Last edited:
Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
- Thread starter DSheetz
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
nealm66
Well-Known Member
Normally just chainsaw chains for tree work and logging but recently bought a portable sawmill to try and incorporate it into the mix so I'll be sharpening bandsaw blades if I can figure it out lol. Needed a dryer environment so I sealed up/insulated and re floored the roached out old shed I'd been using.
nealm66
Well-Known Member
Yes, the red thing on the bench is a cooks dual setter. Can't remember the size of the blade I'd have to look it up. It's a small manual mill, 32" log I think? All the bigger hydraulic mills are over a year out to order so I'm dipping my feet and learning with this one. Got a couple orders though already and good supply of logs. Messing with my shooting time though lol
Better than the 5-foot bell saws in the small tie mills I worked as a kid of twelve - 14. I think my brothers saw used a 1.5 inch by 12-foot blade. He sent his blades out to be sharpened but did his own chain saws like everyone else that works the timber. The only things I sharpen are knives and axes. Everything has made advancements in the last several years. Especially the shooting sports. What are you planning to use for your shot Hal?
DSheetz
I'm gathering parts for a .257 Weatherby.
I sure enjoy reading you stories and try to soak some of the info in them. Some of the info probably can't be found anywhere else. Looking foreword to the next story.
Take care, spring coming.
Hal
I'm gathering parts for a .257 Weatherby.
I sure enjoy reading you stories and try to soak some of the info in them. Some of the info probably can't be found anywhere else. Looking foreword to the next story.
Take care, spring coming.
Hal
Hal ; Thank You for your kind words, with today's powders that should do you well. I built a 6.5x284 Norma for a 1000-yard shot at a coyote. I ended up not having it with me when I had one hang up out there at over 600 yards. It lasered at 643 yards and I got lucky with my Winchester model 70 in 30-06. No matter what the distance you will enjoy it.
In 1986 I was working trapping coyotes on a ranch up in the mountains. Its lowest pasture was over 7500 feet in altitude, tracking there was sporadic at best as the ground was coarse gravely sand in most places but there were some areas that had good tracking when they were damp or wet if they dried out, they were hard packed. Tracking in the snow was hard as well because of the wind blowing hard so much of the time. It was in the spring of the year, and I had a few coyotes to bounty but the guy who normally signed my bounty slip was gone for a couple of months, so his son arranged for me to meet with another guy to do it. I met with him he signed my slip checked my ears and said so and so said you were honest and vouched for you. I thanked him and went on my way. A couple of weeks later he called me one evening and explained that the guy who usually did his coyote control wasn't able to work this spring would I be interested in working for him till he could get back to work. Yes, I would do that we met the next morning at the designated place it was on his lower ranch which was at an average of 4500 feet elevation he pointed out the area he was having problems handed me a map of his property lines. I went to my truck got my insulated coveralls on as it was snowing and a little breezy, got my rifle, calls and dog we walked a few of the trails found some tracks going and coming giving me a good idea of where the coyotes were coming from and living. We found a good location to set up in a rock pile did some glassing watched the sheep and noticed there was a lama with them. I howled the lama started gathering the sheep and lambs herded them away from me then came running back to me and the rock pile. In the meantime, a coyote showed up just outside of the pasture and sat down on a small hill I didn't howl anymore so the lama stayed at a little distance from me and my dog but was making sure we didn't leave our little rocky hide. I watched the coyote for several minutes it just sat there looking my way then looking in another direction over and over again. I had seen this behavior before so though I knew what was going on. I was carrying a Remington 788 chambered in 223, with some modifications and hand loads with 55 grain Sierra game king bullets with a nearly max charge of 26.0 grains IMR 4320, it grouped close to 1/2 inches at 100 yards. I did a couple of puppy squeaks she stood up, I made the shot she went down, the lama ran off for the heard of sheep. Hunter and I went out to the coyote checked it and yes it was the female, she showed 8 pups had been born to her, I sat down in her location looked where she had been looking and could see the den hole. She wasn't very old only a couple of years old. I took her and the pups back to the rancher's home and asked if I could set snares for the old male. It took me nearly a week to get him he was an old male with worn teeth probably around 5 or 6 years old. Little did I know it was a job interview. With a couple more parts just to check me out.
