First off, I didn't bag anything. If you're looking for a victory story, this isn't it. If you're anything like me and you enjoy the outdoors, stick around and imagine being out in these rural Deep East Texas piney woods on this cool autumn night...
I walked my pups just after dusk and we encountered what I thought was a young coyote. He was in a clearing around a structure with decent outside light via high lumen halide light bulbs. All I could really see was a silhouette: furry, somewhat long legs, bushy tail, pointy ears. I am not sure if it smelled us, heard the pups, or spotted us on the side of the road, but it started moving away from us at a distance of around 75-90 yards. At first I thought it was a fox or a feral dog until my brain registered all of the features that I had just seen. So I decided to test the animal as it was leaving the scene. I gave a few lip squeaks. The animal stopped and turned its head directly towards me. I stood and watched and it turned to take off again. I lip squeaked again as it moved into the shadow of a hickory tree and an oak tree and got a similar reaction. BINGO!! It's a young looking coyote. I stood watching as long as I could, but these aging eyes couldn't keep up with the stealth canine. I didn't have a thermal device or any hunting arms. Thankfully the pups didn't spot it or start barking. When I didn't see any more movement, I began to back up and signaled the pups to turn around and follow me. We walked in another direction before returning to finish walking our route. After our walk we returned home. I grabbed my scanner and Huben K1 and checked around the property. I spotted Herby the possum feasting on the last armadillo that I killed; he has a buffet area I set up for him.
Unfortunately the pups pushed him off the carcass and went to investigate the smells. The white spot in the trees on the upper left (above the pup's nose) is Herby waiting to finish his meal.
One of the pups thought it was a good idea to rub his neck on the decaying dillo. I didn't realize what was going on until after it happened. I thought he was ducking under a vine until he turned his head as I viewed through the thermal. I called them off. Then I fed them and penned them in for the night.
Around 10:35pm I headed out with my Huben K1, Burris BTH50 thermal scanner, and ScanPro headlight looking for armadillos and coyotes. I didn't see jack besides Herby hanging out near the buffet. Earlier I said "I didn't see jack," but I forgot that I spotted this deer a ways off.
I patrolled the usual properties that I check on and nothing. I then decided to go further to the property where I saw the yote earlier (I hunt there sometimes too). As I walked I would stop to scan the area intermittently. I didn't see a deer or anything. I walked further up to get a better angle of the open space on the property and still nothing. Then out of the corner of my naked eye I spot movement. By the time I got the thermal scanner to my eye all I saw were hind quarters two hind legs, and a bushy tail going into the treeline across the road. I tried lip squeaking, but that didn't seem to stop him or draw him back out of the woods. I scanned the treeline, but could not pick up a heat signature. I moved into the shadows of an oak tree and knelt down in front of a bush to see if it might emerge into the open. After a while of hearing no movement and not seeing a heat signature I got up and walked further. I scanned the pasture and an adjacent property, but still no coyote. All of the properties that I'm mentioning I either hunt on or know the property owners. I turned around and headed back to my place. I heard two groups of yotes communcating to one another, on group to the east and the other to the west. I'd say they were within a 1 - 1.5 mile radius. I saw one of the neighbor’s dog and a cat stalking something in the drainage ditch. I spotted the cat from about 125 yards out with my scanner, but didn't know what it was. I stalked up on it to get a better look at it in order to ID it I'd say within about 60-70 yards I was able to ID the cat. After walking about a mile I got home and here's where things start to get interesting...
I snuck back into the yard so that I don't disturb the pups and start them to barking. Walking the perimeter of the yard looking off into the woods all I can see is what appears to be Heby laying down in proximity to his meal. This is boring I thought. Then I caught something crossing a clearing. Again I could only see a rump and a tail. I thought it may have been a bobcat. I never see bobcats around here. I could hear the animal crushing leaves as it walked through the woods and thought, "too heavy footed to be a cat." Then I thought maybe it was a raccoon.
After a few minutes passed I looked up in the trees and didn't seen anything, so I moved along. I walked to another area and scanned, but saw nothing. As I made my way back down the treeline, I scanned and picked up what appeared to be a white ball at the base of a tree. As I moved closer the ball started moving and its profile changed, - small-medium sized animal with a long tail and round body. I thought "coon or dillo."
