{"id":172,"date":"2014-03-04T12:22:08","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T19:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/?p=172"},"modified":"2014-03-04T12:22:08","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T19:22:08","slug":"coyotes-in-your-pocket-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/coyotes-in-your-pocket-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Coyotes in Your Pocket"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Quest to Shotgun Coyotes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0New country, a new set-up and no real clue of what is coming.\u00a0 Six minutes into the stand a coyote blows out of the brush line just feet from my youngest son, Ben, and I.\u00a0 It has our scent now and it\u2019s going hard across the small meadow in front of us.\u00a0 Simultaneous shots from my 12 gauge and Ben\u2019s .17 send her skidding through the hay stubble before she makes it 30 yards.\u00a0 Did that really just happen?\u00a0 This is a little more up-close and personal than our normal sets!<\/p>\n

\"Ben\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We\u2019re riflemen.\u00a0 In fact my wing shooting ability leaves much to be desired.\u00a0 Before Ben was hardly a twinkle, his older brother, Hank, used to tag along with me while pheasant hunting in Central Washington.\u00a0 I\u2019d pick Hank up at the house and take him on short hunts with me after work.\u00a0 He was five or six at the time.\u00a0 My German Shorthair bitch, Jill, had far more experience with pheasants than I so it wasn\u2019t a big surprise when she locked on a ringneck not far from the house.\u00a0 Hank and I walked in and a beautiful rooster erupted into the clear blue sky.\u00a0 I fired twice and, as was many more times the case than I would like to admit, the bird flew over the fence and into an adjacent field. I reloaded and in less than a minute, Jill locked on point again and once again a rooster cackled as it made its ascent into the fall sky.\u00a0 Two shots from the Browning hurried it on its way not touching a feather.\u00a0 What do you do?\u00a0 I told the dog, \u201cFind us another rooster, Jill.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Hank adds from behind me, \u201cYeah. Find us a slow one!\u201d\u00a0 He was a cute child….<\/p>\n

Needless to say, shotguns are not my forte\u2019.\u00a0 I\u2019ve shot them.\u00a0 I hit occasionally but I\u2019m by no means a natural wing shooter.\u00a0 I guess that\u2019s the reason that I\u2019m primarily a rifleman.\u00a0 I strive for set-ups that bring me the advantage when rifling coyotes.\u00a0 Slightly broken terrain to get some elevation, a mosaic of vegetation to see approaching coyotes and some openings in which to stop the coyote for a shot are the things I look for in the ideal stand.\u00a0 As soon as the coyote gets inside 200 yards, I\u2019m looking for a place to bark him to a stop and the result is a dead coyote.\u00a0 Accurate rifles, crisp triggers and good glass are what life is about, isn\u2019t it? \u00a0\"2013-12-27<\/a><\/p>\n

And, yet, there\u2019s been a nagging thought in the back of my mind that I haven\u2019t been as well- rounded a coyote caller as I should be.\u00a0 Driving by miles of coyote country to get to an area conducive to good rifle stands has never bothered me.\u00a0 But, the result of choosing poor stands haunts me and haunts the coyotes that have left those stands with their PhD in their hands.\u00a0 I\u2019ve really been OK with all that at least until one particular coyote hunting contest.<\/p>\n

The coyotes were responding during this hunt.\u00a0 Boy, were they responding!\u00a0 We had hot coyotes coming hard and from unexpected directions.\u00a0 Some were not about to stop.\u00a0 The resulting fast, moving, close-up shots are low percentage rifle shots and cost us just enough coyotes to take us out of the money.\u00a0 For most of us contest hunting is really less about the money and more about our pride.\u00a0 Afterwards, I told Ben that we just had<\/b> to learn to shotgun coyotes. \u00a0So, as hard as it was, I began leaving the rifle home.<\/p>\n

Feeling about half naked and wondering if I could hit anything anyway, I started my quest.\u00a0 I had previously purchased a Remington 11-87 turkey gun with coyote hunting in mind.\u00a0 A Dead Coyote choke tube was installed.\u00a0 I put a Tru-glo fiber optic three dot sight on the rib making it more like an open sight than a shotgun bead– comforting to the rifleman-turned-shotgunner.<\/p>\n

My brother told me of his attempt to remodel his scattergun for coyotes and how far off of the point of aim (POA) it shot so, after taking out a second mortgage on the home, I purchased a few boxes of Heavi-shot\u2019s Dead Coyote 3\u201d T-shot and patterned my gun.\u00a0 It was good thing I did as the center of the pattern printed about 12 inches high at 40 yards.\u00a0 Good to know.\u00a0 The difference between POA and POI (point of impact) could have stopped my shotgun-coyote efforts before they got off the ground.\u00a0 Lesson number one:\u00a0 pattern your shotgun.<\/p>\n

I recently received a Burris Fast Fire III which I mounted in a Speed Bead mount on the 11-87.\u00a0 The elevation and windage adjustments removes the patterning issues with this shotgun and the 3 MOA red dot makes it possible to point and shoot with little thought to the process.\u00a0 Keeping both eyes open is still necessary but is fairly natural even for a shooter with ingrained rifle habits.<\/p>\n

The next stand turned out a little different than the first.\u00a0 Ben and I set up next to a slightly larger opening–Ben again with his .17 and me with the 12 gauge.\u00a0 Not long into the stand a pair was coming hard from Ben\u2019s side.\u00a0 Barking had little effect and Ben took a shot at the lead coyote, a big male.\u00a0 The shot missed and I opened up with the shottie finally knocking the coyote down on shot number three.\u00a0 Ben put a finisher in him with the .17.\u00a0 As we walked up to the coyote, I realized I already had over ten dollars worth of shotgun ammo in this coyote hide!\u00a0 Lesson number two:\u00a0 heavier than lead loads are expensive.<\/p>\n

