Each morning, before I head out to hunt, I will always boot up my computer and check wind direction and speed on weatherbug so I can decide where to hunt.
This morning there was an 8 MPH northeast wind so I decided I'd hunt a farm on the Boone, Montgomery county line. I arrived and parked at the east end of a
fencerow that I can use as cover to approach a thicket that usually holds a coyote or two. There's a small livestock farm just east of the thicket and
coyotes seem to like coming around. I left my truck and walked about a quarter mile to the west using the fencerow to hide myself from the thicket. When I was
directly south of the thicket I climbed the wire fence and got myself set to call. As I placed my caller in the cornfield to the northeast of my stand, I
noticed the wind was shifting more into the east. I felt I was still OK with the wind so I began calling toward the thicket.
As usual I started with a jackrabbit distress at a medium volume. After 2 or three minutes I spotted an animal movng across the cornfield about a quarter mile
to the northwest of my position. I determined it to be a deer, and raised my rifle to see if it was a buck or a doe. I watched the doe through my riflescope
for a few seconds before I lowered the rifle. I then looked directly to my left and spotted another animal standing in the cornstalks about 200 yards west of
me. This one was a coyote, and he was now slowly moving toward the fencerow I was sitting in. I knew immediately that he was attempting to get downwind of the
dying rabbit sound he was hearing, so I quickly prepared to shoot. I found him in my scope and settled the crosshairs on his side. He was now about 40 feet
from the fencerow standing motionless, looking to the south. I decided it was now or never, and began to squeeze the trigger of my rifle. As I squeezed, I
mentally reminded myself to take it easy and just let it break. When the trigger broke I heard the 85 grain Gameking smack the side of the standing coyote. I
was expecting to see him fold up and go down but instead he went into a spin. I quickly chambered another 85 grainer but by the time I did, the coyote came out
of his spin and began running off to the west. He had a kind of sideways gate to his run, so I knew he was hit hard. I found him in my scope, preparing to send
out a second shot when he suddenly went down for good. The second shot wasn't needed.
This is another large male coyote. I can only guess that he was layed up in the fencerow I'd sat up in, and when I started calling he simply walked 40
feet out into the field to take a look. He should have slept in this morning.
The bullet hit him in the side and took out both lungs leaving a silver dollar sized exit on his off side. He'd gone about 40 yards after being hit.
Good hunting y'all.. Coyote 6974
