3-2-1 Day of Calling

[Big Lou]

Let me start this by saying, I very recently stated to another forum member, that I always take my shotty with me, as well as a rifle when calling. Well today, I found myself at the end of the driveway upon departure and realized that I didn’t have my scatter gun. Not wanting to sacrifice the 5-7 minutes, like a rookie, I pulled out and got on the road.

Set #1

This is one of my, if not my favourite place to call with a south and or south west wind. It’s perfect. I’ve never not been successful here. It always produces and more often than not, doubles or triples. I set up a touch different seeing as I was without shotgun. After about 9minutes or so, I notice a coyote slinking through some scrubby brush along the creek about 200 yards away. I lose sight. After 5-6 minutes of some intermittent coaxing, it still hasn’t committed. Here we go, it’s either going to bust wide open or be my first blank here. After only seconds of pup distress, I see a coyote break from cover, dipping and diving towards me. As I’m waiting for it to appear again, I see another standing on a mound looking my direction. About 150 yards I figure. Bird in the hand…. So I thump it. The close coyote had wheeled back around to where it had come from originally and proceeded to come in again while I’m still wailing pup distress. Almost on the same path. I glance back to where I dispatched the coyote on the mound and there’s another standing close to the same spot. Two birds? BOOM THWOP! Coyote three departs for parts unknown. Okay. Good start. Doubles are good. 155 and 153 yards were the shot distances and they died about 12 yards apart. Both big males.


Set #2
So, this one stings. A friend had asked me to try and clean up some coyotes around his home place. I’ve called there before. It’s a tough spot and normally benefits greatly having a partner. I’m solo so here goes. Set up in a skinny tree line so I can see up and downwind. I was leery about where I places the caller, but what are the chances they will come from that direction? I should know better - Murphy. Start with some distress. Roughly the 7 minute mark, I notice a pair 500-600 yards downwind of me. They are making a big loop. Maybe they won’t wind me. Caller still going and like a fool, I’m not paying attention to that direction while watching the pair. A flash of movement catches my eye. 40 yards away I see a coyote wheeling and running away. His ears must be blown out for how close he came to the caller. “WHY DID YOU NOT BRING THE SHOT GUN?” I woof at it several times expecting it to stop. It doesn’t. Probably should have just put one in his rear but I’m hoping that I can still pull the pair in. I let it depart. Let’s make this happen. Pup distress again. I see the pair break cover about 400 yards away and they are closing fast. Like fast fast. “YOU FOOL. THE SHOTGUN!” About the hundred yard mark I start trying to stop them with my woofing. Nope. They are not stopping. May as well let them get close. At about 30 yards they catch my tracks as they’ve blown right by the caller. Chaos ensues as I put forth one of the most poor displays of running shooting I’ve ever put forth. I empty the rifle - and don’t tickle a hair. “Why are you so dumb sometimes? You’d think that the older you get, you’d be smarter. At the very least be better.” Oh well. How often could a guy get a shot gun triple? Geeze. I guess we all need reminders about lessons previously learned. I’ll see you guys again in about three weeks.

Set #3

Another farming friend had mentioned the coyotes were bad at his home place. Off I went. This is another favoured spot. There’s opportunity for every wind situation and it normally holds a good population of resident coyotes. For today’s wind, I set up prone on a little roll in the field on the half mile line. There’s always a strip of weeds and tall grass there to tuck in, so this I did. I’m not sure exactly why, but in this spot, the coyotes seem to respond better to coyote vocals. I normally just skip any distress type stuff here unless it’s a dirty cold snap. Let loose with a female yodel. In less than 2 minutes, I see three coyotes coming up the tree line opposite my position. I’m just going to stay quiet and see how this plays out. Once again, I’m cursing myself for not having the shot gun. A big male closes to about the hundred yard mark and stops, facing me. The other two are within 30 yards of him. God! I could suck all three of them in tight! I know I could! No shot gun! Screw it. I’m taking this one and see if I can get another as they flee. BOOM! THWOP! Big male drops. The other two scatter. I couldn’t get what I felt was a good lead on the coyote I selected to try for and it gets over a rise. Coyote three has made the bush. Let fly with some dying coyote. Coyote two comes charging back over the rise and is closing hard and fast. I need not say what was going through my head again. Woofing is not stopping this one either. After my last spectacle of shooting fast movers -oh no. At the 20 yard mark I pop up and onto my knees to swing on this thing. It grabs road gear as it wheels and gets low, with eyes as big as saucers. I miss the first shot, settle myself as I get another round in the chamber and I fall into a smooth lead. This feels better. BOOM! THWOP! Followed by a cartwheeling, snowplowing coyote. Okay. You redeemed yourself a bit here. Second double of the day.


