Coyote bit my rifle barrel

[Okanagan]

Not much to tell without the larger story.  I was home from college for a day or two and went along with my Dad to run his trapline in an inch of fresh snow.  We had an iron sight .22 rifle along.  On one stop that looked extra good to call a coyote I took the .22, climbed up a ravine cut in rimrock to reach a square mile of sage flat above, and called from near the edge of the rim.  The coyote surprised me and came up from the same ravine behind me.  It walked to within 18 feet of me (measured later) and watched me where I lay and hand called with my head beside a watermelon sized rock, the biggest cover available in the scrawny rock-stunted sage.  Then it made a wider loop out in front of me to get downwind.

He accelerated as I rose to shoot and I rolled him as he angled away at 25-30 20 yards.  (Corrected after further review.)    He went down but woke up as I approached.  Coyote prices were high and we were selling the pelts so I tried to avoid another bullet hole by pushing the rifle close to shoot him in the ear.  He lunged at me and bit the end of the barrel hard, so hard that his teeth gouged surprisingly deep grooves in the metal, shiny stripes in the blue.

I think that my Dad was surprised when I came down lugging the large, prime dog coyote.  I'd picked up calling critters after I left for college and very few people were calling any kind of game in those days.

[Hawks Feather]

Thanks for another good hunting story.  I somewhat thought that it might have happened somewhat like this, but you never know.

Jerry

[HaMeR]

Cool story!! Didja get that  feeling??   

[pitw]

Good story and I needed no pics.
When saving hides it's always good to shoot the animal from inside.
Never think an animal is dead unless you are sure or it can get hairy in a hurry.[how come I don't got a shocked smiley thingy?]

[FinsnFur]

   <---Barry

I gotta be honest, the first thing that went through my mind was Troy Landry LOL
Good story Okanagan. That woulda been quite an ordeal.

[pitw]

  <---Barry

I don't got that one on my puter

[FinsnFur]

Barry

[pitw]

Barry

When the [L] did that get there? 
I used to have it up between  and  , but it disappeared.   What did it do wrong to get put in the penalty box?

How did you do that arrow while I'm busy jacking anyway.

[FinsnFur]

Magic!