Finally tagged my coyote#7

Max115

Member
Jul 15, 2018
1,686
1,244
BC, Canada
Well, it finally happened early this morning at 1:57am. I have been collecting trail cam footages and did a couple of stalkings of this coyote since April. First failed encounter was back in May when I accidentally "spotted" it with my headlights as I was leaving the farm after 4 hours of uneventful hunting. The second missed encounter was early June when my trail cam revealed that the coyote was at the bait station 30mins before my arrival for that evening hunt. That was a long and brutal night of staying up from 1:30am till 4:30am with nothing in sight. I figured the coyote was probably watching me as I pulled in and continued to watch me sitting inside of my truck, doing the ambush.

In preparation of this hunt, I have been shooting lots of pigeons and leaving them out as bait at the concrete pit where the farmer buried dead calf and chicken. So this pit is a hot spot for the coyote to dig for food. I have set up my TC02 trail cam 15 feet from the pit and I was able to capture valuable data of the time and date of its visits. However, there wasn't any set time that it returned, only a range of time from 9:30pm to 4:30am. Making it extremely difficult to time it right. Just pure luck to be there at the right time.

Prior to this hunt, the coyote has been returning between 10pm - 4am. It would grab a pigeon than ran away to the field about 60 yards from the pit to eat. That was its routine. So I have decided to use rats as bait this time, hoping that it would just stop at the spot and swallow the rats, giving me enough time to shoot.

Also, this was the first time I have used the loft on the second floor of the barn next to the pit. I saw the barn window was opened yesterday so I asked the farmer if I could shoot from there. He gave me a thumbs up so I cleared the area on the loft for me to shoot from. The barn window was probably 6 foot wide and 5 feet high with 3 feet ledge. And it was only 17 yards from the window to the top of the pit. Too close in my opinion, but it was the best option I had compared to sitting inside my truck 35 yards away from the pit. That shooting location wasn't ideal because the coyote would walked past my truck on its way to the pit. It would see or smell me before I would see it coming. I think that was the reason why my 2nd attempt was a failure.

Back to the hunt, so I have setup my tripod with a ball-head mount behind the right side of the window pointing downward at the pit below during the day. I did some test shots to make sure my POI at 17 yards was correct by hitting some small bone fragments on top of the dirt pile inside the pit. Everything was good to go. I then spent some time shooting pigeons and starlings on the farm. I had a great time popping 38 starlings at 52-55 yards with my Impact MK2 shooting the H&N Gen2 25gr slugs. Video to follow. Anyway, I dumped out the 7 rats I have shot the night before at another location and I went home satisfied with my day of shooting.

I arrived at the farm at 9:25pm and quickly setup at the loft. Mounted my gun on the tripod, chambered a round of slug, checked my night vision scope and IR torch. Everything looked good. So I began my stalking.

First hour went by quickly and nothing showed up. Because of the 3' high window ledge, I had to stand 6 feet away from the window so that I could see my trail cam and not exposing my position. My strategy was to use the trail cam as an indicator where it would light up when it detects motion. Simple plan and it had worked in my last two coyotes hunt. The problem was that I wasn't able to sit down and watch the trail cam from my viewing spot. So I had to stand up to watch with my binoculars as the night got darker and darker for my old eyes to see clearly. Needless to say, I was having a major legs and glutes workout by standing and sitting. The first two hours was okay, but soon after that my body was hurting like hell with sore back and cramp legs muscles. At one point I could hardly stand up properly.

I couldn't sit down for too long in fear that the coyote would show up and pick off all the rats. So how did I do this and not missing out any activities out there? Well, my trail cam was setup with 2 minutes of recording time and 30seconds of off time before the next motion detection. I would count to 60 seconds with my eyes closed while sitting down and then get up and peek at the trail cam. I would then sit down to rest and repeat this process thru out the night. Crazy, right? Well, there was no other way as I figure if the camera had detected motion, it would stay lit for 120 seconds to which I would see the lights during my rest and watch period.

