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Last Tuesday I was finishing up a recon trip to the Merrill area when one my regular ranchers calls me and says "Hey you want to shoot rock chucks in California?" They take me down there and the rancher shows me around and says "kill all the chucks!" Still a little cold but I manage to shoot 10 chucks in about two hours. Around 1600 I am getting ready to leave when the rancher drives up and asks how it went. When I told him I connected on ten chucks he is very happy and says "Will you take care of the coyotes for me also?" LOL He tells me go to the "east field" and start from there. And he wants all the hides for a fur bed cover so I have to shoot them in the head...
I am driving around a small rock ridge on the north side of the field when a coyotes jumps up 400 yards in front and runs to the edge of the junipers. I quickly back down so the rocky ridge is hiding me and peek over. The coyote has laid down in the last rays of the setting sun! Using the rocky ridge as cover I sneak to 256 yards and put the hammer down.
I drag him down to field and walk through the junipers when I see another coyote. I move to a opening in the junipers and set out the ecaller. in about 1 minute I see a limping coyote coming in on the right about 200 yards. I move the rifle over to him and watch him come in. I check around again and see a coyote coming in on the left only 125 yards away. I move the rifle over to him and he goes behind a tree. I take that opportunity to look around and see another coyote coming in from ahead and another coming in slightly left of center. I look to left and that coyote is out from behind tree and 100 yards away. I drop him and swing on the limping yote. Nope too smart he ran directly into trees. Where is my wingman!!!
I drag him down to field and decide for one more stand even though it is getting dark fast. I walk/run to a powerline right of way about 1/2 mile above where I called in the four. When I get there the sage brush is over 4 feet tall!! I run to a ridge about another 400 yards away. While headed that way, coyotes start barking from three directions, crap I am busted! I top ridge and find a nice 200 yard opening and set facing downhill and it is almost dark!! I set up in the sage for cover and turn on the ecaller About 30 seconds later a coyote appears above me and to left. Well it is looking back to where a group of coyotes are barking. I try to swing rifle on him and get all twisted in the sage and can't turn body to line up shot. Dumb bubblegum me takes the shot anyway and miss. I start swearing and ecaller automatically starts playing pup in distress. 2 minutes later a coyote comes into the clearing at 150 yards and thank goodness I have a swarovski scope and can see him clearly in the fading light, down he goes. I had to use the flash on my phone camera to take picture.
It was a bit of a nightmare getting him and myself out of there in the dark. I dropped off the yotes with the rancher on my way home......
I am driving around a small rock ridge on the north side of the field when a coyotes jumps up 400 yards in front and runs to the edge of the junipers. I quickly back down so the rocky ridge is hiding me and peek over. The coyote has laid down in the last rays of the setting sun! Using the rocky ridge as cover I sneak to 256 yards and put the hammer down.
I drag him down to field and walk through the junipers when I see another coyote. I move to a opening in the junipers and set out the ecaller. in about 1 minute I see a limping coyote coming in on the right about 200 yards. I move the rifle over to him and watch him come in. I check around again and see a coyote coming in on the left only 125 yards away. I move the rifle over to him and he goes behind a tree. I take that opportunity to look around and see another coyote coming in from ahead and another coming in slightly left of center. I look to left and that coyote is out from behind tree and 100 yards away. I drop him and swing on the limping yote. Nope too smart he ran directly into trees. Where is my wingman!!!
I drag him down to field and decide for one more stand even though it is getting dark fast. I walk/run to a powerline right of way about 1/2 mile above where I called in the four. When I get there the sage brush is over 4 feet tall!! I run to a ridge about another 400 yards away. While headed that way, coyotes start barking from three directions, crap I am busted! I top ridge and find a nice 200 yard opening and set facing downhill and it is almost dark!! I set up in the sage for cover and turn on the ecaller About 30 seconds later a coyote appears above me and to left. Well it is looking back to where a group of coyotes are barking. I try to swing rifle on him and get all twisted in the sage and can't turn body to line up shot. Dumb bubblegum me takes the shot anyway and miss. I start swearing and ecaller automatically starts playing pup in distress. 2 minutes later a coyote comes into the clearing at 150 yards and thank goodness I have a swarovski scope and can see him clearly in the fading light, down he goes. I had to use the flash on my phone camera to take picture.
It was a bit of a nightmare getting him and myself out of there in the dark. I dropped off the yotes with the rancher on my way home......
