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From December sorry I forgot to post to this forum...
Received a call from a rancher near K-Falls saying he had coyotes in his fields and badgers were putting in a golf course. Away I went for three days. First afternoon was spent on recon. Next morning I set up leaning on a cattle loading chute looking at a sage/juniper ridge with 100 yards of pasture between. After I started caller a bunch of grazing cows moved between me and ridge and, of course, a yote starts coming down ridge right at me and cows. He stops at edge of pasture and the cows move off, bang yote down.
I then move to a timbered area to look for muskrats in a canal so I have my SA-22 with me. Halfway through timber I hear several gray squirrels barking and think they are barking at me. Nope, 100 yards further I see a yote trot off to left. I run back to truck for rifle and caller. I go back to where I saw yote and set up with canal 100 yards to my left with the caller about 50 yards in front. Five minutes in I see a yote run away directly in front. After 20 minutes I figure I am sunk and stop calling. I sit for about ten minutes and see a yote walking towards me along the canal about 400 yards away. The yote kept coming and when he got to a small ridge that ran down to caller he turned and started walking towards it. At 150 yards I dropped him. When I went over to him he had a very large hole in his back and on the same side I was on. I can't figure out what happened when bullet hit.
The next morning I spent looking for badgers and got one at 20 yards with the ruger.
That afternoon the rancher said I should go to a new pasture that has a small hill in it and abuts a neighbors land. I set up leaning on fence and called in one on the wrong side of fence, he sat watching for an hour while I tried every call in unit. When I gave up I moved to other side of hill and saw a yote in the pasture about 1/2 mile away in with the cows. No shot so I thought I would see how close I could get by stalking. Halfway across the pasture turns into an ankle deep wetland. I get to around 150 yards from yote and the cows spook away and yote moves to my left in the clear. Crap, I am standing in ankle deep water carrying a 13 pound rifle. So I raise rifle and take a shot. I hit him low and outside and he runs out of pasture into sage and drops.
The next morning I see a yote and try to stalk him but he moves onto another neighbors land and I never get a shot. I then move around and spot a yote in a pasture just outside of the timber where I shot number 2. I drive past him and stalk along timber with ruger. I get to within 150 yards and take a shot and miss. He runs out into pasture and turns approx 175 yards out and I shoot again and miss. What the heck!? He runs into timber and I stalk again and see him coming at me along the canal. He gets to 150 yards and stops. I take the shot and miss. I am at a loss at what happened and figure I hit scope at sometime.
When I returned home I remembered something important about that rifle. In April we were hunting rock chucks and it fired when my daughter took the safety off. We immediately red lined the rifle and sent it back to Ruger. I was in Maine when it returned with a new trigger group and completely forgot to sight in. It was 8 inches low and 10 inches to left. I guess I am at the age I need to write myself notes......
Received a call from a rancher near K-Falls saying he had coyotes in his fields and badgers were putting in a golf course. Away I went for three days. First afternoon was spent on recon. Next morning I set up leaning on a cattle loading chute looking at a sage/juniper ridge with 100 yards of pasture between. After I started caller a bunch of grazing cows moved between me and ridge and, of course, a yote starts coming down ridge right at me and cows. He stops at edge of pasture and the cows move off, bang yote down.
I then move to a timbered area to look for muskrats in a canal so I have my SA-22 with me. Halfway through timber I hear several gray squirrels barking and think they are barking at me. Nope, 100 yards further I see a yote trot off to left. I run back to truck for rifle and caller. I go back to where I saw yote and set up with canal 100 yards to my left with the caller about 50 yards in front. Five minutes in I see a yote run away directly in front. After 20 minutes I figure I am sunk and stop calling. I sit for about ten minutes and see a yote walking towards me along the canal about 400 yards away. The yote kept coming and when he got to a small ridge that ran down to caller he turned and started walking towards it. At 150 yards I dropped him. When I went over to him he had a very large hole in his back and on the same side I was on. I can't figure out what happened when bullet hit.
The next morning I spent looking for badgers and got one at 20 yards with the ruger.
That afternoon the rancher said I should go to a new pasture that has a small hill in it and abuts a neighbors land. I set up leaning on fence and called in one on the wrong side of fence, he sat watching for an hour while I tried every call in unit. When I gave up I moved to other side of hill and saw a yote in the pasture about 1/2 mile away in with the cows. No shot so I thought I would see how close I could get by stalking. Halfway across the pasture turns into an ankle deep wetland. I get to around 150 yards from yote and the cows spook away and yote moves to my left in the clear. Crap, I am standing in ankle deep water carrying a 13 pound rifle. So I raise rifle and take a shot. I hit him low and outside and he runs out of pasture into sage and drops.
The next morning I see a yote and try to stalk him but he moves onto another neighbors land and I never get a shot. I then move around and spot a yote in a pasture just outside of the timber where I shot number 2. I drive past him and stalk along timber with ruger. I get to within 150 yards and take a shot and miss. He runs out into pasture and turns approx 175 yards out and I shoot again and miss. What the heck!? He runs into timber and I stalk again and see him coming at me along the canal. He gets to 150 yards and stops. I take the shot and miss. I am at a loss at what happened and figure I hit scope at sometime.
When I returned home I remembered something important about that rifle. In April we were hunting rock chucks and it fired when my daughter took the safety off. We immediately red lined the rifle and sent it back to Ruger. I was in Maine when it returned with a new trigger group and completely forgot to sight in. It was 8 inches low and 10 inches to left. I guess I am at the age I need to write myself notes......