August Hunt
My August hunt was right up there in the top 3, I had a good feeling about this trip before I left and I was not disappointed.
Again I hunted all new ground, looking for good spots to add to my list of about 10 sets already established.
Got in late afternoon and decided to go out just before dark and let the old siren do its job, found a huge basin with rock outcroppings along the north side, lots of water, cattle, and rabbits thick as fleas on a dogs back. Got out and let the siren go for 3 good rounds and the whole area came alive with dogs, had howling in all directions, to the best of my ability I think I had 3 different packs lined out. Just before I left, I took this shot of the sun setting
Got up early and was ready to knock em dead, headed out to the first set, this was a hard spot since there was no real cover but short sage, so I just set down in the grass with a little 2 foot stubble of sage behind me, et up my scent missing canister, went to tys close reed distress call, 10 to 15 seconds of hard loud screaming, (this first basin was at least 2 miles across), waited for a couple minutes, 15 seconds more rabbit screaming, waited 2 or 3 minutes, went to pup fight (this is not a pup in distress sound) all of a sudden I see movement to my left, sure enough this dog came in on the down wind side and busted me, but it wasn't on a full run, I let out a bark it stops turns to look , old painless drops another one, maybe this scent misting I read about in coyote 101 works??? My brain says get the dog and get to the next stand.
I drive across the basin, I know the next set is larger than the one I just left, 2 miles or more across to the other side, there are cattle, rabbits and plenty of water with a huge 50 foot tank supplying the stock tank below, I decide to park, the road is steep and full of rocks, could be to much noise trying to get up there. I walk to the top. I keep the tall tank in front of me, as I peek around the tank their sits a coyote 50 feet in front of me next to the stock tank, it spots me, dang I got busted, wait a minute, the dog has a broken back leg and one front leg is not working right, this poor thing is dragging itself across the sage as hard as it can trying to get away, I felt sorry for the little guy, and had to put it out of misery. Sorry Ty (private joke) hahaha. I 'm a happy camper, 2 sets 2 dogs, what the heck I am going to sit down in the sage and keep calling, sure enough 5 minutes later here comes another dog, stops on top of a dune 325yds. and starts barking, well I've been here before, last month had the same thing happen, all I could see was its head and neck , but what the heck, I'm on a role, I settle in and squeezed one off , off it runs to live another day, I can't complain it's only 10am and I have 2 dogs down, even if one was a mercy killing. Hahaha ok 1 and ½. Its already 80 degrees and I'm headed to the Antelope check point to sell some camo.
2nd day was cool 45 degrees clear skies and no wind perfect conditions. I headed for the dunes, I have been wanting to get into this area for a year, so I figured I would spend the morning exploring, I had shot a dog here last month but wanted to get farther into the dunes, these sand piles are 50 feet high and stretch out for a couple miles, got set up on the first one I came to this dune was 30 feet tall finally got on top (trying to climb a sand dune is tough) set up in front of a pile of brush and let the distress call go to work it took about 4 minuets and right below me this coyote had slipped in around the edge and was trying to spot me, I could tell it wasn't looking high enough hahaha, I was way up in the air, put the Nikon circle right on his chest and old painless drops another one, wow this was to easy, I set out winding my way through the bottom of these piles of sand and all of a sudden I hear 2 or 3 dogs out front of me howling , I get a fix on them and start trucking, I come around the edge of the dune and there they are to big mature coyotes right on top of the highest dune in the area, just sitting there looking around, I think they are looking the other way , I back out slip around the edge and start calling, no sooner had I stopped than the whole area started to howl dogs in front of me are barking 2 or 3 to my left are howling, sounds like a pack got behind me and they started to bark, it only took me a few minuets to realize I was busted and everyone in the area now new it. Tried a couple more sets with no luck, I know now that when they bark at me their just letting everything in the area know trouble is close, turn and run hahaha. And they did. Oh well I got1 out of 3 sets not bad. Started to get hot so I decided to explore for the evening hunt. Headed in got gas and cooled off. Headed right back to the sand pile, as I walked out earlier I saw so much scat on the road it looked like cattle had walked thru headed for water, I knew I had found a good spot , again water, cattle, rabbits, and sage 6 feet tall. I got set up on a small dune this time I set the power dogg to rodent distress, opened up a canister of Shawley's wu scent bomb, and let the call run, 5 minuets later I see movement to my right 400 yds. yep it's a coyote it jumps up on the dune and a change in the wind comes I'm busted off it runs. No luck, hunting in these piles of sand is going to be hard, I can see why there are so many coyotes living here.
I think Shawley's w.u. scent bomb might give me the edge, as he claims in his coyote 101 e-book. This was a great hunt had dogs all around every set and killed a few on top of all the confusion. Next month will be as good as the pups are out and in full attack, the weather is cooling off and I have new ground to call.
Make sure you take someone with you when ya head outdoors and share the greatness that we are blessed with.
