Another LBL trip

[Jimmie in Ky]

Now just where in the hell are Keekee or CCp when ya need them? A few brief seconds on film for posterity and my own personal laughs. Because I will be laughing at this one for a very long time.

Today I planned a trip with sdLBL hunter and his bud. I also got a call on my cell from the Timberman saying lets do it. I call him back to find out he is about to do a setup and is already in the LBL.

I get to Hardin and realize I am going to be late and once again holler at the Timberman to tell him. He says he too wil be late because he is doing the hero shot thing already. The rascal started the party without me

I get to Golden pond and meet two fine young men who were very eager to get under way.Scot and his friend Ed. We talk about a few of the areas Scot has already worked while waiting on th timberman to show up.He has a nice sized four year old female in the back of the truck, his first stand of the day. We then decide to go into an area neither of us had worked before since it was a teaching as well as scouting and hunting trip. Timberman wasn't too sure of doing four man setups with a pair of newbies but I told him it would be all that bad and make it easier on me to see what they are doing right or wrong.

After parking my truck where we can later pick it up we head off into some bottom land to check sign. Find three sets of tracks at our first stop pointing in the direction I believed the group to be in. Go up the road a piece and check another spot that showed me the animals are avoiding some of the heavily used parking spots. But thinking about what I had already seen we went further down the road about a mile and found a powerline right of way and an old logging road crossing it. Smack in the middle of this old road, other than the five turkeys we had just run off, were two sets of reasonable fresh coyote tracks and a set of cat tracks that were so danged hot it wouldn't have surprised me to look up and see the cat standing in them up the road.All of these tracks were going into the same area as the other sign we had seen.

Grab our gear and take off down the road to find our first setup. Nice little saddle in the ridge with long tapering points off eachg side. Bob and Scot had the shotguns while Ed and I were packing rifles. I had asked Bob to bring along that cat call I had built last year that he forced me to part with. I told Bob to take SD and setup on the upwind side and do the calling with that call ,hoping for that Kitty.  I placed Ed where he could see a couple of aproach lanes and picked a spot for myself. Wee weeeweeeweewee --------BOOM, BOOM, yipe yipeyipe, I BELIEVE I GOT HIM, says Bob. Setup was over in less than two minutes, Bob sure is impatient Puppy with a large wound across its back that ruined the pelt, probably done during th deer season there. Somebody very near missed that dog.

A few hundred yards down the road and we come to another saddle that gives me the itch. We repeat our previous actions almost to a T. This time it took all of 3 minutes before we hear th boom and a rebel yell after the kiyis. Another pup just had to make Bob's day by running over him.He claimed it was self defense

Find another spot I like and repeat again but this time we are closer to what I think is the core area so I do the whipped pup calls for about twenty minutes. Nothing here but the wind in the trees.

Move on down into the bottom and I was not happy with what we had there but knew better than to go any farther before calling again. I set the boys where they would get the better oportunity should it happen and Bob and I went to the down wind side to call it. Bob works that call again for thirty minutes. I am ready to cal it done and start to get up after signaling Bob. Bob get up and suddenly waves me back down. Sd had just seen four come in from the upwind side , down a long point. He can't get a shot because the big male leading things smells a rat so to speak and backs out of the situation. Ed had misunderstood me when I told him where to go and wound up not being able to make a shot. Had he been where I wanted him he would have had clear shooting at all four. But hey, this was a learning trip for these boys and we all have made far more mistakes than this learning this sport.

The four animals split up when they left the setup. Sd told me the direction the big male took and I decide we just might get another crack at him from another direction with other tactics. Back up the road we go to a fork in the trail. Taking the other fork I soon find the perfect bottle neck for doing what I have in mind. Another sadlle but with very steep sides and only three ways in and all from the area I believed the coyotes to be in. I had Bob take the far side of the road while I set the boys where they could get good shots if this old dog did things my way. I had setup to cut the animal from getting down wind of us using the steep hills . I open with rabbit squeals and soon did a couple of long deep lone howls . Letting them digest that for a bit I went into whipped pup.

When the old rascal showed up he was trying to do just that. The ridge we were on had a part that was a gradual slope on one side which was covered in brush but where it ended was so steep it prevented th old dog from getting down wind like he wanted. He suddenly apeared on th crest of that rise with his head lowered and his hackles raised. It was a beautiful sight at about a hundred yards out and just a tiny window to see him through. A littel farther that the mag I was packing could handle well. He keeps moving around in the brush over there with each sound trying to work his way in but wanting to see just what it was he wanted to whip the heck out of first. This big gold rascal was moving in and out of the brush and wasn't giving me a shot at all. It was even hard for me to keep sight of him at times. I would give the whipped pup sound and he would take a few more steps. About ten minutes of this and I have had enough, I lip squeak and here come two young animals at a hard run. Pappy doesn't even budge a bit!!

White pup is heading to where it will cross the ridge right in front of the boys and I let it come on thinking it just might run out there and get filled with enough lead to sink a good sized boat. Fifteen yards or less from Ed and the pup starts checking up. It's using its front legs like pogo sticks trying to slow itself down. I can already see the questions in it's eyes. When it comes to the conclusion that something just aint right I can see that change in it's face and its eyes getting big as tennis balls. I took the downhill running shot and missed. I then get up and I am laughing my fanny off thinking of the look on that pups face. When I look at the boys I once again see that same look on their faces as well. Scot admitted he was too busy watching me and knew when I had the old dog working.

