'Crunked' up Cajn Coyote Adventure

[studabaka]

I just got back Sunday from four awesome days of yote hunting, coon hunting, armadillo & possum grabbing, skunk chasing, crawfish eating, shrimp boiling, family gathering, story telling, mongoose dodging, and a whole lot of laughing and not stop ribbing.

I would like to thank Randy, his family & friends, and Brandon. It's folks like this that give me renewed faith that good will endure and prosper. Thanks Randy, this post can only begin to describe my appreciation or the memories and stories I now have and I'm already looking forward to another visit [though with slightly different results  ]

Leaving my place at 3am Thursday morning I arrived in Shreveport a little before noon and met RagnCajn [a very fitting name] at the airport, met his younger son Steven for lunch and then met a few of his friends and became fully indoctrinated in the steady stream of stories and jokes that would continue incessantly for the next four days. 

We hooked up with Brandon, a young man from Colorado who is in the process of moving to Shreveport, and got ready to head out to make a few evening stands. This proved to be more challenging than I would have thought as I needed to pick out one of Randy's guns to use. After four gun safes and a dozen other parking spots I finally gave up, wiped the slobber from my face and told Randy to just pick one. A 220 swift was what he handed me.

Our first stand ...... Entered a field from the west with the wind at our back. Walked north up the hedge row which contained a ten foot or so wide drainage ditch. We stopped about 200 yards from the north end of the field and Randy pointed to a spot along the hedge saying 'sit there in the shadow with the bush at your back'. He pointed to a spot on the north end of the field and said 'the yote will come from there'. He sat on my right which proved to be something we would change in future stands  I handed him my new THO lanyard and calls [which was a pretty bold move given his penchant for dipping]. He started in with some distress sounds and within 3-4 minutes a coyote hopped into the field exactly where he had pointed. It came maybe 10 yards into the field and was lite up almost white in the sunlight. It stopped, and moved west and then hopped back into the woods. Randy said something to me which I think was 'he'll come back', but as I said, he was sitting on my right side and I am almost deaf in that ear. A minute later the yote popped back into the field. This time on the west side, in the shadows, along the hedge row we were sitting along and he starts trotting slowly toward us. I am watching it in my scope, which was getting harder by the minute as my breathing started to pick up and and my gun started wiggling. Then Randy started saying something over and over  now he says he was saying 'settle down, settle down'.....  but what I was thinking he was saying was 'shoot now, shoot now'  so I steadied that thar wiggling gun as best I could and fired one at him at about 125 yards and trotting straight in .... and missed. The ring of the shot had not even cleared and Randy was  :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: Needless to say, we worked on our communication strategy a bit as we walked to our next stand. It's amazing how you forget what to do and how to do it when the coyote is coming right at you in the wide open. Brandon, to his credit, smiled and offered encouragement, but old Ragn was now equipped with some good story fodder and that put him in his element. From that moment on, every time we caught each others eye there was a cackle  We made two more dry stands and then headed for the crawfish palace and a Cajun dining experience with his brother, sister, their families, and a few other assorted friends. I had finally settled down enough to make a fair showing on these spicy little buggers....


First stand on Friday morning had us with our back up against a tree [in the shadow] looking across a brushy field with the foxpro hanging in a tree about 40 yards in front of us..... and of course, Randy sitting on my left side. After about 10 minutes or so I hear Randy saying 'two coming in on your right'. I turn my head in time to see them and they were close and moving fast. As I move to get my scope on them I see more movement and here comes a third working hard to catch up with the others and not miss out on a meal. It was like a jail break. They were 20-25 yards in front of me. Between us and the caller and still moving fast. ....  I know, I know ..... I should have waited for them to stop or woofed at them..... bang, miss, dogs keep it in gear and circled off to the left. Randy switches to pup distress and one turns and puts it in an even higher gear coming straight in on Randy's side. He knocks it down with a straight on running shot through the left shoulder, but it gets up howling and runs off. He shoots a couple more times, but the 17 he was using ain't real good with twigs. We track it for about an hour, but only spotted it once and it took off fast. All the while I'm  and listening to  :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

We made a few more stands, but no takers, and then got things together to head up to Randy's Mom & Dad's for a shrimp boil, though calling it a shrimp boil is an understatement. We get there around 5 or so and Randy's brother in-law has been BBQing steaks, ribs, pork loin, and some of the hotest sausage I have ever encountered since noon. Randy is the shrimp cooker and it's done with just a wee bit of spice  along with potatoes, corn, and dirty rice. Others show up with more stuff, including some of the best deserts I ever tasted.



