by the tree limb is a coyote sneaking in to the call. Slowly I slide my gun along the barbed wire I am using as a rest. The downed limb is providing cover for the ’yote and for me as well. Finally my gun is in position but there are many sticks and branches to deal with. Scanning through the scope I am hoping to find an
opening to make the shot. There is one but the coyote needs to move about three feet into it. If the coyote happens to walk through the opening in a hurry I will have to start looking for another opening. That will be a problem because the tree trunk and the dirt hill will protect it from my view. Luck smiles on me as it stops in the perfect place. It’s a
small opening but years of shooting groundhogs at far dis- tances will make this an easy shot. A light pressure on the trigger and it drops. A second coyote retreats into the wood- land across the field. I concentrated so hard on making the shot I didn’t notice the second ’yote. For several minutes the call tries to persuade it into coming out to play. It only barks and tells the other ’yotes we’re here. Jeff, too, saw a coyote at this location. It busted him as he tried to reposition his gun. At the main ranch we do two stands but we think the
crunchy snow announces our arrival. The ranch dogs are barking and figure they are chasing coyotes of their own. The owner said he killed 17 coyotes in his underwear the year before. His dogs start barking when coyotes are in the area. He steps out on the porch with his favorite rifle and eliminates a coyote, perhaps saving a calf or fawn. Hunting got tough through the middle of the day as
winds reached 25 or more miles per hour. We did locate a big cat track in the snow. The rancher told us earlier he had seen a big cat. The picture of a cat track accompanying this story is in possession of the Kansas DNR. If it is a large cat track it is the first physical evidence they have. Our second to the last call of the day was in a rocky area.
I was setting up as Jeff moved to a location on my left and Jim was going to my right. A disturbance caught my attention as Jim had slipped on one of the few remaining bits of snow. Back to setting up, a flash of brown caught my eye in the rocks and snow below. Immediately my shotgun is shouldered and I start tracking it. A quick shot polished a couple of rocks but enough pellets hit the bobcat. It ran 90 yards to Jeff before piling up. The call played for 20 minutes but it was pretty hard to concentrate on the remainder of that stand. On the last stand of the day we hadn’t even finished get- ting ready and coyotes were talking from 360 degrees. I talked
back, waited for five minutes, and started the screaming pup- pies. It took ten minutes but four coyotes came running out of the draw like their fur was on fire. The ’yotes came from hard to my left and it was a difficult twist for a left-hander. Two coyotes lined up as I took the shot. No excuse for the miss but it happened. Still, we did a little better today with one ’yote and one bobcat. Sunday, February 12, 2011
Today we went to the northeast about six miles ... yet
another piece of ground not hunted. At our first stand we were very successful at calling in a skunk. Both Jim and Jeff saw what was happening but couldn’t signal me without ruining the stand. I was happy to get up and move on once I discovered it. No ’yotes called here. Our next set overlooked hundreds of acres of open
plains. Hoping to get Jim a shot, I gave him a prime spot in front of me. Jeff was to the left watching our flank. The echo of puppy screams came back from the far hills. Five to six minutes into it two coyotes headed for us on a dead run. I sat back and laughed, thinking they will run right into Jim. They came in 35 yards downwind of Jim and because of some tall grass he was unable to see them. As soon as they caught his wind I came up shooting and Jim joined in. It’s hard to hit a running ’yote. The wind picked up again and it got warm. We decided
to do a little scouting and prepare for the evening hunt. One place we scouted was a rancher’s private road back to some of his pastures. With hardly a plan I grabbed my mouth calls and told the fellows to set up. “Let’s give it a call.” Jim had chosen a higher location to set up on while Jeff and I sat at the fence. As we sat there I looked at Jeff and said, ”You know what’s going to happen now, don’t you. My gun is in the van.” I tried a few distress calls and all remained calm. Next I
did a coyote howl and a wounded coyote. Soon after the call rang out Jim whistled at us. He was holding up two fingers and pointing right over our heads. Unseen in the grass are two coyotes coming to the call. Jim couldn’t shoot because he would shoot right over our heads and between us. Jeff understood what was happening and jumped up shooting. I was right behind him and watched as he unloaded his AR at two yotes running for their lives. One made a clean getaway but the other sat down in
the field and looked at us. I’m hollering at Jeff to shoot and he hollers back his gun is empty. He runs to the van for more ammo but the ’yote finally gets itself together and leaves the way it came. Jim and Jeff find blood and track the wounded coyote while I search the field for evidence of a hit on the second coyote. A finishing shot in the woods signals we have coyote number three. While scouting we see our black coyote from the first
morning in a pasture only 200 yards from where Jim had cut wire the same morning. Without hesitation we continue down the road so as not to alarm it. Jim drops off Jeff on the north boundary and me on the west boundary. Jim will then go to a location in an attempt to make a long shot. Lacking success, maybe the coyote will come to Jeff or me. The wind is in our favor. As this is happening the rancher pulls into the pasture
and scares away the coyote. He is doing his daily chores and by coincidence just happens to arrive at this time. Another
Page 164 October — December 2011
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