Set #4

A friends step mother has been having coyotes in the yard. Asked if I could swing by. I meant to get there yesterday but didn’t. I hate calling this place. There isn’t really any great places to set up. It’s tough to get anywhere without skylining yourself. I’ve called it numerous times despite the difficulty. There is a coyote that lives there, I refer to as “The Mensa Coyote”. He’s the smartest I’ve ever encountered and the stories I have trying to kill him, that’s for another thread.

So I slink in, staying as low as I can. I’m going to play this a bit different. There’s a big ball of waste straw on a hill top. Yup. We’re doing this. So I stay low and get the caller set up in a little swale in the field about 70 yards away from where I will hide. This will be a prone situation again. I tuck into the straw and get comfortable. On the edge of a small willow patch about 250 yards away, I spy something that wasn’t there before. Sure enough, there’s a coyote there staring holes through me. You’ve got to be kidding me. Debating just shooting it right there, it decides for us and disappears. About a minute later, it lights up with some challenges. It obviously didn’t make me out as a human. Just saw something it wasn’t sure about. This could still happen. So I let it challenge me for another minute or so. I challenge back. We do this for the better part of 5 minutes and it didn’t sound like it was getting any closer. A quick blast of pup distress. 30 seconds later, said coyote is standing, facing me about 120 yards away. BOOM! THWOP! Coyote folds and I immediately get on the dying coyote with the caller. I catch movement to the south west of me and there’s another coyote running and bounding towards me. I start turning myself to get ready to shoot this one when at the base of the hill, not more than 40 yards away, another coyote goes blazing in towards the caller. “You’re serious? Again?!” Now I’m flustered. I shoot at the close one twice. Man, you’re running shooting is really handicapping you today. Pop once at the other one. No dice. Well let’s challenge again and see what happens. I hear them light up behind a hill at the tree line. They’re not done yet! Give it 30 seconds and pup distress. They come charging back over the hill then both wheel and go back over the hill. Then light up again. After several more minutes of challenging back and forth with more pup distress, I spy something immediately north of my position along the tree line. I adjust myself to view and just peeking over the small rise of the hill, I can see a coyotes head and neck. It continues vocalizing challenges but I can tell, it’s not coming any closer. As I’ve said, I have hunted this place before and am quite familiar with the distances of things. About 375ish yards I figure. So I hold on its head with my 350 hold over. I’m either hitting or missing clean. BOOOOOM! THWOP! But I catch glimpses of the coyote running west and it vanishes. Guess I missed but that really sounded like a hit. Now you’ve got to walk all the way over there and check genius. So I walk out and snap a photo of the coyote I dropped. Another big male. That’s 5 for the day. Then proceed over to where I poked at the peeker. Sprays of blood all over the snow. This is not just a glance either, for the spray is profound. I follow the trail into the trees and about 60 yards from impact, I find my 6th coyote of the day. A female.


The shot was in the neck and it was in fact, a bit of a grazing impact but caught enough meat to open things up. Shot distance was about 385 yards. Tried to keep the photo as clean as possible.