We started hunting at 2 o'clock and finished stand number five at a quarter to 5 o'clock. In these few short hours we had nine coyote sightings on five setups. Bob is still looking for someone to pinch him so he will wake up and find it all a dream. He had the best day he has ever had and cannot believe his luck. Hopefully he will post th pics Ed took of him with the 3 coyotes at the truck.

Just think, only 36 more days until the LBL hunt Jimmie

[KySongDog]

Heck of an afternoon!  Great story!  Congrats to all.   

Semp

[Jeb]

Awesome story Jimmie    Thanks for sharing this !
                  Jeb

[keekee]

Congrads! Thats a great day calling!


Brent

[Bopeye]

Excellent story Jimmie...........but I leave you with one question. Ya reckon you boys are gonna save us any for the actual LBL hunt? 

Kill'em son.........Kill'em.

[Jimmie in Ky]

LOL, Don't worry Bop, there will still be plenty to go around when you get here. Place is just to big and too many groups for me to even try and work them all. In fact this was th first time I had hunted that area in all th years we have been doing the hunt. I have made locating trips through there in the past and knew there was a group somewhere in that drainage.

There are at least another dozen groups in that zone. And I would be willing to bet that at least half of them have never heard a call. They are just too remote and hard to get too. Jimmie

[Bopeye]

I also assume you were hunting the Ky side.........yes?

Any forays into the south? Check out what the Tennessee coyotes are up too?

[Jimmie in Ky]

Thats the reason I bounce around so much in my scouting trips. What one group is doing the rest are doing as well. If groups in three zones are bedding near the heads of the drainages in a wide variety of area types, then you can pretty well bet all the animals in the LBL are doing the same. It's real easy to get into a rut and hunt the same places all the time that you are familiar with. A fellow can get turned around in there with little effort .

I need to go over my maps and see if I can get Mallard to go in and check a few of them for us. It would be one way of confirming what I have found in the KY portion.He is familair enough with the Tenn portion  that I can give him landmarks from the maps and check them out. How about it Mallard?

I can tell you that the group that got you and chet so exited are still there. They are bedding just like the Ky animals are and can be accessed with a little bit of a hike. That group I do know about!

And there is a good side to th numbers being down. Not enough travel by them to get you confused. They are working regular routes and are fairly predictable just by the sign you can see. Not like it was a few years ago when numbers were high and there was so much sign laying around confusing you. The numbers were actually higher back when you and Chet came down to scout than they are right now.Jimmie

[sdLBLhunter]

HAHA, I thought you guys were calling my buddy Ed....his names Ian, but ed and ian sound the same the way I say it :roflmao:  I just want to thank you and bob for taking us out and showing us what its all about!  That was a run that I can only pray for at least one more time in the many years before I'm too old to hunt :)  I definitely learned a lot, and believe me, my hunting style is gonna change a bit...a lot more scouting now that I'm getting an idea what to look for!

You've also scarred Ian, hes hooked.  We're about to head out again this afternoon on a 500 acre farm that I know holds at least one pack of yotes:)  I got them squawling just before dark a week ago:) 

Again, it was an amazing hunt and I thank you for learn'n me good.

[Jimmie in Ky]

Not too hard to scar somebody for life with this sport , all it takes is putting one in their lap one time and they are done for I liked th look on Ian's face when that happened too. Pretty well matched the coyotes  :roflmao:

Tell Ian he will just have to excuse two old farts that can't hear quite as well as they used to either. This ringing in my ears often gets me in trouble with the boss and she can be a tough task master at times. It was ordered that I finish some cabinet work today or else  At least I can come in here between coats of poly while she is gone :eyebrow:Jimmie

[Bopeye]

Well Reggie.............how 'bout it? Ya gonna confirm what ole' Jimmie is telling us?

[coyotehunter_1]

First hand field reports like that sure get my ol' blood to pumping!
Sounds like you all got into a mess o' coyotes @ LBL.  

Good going, fellers!


Chet

[centerfire_223]

Hey Jimmie, what zone were yall in... cause with all of that killing, that is one zone I don't want to hunt.

[Jimmie in Ky]

Just one group in a very big zone Ronnie and we left most of them anyway  I would lay pretty good odds of going back in there in february and taking a couple of more. Jimmie

[sdLBLhunter]

I'll paper-rock-scissors you for that big red male jimmie

[Mallardsr]

Jimmy, PM sent

[Bopeye]

C'mon Reggie...... ........you can't do us like that........aww man....... :shck:

[Jimmie in Ky]

Talked with Reggie this morning. He is having a few problems with a honey do job but will post results as soon as he can.

We also discussed some of the problems we have both noticed up there. We will see how his results come out and maybe get some answers. Jimmie

[Bopeye]

Way too much gray area here Jimmie.............don't make me drag Chet up there and the two of us do our own little reconnoiter of the area..........

[Jimmie in Ky]

You!       Drag Chet up here

I'll pay good money to watch that tussle :roflmao:

Jimmie