sodakadventure.com Blog

Picture Quality may not be the best, but until I can shoot legally it will have to do!

Wow! It’s been a lifetime since my last post. I tell you what I get pretty busy when April rolls around it’s calving season here on the prairie and it’s pretty hectic for the next 60 days, but my summers are usually slow. This Summer we have had tons of rain, record setting rain. I spent all summer fixing fences that have washed out over the summer. The next time I turned around I was checking my draw status on Black Hills Elk, (unsuccessful) and applying for Deer and Antelope. I have 3 tags drawn with a late season muzzleloader left to check. The vegitation here is unbelievable due to the extra rain, and the horns on some of these antelope are pretty good. I’ve got 3 nice antelope spotted already that are worth talking about one is named Lean’n Tree, because his right horn leans way right while his left goes straight up. The 2nd is dagger, this antelope’s horns lean forward going out of his head and don’t curve at all, his prongs make his bases look like a knife handle that’s why I named him dagger. The 3rd one I saw today he has some major prongs on him and really thick bases, so I named him stickers. Needless to say I’m pretty jazzed up after a summer of hard work I’m ready for cold weather. Meanwhile the coyote pups are getting adventureous and I’m hoping to get some on film soon. Not to mention trying to have a Video Coyote hunt sometime in October. I hope you have all drawn well and I promise to post more often.

Well I went to Texas over the Holidays, and boy did I miss a storm, sort of. I left on Sunday the 20th, the plan was simple. Go to Colorado and see my Aunt and Uncle, perhaps sneak in a little coyote hunting. This plan worked great, when I got there Bruce had 2 coyotes in the yard he had shot the day before. Got there early evening after catching up on some sleep I got up early to help Bruce do “Chores” this took about 10 minutes then we were off to get a coyote. At 9 am it was already pushing 40 degrees and it was getting warmer by the minute. We only saw one coyote and didn’t get a shot as he went out of sight, Bruce got a phone call and I had to get to Texas, so that hunt was over. I did however get a picture of the coyotes he had in the yard.

Arrived in Texas late on the 21st had the 23rd and part of the 24th set aside for some calling but the weather didn’t cooperate. The storm that was socking South Dakota reached all the way down to Texas. One thing is for sure, I’m glad we have the DOT that we do in South Dakota, Texas is clueless when it comes to snow removal. After a 2 and a half day trip home through some heavy weather, I got back to the Ranch in time for the dig out. 21 inches of new snow that the Good Lord piled up in huge drifts. Digging out the 1st day I shot a coyote but couldn’t get to him without a long walk. Got some trails cut and the cows fed, it’s amazing, you can’t go anywhere with a pickup or a 4wheeler, it’s Tractor or Snowmobile. I’ve been making trails with the Tractor so I can follow them with my pickup later, but the coyotes are using my trails as much as I am. They are having a hard time moving around as well.

Case and point, today I went 12 miles up the highway to Eagle Butte to get parts, on the way home I spotted a coyote about 300 yards off the highway, I pulled over to take a shot (in South Dakota it is legal to take a varmint from a road or right of way) he saw me stop and trotted off slowly, I led him perfect and dropped him in his tracks, after thinking about it a bit, I decided to leave him lay because the walk would kill me and a pickup wouldn’t make it. I went another 5 miles down the road and spotted another one this coyote was closer to the highway, I shot him, taked to my neighbor a bit then walked out to get him. I tell you walking in this stuff is a workout, you better be in good shape to go very far at all. I ran across some guys in the coffee shop the other day, they were going coyote chasing on Snowmobiles. This type of cover makes coyotes easy prey to snow machines, not the most ethical way to get them but effective. Well that gets us caught up since my last blog. I’ve made a few stands but haven’t had any luck, in fact I just got back from one where I blew a coyote out the other side without getting a shot. I’m going to start calling my trails as they seem to be a highway for all critters who get tired of plowing snow.

I’ll leave you with a picture of the Big Male coyote I shot today. Happy Hunting!

I’ve messed up again and missed 2 more coyotes. I know people are always reading about the perfect stand and watching video where it seems like they never miss. That’s probably why nobody has knocked on my door for a show on the Outdoor Channel.

First off let me tell you of something that went right, I had my good friends Mark & Chief out to help brand some cows the other day, theses guys are good friends they are there whenever I need them. I felt I owed them something so I ordered a couple of Ruffidawgs and Predator Quest III from Les Johnson. I gave them each a call and a DVD, I know it’s not much after all they do for me but I know they will enjoy watching Les, and laugh at him like I do, and perhaps they will see something that will make them better callers, I’m sure not improving. After we finished branding we went out for some afternoon calling, while driving to the stand we jumped a coyote, knowing he was going to leave the country after we got so close I circled the pickup around, and missed a running shot, Chief was riding in the seat behind me, he took one last poke at him and dropped him on the run at about 350yds, it was spectacular. We all left our phones and cameras at home but believe me, it was one to remember. We had no luck calling that afternoon, got busted walking into a stand and only had enough light for 2 other stands.

