I live in a zone that does not have Sunday hunting....except for coyotes and snow geese. We got snow but no geese, so I asked the neighbour kid if he wanted to go calling coyotes. I didn't have to ask twice..
What a beautiful day for calling. Very little wind and a just freezing temps.
We went out about 3 p.m.
First stand, wind was out of the S/W so we set up south of the road. I gave a few minutes of an unhappy rabbit and as so often happens coyote calling, they came from the wrong direction. I did not expect them to come across the road past the truck and directly downwind, but they did. 3 coyotes and not one dead. No shots fired.Total time on stand 4 minutes.
This is my first session of calling around here this year. I've been north and did some calling. We called more wolves than coyotes, but the guys that were shooting couldn't hit diddly.
Anyway second stand was a bust. On to the third stand. we set up calling crosswind across some rolling pasture with a big frozen slough in it. After a couple of minutes with the rabid rabbit, two coyotes peaked over a ridgeline about 600 yards out. They sat down. That is never a good sign. I let them sit for a few minutes and went to a fawn distress on one of my open reed calls. That was more than the closer one could stand. He started come at a lope. He came across the ice with a purpose and up the hill toward us. At 200 yards he started working to get downwind of us. I got him stopped at about 170 and Tyson overshot him by a cm.
On to stand four. We set up with the setting sun on our backs and called crosswind. within 90 seconds of my first scream, a coyote appeared on the ridgeline about 700 yds out. He came about 50 yds and sat down
I let him sit for a few minutes and went to the fawn distress with some vigor. He busted loose and started towards us on the run. There was a long brushy draw between us and him, so he disappeared from view. A minute later 4 muley does and a nice 4X4 buck topped the ridge way out there. I used the fawn distress again and the first doe did not stop till she was within 70 yds, of us. Of course the buck was in tow with his tongue hanging out, wondering what was happening. Males are thick when it is time to breed.
She winded us and left with the buck and the rest of the does in tow.
We looked around for the coyote and saw him come out of the cover at 140yds. Tyson's second miss of the day.
What a great afternoon.
And with no Sunday hunting, we had the place to ourselves. We are going to try again tomorrow. Maybe I'll call in a whitetail buck and get punch his dance card.