Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Predators West Jan. Hunt

This was another one of those hunts where the weather was just right high pressure cold air and no wind, and once again the moon was rising as the sun sets, and the sun was rising as the moon set, perfect conditions.
Mon. night
This first set up was very familiar to me, I hunt this pivot every month trying to get a coyote that has eluded me for 5 months, I caught this pair in the same pivot 4 months ago and was lucky to get the male to come to a distress call while I was set up in the sage along the edge of the pivot, this was a huge 40 pound dog that was king of the area, since then the same female has been hanging around the pivot looking for her lost mate. I am going to assume that this is the same dog and was his mate since they were together on the day he met old painless. Hahaha
As I made my way to the edge of the pivot I notice another dog to my left I range it 300 yards, I wait for it to start digging for a rat, as it starts to dig I move in closer get set up in the sage along the pivot and set up, so far no problem, I�m ready, got the gun set up full camo, I wait hoping it will turn and come back towards me at least another 150 yards, 10 mins. go by nothing, I get behind some tall sage stand up and glass the area, it�s still digging for food, ok I will give it a little mouse squeak ( note: I never like to use a distress rabbit close to a pivot) I let out a couple blasts on the mouse squeaker, no luck it just keeps on moving away toward the other side, I turn to my right, I�m asking myself where did that other dog go? I glass the pivot again, can�t see anything, another 15 min. go by, it�s getting dark I have to make something happen, I grab my black bear cub distress and let out 2 or 3 blasts, right out in front of me comes a dog full charge, Oh man I�ve seen this before, there�s no way I�m going to stop this dog, I turn the scope down to 4 and get ready, it�s straight on coming full blast I get hair in the scope and let her fly, down it goes, I look to my left and there �s the other dog running full bore for the sage on the other side. It�ll be back tomorrow. 45 yards. I lucked out.


Tues. morning
Next morning I�m jacked up and ready for a full on assault, lol. I get coffee down donut down the hatch and out the door. Head for the dunes, I get set up in a pile of rocks, this is a tuff set they come from any direction and it�s fast and crazy shooting, I blow the cottontail close reed call 2 or 3 times the sun is coming up behind me, but there is a slight breeze from my left to right, I see a white flash in the sage, yep it�s a dog running in full steam, it�s moving to my right I know it�s headed for the down wind side I hope it stops to check it out before it winds me, nope it turns sharp and heads out the same way it came in, I grab my barker and let out 3 quick barks it stops turns to look, and that�s all she wrote, painless drops another one, (note: whenever I see a dog within the first 5 min. I always stay for another set of calling)
I move to the other end of the dune maybe � mile set up and start calling. 2 or 3 mins. go by and all heck breaks out dogs start howling to my right, then a bunchstart behind me, then some more start to my left I counted at least 4 pairs within a mile, nothing . I�m happy I got one down and it�s only 8:30 I have to get to an appointment to sell some camo Off I go.


I�m headed down the Hwy. 60 miles an hour come over a hill and there�s 2 dogs in the road, I slow down pull into a small turn out and watch where they go, they didn�t seem to spooked so I think what the heck, I�m going to find a high spot and blow the call, I wait 10 min. the sun is out I�m up on some rocks on a small dug out quarry made by the county, the sun feels good, I�m in no hurry. I blow the call 2 or 3 times and out the barrow pit comes 2 dogs, they never did leave the side of the road, oh man this is heaven, I bark they both stop I dump the first, the second lopes off I bark again it stops, I can�t believe my eyes, it turns side ways to look back , BAM old painless drops a double, man I�m jumping around like a little kid in the ice cream shop.




I head off to Burns for my appointment got to sell some camo. After my meeting I head back to the bunk house riding high and feeling good.
Wed.morning
Head out for new country, after a couple good days I can spend time exploring new ground, so I head out for new blm land East of the 395, I see some cattle and a small dune, looks good to me, head out set up on the dune and let the rabbit call do it�s work, I look out in front of me and there it sits on top of a little knob shinning in the morning sun, I�m excited it�s first thing in the morning, I get in a hurry I don�t know how long it�s been sitting there looking at me, I jerk one off it drops like lead, I better sit for a min. and see if another one comes in, this time of year there paired up pretty tight. Nothing else comes in I head out to get it can�t find the dog no blood, nothing.
This was another great trip, had dogs all around lots of action and surprises, I liked the fact that the bear cub distress called in a dog, I also am learning that you never know where a dog will be or how they might act (ie) the 2 dogs along the road, and I am more convinced that the moon has a big part in the coyotes activity.