christmas tree farm. It is a new place we were invited to by the owner just after Thanks Giving but the owner had not wanted us hunting till after the Christmas season as they have people show up about every day to do a cut your own. John, Eric and Dean had went and talked to the owner about important things like where to park and be out of the way, property lines and distances to neighboring buildings. They had also did the hay ride around the place to look at likely areas for sets.

It was a short 8 mile drive to the place and we got there just before 2:00 PM, John had filled us in on what he felt was the most likely area a bit of a hill with a cross trail so there were 4 avenues the coyotes could be seen, and an area they had cut over for this year's trees for those who didn't want to cut their own and for semi sales to other states tree dealers.
All the snow has pretty much left and it has gotten cold so the ground is frozen is a easy walk in about 350 yards from where we parked. Set up other than the decoy was simple set the call at the base of a tree 75 yards out and wiring the weasel ball to a stump so it would stand up, I need to make a base for when the ground is frozen.

Back where we are going to make our stand John points out who is covering what trail and angles. Is only right since he had scoped the place out with the owner who had explained the howling at night and area he thought it was coming from, and remains of a deer also.

About 10 minutes in to the calling a coyote peeks out from under a pine, quickly pulling his head back under as the branches were low to the ground. I keep watch on that area and sure enough it poked it's head out again. I had brought my Ruger 77 - 243 because we had a good steady 8 MPH wind when I left home with gust to 18 MPH. Pretty soon it steps fully out and looks at the decoy I figured the range at 120 yds slide the safety off center the cross hairs right between its eyes and squeeze.
It is down at once and just did a couple kicks. We wait another 10 minutes and nothing showed so we shut the caller off and waited another 10 minutes then packed it in. Walked up to the coyote and that Sierra 85gr. HPBT had entered at the bridge of the nose taking the back of the head off. Nice fur on it and hide not damaged badly where it counts. Lee says he will go get his ride and pick the coyote up so the cripple doesn't have to carry it out. 
Lee is in fine form again and makes me feel good.

We leave there at 2:25 and drive to the Androplouis farm A sheep farm about 30 miles from Johns place. They raise several breeds of sheep; one breed supply's a lot of meat to the Greek community in and around Detroit. They have their own butcher facilities, they also shear sheep and sell the raw wool, Yarn and even wool cloth. It is a good size farm about 540 acres, there is a small lake on the place so wood lot about 40 acres and a county drain thru the place, One area over grown with brush to wet to farm most years but sheep can graze there. We are all set at 3:15 and start the call. We think we should see a few as we have not hunted there for a good two months. We decided to do a double call, a squealing rabbit and a pack of coyotes sound like they are after the rabbit. We believe that the area coyotes thing there is an interloper pack so they come to investigate and come as a pack. Many times there will be at least 4 coyotes show during this type of calling. About 15 minutes elapsed and here came 5 coyotes all in Lees zone but he signaled He would take # 3 John # 2 and I should take #4 then who even could maybe get a shot at #1 At 75 yards Lee closed his hand and fired. When the smoke and dust had settled I had my second coyote and John had one and Lee had 2. If we hustle we can do one more set at another farm.

We drove another 25 miles to a dairy farm, their place is a small 160 acres where the home is but lease a lot of farms in the area where other farmers have retired or just quit. We were going to hunt the home place; there were several small wood lots in the area around the farm. As we parked at 4:30Pm it was starting to get darker. We trek back to the edge of a hay field fence that has a wood lot on one side and another wood lot on the end. Set up the decoy just out from the corner of the wood lots. Then set up along the fence across the hay field. Any shots will be close to 200 yds. The wind is starting to calm down as the callers start going. After 20 minutes and not seeing any thing we set for an additional 10 minutes waiting in case a slow poke shows up. None did so we pack up and leave.

Lee volunteers to skin the coyotes for us as we are driving to johns and help set up the tables for the party. 
Get back at Johns and Dean drives in right after us. He has 6 lamb chops From the Elrick family given to our group for keeping coyotes away from their sheep. John says that will go good with his steaks.

 Al


----------



## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Wow, a whole pack! Great story. What decoy do you use? Im a snowbird down here in AZ, but brought the AR and calls for yotes and Javelina later on. My decoy crapped out but. Will put it out anyway I guess.
Happy New Year, everyone!