So that’s my first time, killing only doubles and doing it three times in a day. I guess I probably could have added a zero to the title for my blanked stand. Or called it 1-2-3. But whatever. Any day I can call in a dozen is great action. And I mean it this time. I will never, ever, leave my shotty at home again. I’m quite confident this could have been a 9 or 10 coyote day. It should have been anyway, but I’m obviously rusty on the runners. I hope you enjoy the read. And I hope the pictures are suitable. Tikka250’s photos have inspired me to be a bit more tasteful with the captures.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Smokinyotes]

When Big Lou’s Coyote Hunting Adventures gets published I’ll be the first to buy the book.

Saturday morning I went to a field that I’ve never called on before. I set my call in a dried up frozen slough and and went and sat under the spruce trees to the south. I’m leaning against the spruce and turn the call on.

With in about a minute I see a flash and all I’m catching is tops of backs and tips of tails. I hadn’t realized that the field was as rolling as what it was. I shut the call off and I could hear them fighting and playing around. Finally one gets far enough away that he was no longer hidden by the hill. Pop goes the 223 and he falls over, now I see them, 6 took off..

I switch pup distress back on and all 6 turned around and came running back in behind the same hill only leaving me tails and backs to look at. Same scenario as the first. One got far enough away that I could get a shot and number 2 goes down. This time they all took off and didn’t come back.

Off to my next spot and this time I’m packing my shotgun as well. I’m sitting along a fence line and it is only open for about a 100’ along the entire mile of fence. I started out with adult cotton tail for a few minutes and no takers. Switched to lil rabbit and still nothing.

I figured I’ve been fooled too many times this year so I lay down the rifle and pick up Mr shotty. I turn on pup distress and within 30 seconds 3 pop out of the bush behind my right shoulder at about 5 yards. I go to swing and they are gone back in the thick stuff. That’s twice this year in the same spot they have made me look like a rookie.

[waldedw]

Very nice Lou, 6 dogs in 1 day is a great day

[Smokinyotes]

Man I love coyote hunting. Mounted a new Nightforce SHV on the 223 yesterday. Going to zero it at 200 and get my drops out to 450 today. Coyotes beware.

[58thecat]

Dam, makes me want to stop ice fishing.

Well done.

[1899b]

Great thread and pics! Thank you for sharing!

[Rvsask]

Great job, thread and pics.

I’ve been known to miss more than I kill. Lol

[ttankster]

Outstanding story and pictures... well done!

[Stinky Buffalo]

Love the stories and pictures!

Now I want to get out and do likewise.

[Vigsy]

Awesome I was feeling the excitement the whole time while reading this! need my late season elk hunt to be over so I can get after the yotes!

[Bigwoodsman]

What an awesome day. Well done. Keep hammering them.

BW

[alpineguy]

Fantastic day for you....congrats!!
Thanks for posting your story and pictures.

[ol whitey]

Very well done! great pics and write up! Thanks for posting

[sns2]

Now that is a thread!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

[Demonical]

Big Lou what brand is your caller?

And do you primarily use coyote calls?

[Big Lou]

Thanks fellas! I appreciate that the efforts are appreciated. The kind words and compliments are received with thanks as well.

Demonical, I’m running a Fox Pro Fury II or something of that ilk. It’s about 15 years old now and has assisted in most likely, better than 600 coyotes. There about anyway. I do have one of their auxiliary speakers that I’ll run with it if it’s windier than normal. When the caller isn’t doing the trick, I switch to mouth calls and the opposite of course. I don’t do any howling at all with the mouth calls. Never got into it. All prey distress with them. They are all older too. I have four from Ed Skeery, a Larry D Jones and my pride and joy, a walnut PS Olt Model 33. That Olt was a Christmas gift from my Dad and has been on my lanyard for 33 years now.

I wouldn’t think that I do coyote vocals more than average. But maybe. Most of my ventures are solitary other than with my son when he’s not in school or playing football, or a buddy now and again. So I don’t really get a very diverse sampling of what other guys are doing to be honest. If something is working, I stick with it until it doesn’t and then start switching up until I find something else that is. That being said, when they turn off; they are off. I’ve gone days of blank stands throwing everything I have in the kit.

