Bad timing...

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Well, I got skunked last night. 11-3am of nothing but cold and mind/body torture session that I am well too familiar with. Unless you have done such a long and strenuous hunt before where you sit quietly inside a blind for over 4 hours or more, you wouldn't understand how tough it would be.

I was hopeful but at the same time I knew it might not be that easy that the coyote would return another night again. They never had any schedule, it was just pure luck that I had encountered with the coyotes in the past. They are so random with their routine to savage for food. There is a good chance that this coyote will return to feed again, but timing is everything if I want to have a crack at it.

The first couple of hours were easy as I was excited and eager to get this coyote. I started a bit early because I thought I could outsmart it by being there beforehand and just sit and ambush. Then the night got colder by the minutes and my body started to ache and in discomfort in sitting too long on the chair without moving and making too much noise. The coyote could show up at any time, at least that was what I had hoped for.

I tried to rest my head on my shooting bench and close my eyes from time to time, but I could never rest completely because I could have dozed off and missed the encounter. I have forgotten to bring my Nikon binoculars so I had to rely on my handheld night vision NV100 to scan the area periodically. If you are familiar with night vision scope, you get temporary blindness to your dominant eye after looking thru the scope. My vision was terrible to begin with and with partlal blindness to one eye from the scope viewing, looking downrange for any moving objects was very difficult and nearly impossible.

Without my binoculars, my job was 100 times more difficult. Each time I turned on the NV unit, I risk exposing myself with the bright light of the screen. I had to press the eyepiece tight onto my eye before turning on the unit. Just too much movement each and every time I had to do that.

Maybe the coyote had already spotted me from miles away.

As I approached 1am, my body was trembling with cold and muscle aches. I was prepared with a wool blanket but it wasn't enough to shield myself from the cold knifing thru my skin and bone. I tried to shake my legs without making any noise and do minor body movement to generate some heat. But nothing seemed to work. I pressed on and I had set a time limit to 3am to quit regardless.

2am arrived and I got a second wind as I was anticipating the coyote would return in this time slot just as the previous two nights as captured by the trail cam footages. My adrenaline kicked in and I was alert with excitement and nervousness at the same time. I tried to stay positive and telling myself to remain calm and in focus if and when the coyote shows up. I have been here before multiple times with all the coyote hunts I have done in the past. I learned from my mistakes and applied what I have learned. Easily said than done, right?

I scanned nervously at the pit with my Pard 007S mounted on my Impact MK2. A 25gr H&N slug already chambered and I was ready to engage when the moment comes. At one point I did hear some ducks quacking in the field and I thought this was it. The coyote was coming. But, nothing came so I had to take another break from staring intensively into the bright light of my NV scope. I repeated the process of closing my eyes, trying to regain my vision back, a process I must have done so many countless time already in the past.

I would get back on the scope again and scan the pit in shorter interval. I didn't want to miss the chance if this illusive coyote would show up to feed on the partially exposed buried cow. Luck wasn't on my side tonight. Sadly and reluctantly, I had to quit at 3am. I figured it was a lost cause this night so I packed up and drove home.

Yes, it wasn't as easy as I had hoped for. No matter how prepared I was and how many times I have done this, each hunt has its own challenge and difficulty. The first hurdle to overcome is the luck with my timing, then hopefully the execution of the shot to hit where it needs to go.

I will not quit, just yet. So wish me luck and hopefully I will bring good news next time. Cheers.
 
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We did rotational overwatch in the sandbox with the same issues you encountered. There are lots of tools that help you remain still for long periods without overwhelming fatigue.

-Lay down. Remove the stress points and get as comfortable as you can. Consider a modified prone position where you are not pinching your neck or arms.

-Enter sleep mode. Lay down early, snooze, set a buzzer only alarm. Pee and don't drink before you lay down, you don't drink while sleeping, so you won't die if you don't bring water for your watch. Same goes for eating.

-Toes and knees. Roll up a towel and rest your ankles on it. Feet splayed out or toes sticking down will fatigue quickly. Bend those knees when lying down. Take turns, take a good 30 seconds per cycle.

-Hyper focus. This will fatigue you faster than a tired body will. Be vigilant but not manic.

