Coyote Contest

[Mulestalker]

Finally made it out for a day of calling,little disappointed with the results but was a beautiful day and I wasn't at work! Did manage to see about 12 dogs,1st setup produced nothing, second one we were a little sloppy on the setup and busted 5 dogs out the far end,proceeded to call and manage to pull 3 back over the hill,2 we curious but not convinced and gave us the slip behind a ridge..no shots,3rd setup called a single in,surprised us as he came in on the side ,must of seen something he didn't like and bolted but I managed to flatten him as he sped away.2 more setups and one more called in,noticed him from a long ways out coming hard but spun tail at 500yrds as he picked up my partners stench.... yeah, yeah..pretty sure it was him...or it could have been all that jerky we were eating!

[High_N_Wide]

nice coat mulestalker.

My wife is due today so am hoping this moves along so I can go and start registering some hits!

[Mulestalker]

Really nice hide on him,big dog....just lead him a touch too much,surprised the Vmax went in and out!

[25-06rem.model700]

got one the other day on a bait pile at my neighbors 175 yards with my 25-06 their was two and the other was bigger but this one just kept sitting broadside and i couldnt resist lol he weighed 30lbs

[Mulestalker]

2 more big dogs today...forgot the camera, these are some of the nicest dogs I've seen for a while,pulled a 338 Lapua shot on one,stone dead a looong ways out

[brett01]

hook me up bud. ive busted 4 so far but no pics, i intend on getting many more, i want in!

[ruger300]

Was a good day all around today, called in 4 coyotes in 4 stands but only was able to dump 1, that's how she goes somtimes. Sorry about the poor pic but I forgot my camera in the office room so no field pics. Big male coyote and did he ever come into the call hard. Over a 1/4 mile away and on the run. Man I love it when they do that. The others that got away well... they snuck in and seen the shooters before we saw them. Maybe next time.


Shoot straight.

ruger300

[triggerpress]

Saturday in December means coyote hunting so I headed out before dawn to see what I could find. I Checked a couple of my "honey holes", but they were sour. Not even much sign and nothing but ravens and magpies came to the call. That's how it went all morning, until I finally got some warning barks from one that ended up in the bush downwind of me. That was it.

After lunch I checked a farmers winter feeding pasture and spotted a coyote in with the cows. I had to make a major move to get the wind in my favour and then almost got busted as I did it. But I saw him drop out of sight on the other side of a low ridge and then worked my way in and set up. A few rodent squeaks brought him back and headed to me. However, he elected to circle wide and I held off shooting because I had the wind solidly on side and I figured I'd get him in REAL close.

I could just catch glimpes of him moving through the bush but I'd forgotten I'd walked through that area and when he hit my track he stopped cold, swapped ends and started to slink off. That took him up a small hill where he stopped to look back in the one spot I could thread a bullet into him. He piled up at the shot and rolled down.



More dry holes followed.

The last stand of the day I set up on the edge of another winter cattle feeding pasutre. I started calling just as the sun set and about 15 minutes later spotted one on a hillside watching me. I ranged him with the scope's reticle and figured 200 yards. Since he was almost downwind, it was shooting time, and when the sear broke the shot felt good. I heard no hit however and he streaked off into the trees (about 10 yards) with no sign of injury. I was convinced I missed.

I gave it another 5 minutes of calling and with it getting dark figured I'd better go check this guy out, just to be sure. There was a strip of undisturbed snow along the tree line so I looked there first and was shocked to see blood drops along a fresh coyote track. I followed in another 20 yards and found him stone dead. It looked like I just caught the back edge of the lungs on a broadside shot, and since the Berger exited, he left some blood drops behind to clue me into the hit. Otherwise I might have written him off as a miss. Sometimes, exits are a good thing!



triggerpress

[Pathfinder76]

Trigger, what are you shooting. .223?

[25-06rem.model700]

got another one yesterday! i called 4 a bit at my honey hole and my damn call broke so i decided to go check if the one den was active and look for good snare spots then i was walking throught the feild were my dad was gonna pick me up i come over a small hill and heres 3 yotes only 70 yards away coming down the lease road which runs a long the feild! So i drop to a knee and some how they dont see me. The back to kinda slow down and look in my direction while one slips under the fence and keeps trotting in front of me so i start whistling 4 him to stop and he wont so i start howling real deep which normaly stops yotes or wolves right away but theis dumby just keeps on trucking along so i at 40 yards i gave him a 120 core lokt in the lungs hes buds went right into the bush. Then i seen one 350 yards sitting on the road but the dirty bugger would come back to the feild

[triggerpress]

Chuck:
So far this year I've been using a .204, handloads use 35 grain Berger bullets. The rifle is a typically homely 700 SPS that shoots sub MOA all day long. I cut the barrel to 22", glass bedded it and jeweled the bolt. The next thing I want to do is convert it to use detachable CZ magazines. I've bought two magazines already, but so far I haven't had the nerve to start cutting.

triggerpress

[Pathfinder76]

Trigger, I'd be very interested in seeing that conversion when you're done. Who cut the barrel for you?