As time ticked past quickly (slowly), 1am came around. I knew from the trail cam footages that this was the most recorded time slot so I was standing up longer and watching the trail cam with my binoculars more closely. Then at 1:03am, I saw a quick dash of movement zipped by the trail cam area. I knew that was the coyote even though there was a chance that I was hallucinating and my mind was playing tricks on me after 3-1/2 hours of waiting in the dark alone inside the barn where weird noises could be heard. Luckily I knew I was accompanied by two barn cats somewhere in the pitch black barn.

I quickly make my way to the gun without tripping over or stumbling over. I turned on my Pard007S that was mounted on my FX Impact MK2. To my horror, my external IR torch was dead with battery drained after I have left it on since 9:45pm. Why I left it on? In one of my previous failed hunt for coyote#5, I made the mistake of clicking on the IR torch and spoked the coyote away. That was why I left the IR light on and I didn't think that the battery would burn out so quickly. Panic set in and I had to make a decision to either replace the battery or just leave it for a bit. I was too eager to get this over with and I didn't want to loose the opportunity so I decided to change the battery. I slowly turned the lid off and unfortunately the gun was already positioned pointing downward. I wasn't able to fish out the battery without having to tip the gun upwards. I replaced the battery and got IR lights working, but nothing in view. My guess is that the coyote probably heard or saw movement and hightailed out of there.

That was around 1:13am. I sat in my chair with disappointment and anger of what had just transpired. How did I allowed a mistake with the IR battery and I thought I blew my chance once again with untimely mistake. I checked the time and encouraged myself that there was still time before it was I had to quite by 4am. Workers start their chores around that time so I didn't want to hang around and feeling embarrassed for yet another failed attempt. So coyote hunter right?

So I sucked it up and continued to monitor the trail cam and using my binoculars to scan the field in front of me. The ducks in the field nearby had alerted me before the coyote first appeared. So I was using that cue and kept my ears opened for any disturbance from the ducks. Finally around 1:55am I heard the ducks quacked. I stood up and saw the dim red lights of my trail cam lit up. I knew the coyote had returned! I quickly got on to my gun and powered up the Pard007S and simultaneously pressed record. As the night vision came to life, the coyote appeared in my view finder. It was, oddly enough, just finished pissing over the pile of rats I left for bait. A behaviour I later questioned and wondered why. It then moved about 3 feet to the left and just paused. It was facing away from me and I quickly squeezed off a shot sending the 25gr slug that was locked up in the breach for almost 4 hours, down the 600mm Slug A liner. With a speed of 984fps, the slug pieced thru the back of his skull at about 50 or 52 ft.lb of energy (muzzle energy of 54ft.lb), fracturing its skull and hemorrhaging its brain. It dropped instantly and died without much movement.

It all happened so quickly, 8 seconds from the moment I spotted it to me engaging the trigger. Needless to say, I was thrilled and I was full of energy and wide awake with surges of adrenaline. I quickly packed and took a couple of pictures before heading home to sleep. I woke up at 9am and what a bloody hangover feeling. But who cares, I finally got my coyote#7.

Video to follow soon. Cheers.

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Your written stories are awesome, Max! Makes me feel like I was right there with you, lol.

When your the elderly uncle or grandpa you should tell these stories at the campfire to your families kids. Watch their eyes stare into the imagination moonlight, with mouths wide open as you let the story unfold. You can tell if their “with you” along the way, as when you make a facial expression(like when you mimic the coyote’s face after getting popped) and you see the kids all make the same facial expression as you
 
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@nyairgunner. Thank you for watching.

@Bigragu. I am glad you "could come along" in my hunt. Pretty scary sitting/standing alone in that dark and musky barn not knowing what would be watching me, lol. I will sure to remember to tell my grand kids someday if memory still serves at my golden years.

@Ezana4CE. I will try to get this video out soon as I have tons of pigeons/starlings shooting videos to produce before this one. How's your hunt for the beavers lately? Get your Pard working?

@wescoast Dawg. Yeah, I missed too many shots in the past with rats when I didn't check my zero before hand. Thanks for watching.