----------



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

We all made the modified weasel ball from varmint al's web site. Cheap and easy to make. Thought about buying a Ioc Tec AD 400 but the weasel ball works and is less than $15.00 to build.










 Al


----------



## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Great story alley. Visibility is about a mile here right now, but it's still snowing. Not much wind yet, but if it gets to 35mph like they say it will be a white out. We got about four inches of snow last night and are supposed to get wind and another six inches today. I think I will screw the suppressor on the Creedmoor and go for a little ride. I have low blood pressure and the medicine they gave me to slow down the heart gives me even lower blood pressure. I need someone with a whip to get me out walking. The plan right now is to look for bedded coyotes laying on the downwind side or rock piles and tree rows.


----------



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

My Kare is dealing with high blood pressure right now. They try a new med then do adjustments for a few weeks then decide it isn't working right and start the game all over again. I know the cause but don't know how to fix it. Her mom is 85, has dementia bad, so doesn't know who her daughters are, grew up in Missouri and some times thinks she is back there. older brother died 10 or more years ago and she will tell Kare she talked to him on the phone today. She also has congestive heart failure to top it off. That is the stress point that raises her blood pressure, *Plus lives with me.*

Sounds like good plan for there. Wouldn't work so well here, different trespass laws and most areas way more hilly than there. Also can't shot from the road.

I bought a new snow blower the week before Christmas and it warmed right up into the 40's pretty much every day. Is 39F here right now and raining. Calling for Rain all day, spoiled a hunt I was supposed to go one today. Cool down for cast for Wednesday and 7 day for cast is saying below average temps so will be in the mid 20F to 15F range. Weather guy just said now snow in the fore seeable future too.

 Al


----------



## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

We got another 10 inches in the past 24 hours. I went out yesterday, but only seen a red fox and a few deer. I took my bow along, but felt sorry for them and didn't even try. If I seen a big old buck that was skinny from the rut I would go after him. This winter is going to be tough on them. I didn't try for the red fox either. We had a lot of them in the past and I like to hunt them so I hope he makes it through the winter and breeds too.

Yes we can shoot from the road, but not across a lane of traffic. I like the minimum maintenance roads if you can get down them in winter. The snow is so deep now I will have to go with a longer bipod to shoot over the snow. We have a trespass bill coming up in North Dakota that may totally destroy coyote hunting for me. I would guess the outfitters will push hard for it since they are the only ones that will benefit. Hunters will dislike landowners and landowners will dislike hunters before this is over. I hope they are both smart enough to figure out they are not each others enemies. Most anyway. A greedy landowner on another site says he isn't for or against then goes on to talk about the benefits. I guess he thinks he is clever and we are stupid. I say greedy because it will come down to paying him for the state owned animals.

When I was younger (50 years old) I would cross country ski with calls and a rifle. I have made up to 15 miles in a day. Pushing 70 and three knee surgeries later, plus heart stents and low blood pressure, driving around looking for sleeping coyotes is about the only thing I can do now. I guess the pro auto post people would tell me to go to the nursing home. Unfortunately many younger people think they score points if the agree to this type of posting. It isn't going to get them squat and they will one day be old too.


----------



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Had my worst knee replaced in April was out with the guys in June to hunt whistle pigs and fell after getting tangled in some thick grass and ripped the mostly healed insistion open, 3 hours in Er getting X rays, and 6 stiches. Boss grounded me till first part of August. August 23d had the Right knee replaced same doctor same hospital whole thing was different. Boss kept me grounded till first part of November and said no climbing in my deer blinds. Now I am doing mostly OK for a 70 year old keeping up with my 50 year old friends but I get a lot of trash talk from them. I would expect no less.

We have some pretty strict trespass laws here. You need my permission to come on my property to recover a animal you shot even. I had a war with My A hole neighbor who just felt they could come on my place with out asking and wander around all night sowing TP all over the place. Talking to them did no good took a ticket to get their attention. Even told them to come and ask before the season even started instead of when I am sitting down to have my supper. Had to laugh at the Jerk when he decided to try to be nice and said they could help me if I ever wounded a deer and was having trouble finding it. Just told him I don't take iffy shots and if he had ever seen me on his flat open field looking for a critter I had wounded.
I don't mind them looking for a wounded animal on my place I do mind the dam TP they spread so it looks like it had snowed during the night. I also mind wakening up at 3:30AM to whiz and they are still back in my woods wavering lights all over the place.

 Al


----------