It started moving so I removed my Huben from my shoulder, turned on my illuminated reticle, and switched my rifle mounted torch. At first I didn't see it moving through the brush. Then I caught a glare from the light reflecting off of the animal's eyes, but not for long. He escaped walking into the undergrowth before I could steady my reticle for a satisfactory shot.
I checked the treeline to see if it would be heading out towards my yard. I didn't see it come back out. I made my way to the other end of the property holding my rifle muzzle up towards the stars. Throughout the night I'd been hearing acorns fall. Once I heard leaves rustle in the tree, then a bunch of dry leaves got knocked down, but I couldn't find a heat signature in the tree. I heard these two groups of coyotes communicating again except the group to the northwest sounded closer. A minute or two later I put the thermal scanner on another tree a bit down the line and I see a small rodent moving about in the tree. Then I see another heat signature a bit higher up. I can't tell if these are mice, squirrels, flying squirrels or what. Suddenly it was as if I blinked and barely caught the animal above jump down on the other rodent. It appeared that they tangled briefly then separated and to my surprise, the animal that jumped down, flew off!!
I'm thinking this was an owl that missed his Veteran's Day meal. I thought, "That was entertaining." After reviewing the footage again, I don't know what I'm looking at here. I'm not sure what type of bird that is. I decided to stand there and watch the rodent move through the trees. I'm still trying to figure out what type of rodent this is. Somewhere along the line I put the thermal scanner down (let it hang on my wrist by the lanyard) and caught some movement at my 2 o'clock. There's about a ¾ moon tonight. When I turned to to look I saw that bushy tail and a head turning away. I switched on the illuminated reticle at some point, shouldered the rifle, pushed on the pressure switch to activate the rifle mounted torch, lined up my reticle on the animal as it walked away and let off four shots in succession. I'm pretty sure I didn't hit it. I didn't hear a yelp or see it jump. The pellets looked like tracers and they were on his ass!! The issue was that I didn't lead my shots. Even though I missed, that was fun because it demonstrates improvement on my part.
For the life of me I hardly ever hear coyotes as they move around. They just seem to show up. Semi-auto is the way to go unless you're baiting them or calling them in with a decoy. I'd want a semi-auto calling them in. I've called them with out a semi and it sucks when multiple yotes come in and you're armed with a repeater that has to be cocked after each shot. Of the three yote sightings tonight I didn't capture any footage. Those dogs are too damn fast. I haven't coyote hunted in a while. I wouldn't count this as a hunt. I just knew there was one in the area because I happened upon one earlier. I heard others and really don't know how many were in the vicinity. Three sightings with no call or bait within a few hours is insane based upon my previous experiences. After reviewing more footage I realized that I caught what appears to have been a yote close to my property a few nights ago. I wonder if this is the same one I shot at early this morning.
I may upload some video clips of some of tonight's events tomorrow or something.
I walked my pups just after dusk and we encountered what I thought was a young coyote. He was in a clearing around a structure with decent outside light via high lumen halide light bulbs. All I could really see was a silhouette: furry, somewhat long legs, bushy tail, pointy ears. I am not sure if it smelled us, heard the pups, or spotted us on the side of the road, but it started moving away from us at a distance of around 75-90 yards. At first I thought it was a fox or a feral dog until my brain registered all of the features that I had just seen. So I decided to test the animal as it was leaving the scene. I gave a few lip squeaks. The animal stopped and turned its head directly towards me. I stood and watched and it turned to take off again. I lip squeaked again as it moved into the shadow of a hickory tree and an oak tree and got a similar reaction. BINGO!! It's a young looking coyote. I stood watching as long as I could, but these aging eyes couldn't keep up with the stealth canine. I didn't have a thermal device or any hunting arms. Thankfully the pups didn't spot it or start barking. When I didn't see any more movement, I began to back up and signaled the pups to turn around and follow me. We walked in another direction before returning to finish walking our route. After our walk we returned home. I grabbed my scanner and Huben K1 and checked around the property. I spotted Herby the possum feasting on the last armadillo that I killed; he has a buffet area I set up for him.
Unfortunately the pups pushed him off the carcass and went to investigate the smells. The white spot in the trees on the upper left (above the pup's nose) is Herby waiting to finish his meal.
