Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote

[Reemty J]

Out scouting this a.m. in the area last year where I killed the pair on a den, 1st the female and then the male a few days later...…...well this a.m. I was glassing that area and between 400-450 yards out, there was a coyote in dark brome grass, sitting there facing the sun, looking right at me. It was very light colored (they seem to be that way when they are shedding or about too, they seem lighter) it stuck out like a sore thumb, Ray Charles could have seen it. Any way by the time I got my rifle situated it walked off the canal bank and out of sight. Not in the way coyotes do the rest of the year, did not run like its tail was on fire, it walked away like it was trying to be low key and hidden, DEN AREA its body language was screaming, it never left the canal and usually they will run across stubble to get the heck gone. I was within a 1/4 mile max of the area the other pair had their den last year. This weekend I will take the rough neck out and see how they like another coyote in their area...………………….hoping for a couple Ka-Pows!!!

 

[DSheetz]

I don't know if they have started to have their pups there yet . usually in late April here but if you get the chance at a fat female that would be my choice . It seems like they pick the same denning areas year after year and often the same den hole if it hasn't been destroyed while taking pups before . If I got two to come to the call I would try to get them not to charge in fast but to want to look me over and let me pick the one I shot but that' s me and why I would use my hand call .

 

[Reemty J]

I figured no pups yet, but just getting den ready and marking out "their" territory...……..

 

[DSheetz]

What is your plan Reemty ? How do you think you will go about getting that problem taken care of just wondering ? It should be fun .

 

[Reemty J]

Well I am going to wait till mid morning, they should be laid up for the day. Come in from the East, out of sight in a shallow canal. I purchased one of those Montana decoy coyote silhouettes, a song dog hand call and roughneck for pup distress. Want to get off the road headed west with sun behind me and southwest wind off my left shoulder. I am hoping for a show seeing the male kick the whale manure out if that decoy they usually lay south or west of where I will approach from. If you take off now, you could be here by mid morning and give lessonsshould I drink coffee and wait for you, maybe get you a pastry or a muffin????

 

[DSheetz]

No I think I just want to hear how you do it and see what you have figured out from your observations since last spring . I don't eat sugars . My self I would just howl once then wait to see if they slipped in for a look see and do that a couple of times in 10 minutes or so , so I could shoot the female but that's me . Someday , I'll bring my call out , we are to get up to 30" of snow in the next two days and they say the roads will be closed because they don't run the plows on weekends any more . An ounce of prevention kind of thing .

 

[DSheetz]

We got a foot of snow on Wednesday . Yesterday we got some freezing rain so got icy roads then so far we have another foot of snow on top of that and still snowing with 25 mph winds a good day to stay in and have a coffee and read or what ever it is you like to do when the weather is bad . I already finished the S&W 38 spl. I was working on got it blacked and the stocks refinished . It was made in 1973 sold in 1974 and only one owner had maybe 100 rounds through it by the marks on the cylinder but had some rust on it . The grips had carry wear on them so stripped and cleaned the checkering up put new finish on them . I'm happy with it as will be the lady who bought it she got a good deal . Stay in and warm if your getting some of this storm this is when we get our moisture and loose a lot of livestock . We average 14 " of moisture a year and this storm will bring us up to and maybe a little above where we should be for now .

 

[74honker]

Holy cow that sounds like a real mess DSheetz! That is tough on the livestock for sure especially if calving or lambing already.

 

[74honker]

Reemty must still be hunkered in waiting on that pair. No updates yet lol.

 

[Reemty J]

No luck yet, yesterday saw one coyote leaving as I glassed the area, tried some lone howls, no luck.......55 degrees here and basically calm......this morning totally glassed all around that area, no sighting but a mile south I found the female, played cat and mouse with the pickup and could not get within 700 yards of her.... when she has the pups, I am guessing she will be more centralized in a small area.....time is on my side. Last year I called in the female but stalked the male so we will see what tool is needed......it was may last year if poor memory serves me right....

 

[DSheetz]

Some have started to lamb but most wait till May 12th to start lambing here because of the spring storms . Calving starts in Jan . with the heifers the first of march . I don't think it's gone that far North yet . This one came in from the gulf and then turning counter clockwise becomes what is called an up sweep so as it hits the rocky mtn. it dumps it's moisture as it tries to climb them and that's on us , Neb. , and the Dakotas as well as Mt. if it goes that far north .

 

[DSheetz]

Reemty , They may not be totally committed to the den area just yet but it is getting that time of the year . You will learn a lot from them and to me that is a ton of fun .

 

[DSheetz]

March is a hard month for coyote hunters and callers . The coyote are in an area that they claim as theirs but mostly haven't locked into a denning area yet here . They respond to calling better now then during breading season but are still a little cautious . Dry pairs that have the nurturing tendencies are hard to get locked down to any specific area some of them will go so far as to make clean outs for a den . I've had two males running together make clean outs also . Every time it's a little different but they have mostly the same traits and act like coyotes cautious and like the same areas as the last ones did for the same reasons . As Reemty has noted when you look for coyote they can be seen but you need to learn what it is that you need to see and that takes time to learn by doing it .

 

[Gunpowder]

Yeah the storm hit us pretty good, central panhandle. Not much snow yet, got ice first and wind so lost power a couple hours ago. Got enough generator for the fridge and freezer and some small heaters and lights, and yeah the router and computer lol. Barely runs a microwave though, I didn't know they used so much juice!

Haven't seen many coyotes lately from the road, haven't been hunting in a couple months. Did have a rooster pheasant run across the yard this morning looking for shelter...I hope he got tucked in somewhere!