I can't even begin to describe the story telling that ensued and was still going strong when we headed back to Randy's around midnight, stopping on the way to get a tour by the night shift guys on a drilling rig. Pretty cool  Along the way we stop on a back road.....we didn't pull off mind you.... just stopped, turned the truck off, lights off right in the middle of the road and got out..... must be a Cajun thing. Then Randy plays a howl over the foxpro and those coyotes 'crunked' up all over the place. Turns out this spot wasn't far from where we started hunting the next morning. First stand no takers. Second stand has me with my back to a tree and you can guess where Randy was and were the shade was, looking out maybe 600 yards across a 2-3 inch high green grass field. Randy starts in on the hand calls and a few minutes later spots one coming at a lope from the other side of this field. I put him in my scope and watch him. He keeps coming and coming and coming and ....... passes us about 15 - 20 yards to our left. I keep rotating to my left as I follow him in my scope..... now you remember where Randy is right?..... As my barrel swings left I see Randy lean back and lay flat on the ground so I keep swinging. He's watching my barrel as it swings over him and then  goes up..... He was starting to think the yote went up the tree  but I ran out of turning room as the yote circled behind us. I turned back to the right and tried to get him in my scope as he slowed .... but found myself again trying to follow him in my scope as he circled us. He finally did stop about 40 yards out after almost circling us 360 degrees and when he did I tried to get composed after all that scoping and rotating and ...... bang.....miss....    :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: Turns out there were actually two yotes, but only Brandon saw the second as I was unsteadily focused on the one and Randy was lying flat on his back with his fingers in his ears.
No other takers on the rest of our stands...... Three days, six yotes, three shots, three misses, no redemption.

Much more to tell, but y'all have to come to a shrimp boil to here it 

[KySongDog]

Absolutely great story!  Looks like you had a heck of a good time.  Good friends, good food and a little yote hunting to boot!

Thanks for sharing!   


Johnny

[FinsnFur]

Wow....awesome read there Stu and funnier then hell. 

Sounds like you had the time of your life, and who better of a host to provide then Randy himself.
My favorite part of your post....

but old Ragn was now equipped with some good story fodder and that put him in his element.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

It didnt take long for that to come to light did? 

Thanks for the follow up, man that was some good ole readin right there. 

[studabaka]

I'm sure Randy will be on to straighten out my fact vs fiction  but that's my sto...sto...story and I'm sti..sti..stickin to it

Fact is it was hard to post cause it was just a tad embarassing, but hey it got the ole heart pumping and the juices flowing.... and after a nice batch of crawfish we was never short on cover scent. Good thing it was fairly warm cause day two on we road in the truck with the windows wide open 

[Jimmie in Ky]

After seeing those pics I decided ya just aint no good Stu. Anybody that would post the pics of a cajun crawfish boil and not invite me is a sorry individual . Dang I is hongry!  Jimmie

[RagnCajn]

Ya done well Stu. Man that was a fun weekend. I really enjoyed it.He can share a biscuit at my table any time. I may ebven let him take home a pet Mongoose, If he can catch it.

[keekee]

Great story Stu! I have had the pleasure of hunting with Randy and he is one fine person! And funny as hell!!!

We are headed down to hunt with Randy next fall and I cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But you dang sure make it hard telling story's like that!


Brent

[Hawks Feather]

Great story.  With all that food I don't think I would have left the kitchen.

Jerry

[Arkyyoter]

LOL.....too much fun...and you are right, Randy is a hoot to be with and hunt with......wish I could have made it too, maybe next time!!!!


Joe

[keekee]

I have had that shrimp boil as well! Man, thats some good eaten!!!!!!!!!

Those pic's are killem me!


Brent

[Bopeye]

Don't feel bad about missing all those coyotes Stu...........it happens. 

Now let's get to more serious matters..........like all that grub. 

I wouldn't have even went hunting with that much food around. I would have just tied a tablecloth around my neck and commenced to eat. Four days of that would have been about right. 

I'm glad y'all had a good time....

[RagnCajn]

Bopeye,when Southern folk get together for a visit, there is allways a lot of food. There is allways some sort of prank going on, Stu had been in town for less than a couple hours when a friend of mine put a rubber snake in his truck seat. We had great weather all weekend, except for a short storm on Friday morning. We went out after that and had the triple come in. KeeKee, yall are welcome any time you get the chance. Arky, you know my door is open any time for a hilbilly to visit. I should be up in your neck of the woods within 30 days. Those turkeys are waiting for me.

[keekee]

Thanks Randy! We are looking forward to it!


Brent

[CCP]

I enjoyed that story pictured myself right along with you guys. That food sure looks familiar I miss my craw fish and shrimp.

 

[Bopeye]

Bubba Gump Rich........... :roflmao:

I'm in the south.......just not as far south as you. 

[canine]

Excellent story Stu 

Randy is a hoot for sure, did he show ya just how fast his truck would go?  :shck:

What happened to your gun? Airline lose it? That would be tuff using a strange gun.

JD

[studabaka]

  I can't say for sure that he showed me all it could do, but I'm sure he doesn't see many cars behind him in that rear view mirror. 

Much as I would like to, I just can't see blaming my misses on anything but me. That said, I did wonder if using that lighter rifle highlighted some of my shooting flaws more than my heavy barrel 22-250 and 223's do.  but to say I was holding anything steady when them dogs came running straight into us, welll, I guess I did hold my water 

That was some real fun stuff and I'm lookin forward to more opportunities to figure out and fix whatever