# Oh boy.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

OH BOY.
John, Eric and I had decided to hunt coyotes On Tuesday since they had stuff to do on Monday and I also was still cleaning up after all the snow we got Sunday and Sunday night. The morning was not all that productive with just calling in one coyote to see for a brief moment. Along about 11:00 AM we decided to call it quits and went to Eric&#8217;s place for a bit. Eric pulled some Elk burger out of the fridge where he had it thawing just for this occasion and got us involved in chopping some onions and garlic while he browned the burger adding it all to a big pot with spices for a great elk burger chili. After the meal and clean up we retired to Eric&#8217;s man cave I wish mine was as big and as well-appointed with books, big screen TV and stereo and other things. About 3:30 pm we hit the road to make the first evening set by 4:00 pm. Nothing showed at that set after 30 minutes with two callers running even. Got to the second place at just after 5:00 pm. Farmer told us he had seen two just before noon crossing a hay field going to a real brushy wood lot next to his farm. Went back to the field about 300 yards from the trucks and I have to say my legs are still weak and I was on the tired side after skiing back there after the last place so soon. We had one coyote show up in about ten minutes from a grassy swale that John took with his 222 Mag. In about 25 minutes 3 show up and Eric got another double and John got his second one. Unroll the plastic sheet sled and load them up the fur was nice on them believe the colder weather has finally got the fur nice enough to sell. Go back up to the farm and load them in Johns truck as the farmer comes out and thanks us for taking care of them before they multiply and try to get his lambs in the spring. After talking to the farmer it is dark and the moon has come up a big orange ball. As we are driving back to John&#8217;s place, we decided it was going to be a great night to hunt the bright moon and snow cover to make it seem like a heavy over cast day. I run home and grab my Charles Daily 12 OU extra full and full shot gun and a box of coyote buster shells. While Eric and I are getting our shot guns John calls a few of the places were going to hunt and lets them know and we will be parking just off the road in their hay field and wood lots. While he is calling he is loading the bunks with round bales for his cattle. I get back just as he is finishing up and Eric soon arrives. We get to the first place and ski across the hay field to a hill overlooking a brushy drainage ditch. We see where deer have come out and pawed the snow to get at the hay we also see what we are sure is a pair of coyote tracks as the farmer doesn&#8217;t allow his dogs to just run when and where they want. We set up In a good grassy area of the fence line and set out the weasel ball too about 40 yards from us and off to the left. Get the call going and let it run thru the cycle once and was about to turn up the volume some when a coyote appears. He gets almost to the weasel ball and since it was in my area of coverage I shot it right in the face and down he went just a couple kicks. We wait a bit longer and nothing else showed up so we are out of there in 40 minutes. Darn a 35 ,40 pound coyote is a heavy bugger to drag out with still healing knees. We set out for the second place while I enduring insults about being old and crippled, while drinking hot coffee Eric had brought. It has sure turned cold, read out on John&#8217;s truck said it was only 10F, we could see snow blowing across the road as we drove too. Get to the second place and get set up In a brushy patch around a stone pile on a field edge next to a hill side covered with thorn apples and a woods behind it. Again we set the weasel ball about 40 yards out, get the caller going with a squealing pig something not heard too often we think and why the coyotes respond to it. We are just shutting the caller down at 30 minutes and thinking we were not going to see anything here. When all of a sudden 4 pop out of those thorn apples, John opens up with his browning gold 10ga. and knocks 2 down and Eric gets another one with his 1187 12ga. The 3d spun and was gone leaving a trail of melted snow in the wake of its afterburners kicking in. I never had a shot at any of them which happens from time to time depending on our set up. Gather the decoy and caller and head out. I am glad I don&#8217;t have a coyote to drag out of there as it is mostly uphill Ya a long easy slope but never the less a hill in 10 inches of snow. It is close to 10:00 PM so we decide to hit one more place and go to the truck stop for a quick pick me up and coffee. The last place was a bust nothing showing up so we got to the truck stop and Had coffee and a burger. The waitress knows us and saw us in the lot stripping off our painters suits so knew we had been after coyotes. She asked us how it had went and when we had those grins from ear to ear she knew we were not lying. I got home just after midnight, felt wore out and glad we were not doing another morning hunt. Truck showed 7F as I pulled up and parked, inside the weather station showed 8F with a minus &#8211;3 wind chill.
We are planning on going out again tonight as long as the clouds do not block the moon. John is going to run the carcass to tom this morning. He has some beef to pick up at the butcher shop, half is for Kare and I, and Eric has a house to show, I have snow to clean around my mail box since the road crew plowed the road during the day.
 Al


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## ijon1 (Feb 27, 2014)

