Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Good Times and Family (pics)

I know this isn't strictly a big game related post, but there are a couple big game critters in the post, and it was BIG FUN! Just thought a story and some pic's might help give y'all a fix while we wait for the seasons to open soon in most states.

My oldest son is now 22 years old and attending college. He's been along with me on many different hunts over the years. Here he is at a very young age holding my rifle right after I killed this coyote. It is one of my favorite photographs of him from when he was a child.


A couple years later when he was 6 years old he accompanied me on a bear hunting trip to Manitoba. This is the smallest bear I've ever taken, but one of the biggest and best hunting memories we have.



As he got older he was able to carry a rifle and hone his skills while hunting big game. Here he is with his little sister, along with a buck he killed on a cold, wet, rainy morning.


For a year or two he has wanted to come along with me and kill a called in coyote. Due to his college schedule and the fact he lives a couple of states away, those opportunities to call have been far too few. We have only been able to go out 3 or 4 times. Unfortunately all the stands have turned up dry. Such is the life of a coyote hunter. Here he is on a stand last year with me during one of his breaks.


As any avid coyote hunter knows the only way to success is to be persistent, and just keep going whenever you get the chance. Sooner or later, the stars will align and things will come together. I would like to add I've also taken my third oldest son and oldest daughter out several times to get them a coyote as well. While all the stands have not come up dry, luck just didn't work in our favor. None of my children have ever even taken a shot at a coyote let alone killed one. Frankly, a LOT of things have to go really-right for first time young coyote hunters to succeed. With that said, my oldest son (who is home on a short break before heading back to college), and I headed out into the field last Saturday evening. We snuck into our first calling location and ended up with nothing poking its head out and couldn't even raise a howl or anything. We had time for just one more stand before dark. So we hustled over to another section of the ranch, racing against the setting sun the whole way. We had to hike in a little over a half a mile and really had to hoof it. I was about half stressed we wouldn't make it in time to beat the sun going down. However we made good time and were able to get all set up. It was a perfect stand with the sun going down at our backs. We were leaned up against a large round hay bale and the wind was in our face. We also had a really good view all the way around us. Just after starting to call a pair of mule deer bucks (one of which was a definite shooter had the season been open) appeared on the ridge. I was using all coyote vocals and oddly enought those two crazy bucks came to us like on a string. They had to travel nearly 500 yards and ended up about 30 yards from us before they spooked. As those deer closed the distance I was constantly on alert scanning the area for a coyote. About the time the deer reached us a pack of coyotes to the East of us lit up the evening with a series of howls, they sounded close and just out of sight. This got our hearts racing. I was full well expecting one to show any second. Unfortunately they never showed, or possibly never had a chance to show, because just a few minutes after their howling things got even more exciting for us. Just as it was almost getting too dark to shoot, and with the occasional howl coming from our East, I spotted a coyote on the skyline trotting along to our West. She was on the complete opposite side of the field and from the area I least expected a coyote to show up from. (Isn't that the case about half the time?) When she showed I was in the middle of howling and throwing a few barks out there. She was running parallel to us. I quickly switched to a pup in distress and she made a right turn and came straight at us on a dead run. There's nothing like a hard charger to get one's heart in over drive. As she disappeared behind a round hay bale I told my son to hurry and get ready. He did, and suddenly she re-appeared boiling around the right side of the bale. I barked to try and get her to stop. She never slowed, but closed the distance a little more and then saw something she didn't like. She turned another 90 degrees and started to leave. I barked even louder and she paused for just a second, but that was all my son needed, he sent a 50gr Vmax through her shoulders at 103 yards. She went down like she had just been body slammed with a hammer. Normally I'm very quiet on a stand after killing a coyote, but this was the first of my children to finally get a coyote, and I couldn't contain myself. I let out a war cry that could likely be heard in 3 or more counties. My son and I had our own little celebration. Truth is, I'm usually very reserve and don't do the whole happy dance, first pound, jump up and down thing...but to heck with dignity, this success was a long time coming and I was happy. I was excited, happy, and glad there wasn't a video camera along as I'm sure I proved that this white boy can't dance, but it didn't stop me from trying. Was my son happy? Well I'll just let the look on his face in this photo speak for itself.

Big Sky,
That was a great story. I've got kids about the same age it sounds like. I find that I now cherish those memories more than ever, not only with my kids, but memories of hunting with my dad when I was a teenager. Good on you for taking those moments to do that with and for your kids. Nothing better than sitting in the quiet with your son waiting on game and enjoying the relationship.
Mike

+1. Good on you!

Excellent!!!

Very cool, Big Sky. My son is also 22 and over the weekend I was looking at the photo albums. Made me wish I had another teenager to tag along with me for this coming hunting season.

Thanks for sharing that.

Congrats. I've had the same experience. Seems that the kids are an anti-coyote force field! Took a while before I even killed some in their presence. they're still waiting for their chance now that they can carry a rifle.

I love it. Kudos to you and your boy.

Thanks everyone. It was a really fun hunt and it sure was nice to have everything come together and result in a successful coyote kill.

nice, thanks for posting.

Great read and pics. Congrats on bringing the younger ones up to hunt. My son fished and hunted with me for 30+ years before he moved away. We have a White Marlin trip coming up next month and I can't wait to see him catch something again after 5 years being gone.

Way cool Troy! Tell him congats!

Thank you. Now I just need to have a little good luck and get his little sister on one of her own. Here she is with one I called in a couple years ago. Unfortunately she didn't see it and I had to shoot it before it got away. It was a fun evening and a good memory though.