[Demonical]

^ Excellent, I love that.

Can't wait to get out after them!

My caller is also a Foxpro, fwiw.

[roper1]

Awesome day out there. Some wonderful memories & help to the ranchers at the same time. Thanks for the write-up & the pics, very well done!!

[bucksnbears]

Nice work Lou, and great write up.

[tikka250]

Awesome day! And awesome write up! Days like that are what a coyote hunter lives for!

[RACKER]

Wow great story and pictures. I got excited just reading your posts. To get that many in a day by yourself is an accomplishment. If my back wasn’t screwed up I would come film all your hunts! lol. Thanks for posting and I hope all your outings are as successful. P.S. Are you related to Les Johnson🤔

[fishnguy]

Great read here and photos are excellent too. Thanks for sharing, Lou!

Smokinyotes, you should write a book of your own and a few pics! We will be readers

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by RACKER

Wow great story and pictures. I got excited just reading your posts. To get that many in a day by yourself is an accomplishment. If my back wasn’t screwed up I would come film all your hunts! lol. Thanks for posting and I hope all your outings are as successful. P.S. Are you related to Les Johnson🤔

Glad you’re enjoying guys. Really glad.

Racker, I’d love to have Les up and hunt for a weekend or something. Even to just have a coffee and shoot the breeze. He’s an interesting cat and I’m sure, he’s probably forgotten more about calling coyotes than I know. Hope your back is on the mend sooner than later.

You get that new scope all dialled in Smokinyotes?

[Wolftrapper]

Awesome thread in every aspect! Great job!
Thanks a lot for sharing.

[Smokinyotes]

Originally Posted by Big Lou

Glad you’re enjoying guys. Really glad.

Racker, I’d love to have Les up and hunt for a weekend or something. Even to just have a coffee and shoot the breeze. He’s an interesting cat and I’m sure, he’s probably forgotten more about calling coyotes than I know. Hope your back is on the mend sooner than later.

You get that new scope all dialled in Smokinyotes?

Yup she is all dialled in. Even whacked a coyote with it yesterday morning. Didn’t do my drops on it until today cause it was too windy the other day. Zeroed at 200. 2 moa at 300 and 4 moa at 400 should equal dead coyotes. Most of the ones I’ve shot this year have came in hot and heavy and under 50 yards.

The one I shot yesterday was at a flat out full run away. Missed him on the first 2 shots but piled him up on the third.

[Smokinyotes]

This morning prior to feeding cows I thought I would go try calling at one of our pasture quarters. I hadn’t called here in a couple years because usually by this time of year the snow is knee deep and I’m a little on the lazy side when it comes to trudging through snow.

I thought I would get in in the dark and set up. I set up the fox pro in a slough about a 100 yards east of where I would be sitting. I then went and put my back against a big old spruce tree that had fallen down a couple years ago. I put my little 223 on my shooting sticks facing east, anticipating that is the direction they would come from. I looked through my new Nightforce and turned the illumination on a little as the cross hairs were still a little dark to see.

I waited about 10 minutes until legal light and then turned on the coyote locator. Instantly I was getting replies from the East and South East. I then switched to adult cotton tail and within a minute 3 come straight from the south at close to 100 mph. ( that’s what it seemed like). They ran right past me, I woofed at them and they wouldn’t stop. I’m not sure if they saw me or got my wind but they turned and headed East. I put on coyote pup distress and 1 of the 3 made the mistake of stopping . Pop coyote #1 down.

I had coyotes screaming in every direction at the sound of a dying pup. I look to my right and there is a coyote coming in hard straight south of me. He ran right along the spruce tree I was leaning against and was only 20 feet away when he stopped. I knew I should have brought the shotgun today. Im scrambling to get my scope turned down from 10 to 3 power and did finally get a running shot on him and missed.