Sounds like a good hunt. When I was a kid I never saw coyotes around the farm. Now we have hunters that come through and thin them out. Seems like they are bigger than a coyote should be.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I grew up on a farm near Evart Michigan 21 miles south east of Cadillac. Never saw a coyote just a few foxes once in a while. Never saw a coyote till we started going to Hulbert snowmobiling in the mid 1970's. Never saw or heard any in the area in the thumb till the early 1990's.
Now they are thick and not a lot of people really hunt them as hard as we do.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Snow storm last night kept the cloud cover blocking the moon lite so we called off going out. By 10:00 pm the storm was finished and the moon came out. to late to get out. Got a call at 6:00 AM this morning and we called off the morning hunt, Is 4F with a -11 wind chill.
Going to try for tonight again.
Got $25.00 for all but two shot guns kills. To many holes to sew up. Tom told John to shoot them in the head with the shot gun.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

We got together over the phone and decided that we each would call farmers to let them know we were going to night hunt their place Thursday night. We each called 3 farmers figuring we might be able to do 9 sets during the night.
Mister Perman is one I called and he said he had several in the last two days in the feed bunks eating grain he had ground and dispersed. He asked if we would come earlier in the day as he had to do a second feeding at 4:00. I called the guys and let them know so we made the plan to get there about 3:00 pm and get set up where we could call and yet see any coyotes cross from the woods to the feed lot. That worked out well had 3 coyotes show up at the call and we managed to get all 3. Stayed there till about 4:30 after Mister Perman had fed the cattle to see if any showed up. Boy was it cold, I had put on a pair of silk long johns and a heavy set of Dufolds too, normal blue jeans, insulated flannel shirt, snow camo bibs, and coat Polar fleece Baklava, so only my eyes showed. Wore my Ice King Pac boots with wicking socks, Put heat packs in my right hand pocket to keep my trigger finger hand warm. Was still good when we packed to leave the area but had to take it easy or over heat going out with 3 coyotes.
Since the moon would not be up high enough till after 8:00 PM we decided to go to Johns and strip down some and help him load his stake truck with 200 bales of hay he had sold. Then set around talking and drinking coffee till time to leave. We got dressed up before leaving and I kept just enough heat to keep the wind shield clear as we went to went to where we were doing the first set. As we parked in the hay field the trucks temper read out said -2 below zero. Just the same we took our time skiing across the field to a overlook of a wood lot and a swampy area of grass. 20 minutes of calling and 10 minutes waiting and nothing showed up, same thing on the next 4 sets. 5th set thing took off quickly about 10 minutes in a coyote showed up. It was Eric&#8217;s and he rarely misses, a good size male with nice fur. 6th set was a bust again 7th was a good one and I got a Female with young teeth and toe nails. I am going to butcher her today for the grill. John got another female there too. # 8 the Last set was a odd one as the single coyote came from a place not expected so by the time we could maneuver for a shot it was gone. It was nearly 2am when I got home after we stopped for a middle of the night pick me up of Pie and coffee. 

Storm forecast for Friday night so the moon will not be out tonight. Saturday they are talking freezing rain possible so we will not be doing any hunting, Sunday is out regular group breakfast so we will plan some things then.

 Al


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## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

Dang! I would really like to read that but the small print and lack of paragraphing gives me a headache


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Take two Aspirin, High light the post and copy it. Then bring up your word program and paste it there. You then can enlarge the print and put paragraphs where ever you think they should be.

Only way I see to fix your head ache.
Since We can not edit after a day I can not fix it either.

 Al


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

man I wish I could go out coyote hunting with your crew , sounds like a blast 

here they run the yotes fairly hard with dogs all winter there is a fairly active county coyote hunters association they tell me that they really like new snow the go out looking for fresh tracks in the places they run across roads then send a truck with shooters down to the next road and turn the dogs out about the only yotes I see any more are on the back of a truck with a kennel at the gun store while they are picking up more shells. 

a friend of mine with a farm sees a few but mostly in the spring and they haven't gotten a calf in years.


keep the stories coming , I like reading them


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I made the text a little larger


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Interesting about the coyotes in the feed bunk. They must really be bold or hungry. Is that unusual?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

When it gets cold and not a whole lot of critters are about for the coyotes to feed on they have learned that stock feed is good stuff. I know that they mix in sweet feed which has lots of molasses in it.

There is a guy near me who runs coyotes with dogs. He is always in trouble with the law. People take offence with a howling pack of dogs running on their property.

There are six of us and we don't want to grow larger. 6 makes it nice because we can pair up to hunt or like Eric, John and I triple up. Makes it so we can most times find some one to go with.

Every other Sunday we meet for breakfast, wives welcome at hunter friendly diner. We try to plan a couple weeks of hunting Who has to work and when so we don't go calling when we know they are busy.

I still think you could make a stand and call coyotes in as long as the dogs have not ran them in the last couple of days.

 Al


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## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> I made the text a little larger


Thank You! alleyyooper, I really like your stories


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Thank you we make them adventures.

