Cool nights on Friday and Saturday pushed my hunting button pretty good, so Yote Yoda, AKAGrousehunter, and old Possumal were in the fields before first light yesterday morning at a new farm we just got to hunt over in Washington County, Ky.. First stand, we had a big pair giving us what for from about 800 yds away. Never could get them to commit, so gave them about ten minutes to cool down. Approached them from the adjoining farm from an entirely different direction, and got a good set up with a heavily wooded fencerow behind us, a massive pasture in front with a couple small patch woods, and a wet weather creek ditch running the full length from a big woods on the left to a wooded hollow to the right. Sat the Fury and decoy by a thick patch of weeds near the creek ditch, about 100 yds from us, and started our sequence. Almost immediately, here they come from the woods to the left, just above the creek ditch and headed for the Fury and decoy, female in front. When they got about 50 yds from the ecaller/decoy, I wooped them, and they put the brakes on. Just as I squeezed one off intended for her right behind the right shoulder, she turned to the left just a bit and I smacked her solid in the back of the shoulder, bang flop. Switched over to the male, and he came flying right beside his fallen wife and to my surprise, she came up and tried to follow him, with her back legs doing most of the work. She made it about 150 yds to the top of the hill and into an awful mess of briars and honeysuckle. Never could get the male to fully commit to coming back so we finally headed up to retrieve her. Breeze coming from her made her easy to smell, and she was a good 30 yds back into the thick stuff, so no retrieve attempt made.
Late yesterday, Yote Yoda and AKAGrousehunter could not go, so I went to a new place over in Garrard County that I had scouted once before. I had time for one good stand, possibly two, so I got set up where the farmer had two big rows of rolled bales running for 75 to 100 yds across a ridge fenceline by an old barn. No sooner than I turned the CS-24 on, here comes a big coyote from beside the old barn, down beside the rolled bales, heading straight for the CS-24/decoy. The angle she was running put her about 175 yds from my seat, and I was afraid she would get my scent if I let her circle the ecaller completely, so I wooped at her and she put on the brakes, giving me a broadside shot at about 200 to 215 yds.. One shot from the Prairie Panther with the 53 grain Hornady Super Performance, DRT. She was a real pretty pup from last year, and had never had pups. She would have really been pretty completely furred out, as she was a typical long legged, big headed coyote. Some big old male lost a good bet for a wife when I pulled that trigger.
Getting ready to go again this afternoon if the rains move out well before dark. Here is a picture of last night's 33 lb. female.
