First Songdog!

[Handsome Rob]

While I've been away in the Wyoming, The Wife's been hving no end of trouble with coyotes. The dadgum things came onto our front porch & made off with a female turkey on the first night. (prompting a very frantic, panicky phone call from The Wife & detailed instructions on how to load a Remigton 870 from me. Incedentally, have you ever tried to describe, without handsignals, loading a pumpy to someone who'snever, ever handled a firearm. Not easy. Not easy at all!)

The second night they were back & made off with 2 guinnea fowl. (Prompting a second panicky call fom The Wife & a stern telling off for being 'too scared' to use the 870 from me)

Anyhow, roll on a few days & I'm back to put paid to these thieving 5hits (after butchering 2 antelope Thank You Wyoming!) I called up a good friend of mine, who knows a lot more about his stuff than me & begged a lend of his Foxpro caller. Man, them things are a LOT nicer than squeeking against the back of your hand! I set up in our back field at 7:15 am, just as the sun was starting to really get up. Me in my old faithfull Ghillie suit, the caller set out at about 75yds & facing in the direction I thought seemed most likely.

I hit the button on the Coyote Locator call & let it cycle through a couple of sequences.....nada. Okay then, let's see what sounds inviting....Chicken In Distress oughtta work. I ran the call for about 10 minutes, scanning the open cow pasture behind my property & sure enough, I see the cows start out towards me in a big hurry. Just behind them I catch a glimpse of a very dark, very large 'yote coming straight in to the call. Here we go..... He locks up at about 125 yds, in the cow field. Dammit, just a little closer. I hit the call again & he starts back towards me, ducks under the fence & stands facing me at dead on 70 yards. DAMN! there's 12 cows standing all around behind him, too risky for a shot. 5 seconds later & he's hauling tail back to the woods with out stopping to give me another chance. Oh well, that's hunting.

I figured I'd move a little & give it another try, not really expecting a second chance. We have a little pond in the same field, about 200yds from where I initially set, the field sloping off behind it into the woods. It's only a small area, maybe 100yds long, 50 wide with trees on 3 sides & a bushy berm on the 4th, backing onto the pond. I threw the call out right into the middle of the glade & set myself up at the bottom of the berm, concealed by the low (& spiky) bushes. Once more, the Distressed Chicken is given it's chance to perform......20 seconds of skwarking, clucking & screaming later & there's a small coyote staring straight at the call. Stone me that was fast! I hurriedly shoulder the little Marlin, throw a mil-dot on the back of her shoulder & squeeze off a round.......Where'd she go? What'd I do wrong? How the H-E double-hockey-sticks did I miss?

Oh, hang on, I didn't! She dropped right there, deader than virginity. The little 30gn Hornady .22 MAG round worked exactly as advertised, leaving a teeny, tiny entrance hole & an exit wound I could poke 2 fingers into

I dragged her back to the house for a few pics & skinned her out for tanning. She has a beautiful red/grey coat, very full & soft & it should look great slung over the back of my chair!

Now, if I can just get her boyfriend to come in.......

Edited October 26, 2010 by robtattoo

[MacGyver]

Nice. Congrats on getting rid of a big nuisance. It seems to me that one that's willing to come onto a porch now is going to be a much larger problem later.

[TGO David]

Congrats! A very enjoyable read as well.

[Mark A]

Nice... You know, your brothers here on the forum would have been happy to go take care of that pesky old thing in your absence... right?

Mark

[Guest ADAM]

Thats a nice coat on that one. I like to read your post theres always a good story. But lets see pics of the antelopes

[E4 No More]

Nice... You know, your brothers here on the forum would have been happy to go take care of that pesky old thing in your absence... right?

Mark

Yes, but what about the coyotes?

[R1100R]

Good Job! Thanks for a great read.

[Guest BEARMAN]

Great story, Robbie...keep up the good work, bro!

One less livestock killin' yote.