Been to busy to get out over the week end an maybe this week. I do have a morning hunt in the book with Lee for Wednesday.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Lee and I had planned on spending Tuesday coyote hunting together at our Sunday breakfast meeting. Due to a problem on Lee&#8217;s end he called it off and set it up for Wednesday. 

We met at 6:30 AM at a park and ride lot south west of town and left his SUV there. After loading his gear in my truck we headed to a farm in the next county over that raises sheep about a 20 minute drive. We get there and park where we were told we would be out of their way about 2 years ago. Wind is strong and biting so we decide to ski back to an area where they had been removing sand so there is a cut bank behind us to block the wind some. 
We set my call out a bit in the field, Nice thing about the snow is it insulates the ground so after I kick some snow away I am able to push the weasel ball decoy into the ground. It is just barely above the snow so it did look as if it was on the snow. We get back to the cut bank kicking snow away and laying down our ground cloths and get set. 

Once we were all set I set the call a going and due to the wind I set the volume about medium, with a destressed cotton tail rabbit. Ran it about 10 minutes and sat for about 5 minutes then started it up again with a little higher volume. At the 20 minute mark I shut it down and we waited till the 30 minute mark. Nothing appeared so we gathered our gear and headed out.

Glad I had my polar fleece baklava to cover my face. Kare bought this for me at a mall concourse vender and it is a greenish camo pattern. I finally found an on line store a couple 3 years back when I wanted a blaze orange one for deer hunting. Now wanting a snow camo one I can't find the place again.

Back at the truck we pour some coffee from my thermos and load the gear up. Decided we should go to a beef farm about another 20 minute drive. As we are driving we discuss the snow drifting across the east west road we were on. We agreed the wind was going to be a problem and if we went bust on this stand we would try a different day, I always being retired can find time to go. Lee has some good girls working in the office but likes to be at work himself and add the boss man&#8217;s personal hand shake with new customers. 

At the second farm a dairy farm we park as were told about 5 years ago for this place. As we climb out of the truck the farmer mister Postum comes rolling up in his tractor. Stops and said we were sure hardy if we were going after coyotes. Yes sir we are, think we will try just over the hill and see if we can pull something out of that drainage ditch. Said we may have some luck doing that as they heard a group raising a lot of noise 4 evenings ago just about dark. Off we went and set up. After 30 minutes we pack up and call it a day it is just too windy we think and the wind will die down in the night and the coyotes will be hunting then. I take Lee back to the park and ride and help load his gear in the suv He will call when he can get away again, would I go on Christmas day if he could get away. Yes I can but Christmas Eve would be better for me because Kare goes to her folks for the whole day.

 Al


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## rininger85 (Feb 29, 2016)

Al, I thought you were up north farther... you are in the thumb? My in-laws are in Marlette, we're headed that way tomorrow night or Saturday morning for the weekend. 

I need to find some coyote hunters down my way that want to show us the ropes. My gun is ready to go and have an e-caller but haven't had any luck yet the couple of times I've tried... I'm sure if I actually got one on the ground the bug might bite harder and drive me to go out for them more... we bought my father in law a caller a couple years ago too so I'm sure he and his brother and his other son in law would join me up in the thumb if we actually knew what we were doing. Maybe I'll pack my stuff up and suggest we give it a shot this weekend if it looks like it will be a good weekend.


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

Can you use Thermal Rifle Scope.........???


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Ringer, Lots of good sites with tricks and tips on how to hunt coyotes, Just goggle coyote hunting tips. You also might want to watch some video's.
You also do not need some one to go with I go alone some times mostly at the back of my place got a quickie morning or evening hunt. I started hunting coyotes alone at my UP deer camp between Christmas and new years when I had time of work. I'd hunt early day break morning then cross country ski or snowmobile with Kare and the kids, then do an evening hunt.
Join a sportsman club and talk to guys and see if you can find any you would trust hunt with and who hunt coyotes.
Biggest tip I have learned. Hunt like your in the jungles of south east Asia.
*Be Silent When Hunting Coyotes *
Slamming car doors, talking or banging gun cases in the back of truck beds can ruin a hunt before it begins. Have gear organized before arrival, instruct calling partners Well before parking. park well away or where people normally park from a calling site to avoid alerting targets. I read some place where a dog can place where a sound came from in 600ths of a second.
We do not carry unnecessary gear, NO CELL PHONES either, have a habit of going off when you don't want the noise and distraction.
We for several years could only hunt in the winter, had to wallow a deep snow many times if you have just one coyote to drag out it is a chore but add a second one and every extra pound you carried in and didn't need will wear you out and down.

Some where here I posted about my friends and how we met.



Don't know if we can use thermo sights or not. we wouldn't spend the money for them even if we could. We only night hunt before, during full moon times and just after when there is snow on the ground. Usually enough light our scopes work fine.

 Al


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