One of the pups thought it was a good idea to rub his neck on the decaying dillo. I didn't realize what was going on until after it happened. I thought he was ducking under a vine until he turned his head as I viewed through the thermal. I called them off. Then I fed them and penned them in for the night.
Around 10:35pm I headed out with my Huben K1, Burris BTH50 thermal scanner, and ScanPro headlight looking for armadillos and coyotes. I didn't see jack besides Herby hanging out near the buffet. Earlier I said "I didn't see jack," but I forgot that I spotted this deer a ways off.
I patrolled the usual properties that I check on and nothing. I then decided to go further to the property where I saw the yote earlier (I hunt there sometimes too). As I walked I would stop to scan the area intermittently. I didn't see a deer or anything. I walked further up to get a better angle of the open space on the property and still nothing. Then out of the corner of my naked eye I spot movement. By the time I got the thermal scanner to my eye all I saw were hind quarters two hind legs, and a bushy tail going into the treeline across the road. I tried lip squeaking, but that didn't seem to stop him or draw him back out of the woods. I scanned the treeline, but could not pick up a heat signature. I moved into the shadows of an oak tree and knelt down in front of a bush to see if it might emerge into the open. After a while of hearing no movement and not seeing a heat signature I got up and walked further. I scanned the pasture and an adjacent property, but still no coyote. All of the properties that I'm mentioning I either hunt on or know the property owners. I turned around and headed back to my place. I heard two groups of yotes communcating to one another, on group to the east and the other to the west. I'd say they were within a 1 - 1.5 mile radius. I saw one of the neighbor’s dog and a cat stalking something in the drainage ditch. I spotted the cat from about 125 yards out with my scanner, but didn't know what it was. I stalked up on it to get a better look at it in order to ID it I'd say within about 60-70 yards I was able to ID the cat. After walking about a mile I got home and here's where things start to get interesting...
I snuck back into the yard so that I don't disturb the pups and start them to barking. Walking the perimeter of the yard looking off into the woods all I can see is what appears to be Heby laying down in proximity to his meal. This is boring I thought. Then I caught something crossing a clearing. Again I could only see a rump and a tail. I thought it may have been a bobcat. I never see bobcats around here. I could hear the animal crushing leaves as it walked through the woods and thought, "too heavy footed to be a cat." Then I thought maybe it was a raccoon.
It started moving so I removed my Huben from my shoulder, turned on my illuminated reticle, and switched my rifle mounted torch. At first I didn't see it moving through the brush. Then I caught a glare from the light reflecting off of the animal's eyes, but not for long. He escaped walking into the undergrowth before I could steady my reticle for a satisfactory shot.
I checked the treeline to see if it would be heading out towards my yard. I didn't see it come back out. I made my way to the other end of the property holding my rifle muzzle up towards the stars. Throughout the night I'd been hearing acorns fall. Once I heard leaves rustle in the tree, then a bunch of dry leaves got knocked down, but I couldn't find a heat signature in the tree. I heard these two groups of coyotes communicating again except the group to the northwest sounded closer. A minute or two later I put the thermal scanner on another tree a bit down the line and I see a small rodent moving about in the tree. Then I see another heat signature a bit higher up. I can't tell if these are mice, squirrels, flying squirrels or what. Suddenly it was as if I blinked and barely caught the animal above jump down on the other rodent. It appeared that they tangled briefly then separated and to my surprise, the animal that jumped down, flew off!!
For the life of me I hardly ever hear coyotes as they move around. They just seem to show up. Semi-auto is the way to go unless you're baiting them or calling them in with a decoy. I'd want a semi-auto calling them in. I've called them with out a semi and it sucks when multiple yotes come in and you're armed with a repeater that has to be cocked after each shot. Of the three yote sightings tonight I didn't capture any footage. Those dogs are too damn fast. I haven't coyote hunted in a while. I wouldn't count this as a hunt. I just knew there was one in the area because I happened upon one earlier. I heard others and really don't know how many were in the vicinity. Three sightings with no call or bait within a few hours is insane based upon my previous experiences. After reviewing more footage I realized that I caught what appears to have been a yote close to my property a few nights ago. I wonder if this is the same one I shot at early this morning.
I may upload some video clips of some of tonight's events tomorrow or something.
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