Last edited:
The next day I went up on the mountain to his upper place to check it out find my way around and do a little calling. I got set up and was glassing watching a group of antelope one of the does was continually kicking herself in the stomach. She did that for nearly half an hour then laid down and aborted her fawns. Another new experience for me to see. I mostly killed time that day but figured out where his boundary line was. I got home that after noon and my wife said so and so called, he said he wanted to see if you would go out to his brother's place and to call him when you got home. I called him we visited a while he asked me if I would meet his brother the next morning and do a little work for him before I went back up to his place in the mountains. Yes, I can do that. Early the next morning I met his brother who took me over to a gate beside a two-lane highway and told me everything past this gate and within the fence is where the sheep are, and the coyotes are killing lambs. You have permission to go on the neighbors to kill the coyotes if you need to here is the written permission slip. I found a low place in a draw by the road hid my truck, got my stuff and started walking and checking the trails for tracks. Before long I had figured that I knew where they had the den pretty much located so I sat up and started glassing. Setting out there was a coyote with another one laying close by I got myself laid down in a small cut of a draw facing that direction howled a long lone howl. One of them jumped up stood glaring my way then took off on a run my way the other one ran to my right and disappeared I got the runner in my scope and followed it in to about 100 yards then barked at it, it stopped I shot, and it fell. It was the old male. I drug him to the truck loaded him and my stuff in then wandered up to where they had been sat down and started glassing, before long I walked over to a little hill and there in a patch of sage brush hidden from sight was the den. I took 4 small puppies still dark brown with their eyes closed out of the den. I hung a few snares in the fences and made a couple of good flat sets (the standard old timers coyote set). I used some Hawbeckers Whiley red 500 on a cotton ball with a piece of wire poked through it then pushed into my small sage brush backing as my lure holder and a visual attractor. Then I went back to his house and showed him what I had gotten done that morning he seemed not very pleased then said I don't think your much of a coyote guy you just made a lamb killing SOB. I smiled at him and said do you think, he said I f9654 know you did. So, I told him okay I've got things to do this afternoon I'll be back in the morning to pick you up and we can go get my stuff picked up. I picked him up early the next morning we drove into the pasture and where I had made a set there was a heard of antelope running at something then turning and doing it again. He looked at me and asked what's wrong with those antelope do you have one in your trap? No not an antelope I'll bet it's a coyote and they don't like it being here. Your full of s756434 I bet you have an antelope. It was the female she was one of the year before pups but when I opened her, she showed 4 pups had been born to her. I will call my brother and tell him you did okay, and you aren't as bad as I thought you were. His brother called me that evening and told me his brother thought I was pretty good at killing coyotes, but he also told me his brother was a grouchy guy and really didn't have much good to say about anyone. Test number two and I still didn't think of it being a job interview.
nealm66
Well-Known Member
You have such an excellent way of telling your experiences. I'm not much of a book reader but I would read yours
Thank you, Neal; I enjoy sharing them with others I spent a lot of time by myself, so I guess that I have finally decided to talk to others and just visit like I would face to face. Each and every one of us has adventures that we have had that we share with others and enjoy doing so. I hope that others can get a little bit of useful information from them as well as enjoying them.
D I thought you might like this , as ranchers we kinda know each other , several years back we were trucking a few loads back from the height country , I was cruising down the road almost to the paved road hanging back from the dust of the semi , I was watching a band of sheep , I noticed the sheep were going south but the dogs were looking north , so I slow up and get just past the band that poking along , I stop the truck grabbed my glasses from under the seat , start looking real hard , after about 30 minutes I seen the attraction for the dogs , it was a black Wolf , I ranged him at 143 yards , I get my trusty .243 and ruined his day , I got out of the truck as the guy watching the sheep figured i shot something , we meet up maybe 75 yards off the road , did you get him yep , is it a big black one yet , oh good thank you so much he was been following us for 3 days , I will help you drag it to the truck he had a. Collar , about the time we loaded him in the back of the pickup a sheriff deputy pulls up , I am thinking oh **** , he says nice shot , I was watching you for the last hour easing down the road seeing if you were a poacher , I know the Long & lat of. Where you got him , if you don't mind the F&G warden is down at the paved road , I figure this ought to be in, we stop down there he takes a look , let's see where he is from , wow , it looks like he was tagged 4 years ago in Montana, he cuts the collar off and says can I see your license do you have you tag with you yep , ok I have the collar you get the Wolf , what you gonna do with him , have a coat for my wife made for Christmas, we'll be careful, and please don't shoot off the paved road , that was late 80's I have not seen one like that since , she still has the coat , it weighed 138 lbs hanging on the scales
I worked for him a couple more weeks when one evening he called me and asked if I could meet another guy in the morning and go locate coyotes for them and the helicopter. He said he was going to but had something come up and would I go instead for him. I agreed to so the next morning I was at the designated meeting place early. I parked my truck sat watching a lightning storm off to the east being glad not to be over there because it was just dry lightning a real fire-starting kind of storm. I waited for longer than I was supposed to have met the guy, he was half an hour late when a truck pulled up. We made our greetings and he said why don't you park and ride with me, so I locked my truck and got in with him. We got to the place he was supposed to be called his brother and dad on the radio telling them we were set and to go ahead and run the siren, no coyotes answered so after a minute I said do you want me to answer the siren, he looked at me then said I'll ask dad if he wants you to. I guess so was the reply, so I said when they run it again, I'll answer it and got my howler out of my pocket and just waited for the siren. A siren sounded from a different location I got my call and did a long howl then some kiyis and waited for any other coyotes to talk when someone came on the radio and asked the guy, I was with how close are you to that coyote? He said it's this guy doing that about that time one down by the river did start talking. They called and got the helicopter coming they took that coyote. That evening I got a call from the guy who asked me if I would go in his place, he told me we've been trying to get that coyote to answer for a week, would you go after the den for them? I said that I would. I went out the next morning parked and walked down to the river and did some tracking found one draw that was being used more than the others got set up and did some howls I did just lone howls with several seconds between them and waited for five or six minutes and did it again. An adult answered then a batch of pups chimed in, they went quiet, so I got set in that direction. Soon an adult showed up and stood looking at me I shot her then went to where the pups had answered, found the den plugged it with my jacket and went back to my truck dropped off the female and my rifle and got my stuff to get the pups out of the hole. She showed that she had only had 4 pups and that is how many I got out of the hole. That evening I got a call the guy on the phone said I'm so and so from the predator control board. he said that so and so said he should call me because their usual guy was off for a while with an injured knee hum, I've heard that before would I work for the board till, he could get back to work?
Travler; I wouldn't even want to venture a guess as to how many predators I have taken just by being patient and watching herds of sheep, deer or antelope. I never got a wolf, but I did start carrying a bigger caliber than a 223 after I had them start answering me and saw a couple of them at distance running. Well done.