8 hours was very common for overewatch. It takes discipline and determination. Good luck with that Yote!
 
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@Firewalker Thank you so much for these invaluable tips. I definitely didn’t know most of these. I like the idea of shooting prone but I will have to see if that would work inside my blind.

Currently I have a table setup and a window opened enough for me to see the target area and my IR to see down range without obstruction from the window. If I am too far in, the IR light might cause white splash bouncing light s off thr tarp.
Staying low will conceal me better. I didn’t know about napping with food or drink. Thanks so much!
 
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Thank you for the suggestions. I might have to invest in one of these to aid my hunt. I didn't go back last night but I will return later in the afternoon to check the trail cam footages in the past two nights. Hopefully it has returned.

I will try setting up mats on the ground inside the blind to see if I can see the target downrange as there are grass on the field. If I get a clear line of sight, that will be the position for me to try. I can then rest comfortably in between intervals. Thanks Firewalker.
 
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I went to the farm this late afternoon and unfortunately no coyote sightings with trail cam, just the farm dogs digging through the dirt during the day.

I removed my table and chair from my blind and reposition the blind so that the entry section with the zipper is facing the target area. I laid down some mats on the floor and positioned my Impact with the bipod partially sticking out of the tent. Only the barrel, bipod and the IR torch are outside.

I took some zero test shots at my shooting box at 60 yards and I was able to hit the bullseye repeatedly, just a slight hair high. If the coyote is standing on top of the mount, then the shot placement should be good.

I took a shot at a starling 98 yards downrange on a post. The 25gr slug connected and the starling explored on impact. That makes my day. My Impact is shooting straight again.

I will bring a sleep bag and pillow so that I can be comfortable and hopefully staying warm throughout the night. I plan to go back there by 11 or 12 midnight. Fingers crossed that the coyote will return after two nights of absence.

prone.jpg
 
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Yep, that’s still hunting. It’s not for everyone. I do it every year for moose hunting (not at night, although it is legal in AK, being a “natural light state”) if it’s a bright moonlit night you can hunt.

Sometimes it only takes a day, last year it was 8 days straight sitting in the cold rain. Took my marauder to pick off the noisy squirrels sounding the alarm as needed.

I totally get why people like to hunt actively but sometimes a stand and waiting is the only way. Good luck connecting! If you keep after it you’ll get him!
 
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BenjaminM said:
Yep, that’s still hunting. It’s not for everyone. I do it every year for moose hunting (not at night, although it is legal in AK, being a “natural light state”) if it’s a bright moonlit night you can hunt.

Sometimes it only takes a day, last year it was 8 days straight sitting in the cold rain. Took my marauder to pick off the noisy squirrels sounding the alarm as needed.

I totally get why people like to hunt actively but sometimes a stand and waiting is the only way. Good luck connecting! If you keep after it you’ll get him!
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Thanks. I will keep on trying my luck.
 
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Update: I went out Saturday night 11-3am, but no luck. I did, however, heard a coyote howling behind me in the nearby farm around 12:30am. I thought it would come by the pit as there were no activity in the past couple of nights with the trail cam.

After setting up in a prone position with a sleeping bag and pillow, I was pretty comfortable and I actually took some intermediate naps in between. I wasn't cold like before when I was using my shooting table and chair.

The night got windy by 2am and I did a bit of recording at 2:38am just to show what my view was with the Pard007S mounted on my Impact MK2.

I will continue to monitor the trail cam and hopefully my luck will change in the next week or two. So stay tune..
 
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Max115 said:
Update: I went out Saturday night 11-3am, but no luck. I did, however, heard a coyote howling behind me in the nearby farm around 12:30am. I thought it would come by the pit as there were no activity in the past couple of nights with the trail cam.

After setting up in a prone position with a sleeping bag and pillow, I was pretty comfortable and I actually took some intermediate naps in between. I wasn't cold like before when I was using my shooting table and chair.

The night got windy by 2am and I did a bit of recording at 2:38am just to show what my view was with the Pard007S mounted on my Impact MK2.

I will continue to monitor the trail cam and hopefully my luck will change in the next week or two. So stay tune..
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Have you considered getting or borrowing a foxpro varmint call and trying bringing him in that way?
 
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