@BlackICE. Yes this male was pretty healthy and well fed with all the pigeons that I have been feeding it. Unfortunately it never got a taste of the big fat rats that I left it this time around. Thats a great idea with with battery pack. I learned valuable lesson each and every hunt that I went thru. Knowing my mistakes is the best way to prepare and be successful.
 
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Here are a couple of pictures to help paint the picture of this hunt.

First picture is the loft where I was shooting from.
Second picture is my view to the pit 17 yards from the window.
Third picture showed the trail cam facing the target area.

I had to stand about 6 feet from the edge so I could just see the trail cam without exposing myself to the coyote.

I was lucky to get the opportunity to tag this healthy coyote.

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Great story, beautifully told, Alex. 😊

▪︎ I admire your tenacity of sticking through several painful nights to get your prey!
▪︎ And your sophistication of laying your deadly trap (field craft + equipment!).


If I understand correctly, this kind of iron self-control to endure till you get your killshot and the sophistication of hiding, stalking, and outwitting the enemy are two of the major differences between a SNIPER and a mere MARKSMAN.

Very cool.
Matthias
 
@Bigragu. LOL, yes I remembered that movie! I might have crapped my pants back then watching it. Yes it was pretty creepy being inside that dark and unfamiliar loft that I have never been before till that night. There were holes and missing boards in some of the area where the farmer had warned me about not to fall thru. He told me if I did, I would be landing amongst the cows where they would smother me with their "tities" and cow poops to boot. Ya, thats not going to happen LOL.

@JungleShooter. Thank you. I think my wife called it "Crazy" as her first word of choice, LOL. At least this June hunt wasn't as bad as in the Winter's months where every part of my body was cold and numb. I much prefer hunting coyotes in warm weather after all I am still a "city slicker". lol.
 
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@beerthief. Thanks for the suggestion. There was only one coyote that came around this pit area based on my trail cam footages I have collected. If another coyote shows up in the future, I will implement and make it easier for me to look down with more comfort by using a tall chair. Everything was setup real fast and I didn't think of using a high chair. The curtain probably wouldn't work as that would be a "new" addition to the surrounding to the coyote's point of view, plus the movement from the wind would spoke the coyote as well.
 
@beerthief. Thanks for the suggestion. There was only one coyote that came around this pit area based on my trail cam footages I have collected. If another coyote shows up in the future, I will implement and make it easier for me to look down with more comfort by using a tall chair. Everything was setup real fast and I didn't think of using a high chair. The curtain probably wouldn't work as that would be a "new" addition to the surrounding to the coyote's point of view, plus the movement from the wind would spoke the coyote as well.
1x2 frame and stretch the tarp with a gun hole cut in . the tarp i use looks more like leaves in the breeze. IT is not a solid tarp more of a mesh base with loose coverings
 
Very nice! Is there wifi in the area? Or cell phone reception? Get yourself a hotspot and connect a wireless ring doorbell camera. It will immediately ping your phone and you see a live image and it records. So you could even sleep if your phone vibration wakes you up. This is how I get all my squirrels and first trash panda

JT,

I'm insterested in the precise setup you're describing. I'm out in the middle of nowhere — what gear exactly (links?) do I need to make this happen?

I hope this is not hijacking this cool thread, to me it seems this question would help Alex and many others to get our next prey with a little more comfort.... 😉

Thanks!
Matthias
 
JT,

I'm insterested in the precise setup you're describing. I'm out in the middle of nowhere — what gear exactly (links?) do I need to make this happen?

I hope this is not hijacking this cool thread, to me it seems this question would help Alex and many others to get our next prey with a little more comfort.... 😉

Thanks!
Matthias
so basically, you need internet connection to connect the ring doorbell. is there cell phone reception in your area? if yes, you want to figure out how to turn on the "hot spot" function on your phone where any device can connect to your phone to get internet. otherwise, cellular companies sell something called a mobile hotspot device. its basically a battery powered device that you can connect to to get internet.

the ring doorbell you want to get is this one Ring Video Doorbell - 1080p HD video, improved motion detection, easy installation – Satin Nickel
looks like there's a few more newer and expensive models. dont think its necessary. the basic motion sensing function and live view is all thats needed. PM me for more questions