Predators West
My August hunt was right up there in the top 3, I had a good feeling about this trip before I left and I was not disappointed.
Again I hunted all new ground, looking for good spots to add to my list of about 10 sets already established.
Got in late afternoon and decided to go out just before dark and let the old siren do its job, found a huge basin with rock outcroppings along the north side, lots of water, cattle, and rabbits thick as fleas on a dogs back. Got out and let the siren go for 3 good rounds and the whole area came alive with dogs, had howling in all directions, to the best of my ability I think I had 3 different packs lined out. Just before I left, I took this shot of the sun setting
Got up early and was ready to knock em dead, headed out to the first set, this was a hard spot since there was no real cover but short sage, so I just set down in the grass with a little 2 foot stubble of sage behind me, et up my scent missing canister, went to tys close reed distress call, 10 to 15 seconds of hard loud screaming, (this first basin was at least 2 miles across), waited for a couple minutes, 15 seconds more rabbit screaming, waited 2 or 3 minutes, went to pup fight (this is not a pup in distress sound) all of a sudden I see movement to my left, sure enough this dog came in on the down wind side and busted me, but it wasn't on a full run, I let out a bark it stops turns to look , old painless drops another one, maybe this scent misting I read about in coyote 101 works??? My brain says get the dog and get to the next stand.
I drive across the basin, I know the next set is larger than the one I just left, 2 miles or more across to the other side, there are cattle, rabbits and plenty of water with a huge 50 foot tank supplying the stock tank below, I decide to park, the road is steep and full of rocks, could be to much noise trying to get up there. I walk to the top. I keep the tall tank in front of me, as I peek around the tank their sits a coyote 50 feet in front of me next to the stock tank, it spots me, dang I got busted, wait a minute, the dog has a broken back leg and one front leg is not working right, this poor thing is dragging itself across the sage as hard as it can trying to get away, I felt sorry for the little guy, and had to put it out of misery. Sorry Ty (private joke) hahaha. I 'm a happy camper, 2 sets 2 dogs, what the heck I am going to sit down in the sage and keep calling, sure enough 5 minutes later here comes another dog, stops on top of a dune 325yds. and starts barking, well I've been here before, last month had the same thing happen, all I could see was its head and neck , but what the heck, I'm on a role, I settle in and squeezed one off , off it runs to live another day, I can't complain it's only 10am and I have 2 dogs down, even if one was a mercy killing. Hahaha ok 1 and ½. Its already 80 degrees and I'm headed to the Antelope check point to sell some camo.
2nd day was cool 45 degrees clear skies and no wind perfect conditions. I headed for the dunes, I have been wanting to get into this area for a year, so I figured I would spend the morning exploring, I had shot a dog here last month but wanted to get farther into the dunes, these sand piles are 50 feet high and stretch out for a couple miles, got set up on the first one I came to this dune was 30 feet tall finally got on top (trying to climb a sand dune is tough) set up in front of a pile of brush and let the distress call go to work it took about 4 minuets and right below me this coyote had slipped in around the edge and was trying to spot me, I could tell it wasn't looking high enough hahaha, I was way up in the air, put the Nikon circle right on his chest and old painless drops another one, wow this was to easy, I set out winding my way through the bottom of these piles of sand and all of a sudden I hear 2 or 3 dogs out front of me howling , I get a fix on them and start trucking, I come around the edge of the dune and there they are to big mature coyotes right on top of the highest dune in the area, just sitting there looking around, I think they are looking the other way , I back out slip around the edge and start calling, no sooner had I stopped than the whole area started to howl dogs in front of me are barking 2 or 3 to my left are howling, sounds like a pack got behind me and they started to bark, it only took me a few minuets to realize I was busted and everyone in the area now new it. Tried a couple more sets with no luck, I know now that when they bark at me their just letting everything in the area know trouble is close, turn and run hahaha. And they did. Oh well I got1 out of 3 sets not bad. Started to get hot so I decided to explore for the evening hunt. Headed in got gas and cooled off. Headed right back to the sand pile, as I walked out earlier I saw so much scat on the road it looked like cattle had walked thru headed for water, I knew I had found a good spot , again water, cattle, rabbits, and sage 6 feet tall. I got set up on a small dune this time I set the power dogg to rodent distress, opened up a canister of Shawley's wu scent bomb, and let the call run, 5 minuets later I see movement to my right 400 yds. yep it's a coyote it jumps up on the dune and a change in the wind comes I'm busted off it runs. No luck, hunting in these piles of sand is going to be hard, I can see why there are so many coyotes living here.
I think Shawley's w.u. scent bomb might give me the edge, as he claims in his coyote 101 e-book. This was a great hunt had dogs all around every set and killed a few on top of all the confusion. Next month will be as good as the pups are out and in full attack, the weather is cooling off and I have new ground to call.
Make sure you take someone with you when ya head outdoors and share the greatness that we are blessed with.
Predators West
