Post by todbartell on Dec 30, 2003 15:46:13 GMT -5
I went coyote hunting on Monday morning, left the house at 7:40 and was out of the truck and ready by 8:10. I headed west down an old logging road that seperates 2 woodlots. I walked 1/3 mile or so until I got to a field, where I used my Knight & Hale coyote howler to try and locate some yotes. After a few howls and no responses, other than a curious mulie doe, I headed further west. After another 1/2 mile or so, I set up overlooking a cleared area, 300 yards or so of open ground in front of me to view. I used my K&H Rodent Squeker, and called on and off for 10 minutes, waited another 5, then headed off, with no luck. After another 1/3 mile or so I found a not too bad spot to call, and as I rounded the bend, I spotted something 400 yards or more out, crossing the open field. I thought it might be a deer or a coyote, and looked through my binocs at it, where I then saw it was a either a big coyote or a wolf! So I quickly dropped my pack, got out my mouth diaphragm call out and set up my rifle on the shooting stix, cranking the scope to 9x.
I was pretty sure it was a wolf at this time. It was still 400 yards or so out, and now was trotting towards me. I let out a few squalls with my call, and it stopped and watched my direction for a minute or so, then began to slowly trot my way. It closed to 350 yards or so, then turned to trot into the bush. I was not going to let it just walk away, so I got up and side-stepped 10 yards or so to keep it in view for the moment. I was on the far side of a little rise in the field, and all it could probably see of me was my head (i was wearing my mesh camo facemask). It saw my head, stopped, then all of a sudden started bounding towards me, huge leaps, I could not believe it! It was about 250 yards out when it just turned off and ran into the bush. I called for another 5 or so minutes off and on, then went to go check where it ran into the bush. I was standing around where it left the field, and could not find it's tracks through all the deer and moose tracks already in the old snow. It was now 20 minutes or so since I last saw it. I turn around and see something in the field, I thought it was a coyote at first that had snuck in after hearing my calling. I look through the glass and see it was NOT a coyote, but it was the wolf, right out in the middle of the field! It was on the other side of the hill, so I could just see it's top half of his chest and his head. Range is about 200 yards or so. The wolf had snuck around through the bush and gotten behind me, if I stayed where I was at first, it would of trotted out of the bush 50 yards from me!! I sit down, rifle ready in the stix, and all I can see is it's neck and head, and a little of the upper chest. I hold low on the neck and fire, and the wolf swaps ends and takes off straight away from me.
I run like as fast as I can to a top of a small rise, when I get there, I see the wolf standing 150 yards off, facing me straight on. I sit down, catch my breath for a second or 3, then hold on it's chest and fire. At the shot, the wolf spins around and round, biting itself, then catches it's footing and is off running away. I then proceed to fire 4 more times as it runs broadside/quartering away at ranges from 250-500 yards, the whole time cursing my stupidity on using Sierra MatchKing bullets once again... On shot #2 (300'ish broadside running) i managed to tumble it, but it was up and running again within seconds. It takes it about 40 seconds to 1 minute to go from 150 yards away to 500-600, where it dissapears into the bush. I go back to where I had dropped my pack, etc, then make my way to where I last saw the wolf. I gave it about 30 minutes or so, from when I last saw it to when I started after it. It had began to snow lightly, and I did not want to lose the trail. I found it's tracks leaving the field, and a couple drops of blood, not too much. I get on the trail, and am in the bush maybe 10 or 15 yards when I find a spot where the wolf had sat down in the snow. I look up and whoa , the wolf IS RIGHT THERE, 15 feet away, laying under a little spruce tree. I am a little suprised, and take 2 steps back. i am now thinking to myself, "are you alive" and side step a foot or 2, and it's eyes follow me. So now I am like "no more messing around", and I cranked it in the brain box. All is done now...
She’s about 80 lbs, 5’4” from nose to tip of tail. Gonna make a shoulder mount of her, go with my black one I got in 2000 while hunting caribou. I think shot #1 may of grazed the top of the hill and gone astray.
I was pretty sure it was a wolf at this time. It was still 400 yards or so out, and now was trotting towards me. I let out a few squalls with my call, and it stopped and watched my direction for a minute or so, then began to slowly trot my way. It closed to 350 yards or so, then turned to trot into the bush. I was not going to let it just walk away, so I got up and side-stepped 10 yards or so to keep it in view for the moment. I was on the far side of a little rise in the field, and all it could probably see of me was my head (i was wearing my mesh camo facemask). It saw my head, stopped, then all of a sudden started bounding towards me, huge leaps, I could not believe it! It was about 250 yards out when it just turned off and ran into the bush. I called for another 5 or so minutes off and on, then went to go check where it ran into the bush. I was standing around where it left the field, and could not find it's tracks through all the deer and moose tracks already in the old snow. It was now 20 minutes or so since I last saw it. I turn around and see something in the field, I thought it was a coyote at first that had snuck in after hearing my calling. I look through the glass and see it was NOT a coyote, but it was the wolf, right out in the middle of the field! It was on the other side of the hill, so I could just see it's top half of his chest and his head. Range is about 200 yards or so. The wolf had snuck around through the bush and gotten behind me, if I stayed where I was at first, it would of trotted out of the bush 50 yards from me!! I sit down, rifle ready in the stix, and all I can see is it's neck and head, and a little of the upper chest. I hold low on the neck and fire, and the wolf swaps ends and takes off straight away from me.
I run like as fast as I can to a top of a small rise, when I get there, I see the wolf standing 150 yards off, facing me straight on. I sit down, catch my breath for a second or 3, then hold on it's chest and fire. At the shot, the wolf spins around and round, biting itself, then catches it's footing and is off running away. I then proceed to fire 4 more times as it runs broadside/quartering away at ranges from 250-500 yards, the whole time cursing my stupidity on using Sierra MatchKing bullets once again... On shot #2 (300'ish broadside running) i managed to tumble it, but it was up and running again within seconds. It takes it about 40 seconds to 1 minute to go from 150 yards away to 500-600, where it dissapears into the bush. I go back to where I had dropped my pack, etc, then make my way to where I last saw the wolf. I gave it about 30 minutes or so, from when I last saw it to when I started after it. It had began to snow lightly, and I did not want to lose the trail. I found it's tracks leaving the field, and a couple drops of blood, not too much. I get on the trail, and am in the bush maybe 10 or 15 yards when I find a spot where the wolf had sat down in the snow. I look up and whoa , the wolf IS RIGHT THERE, 15 feet away, laying under a little spruce tree. I am a little suprised, and take 2 steps back. i am now thinking to myself, "are you alive" and side step a foot or 2, and it's eyes follow me. So now I am like "no more messing around", and I cranked it in the brain box. All is done now...
She’s about 80 lbs, 5’4” from nose to tip of tail. Gonna make a shoulder mount of her, go with my black one I got in 2000 while hunting caribou. I think shot #1 may of grazed the top of the hill and gone astray.
