All work and no play.....

centerfire_223 · December 16, 2007, 12:26:02 PM

makes Ronnie a irritable boy. So I did what all irritable boys do when they get irritable...they go hunting.

I left out at daybreak yesterday morning, heading here behind my house to try and call up a huge bobcat that a friend of mine had seen while deer hunting. But as I was leaving I noticed his truck parked up above the house, I knew we would be in there deer hunting. So I headed out to a couple of my other farms I hunt.

Being as busy as I have this hunting season, this was my first day to really get out and put some time in the woods. The weather was bitterly cold, about 40 degrees :roflmao:, and the wind was blowing around 15 or so. A great time to be out in the field in the south. While I was getting ready to walk into the woods, farmer came up and told me that he had heard coyotes howling the morning before, so my hopes were high.

The first two stands were just warm up stands. Then I headed down to the third stand, which is deeper in the woods. The woods are pretty thick in there. I could only see about 30 yards, here is what I was looking at.

I started the stand off with a couple of long lonesome howls with my Kee's custom howler. Then about 5 minutes later I opened up with some crying cottontail out of my Arky crack pipe. Just after the first series on the crack pipe, I heard something off to my right. About that same time I saw that it was a coyote, he was slipping in slowly. Not busting in like normal, I think it may have had something to do with the howl. I got my gun moved to where I thought he would appear and then started lip squeaking. He came up and hopped up on the log in the picture. That was at about 20 yards, next thing he knew the world stopped turning. After a load of #4 buck he was DRT. Here is the hero shot.

Made another stand in on that farm with no takers and then headed to another farm I hunt. Once again talked to the land owner before I hit the woods, and he told me they were in his yard that night. The first stand was dry but then I headed on deeper into the woods. Here is what I was looking at on this particular stand.

Started the stand in the same way as the last one. Opened with a couple of howl followed by some crackpipe cottontail. At about the 7 minute mark, I hear something off to my right. When I turned to look the coyote was at about 15 yards. She seen me move and headed out, so I barked a couple of times. She then started to check up but wouldn't stop, all the while circling downwind. So I hit her with a load of dead coyote at 20 yards. Here is what I was shooting through.

Not to bad thick at that particular spot but look real close and you can see its tail. I did find out that the dead coyote just doesn't put them down like buckshot. Yes they both died, but with the #4 buck there wasn't even a flinch. With the dead coyote it spun round and round and hollering like crazy. I had a great day, only had time for 6 stands but it sure was great being out there. Here is the last hero shot of the day. Sorry for this being so long.

keekee · December 16, 2007, 12:31:55 PM

Great story Ronnie! Congrads on the hunt and thanks for sharing!

Brent

WhiteHare · December 16, 2007, 12:36:59 PM

Looks like you had a Great Day.
Nice job, good pictures, and an enjoyable read. However, I can't find the tail in the fourth picture.

Must be these old eyes.

Keep up the good work.

Richard

HaMeR · December 16, 2007, 12:55:15 PM

COOL!!

BTW--

QuoteThe weather was bitterly cold, about 40 degrees :roflmao: , and the wind was blowing around 15 or so.

I bet the wind chill was waaaaaaaaayyy down around 37* then wasn't it?? How did you manage?? :roflmao: :roflmao:

wv_yoter · December 16, 2007, 01:11:40 PM

Nice job Ronnie

I'm going out in the morning and I don't think I'll have to worry about stepping on a snake this time :shck:

Hawks Feather · December 16, 2007, 01:15:55 PM

Way to go. Sure looks like a good time.

Jerry

CCP · December 16, 2007, 01:24:15 PM

Good job good photo's and story

Glad to see you out hunting again.

vvarmitr · December 16, 2007, 02:08:38 PM

Now that's the way to take care of some irritableness.

(Note to self ... don't irritate Ronnie!)

Really appreciate the stand pix. It adds so much more.

Jeb · December 16, 2007, 02:09:39 PM

Awesome job Ronnie !

Thanks for sharing the story and pics !!

Jeb

FinsnFur · December 16, 2007, 02:46:45 PM

Bitter cold 40 degrees

possumal · December 16, 2007, 04:33:50 PM

Good stories, great pictures. Glad you had a good day!

DirtyDog · December 16, 2007, 06:24:46 PM

Congrats Ronnie. Sounds like a pretty good day. Thanks for sharing the story.

DD

FinsnFur · December 16, 2007, 06:41:18 PM

He's not replying. I hope hypothermia didnt set in and he's still out there stranded with his blood pressure slowly dropping. :roflmao:

trappinjohn · December 16, 2007, 06:59:34 PM

Great story and pics

KySongDog · December 16, 2007, 07:03:19 PM

Quote from: vvarmitr on December 16, 2007, 02:08:38 PM
Really appreciate the stand pix. It adds so much more.

I liked those stand pics too. Very helpful. Nice goin', Ronnie.

Semp

Troy Walter · December 16, 2007, 08:25:01 PM

That is funny 40 degrees bitter cold,That is warm enough to wear shorts.Good job nice coyotes and nice story.

centerfire_223 · December 16, 2007, 08:32:58 PM

Well guys, I have finally had time to thaw out from these freezing temperatures. :roflmao: Now I am ready to go out and give it another try. Come on LBL!!!!

Thanks for all of the comments.

FinsnFur · December 16, 2007, 09:09:51 PM

Good to see ya thawed out Ronnie

Seriously though...nice job out there

Frogman · December 16, 2007, 09:51:25 PM

Thanks for the story. Were you standing up or sitting down when the dogs came in?

centerfire_223 · December 17, 2007, 05:12:52 AM

Frogman, I was sitting on the ground when I called these two in. Normally what I try to do in the thick stuff, is to get just out from the edge of the thicker cover. I like hunting where two types of cover come together or where two or three hollers all meet. This gives several different directions for the sound to travel. I just make sure I take the time to send some sound directly up each direction.

Another thing to think about is distance, seems like when your sitting on stand, you can hear a car go down the road at two miles away. I don't think that is the way it is with a mouth call or at least it doesn't seem that way to me. For instance, last season I called a coyote in on the same stand as the first coyote was killed in this story. I had made 3 previous stands within 300 yards of the spot where it came in at. Same thing happened in this story. So that is twice that it has worked on this farm. I make my stands in the thickets about every 200 yards, one may be facing east and the next west but they are close together.

Most people will tell you that I am a run and gun type caller. Twenty minute stand and I am headed to the next one. I have read several articles and talked to a lot of people that say you need to stay longer but I go with what works for me. I hope some of this explaining helped someone out a little bit.