OK, before Vince tells the rest of the world. I missed a Coyote. He's put it on Facebook and sent out e-mails to all our friends. Vince and I were driving down near Nenana. There was the remains of a Moose lying down off the road, next to the trees. As we approached a Coyote jumped up and stood there looking at the truck. I reached for my rifle in the seat behind me, I wanted my Handi Ultra in .223, I had a Savage .17 Hornet along for Foxes. I was unable to reach either gun. Vince reached back and handed me the Savage .17 Hornet, not the Handi .223. I then remembered the magazine was empty, the Handi had a shell in the chamber ready to go. I removed the magazine fast and opened a box of shells. I loaded the magazine then got out of the truck. As I got out the Coyote took off through the trees, then stopped looking back. I moved down and away from the road to where it looked like I had a clear shot, and took the shot, but too much brush between me and the Coyote.
We stopped on the way back to Fairbanks and spent 30 minutes calling, but no Coyote came out.
This animal had a beautiful thick looking coat. The temps have been down in the -20s and -30s for a week, and the fur is thick. I'm really sick I was so unprepared, and let this one get away. Never fails, you do things right time and time again, and no one is there to notice. You screw up once and someone it there, shaking his head. Makes you want to crawl into a snow cave and hide the rest of the winter.
