A couple of days ago, I visited the office of a local timber company to request permission to hunt on their land. Their policy when giving permission to hunt their timberland is to allow a hunter access to four of their properties, and there are many to choose from. Most of these properties are fairly large.
The property I hunted today was one of the smallest properties available. However, it looked like a real good spot, with very dense timberland that could be covered nicely in an afternoon's hunt. It is relatively close to a bit of isolated farmland, so despite it's small size I decided to include it as one of the four properties I chose to put on my permit (they actually cut me some slack, and allowed me five properties).
My strategy with this area was to call at low to medium volume depending on the terrain surrounding the location I made a stand, setting-up numerous stands lasting 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. These stands wouldn't be to far apart from one-other, so as to make the most of this relatively small area.
Against my better judgment, I decided to go hunting by myself today in prime Cougar country, as the hunting partner I have been planning to go calling with lately is out hunting bear this weekend. Sometimes I just HAVE TO HUNT!
I arrived at the gate sometime after 9am. I made my way up the closed-off logging road, and soon chose an area in some pretty thick woods to make my first stand. Breaking out the Circe MVP-4, I selected the low volume voice (sqweaker) and called for about ten seconds. After waiting about 10 minutes, I then called again for another ten seconds.
After another 10-15 minutes of hearing and seeing nothing, I decided to head out to find a more promising location.
A bit less than 1/2 mile down the road, I came across this clearcut.
This location seemed ideal in my eyes. I was facing south in a NNW wind when looking at the clearcut from the logging road. So I got my decoy out of my hip bag (Turkey feather tied with some fishing line to a fold-out stick), stuck it into the ground, and set up on a berm alongside a treeline overlooking the clearcut about 30 yards down the road from the decoy.
After taking some time both to settle into my position, and study my surroundings, I let out a medium volume distress for about ten seconds using the Primos Cat Nip (a bite-type handcall).
After only one minute (if that), I detected movement about 150 yards away on the far ridge of the clearcut. I immediately got that hunters rush, as I realized it was what I was after: a coyote! I could see that it was a high-bellied critter, and figured that if it was a female, it was likely a dry one.
The coyote made it's way into the clearcut, and stopped to survey it's surroundings about 35 yards in, and about 115 yards from my stand. "Don't....move" I told myself, trying as best I could to settle down.
My heart was about to burst out of my chest, as I knew that the coyote was definitely on a direct course towards my location. There is a grass road that comes out of the clearcut that meets the logging road at a 45 degree angle about 30 yards to my right; so I had set up accordingly should a coyote come from the clearcut.
Making it's way further in, the coyote again stopped to look around. It was now about 75 yards out. I took a quick inventory of the wind: slight crosswind from my left. I was OK for now.
Venturing further into the clearcut, the coyote stopped once again to survey the surroundings at about 50 yards from my stand. If the coyote took another couple of steps, it would be under the berm on the other side of the road, and out of my line of sight.
I had to make a decision.
Do I dare move the rifle from my lap, and take the shot? If I did, it would be necessary to stand up if the coyote saw me and ran, and I was pretty sure it would have done both. Then I would only have a moving shot without a rest: there was no time to grab the mono-pod. Not a high-percentage (ie airgunning) shot.
It was at this time I recalled a word of advice I had read on the PredatorMasters forum just before heading out that morning. A poster named Vent-O-Later had responded to a newbie's request for guidance, with the words "be patient....if you see one come in, let it come on in".
So that is exactly what I did.
The coyote continued on it's path, and out of sight behind the berm in front of me. The berm was between the grass road coming from the clearcut, and the logging road that was in front of my stand. I knew the coyote was now on the grass road. I took this opportunity to put the rifle to my shoulder, take a breath or two, and prepare myself.
Sure enough, the coyote came up from the clearcut's grass road onto the logging road, turned my direction, and HEADED STRAIGHT FOR ME AT ABOUT 30 yards max!
This is the view of the green grass road coming out of the clearcut. I was sitting on the berm along the treeline to the right of the intersection.
Being set-up on the slight berm, I was now just a little bit above the coyote. It was very slightly quartering towards me on it's approach with it's nose to the ground, so I didn't have the frontal chest shot I was after. No moving head-shots for me.
Now it was close enough to catch my scent, and about 12-15 yards away. I was about to BLOW A GASKET waiting for it to cross my path before putting the scope to my eye, which would have put the coyote no more than 15 feet in front of me!
Then the coyote seemed to suddenly sense something it didn't like. It may have decided that the decoy it was headed for wasn't really a meal, or very likely may have smelled a footprint I had left in the road while deciding where to set-up. Maybe it smelled ME. Whatever it was that the coyote sensed, it caused it to change it's plans immediately.
The coyote took a very sharp, decisive turn to it's left, and started to trot towards the treeline up the berm I was sitting on. It was only a few yards from cover.
It was now, or never!
I figured that at such close range, my making any noise at all could possibly send the coyote off on an all-out run. Instead, I gambled that the coyote would see the movement of my rifle in it's peripheral vision, and stop to take a look.
Focusing my aiming eye on the coyote, I quickly raised my Leroy-tuned SamYang 909 .456 air rifle, and got it in my crosshairs as it was about half-way up the berm. Right before it got it's nose into the thick cover, it stopped on the berm and looked right at me, giving me a full-on broadside shot at very close range.
The words that a friend of mine used to describe the importance of immediately taking advantage of a shot opportunity on game the very instant it presented itself, rang true thru my head as if he were right there next to me shouting in my ear.........RIGHT NOW!!!
!!!BLAPTHWUMP!!! The coyote then ran into the thick woods.
I immediately reloaded my bigbore air rifle, and ran to the last spot I saw the coyote; looking for any signs of blood. Upon entering the timber, I found blood after about 5 yards. I then gathered my thoughts.
I said to myself, "OK self, that shot was just a little farther back than I wanted (correct shot placement on a broadside coyote is "on the shoulder"), but it was still only a little bit behind the shoulder/armpit, so it definitely took out the lungs. There's blood here, so take it easy, and see how the trail is looking".
The blood trail was a steady one, so I made sure to take my time, and mark the blood spots by sticking branches into the ground where I saw blood. Wanting to give the coyote time to die, and not prematurely jump it from it's deathbed, I made certain to do this very quietly, in a slow, methodical fashion.
After following the bloodtrail for about 60-70 yards I heard what I thought could be the coyote thrashing around another 30-40 yards or so ahead, just over a ridge that was past a small saddle in the woods. So I held tight, and waited for what seemed like an eternity (probably about 10-15minutes).
After having not heard any more thrashing about for awhile, I continued to slowly follow the bloodtrail for another 40 yards or so, until I saw a pile of fur before me. It was indeed my dead-as-a-doornail quarry: my first coyote (a dry female) and BY FAR my greatest hunting achievement to date. Taken by myself, with a handcall, and a .456 air rifle.
Needless to say, I'm pretty stoked!