\"Nov<\/a>I\u2019ve tried some four buck lead, copper-coated lead as well as the Heavi-shot loads and all have been effective.\u00a0 The position of the coyote in relation to the shooter and the coyote\u2019s adrenaline level seem to have more impact on the effectiveness of the shotgun than the load itself.\u00a0 However, a friend of mine, Bob Morris, has much more experience shotgunning coyotes than I. \u00a0He feels the heavier-than-lead loads are significantly more effective and that the new 15 gram per cc ultra-heavy shot is even better yet.\u00a0 Prices have sky-rocketed recently on the tungsten alloy shot and the shells are getting increasingly expensive but if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your shotgun for coyotes, they may be worth the money. \u00a0\u00a0Stock up now if you can find old inventory of UHD loads.<\/p>\n

Since, my primary coyote hunting partner went to college this fall, I\u2019ve been double carrying a rifle and shotgun on most stands.\u00a0 The shotgun stays in my lap and the rifle is set up next to me on a Primos Rapid Pivot Bipod.\u00a0 A US Hunter shotgun stand enables the shooter to set the shotgun aside when a rifle shot is necessary without putting the muzzle in the dirt.\u00a0 The shotgun has accounted for over 80% of the coyotes this fall although the rifle has finished a few after knocking them down with the shottie.\u00a0 The shotgun opened up a lot of areas closer to home that would have been too tight of cover for good rifle stands.\u00a0 A couple of shotgun doubles have fallen to the 11-87 and having coyotes close enough to hear them breathe adds another dimension to the game.<\/p>\n

Recently after making a delivery to a ranch on which I have permission to hunt, I set up next to an island of brush surrounded by meadow and then sage.\u00a0 It was late and this would be the last stand of the day.\u00a0 I sat next to a large greasewood looking over the electronic caller so I could see the downwind (Titus\u2019 Rule).\u00a0 A thundering of feet coming from over my right shoulder became evident.\u00a0 Turning my head ever so slightly to the right and looking out of the corner of my eye I saw the coyote stopped ten yards away at the edge of the brush line.\u00a0 It moved to its left stopping just on the other side of the greasewood from my chair.\u00a0 It was standing four feet from my right rear pocket.\u00a0 Its next move should have put him behind me so when he didn\u2019t show up, I jumped to my feet.\u00a0 He started away with the classic loping\u2013while-looking-over-his\u2013shoulder move of a big coyote but made it less than 20 yards before the shot collided with his head and neck.\u00a0 Now that\u2019s a coyote in your pocket!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>He was one of the fattest coyotes I\u2019ve ever killed.\u00a0 He had fed well over the summer and fall but the game birds and animals would get a break from his dining now.\u00a0\u00a0 Lesson number three:\u00a0 coyotes in shotgun range have radar.\u00a0 Full camo including your face and hands will help but any move you make will be noticed by the coyotes even when using motion decoys.\u00a0 Don\u2019t move until you\u2019re ready to take the shot.\u00a0 My quest has also taught me to raise a knee up and rest the shotgun over it to minimize the amount of movement necessary to bring your shotgun into play.<\/p>\n

After another ranch delivery, I stopped to make a stand.\u00a0 Again the sound of footsteps preceded the appearance of the coyote ten yards to my right.\u00a0 As I slowly began raising the shotgun, the coyote immediately saw it and turned away from me into the opening next to the caller.\u00a0 The first shot knocked him down but he began to regain his feet.\u00a0 The second shot hit him again and after the third shot, I was still forced to switch to the rifle to finish the big male.\u00a0 Feeling a little silly staying there after the barrage of gunfire, I nonetheless held my position and checked the shotgun.\u00a0 One shell left.\u00a0\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sure enough, two minutes later more footsteps are coming.\u00a0\u00a0 Out of the corner of my eye a coyote is about to cross behind me into my scent cone at just two or three yards and, again, it doesn\u2019t come by.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Jumping to my feet, it actually surprises me to see the coyote roll at the shot.\u00a0 But, she too begins to regain her feet and I set the now-empty shotgun down and finish her with the rifle as well.<\/p>\n

Lessons four and five:\u00a0 continue to call even if you\u2019ve fired multiple shots.\u00a0 The security of the cover may make additional coyotes comfortable enough to still respond to your call.\u00a0 And, secondly, a coyote on adrenaline can take a lot of punishment.\u00a0 If a coyote is still struggling, keep pounding it until you are sure it\u2019s finished.\u00a0 Bob Morris again instilled his wisdom in me for lesson number six when he said, \u201cI thought everyone took at least ten rounds of shotgun shells in their pocket.\u201d\u00a0 Indeed.\u00a0 Point well taken.\u00a0 I\u2019ve since added a Mesa Tactical shotshell carrier to the side of my shotgun\u2019s action.<\/p>\n

Shotgunning coyotes has become a sport unto itself opening up new areas to hunt that many times have more dense coyote populations than the open country sought after by the rifleman.\u00a0 The close-up, fast action puts a new spin on an already exciting sport while helping reduce depredation on wildlife.\u00a0 Don\u2019t give up your rifle but for a new challenge, break out the shotgun and set up where you can put some coyotes in your pocket!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Quest to Shotgun Coyotes \u00a0New country, a new set-up and no real clue of what is coming.\u00a0 Six minutes into the stand a coyote blows out of the brush line just feet from my youngest son, Ben, and I.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[12,13,19,24,25],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-predator-hunting","tag-coyotes","tag-foxpro","tag-hunting","tag-shooting","tag-shotgun"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":184,"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions\/184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/no-off-season.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}