7 replies to this topic

[Bill D.]

After a couple bad weather days of off and on rain and cold, the CA sun broke out this afternoon just in time to prevent cabin fever from causing me severe illness. At 4 pm, I jumped on the the scooter to look for coyotes taking advantage of the nice weather. The sun was very bright but the air was very cold and I was bundled up with a t-shirt, button up shirt, and sweat shirt under a heavy goose down coat. Ater working the edge of 3 miles of grassland pasture, I came to the SW corner of a field freshly plowed and rowed a few days ago. With the sun at my back, I noticed something that didn't look right way out in the middle of the field. A view through the scope revealed a mangy coyote just about the same color as the soil and looking right at me from 600 yards away. I drove the scooter down the edge of the field until the range closed to 300 yards and the coyote kind of hunched down low but held ground. I had to do a u-turn in the road to get the handle bars right for a rest and the yote stayed low. Just as I got the crosshairs on the dog, it got up and started walking broadside.....I held out in front and a little high and let the canine walk into the line of fire. Just as I saw the neck right below the crosshair, I squeezed off and heard a loud whop from the 40 gr. Nosler BT. The yote quickly turned and started walking fast straight away.....body english said a gut shot. I kept watching through the scope as the yote covered about 300 yards and kept looking for a place to lay down. Finally, it found a spot to its' liking and the earth seemed to just swallow up the wounded coyote. I drove to the west side of the field where I had the sun at my back and could look down each row easing along about 5 miles per hour. I stopped several times to look at suspicious lumps but never did find the coyote. I don't know if it was dead or laying low. I spent about 30 minutes driving back and forth hoping the coyote would panic and get up to offer a shot but no luck.I drove about a mile down the road and long before I arrived at the corner of a huge alfalfa field, I spotted a tiny speck in the ocean of green. When I reached the corner of the field, the light colored coyote took off running 1/2 mile away. I hauled down the edge of the field and made the coyote change course.....every time I made a corner, the yote would change course going away from me. As I was headed up the south edge going west with the sun in my eyes, I lost sight of the coyote. I started down the west edge with the bright late afternoon sun in my favor but no coyote to be seen. I eased along very slow and finally spotted a light speck.....yep, just the tips of coyote ears a loooong way off. Got the Duece positioned solid and kept watching....finally the coyote slowly raised its' head. There was no way to tell if her body was to the right or left as I coudn't even see neck so I held about 3 feet directly over her head and let fly. I heard a thunk but it wasn't very loud and the coyote's head just disappeared. I kept watching for the coyote to either start flopping or start running as I had no idea whether the bullet connected. A minute goes by and nothing.....the optomistic side of me was saying dead coyote but the realistic side was saying no way. As luck would have it, the coyote was laying right next to a foot-high levee so I knew I could find a dead yote or jump a live one by going straight down the raised ground. As I reached the 300 yard mark, my mind started playing games wondering if the coyote had somehow snuck away with belly to the ground. Another 100 yards down the levee brought a big sigh of relief and changed my worried expression to a big grin. The little pill had caught the she-dog right in the bridge of the snout below the right eye for an instant kill. It took 404 paces to get back to the scooter. A drill sgt. couldn't have knocked the grin of my face.A young female with no mange and decent fur.  coy_dejag4.jpg   137.4K   27 downloads

[Rimrock]

Nice, Bill. You are kinda shaming the rest of us.

[ShooterJohn]

It looks like she's had a snoot full Bill. Nice shooting and as always a fine story to boot.

[Thumper Dunker]

See what happens when they snort lead NICE shot

[Braz]

I always enjoy your stories and pictures Bill. Nice job as usual.

[Bill D.]

Thanks for all the nice responses.........greatly appreciated!

[Switch]

Bill, good job. Man, I have to get out there. I just put together a Ruger .204 so now my only excuse is not going. Nice photos and thanks for always taking your camera, it motivates us all.

[Bozsik]

As usual, great shooting Bill. Retirement ! I can't wait until I can hunt every day, although I don't want to wish any of the days away until then. I'll just be patient and wait my turn. db