2 Mistakes = Future Success
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.