[Guest clutepc]

I couldn't believe that I saw one running in the grass beside Interstate 65 at Ridgetop the other day,

[memphismason]

Congrats Man!!!!!

[Ghooge2008]

freakin sweet man, congrats. I have been on 2 trips hours away and either my buddies aren't patient enough or we make too much noise when hunting together...I cant even get a glimpse of a yote...on a farm over ran with them! I even bought a .22 Hornet to take them with. If I could find a place (hint hint) and someone willing to show me the ropes...I would definatly provide drinks for the skinning party and steaks for dinner.

[KahrMan]

Congrats and great story!

[Guest ADAM]

Chooge I dont know ya but hell if your bringing beverages and steak come on up to the bright light of hancock county we'll set on the porch shoot yotes and tell lies.

[JAB]

The little 30gn Hornady .22 MAG round worked exactly as advertised, leaving a teeny, tiny entrance hole & an exit wound I could poke 2 fingers into

Great story and congratulations! How far was the shot? I have heard coyotes howling/calling in the woods both at my mom's and at our house. We've seen one cross the road in front of us less than 100 yards from our driveway. I haven't really hunted them, yet, but I picked up a little Marlin 925M with a Simmons ".22 Mag" scope for that purpose with part of last year's tax return and would like to try my hand this fall/winter. I've read that a .22 WMR with the right ammo should be able to take a coyote out to 100 or maybe even 150 yards.

I couldn't believe that I saw one running in the grass beside Interstate 65 at Ridgetop the other day,

In the last year or so, at different times, we have seen at least two or three of them dead on Interstate 75 between Loudon and Lenoir City where they had obviously been struck and killed. Last winter, while on my way to work one morning, I saw one trotting across a frozen pond (on a small farm that has cattle) within easy sight of the Interstate (where I was driving.) My wife and I saw one walking along in the grass beside Parkside drive in Knoxville which is a pretty busy road. It's kind of funny that they seem to be so plentiful as to see them in such settings yet I never even catch a glimpse of one while in the woods where you'd expect to see them.

Edited October 27, 2010 by JAB

[ShaunM]

Congrats and it feels good to kill your first coyote.

[Sidewinder]

Congratulations, and enjoyed reading your yote hunting story. I'm still waiting for that "first yote down" feeling. I'm counting on my Bushy AR-15 in .223, with the Winchester Varmint round to get the job done. hope you get the "bold" one that comes up on your porch, before he steals any more of your yard birds.

[Mark A]

Yes, but what about the coyotes?

Now here I was trying to be all neighborly and helpful and you have to come in swinging a big old bucket of mud around...

[Handsome Rob]

Great story and congratulations! How far was the shot?

Thanks y'all!

The shot was about 50yds, but I wouldn't hesitate to take a 100 yarder at all.

I read a lot of info online & (more importantly) spoke to a lot of folks about the li'l .22 WMR round. Everyone told me that it was fine out to about 125 yards with Remington 40gn Softpoints (NOT hollowpoints!) The little 30gn Hornady Balistic Tip gives you another 25-30 yards effective range, but it's a lot more wind sensitive.

The one thing everyone's opinion had in common, when talking about these little rimmy rounds, is that shot placement is absolutely vital & to be prepared for a quick follow up shot, if needed.

I'm under no illusion at all, a small centrefire round (.22 Hornet, .222, .22-250, .204, .223 etc...) would be preferable, but as long as you're prepared to ONLY take high percentage shots, the WMR will get the job done.

[E4 No More]

Now here I was trying to be all neighborly and helpful and you have to come in swinging a big old bucket of mud around...

[DaveS]

Good job Rob...awesome story too!

[Guest clutepc]

I had 2 coyotes run under my stand last night just as I was climbing down, It was dark so I put my light on them, wish they would come that close during the day.

I'd like a shot at one with the bow.

[ShaunM]

Shooting one with a bow would be cool especially if you pin it to the ground.