LBL 2007... the curse is finally broken!!!!

[centerfire_223]

Anyone that has been around the board for the last couple of years has seen me blow chance after chance at an LBL coyote. Well this year the curse was finally broken and then some.

My partner and I left South Carolina around lunch on Thursday and drove for what seemed like a 100 hours, though it was no where near that. But finally we arrived at the LBL just shortly after dark that night. We had no more than got unloaded and the heaters turned on when some friends stopped by. WayneP and Silvertip hung out with us till KeeKee and the boss here (Jim Champion), Jim's son and Jeremy Law (Brent's camera man) got there. We sat around and shot the bull till WAY late.

We hit the sack about 1 or so, and I was in charge of the alarm clock. Now let me do some explaining here, I am a eastern boy running on eastern time, though I am hunting in central time. You may be able to see where this is going, I was told it gets daylight at 6:30 am so I figured I would give us a hour to get up and get to the place we were going to hunt. So I set my clock at 5:30 am. Well the alarm goes off and up us easterners come out of the bed, ready to go blast some coyotes. As you can see in the picture Roundman (easterner) didn't notice any difference. But the northerners, they seemed to have a small problem with early morning rising.



Sense I have been in charge of the clock the last three years, we always manage to get to our stands WAY before daylight. Even KeeKee is starting to wonder if I will ever learn.



OK back to the story, my partner Carl and I head out the door in total darkness. We open the door to a couple of inches of snow and its still coming down. I thought to myself this is going to be a awesome day to call coyotes. It isn't often a southern boy gets to hunt in the snow.

We make our 15 mile ride up to the place we were going to hunt, I would tell you where that was but that is TOP SECRET G4 CLASSiFIED. We arrive just as it was getting good shooting light, see I knew we didn't get up to early.

I had hunted this area last year, but from a different direction. So this was actually my first time in this part of the area. First stand had me sitting with high expectations, about 5 minutes into the stand I caught some movement headed my way and it was black and had a white strip down its back. That rascal came straight in to the call, at about 20 yards I decided it was time to take evasive action and get him to make a detour. Everything came out OK in the end, the skunk went his way and I went mine, with no hard feelings.

On to stand number two, we walked on down this road and found a couple of semi fresh coyote tracks crossing the road. So we eased down into the hollow and TRIED to get the wind blowing in the right direction but that is almost impossible. One second it blowing left to right, next its front to back, we could never get it to blow steady in any direction. Well it wound up blowing left to right after we got in position. Only problem was I had my down wind gunner up wind now. The whole time I was thinking this could be a problem but I got lucky.

I started out the stand with two lone howls off of my Kee's howler and man did they sound great. I was a little proud of myself for those. After a couple of minutes I started in with a little crack pipe appetizer, and it wasn't long till I seen a coyote pop up over the hill off to my right. Just where my gunner should have been. I could tell by the way he was hobbling around something was wrong with it's foot. I got my gun in position and just let him head down wind, he stopped to take a look and that was a fatal mistake. The .223 found its mark and on stand number two we had our first coyote on the ground. After checking him over the left front foot had been caught in a trap and was cut down to the bone, it hadn't hurt his appetite yet though.



Well the rest of the day was a bust for us, we made a total of 15 stands that day and by dark my partner and I were pretty tired. But not tired enough to miss out on the BSing around the fire till WAY LATE at night.

Day two started out an hour later than the day before and totally different conditions to hunt in. It was cold and the wind was RIPPING at about 20+ all morning. We made a bunch of quick stands, quick meaning 10 minutes. With the wind blowing that hard you couldn't hear a call 300 hundred yards in those hardwoods. So we took the run and gun approach, quick stands and lots of them, calling every other holler. The morning for us turned out to be a bust so we headed in and grabbed some lunch. About the time we got there Jimmie arrived back with a little mangy female pup. He done her a favor by taking her out early.



We headed back out around 3 pm to finish up the evening and make a few more stands. I decided to go to a place that Shottaker and showed me on the map. We got there and was working the ridges and hollows just like we did that morning, quick stands and lots of them. We had made 4 stands and were headed to number five and I was getting discouraged with the wind. We walked down into the hollow a little ways and I almost didn't call it, actually I ask Carl what he thought about this one. His reply was we are here lets hit it, so I set the stand up with Carl watching down the hollow and I was watching the other side of the hollow. I started out with some rabbit distress out of my Screaming Demon (Arky Yoter made call), about 5 minutes into the stand, here comes a coyote running full blast. When I first seen it I thought it was a deer, this rascal was a long legged coyote. I first seen it at about 80 yards but before I could try and stop it. It was at 25 yards and headed up the pit of the hollow out of sight. So I get ready with the shotgun barrel but somehow he got my wind. Evidently it done some kind of swirling in the back of the hollow. Well out of there he went, I give him the ole Randy Anderson hoooowwwlllll and he stops on the other side to give one last look. Well that was all it took to put him down. This coyote had the mange starting pretty bad, that is a bad sound for the LBL.

Here is the hero shot for you.



I want to take a second to thank my partner Carl. We put a lot of miles in and he hung right in there with me every step. We had a GREAT trip out to the LBL once again. I know this post is pretty long but there is a LOT of memories that have to be put in. Once again great hunt and a great time with old friends as well as meeting new ones. Can't wait till next year, anyone that didn't get to make it this year, think hard and plan on it next year. It will be one of the best trips you can take. Last shot, this picture is of my partner and myself with coyote number two.

[vvarmitr]

Sweet Ronnie! Thanks for the pix & stories.
Sure was looking forward to seeing you again, but have a daughters wedding in TX to go to next week.
Next year, there is always next year.

[Jeb]

Good job Ronnie !!   Great story and pics ! Thanks for sharing bud
                       Jeb

[Bopeye]

You are the coyote slayer Ronnie............congratulations to you my friend.    It was a pleasure to finally meet you in person. 

[FinsnFur]

  Beautiful! I wondered if you got any pics.

This northerner was tiiired 

[Frogman]

Nice report.  I enjoy and learn from your detailed descriptions.  Thanks!

[jimneye]

Me thinks me needs to attend the LBL hunt.  Looks like a lot of fun.

[Smith]

Great story and Pics .



Lucas