About a minute later I can hear one just over the hill behind me and I’m not sure if it’s the one I just missed or not. I jumped up and ran over the hill and did get a free hand shot at about 100 yards. Pop coyote number 2 down.

I went back and sat down against the fallin spruce and to the North east I can see 2 coyotes walking amongst the spruce trees about 300 yards away but didn’t get a shot off.

I switched back to adult cottontail and about a minute later this coyote comes ripping by from the North at full throttle. I never even got the cross hairs close to being on him. I shut the call off and it wasn’t long I see another one back in the spruce trees where I saw the other two at 300 yards. I was just going to squeeze the trigger and it stepped behind the trees.

The coyotes are just screaming in every direction and I’m sure lots were within 4 or 500 yards but couldn’t see for the long grass.

I then turned the coyote pup distress on and 2 more came running from the East. At about 300 yards the one must have known something was up because it turned and ran north. The other one stopped staring straight at me. I held 2 moa on my reticle and pop coyote #3 down.

I turned off the call and all was quiet. I guess it’s time to go feed cows.

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

This morning prior to feeding cows I thought I would go try calling at one of our pasture quarters. I hadn’t called here in a couple years because usually by this time of year the snow is knee deep and I’m a little on the lazy side when it comes to trudging through snow.

I thought I would get in in the dark and set up. I set up the fox pro in a slough about a 100 yards east of where I would be sitting. I then went and put my back against a big old spruce tree that had fallen down a couple years ago. I put my little 223 on my shooting sticks facing east, anticipating that is the direction they would come from. I looked through my new Nightforce and turned the illumination on a little as the cross hairs were still a little dark to see.

I waited about 10 minutes until legal light and then turned on the coyote locator. Instantly I was getting replies from the East and South East. I then switched to adult cotton tail and within a minute 3 come straight from the south at close to 100 mph. ( that’s what it seemed like). They ran right past me, I woofed at them and they wouldn’t stop. I’m not sure if they saw me or got my wind but they turned and headed East. I put on coyote pup distress and 1 of the 3 made the mistake of stopping . Pop coyote #1 down.

I had coyotes screaming in every direction at the sound of a dying pup. I look to my right and there is a coyote coming in hard straight south of me. He ran right along the spruce tree I was leaning against and was only 20 feet away when he stopped. I knew I should have brought the shotgun today. Im scrambling to get my scope turned down from 10 to 3 power and did finally get a running shot on him and missed.

About a minute later I can hear one just over the hill behind me and I’m not sure if it’s the one I just missed or not. I jumped up and ran over the hill and did get a free hand shot at about 100 yards. Pop coyote number 2 down.

I went back and sat down against the fallin spruce and to the North east I can see 2 coyotes walking amongst the spruce trees about 300 yards away but didn’t get a shot off.

I switched back to adult cottontail and about a minute later this coyote comes ripping by from the North at full throttle. I never even got the cross hairs close to being on him. I shut the call off and it wasn’t long I see another one back in the spruce trees where I saw the other two at 300 yards. I was just going to squeeze the trigger and it stepped behind the trees.

The coyotes are just screaming in every direction and I’m sure lots were within 4 or 500 yards but couldn’t see for the long grass.

I then turned the coyote pup distress on and 2 more came running from the East. At about 300 yards the one must have known something was up because it turned and ran north. The other one stopped staring straight at me. I held 2 moa on my reticle and pop coyote #3 down.

I turned off the call and all was quiet. I guess it’s time to go feed cows.

That’s a heck of a stand! Lots of verm your way. A triple is a better start to the morning than a coffee.

[Smokinyotes]

Oh I had the coffee as well. I’ve got old man syndrome and usually am up by 4:00am. Ya it was a great stand. Probably 10 or 11 came in.

[fishnguy]

Exciting morning, Smokinyotes!

[KGB]

Awesome morning man! Now I wanna go hunt coyotes, havnt done it since last January…