Thanks,

Chuck

[triggerpress]

Chuck:
I'll try and remember to post some pics once I have the conversion done. I cut the barrel myself, I do as much of my own work as my limited tools and skills allow.

triggerpress

[Mulestalker]

Was out for the day today,shot 3 but should of had about 5,I think my son was playing with my scope.........good excuse,isn't it?

[brett01]

i went out for the last 45mins after work this evening. Just on a drive about. After seeing nothing but deer, i headed home. On my neighbours i spotted 3 coyotes. After stopping and creeping up to some bales i raged them at 363 yds. I picked out the lightest colored one and just when i was about to squeeze the other one came and blocked the body of the light one leaving me nothing but a head shot. i put the cross hairs at the top of the lightest ones ears and let the .204 bark. Not even a twitch, hit him right where i wanted, in the ear. I got a picture and will post it tomorrow when i have more time.

[tegcont]

Just found your contest last week, so I took my camera with me today.
Found this female on the walk in to where I was going to call.
Did some calling after and had one howling at me for about an hour but couldn't get him to come out. Fairly new at this calling stuff, but I'm learning.
For now I'm shooting a 22-250 but I have a 22-243 middlestead in the works!

[ruger300]

Yeah, all done work for 2 weeks, time to hunt coyotes. Wind was blowing pretty good in my area this morning. Got 2 sets in, nothing. Was ready to head home when I spotted a yote in a field headed towards property i have permission. Got all set up after spotting 3 yotes playing around on the lake. Started calling, 5mins later got a yote howling at me. So I howled back at it, did some ki-yi's and minutes later this fine lookin female shows up. I wait till she clears the reeds and woofed her to stop. Frontal shot with the 22-250 and she tips over. Coyote hunting was over for the day then, gotta go christsmas shopping. But I'll be back out there tommorow.


ruger300

[triggerpress]

Finshed rebuilding my AR180B this week, sighted it in yesterday, and took it out to play today. Most of the day was a disaster...
- I winged one and then tracked him for an hour, right into a long dark culvert
- I had one come charging in to 50yards and then missed him four times
- I let one get downwind and he managed to escape with no shots fired

Finally on the last stand of the day, I pulled in a small gimpy one. He stopped at 166 lasered yards and I put him down. He got up though, so I slapped him again and he went down again. Then he got up again and I gave him another V-Max. That time he stayed put.

So, how can I hit one three times in a row at 166 yards and on the same day miss one four times at 50 yards.



triggerpress

[Lethalconnection]

Lots of great looking yotes so far guys keep'em coming.

[triggerpress]

Went out with a buddy who was in town for the holidays. You can always tell a REAL hunter because he travels with a rifle in the car...just in case. We loaded up in my truck and went out dawn to dusk, managing a three dog day.

The morning was pretty much a bust with only one stand generating any critters. However, they winded us and all we got was lip.

Things got better shortly after noon when we spotted a fox out in a field while driving between stands. He ran off but didn't seem too spooked. By the time we got the truck stopped he was running faster but I had my rifle out and braced over a fence post when Tom cut loose with rabbit sqaualls. That stopped him, I held for three hundred yards and when the bullet got there he dropped without even twitching. The laser said 286 yards, a new record for the AR180b.



The next stand, I called in a mangey yote that came in on Tom's side and he put him out of his misery. No points for me.

While walking into the next stand a yote ran across the trail in front of us, and ran into a slough full of tall grass. We moved up a little and dropped him when he came out of the slough grass.



And then nothing for the rest of the day.

triggerpress

[Jonny O]

That's awsome! I would take a fox over ten cyotes any day. When I first started cyote hunting I had called in and had opportunities at three different foxes. For some reason I had it in my head that they were rare so I didn't shoot. The more I read and the more country I cover I'm seeing that this is not the case. Wish I would have shot when I had the chance! Congrats again. Are you going to do anything with the hide or sell it with the yotes?

[grizzler]

Not sure why my date time is not on this pic, but it is this morning DEC 28.

[moosehunter3-0]

My dad pushed out a coyote for me today and I hit him 1 out of three tries on a dead run going sideways. The first shot he was coming towards me, but I jerked the shot and missed him. After that he turined sideways and picked up another 20 miles an hour. The second shot I didnt lead him enough and the third, I caught him just in front of the shoulders where the body meets the neck and I dropped him at 100 yards. shot him with .222. (ill post model later not sure)...

[ruger300]

Good shooting moosehunter3-0, sometimes if you bark or howl at those moving coyotes they'll stop or at least slow down for ya. Sometimes not.
Got out yesterday with a buddy for a quick afternoon hunt. First setup produced a good lookin coyote but it left after scenting our walkin trail. Third and last setup of the day I pulled a couple in from a long way across a lake but I think they spotted the truck and never did show up, this female popped out on the fenceline we were hiding on about 125yds away and I crumpled her with the .204. Wierd bullet performance though, ended up unzipping her fully and she WAS standing broadside. Musta started to turn when my trigger broke and gave me a quartering away shot. Anyhow, dead is dead, better than tracking a wounded yote. They're pretty tough canines.


ruger300

[brett01]

went out late this morning for a drive about. Seen 1 right away, only managed to get a running shot, no such luck. Came back by home on some private land and spotted one at 272 as the rangefinder later said. She started to trot and i stopped her broadside. Let fly with the .204 a good solid hit. She yipped and spun and got back up and started trotting quartering away. Shot her again and that finnished it. Both shots in the lungs, as she would have dropped in a few yards with the first shot. Got pics but will post later when i have access to high speed.

