I went out yesterday morning. I made two sets. I decided to use my Ruger AR-556 mounted with a Meprolite M-21 ( triangle). The tip of that triangle is set for 100 yards.
First set I waited until I had enough light so I could see. I set up in a ditch 50 yards from the corner of some thick woods. the wind was at 9 o'clock, about 8mph and blowing my scent into an open field 800 yards long. I set the caller about 45 yards out in front of me. I howled, waited 5 minutes and howled again, high pitched female or young sound, nothing dominant. No response either time, that is not unusual. I ran the caller, coyote/fawn distress which gets response around here all times of the year. Nothing, bust on that stand.
So I moved about 5 miles to another sight. In this one we have a set of power lines and large trees about 40 yards wide. You can see most of the way through those trees. Then there is an old tramway down the center and another 40 yards to an open field. The one side is thicker than the other. I was about 25 yards in and set up on the field side of the tramway, so I could see into the woods and down the tramway. I had killed a number of coyotes there over the years. Some with a rifle and others with #4 buckshot.
I howled, no response. 5 or so minutes later I howled again and heard a single "yip" from the other side of the power lines. I turned on the caller, not too loud. coyote/fawn distress again. On for a minute, off for 3 minutes or so, then back off. After the second time I saw this coyote working through the woods looking for that sound. It stopped, it's body sticking out half way from behind a tree looking in my direction. By all reasoning it was a near perfect set up. I squeezed off that round with the tip of that triangle midway of his shoulder on the back edge. Should have punched a hole in his lungs.
But no, nothing, it got the hell out of Dodge. I'm in WTF mode so I walked that line from where I was to where it was. What I found about 10 yard from where it was, yeah, a stick up I didn't see. About the diameter of my index finger cut clean in half. No bullet likes that, especially a V-Max.
So I got a cold ass and an educated coyote out of the deal.