Yesterday right before sundown I decide to make a stand, after calling about 15 minutes Gus took off and he had a coyote, he caught him before I could shoot, and I didn’t want to shoot my dog. After giving him a whipp’n they both went over the hill. I jumped on the ATV and tried to catch them, When I got over the hill, the coyote was gone and Gus was breathing hard. Not enough blood to track so another coyote has been educated.

That brings us to this morning: The wind was out of the east, the sun was in the South East, so I called with the wind, big opening to my East side where I could see them try to circle downwind from either direction. After about 10 minutes I heard a bark and a howl to my left, down in the creek, this was South West of my location. Most hunters will tell you that you are busted when they bark, and everything I’ve experienced is the same, but I had walked into this stand from a long ways and didn’t want to give up that easy. I played the bark on the FoxPro, then changed the call from Jackrabbit Distress to Dying Jack, played the bark again, then went back to Jackrabbit distress. Here he comes I know he’s going to circle right because that is downwind, but no he circles left. This idiot went way around, up wind I watched him go out of sight to the hill behind me. I was in some of that old clover left from the wet summer we had, and I had left Gus at home. He came hard I knew he wasn’t going to stop he was going to try to ambush me. I’m pretty nervous at this point, so I take my gun off the sticks and click the safety to the fire position. I hear the old clover start to rattle. I can’t take it anymore, I stood up and he was right there, tried an offhand running shot at 20yds. You know how hard it is to find a coyote in your scope at 20yds?? He went out of sight, I didn’t see him again until 300yds, still running, took a shot but the game was over. The coyote won this encounter. I really need a shotgun for days like this.

Merry Christmas to all, we hope to have some video to show you soon as Mark and Chief will be doing some calling with the video camera this weekend and I am going to Colorado, Texas and New Mexico for the holidays and plan to get some calling in while visiting each state. So check back next week.

It’s sure starting to get dark early these days, it won’t be long before the shortest day of the year has caught up to us, and the Ice Fishing season will be in full swing. Today is December 1st, I’ve decided that any coyote shot after today will be hung on the North Side of my Barn, so I can keep a running total of our success (or lack there of) this winter. I’ve been pretty busy in the mornings lately so my calling has taken a hit, the wind was suppose to be blustery today so last night I decided to make a stand in a spot I’ve never called before, wind was good, had the sun to my back and it was getting close to dark. I called for about 20 minutes using an closed reed Dan Thompson, with no luck. As I walked back to the pickup I could hear a bunch of coyotes making noise about 2 miles to the west of me, I knew it was getting dark but I had to try it. I hammered on the gas when I got in the truck, got to a place where I thought the coyotes might be, and started my walk in. By the time I got situated it was almost to dark to see, but I gave a blow or 2 on the Dan Thompson, after about 15 minutes I couln’t even see through my scope, I stood up and gathered my gear, I heard a bark to my left, and then another. There had to be a coyote but I couldn’t see him. I probably educated him for future stands, Lesson #1 it never pays to educate a coyote!

This morning it was blowing to beat heck, I knew it would be but I stepped out before sunrise to check, I have a bad case of coyote fever lately and staying indoors just isn’t my thing. It was the 1st of December though and I had bills to pay, better get started. Then the wife called and asked me if I would run our 9 year old to the clinic his little brother had a bad cough and seems to have given it to poor Jerin. I thought the day was shot so I might as well, after taking care of Jerin and getting him off to school I payed some bills, but around 3:00 coyote fever started tugging at me.
Let me give you some history: I hate wind, I don’t like it one little bit. I do everything in my power not to call in it, if the weather says wind I skip contests, I do everything to avoid being out in it, but the fever had me.

I decided one stand, prove to myself I can call a coyote in the wind. you see those critters must hate wind too, because I’ve never been very good at calling them on windy days. They must stay at home as well. With a Strong NNW wind blowing I decided to try a draw it ran NNE from where I would set up my stand, it also had a lot of brush and willows in the bottom of it, if I was a coyote that is where I would hole up on a day like today. I also recently traded for a new .243 Savage that would be a little better in the wind than my old .223 standby, I thought it would be a good time to get my first coyote with it. My approach was perfect I found a huge fencepost to sit against and I set the FX3 right on top of the post so the sound would carry against the wind. after about 3 minutes of calling there one stood about 70yds away. I put the crosshairs in the middle of his chest and pulled the trigger, (I know I pulled instead of squeezed). I missed, at 70yds I missed, this would never have happened with the .223, I’m just not used to that gun yet, it has a little more pull, a little more kick, and a little more bang. I’m sure it was operator error, I was so mad I picked a spot on a tree 85yds away and drilled it. Proving it was operator error. The only way I’m going to get used to using this gun is by shooting it in situations like this so we will try again. However Lesson #2 was a good one.
Lesson #2: It is possible to call coyotes in the wind.