[triggerpress]

I'm getting low on ammo for the AR180, so I took the 204 out for a walk today. My buddy is still in town so I took him and his 22-250 along too. I had permission on a new piece of property and we found a good collection of coyotes and two new ways to screw up. In the end, I shot five and Tom nailed one.

On the first stand of the day, I spotted one sliding in through some thick brush. When he stopped behind a tree I shuffled into a better position and squeeked him in with a bulb squeaker I keep on the sling of that rifle. Put him down at about 25 yards



On the next stand I watched a cut line while Tom watched a cattle wintering pasture. There, I was reminded to ensure the bolt handle is ALL the way down on the new Remingtons (with no bolt - safety interlock) before shooting. I had one show up within five minutes and when I centered him and pulled the trigger, the bolt handle dropped the rest of the way down, taking up most of the firing pin spring energy and giving me a really loud click. The coyote ducked into the bush laughing.

I kept calling anyway and before long Tom got a shot at another one and hit a branch. That coyote ran off laughing too.

I kept calling anyway and another one crossed the cut line in front of me while I was looking the other way (Tom saw him). More hilarity in the woods, I'm sure. After that we gave up on that spot.

A short drive put us on another stand overlooking a steep gorge. Fifteen minutes later I had one show up on the other side. One bullet rolled him down to the bottom and since we follow the "you shoot em, you drag em" rule, I had to crawl to the bottom and drag him back up.



A dry hole on the edge of a lake followed and then we hiked down a drainage ditch and set up on the edge of an open pasture. Tom elected to watch the pasture while I covered the way we'd come in. Bad choice.

I had one on the other side of the ditch within minutes and a Berger rolled him off the hill he stood on. Two minutes later another one showed up about 20 yards from the first one. He got the same treatment. Five mintes later another one popped up near the second one. He was smart enough to leave as fast as he showed up, but dumb enough to circle upwind. He eventually showed himself long enough for a shot, on my other side and I got him too. A fifteen minute triple!



Tom finally got to shoot something two stands later when my dying rabbit pulled one out of some bottomland a loooong ways away. He came to within what I reticle-ranged at 400 yds, then locked up. I figured out later he could see the truck. Tom took the shot and nailed him. No laser in the pack today so I paced it off while he dragged and got 393 yds. No points for me but a very nice shot!

triggerpress

[triggerpress]

My buddy Tom was able to hang around for one more day so we hit the trail for a half-day hunt yesterday at dawn. Tops on our list was going back to the spot where 48 hrs ago we'd called in three and got none. Visions of payback danced through our minds as we drove there first.

We decided to make up for the short turnaround by setting up in a different spot and using a totally different sound (howling instead of rabbit distress). Well, after twenty minutes of howling we'd seen nothing. I switched to rabbit and within two minutes we had one barreling down the cut-line. When he stopped, Tom shot him in the face with a 22-250.

I kept working the call and another one popped out at the same spot the first one had appeared. He was coming in nicely when the first one suddenly started flopping. Number two spooked and headed for the trees. Tom chased him with a 55 grain bullet, but no contact. Number three never showed. Time to give that spot a rest now.

We moved on and tried near a beaver pond. It took 15 minutes, but a nice big one liked the sound of my rabbit and stopped on a knoll about 70 yards from where I was screeching. I slid the crosshairs onto his chest and could see he was ten yards on the other side of a four-wire electric fence. A single strand of wire ran directly across his chest. I figured the chances of hitting that slim strand of wire were slim and nil, so I held for the sweet spot and touched it off.

You guessed it, I centered the wire perfectly. Such a "twang" you have never heard! Mr Coyote took two steps back and tried to figure out who was strumming the rock guitar. Meanwhile, I cranked the bolt, held for his throat and dropped him. I still don't know how this guy got so big, being so dumb.



Here's what a shot wire looks like....



We played hide and seek with a few more until noon and went home with only the two in the truck. One for each of us.

triggerpress

[Pioneer2]

Hi Triggerpress, Was wondering what kind of groups you're getting with the AR 180 ? And where you bought it? I had a Colt AR-15 years ago but now you can't hunt with it.............Thanx Harold

[Pioneer2]

That dinged wire reminds me of a small mule buck I shot at 400+ yards with my .270 The wire was howling like Jimmy Hendrix and the bullet keyholed hitting the buck in the spine.Sure looked dramatic!Wish I'd have remembered to whistle the theme song from the Good,the Bad and the Ugly!Ha My buddy looked at me like he'd just seen the parting of the Red Sea.I did my best to look non-chalant[this happens all the time] B.S. Sometimes you get lucky!Harold

[gunslinger]

wow i totally missed this thread all togehter, nice shooting boys ,jeeez why do i have to be working in bc.