Wyoming trip

[Frogman]

I finally made it out West for a coyote hunt.  I pruchased a small lightweight 18 foot camper to use at my hunting lease and for trips like this.  My buddy John and I left for Wyoming in early August with high expectations and looking forward to a great adventure.  I had never driven out West and was looking forward to seeing the country.  We headed out I-80.  From Western OH through Western Nebraska about all we saw was lots of flat ground and corn!  In Nebraska we started having car trouble.  The Trooper began overheating??



Then when we finally got to Wy the transmission began slipping.  We made it to Baggs Wy where I had planned to hunt.  This area in South central Wy has thousands of square miles of BLM land that looked like it should have lots of coyotes.  We weren't seeing any dead ones along the road?  The first day at Baggs we scouted some and did a few stands.  Here is the Trooper on it's last leg . . .



We were not seeing any coyote sign or hearing any.  That night John went out to try to locate some coyotes.  He didn't hear any??  The transmission was really getting bad by now.  I hate car trouble!!  Baggs is a small town with only one service station with a small garage.  We tried changing out a seal, but it didn't help.  Our only option was to try to trade the Trooper for something else.  We limped into Craig Colorado about 40 miles south of Baggs.   I traded the Trooper for a 2008 Chevy Silverado crew cab pickup.  Her it is parked near the camper.



The nice thing about all this BLM land is you can park the camper anywhere and set up for a few days.  We had a generator and several extra water containers so we could be self contained.  With our car troubles behind us we were hoping to kill some coyotes.  After several stands with no success, we weren't even seeing any sign, I finally killed a coyote. 

John was calling and I saw this coyote stick his head up over a bank about 100 yards to my right.  I was able to slowly move the rifle and shooting sticks around without spooking him.  All I could see was his chest and head.  When the rifle cracked I heard the plop of the bullet.   Good hit I hoped.  When we walked up to the crest of the hill . . .



Dead coyote!  We were on the board!





Got him right in the head!

While hunting in this area and talking to the locals we learned that although there was lots of BLM land the oil well tenders all carried rifles and shot every coyote they could get their sights on.  Even though I killed that one coyote, we just weren't having the success we had hoped for.  We dicided to move on.  We headed North to the area near Big Piney Wy.  We found a nice campground in the Teton Mountains called Sacajawea campground.  There was some beautiful scenery here.



We only stayed here one night then relocated closer to Big Piney.  We hunted this area hard but were not having the success we had hoped for?



I had tried to find some forum members in Wy hoping to hook up with someone to hunt with that knew the country.  Zylla from another forum responded to me and we hooked up with him for several stands.



Zylla lived in Rock Springs Wy and is a heck of a nice guy.  While hunting with Zylla we heard a coyote threat barking at us after a stand.  John felt that we would have a good chance to call that coyote in if we sneaked back the next morning.   With that plan we went back to that area early the next morning.  Here you can see the setup . . .



When John started calling he soon saw a coyote coming across the bottom below us.  It eventually ended up on a small finger ridge near the middle of the above picture where John shot it at about 200 yards.



Here I am with John's coyote.



It's great when a plan comes together!

Zylla came back out to hunt with us the next day.  He suggested we go up in the mountains where he liked to elk hunt.  He called this area Black Canyon.  On one of our first stands John was calling and I saw a coyote coming up the hill to my left front.  John and Zylla were too my right about 40 yards.  The coyote stopped behind a pine tree looking toward me.  I tilted the gun up on the left leg of the shooting sticks so that I would have a shot when the coyote came out from behins the tree.  He was only 35 yards away.  The coyote seemed very nervous and came trotting out where I had a shot.  He was still in some low brush but I could see his neck and head.  When the gun cracked I did not hear a plop of the bullet and saw the coyote run off???  Only thing I can think of is since the scope on the AR is nearly two inches above the line of the bore I may have shot low and the bullet exploded in the brush below the coyote??

Here Zylla and I are on a snow drift that has not melted!



And a nice valley from up on the mountain.



Zylla suggested we try hunting an area South of Rock Springs where he elk hunted.  He met us late in the evening and led ust to nice place to set up the camper.  The next day he could not hunt with us til after noon.  So John and i went out to do some stands in the morning on our own.  Off in the distance we could see two heavy pieces of equipment.  We parked the truck behind the dozer and set up to call. 

I am having trouble with Phtobucket locking up on me.  I am going to close this post and finish in "Wyoming trip #2.

Thanks for your patience.

Jim

[Todd Rahm]

Looks like and sounds like a good trip to me! 

[riverboss]

Hey Jim that head shot sure did the trick didnt it!  Is that a new Mueller scope on your ar? I know you had one but i didnt think it was a lighted retical scope.

[Frogman]

riverboss,

Good eye on the scope.  It is the Mueller 4 -16 with lighted retical.  I had the 3 - 9 Nikon on the AR but a friend of mine who hunts out west told me I might want to put something with more power on if I thought we might get into the prairie dogs.  So off with the Nikon and on with the Mueller.  Worked great.  I hit some prairie dogs out to 300 yards with it.  I really like the Mueller.  It has been a good scope for the money.  I trying to decide weather to put it back on the deer rifle or just leave it on the AR.  The Nikon is camoed and looks good on the AR and around here I seldom need the extra power?

Hope to see you again at LBL.  Maybe we can hook up for a few stands again.  I enjoyed hunting with you last year!

Jim

[FinsnFur]

Awesome post    I'm glad you took the time to put that post together, it was practically like being along with ya...and I had a good time.

It's too bad you had to go through car trouble like you did, but luckily your fortunate enough to get something for it and keep going. That worked out good for ya.

By the way, you shooting factory loads out of that AR? Man you windowed that things cranium big time.

[Jeb]

Thanks for sharing the story and pics. Hate to hear the car troubles but it sounds you nip that in the bud ! 
                                                  Jeb

[Frogman]

Jim,

.223 60 grain V-max in front of 25 grains of Benchmark.  Does good when it hits but I think the brush blows them up??  Very accurate if only I could shoot straight??

Jim

[Yotehntr]

Sounds like a great trip Jim!  I've been wanting to give it a run like that myself! 

[riverboss]

I thought you had a different scope on at LBL those Muellers are hard to beat at the price,im looking forward to some stands at the LBL this year with you Jim and maybe some more of your trip storys. Im glad you hooked up with a new friend while out west thats awfull neat to be able to meet new folks from around the country.

[Hidehunter]

Really enjoyed the pics Jim.  Beautiful country out there for sure.  Id love to take my calls, rifle and horses and go there myself.