My first coyote!

[naturegirl]

My birthday is tomorrow and I’ve had plans for weeks to go out with friends to a bar for my birthday. As the time got closer and I’ve been reading about all the hunting going on, I just had an itch that needed scratched. I cancel the plans, pack the truck, and my daughter & I are going camping. I bring along the shotgun and my 270 with the intent on practicing calling for coyotes and/or quail hunting.

 

It’s been a little while since I’ve hunted with my daughter and it took about three minutes for me to realize hunting was out of the equation, but I carried my shotgun just in case we flushed a covey. Instead my little budding photographer carried her camera around taking pictures of everything. Kinda made me realize what it’s like for people who are with me when I’m in a photo taking frenzy… I completely let go of any notion of truly hunting and instead started showing her around. The pictures below are her learning about javi sign, tracks, and their bed plus the little frog she found.

 

 

 

 

My cook made us some yummy blackened dirt covered hot dogs for dinner. I did try calling for coyotes throughout the afternoon and evening, but my best efforts at calling (which are a beginner’s attempt at the very best) were quickly followed up by my daughter tooting her call of choice and so I just let her toot away because she was having a blast.

 

The next morning right when we were getting ready to head out I spotted a coyote. I grabbed my 270, loaded, and saw the coyote was heading to the left of me. She kept going in and out of sight, but I knew the direction she was heading so I kept watching. Finally, she stopped completely broadside but I couldn’t find her in my scope. She’s takes off in the same direction, but stops again behind a bush. I see a large saguaro to the right of the coyote and find it in my scope. She turns around and steps out just enough. I find the coyote in my scope, guess it’s about 100 yards, and squeeze the trigger. I see her flip over and start kicking. I try to find her again in my scope but she is now completely behind the bush and I can’t find her. I had to move a little and look through the bush to see that she was down.

 

The coyote was killed with the gun my dad gave me. It’s my second shot on an animal with that gun and my second dead animal. It’s a great gun. Might be a little much for the coyote, but she didn’t go anywhere and it left a nice big hole in her side. I’m happy my daughter was with me. She may never be a hunter, but I want her to know that hunting is a natural part of life.

 

I loaded up the coyote and brought her home. I got out my knives I bought for the August deer hunt and start cutting. This really is a very big challenge for me, but I made myself do it. Then I brought my daughter out who was a bit hesitant and showed her the inner workings of the coyote. This was my hands on lesson that I needed.

 

I was almost home before I realized I made the shot without a rest so I patted myself on the back for that. Secondly, I felt a very gratifying feeling for taking down a predator. I am an avid hunter of big game, but predator hunting is something that never interested me until I saw trail cam footage of a big buck being taken down by a pack of coyotes. It sickened me and I said right then “If I ever get the opportunity to shoot a coyote from now I will.” Well, one down and my plan stays the same.

 

[DAS]

Nice shot! Congrats on your first coyote.

[standman]

Awesome !! Great photos with your daughter !

Brian

[JTO]

Off hand! Well done. Letting kids be kids while hunting......even better.

[Couestracker]

Bravo on the Mom thing and your first coyote-awesome job on both!

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Very cool. I had the same issue I couldn't find em in my scope before they ran off. Lol

[Zeke-BE]

Nature girl I thought you were going to take your bow and and stick one of those coyotes near your property? But congrats

[4Falls]

Great job all around. Looks like you and your mini-me had quite an adventure. Keep it up.

[rancilio]

Cool. Sounds like a great outing. Thanks for sharing.

[naturegirl]

Nature girl I thought you were going to take your bow and and stick one of those coyotes near your property? But congrats

 

Maybe with due time, but I still haven't looked into the legality of it. I had this opportunity and I took it!

 

I did talk to neighbor #1 who has zero issue with it. She wasn't very fond of the young bobcat eating her chickens a year or so ago.

[Coues assassin]

Congrats! Do you have a link to that video and or pictures of the coyotes taking down a buck?

[Big Browns]

That's Awesome! You rock! Your daughter will remember that for the rest of her life.

[Apache7mm]

Sweet, way to go, keep at it.

 

DAN

[naturegirl]

A man had a game camera out back east. The camera captured what appeared to be a healthy mature whitetail buck being taken down by a pack of coyotes. It was in a national hunting magazine that was delivered to my house.

 

I'm not 100% sure if these are the same images but it sure looked just like this and the time is about right.

 

http://www.buckmanager.com/2011/12/11/on-predator-control-coyotes-and-whitetail/

 

I'd like to post this link on Facebook to show the one person who made a comment about my coyote kill, but I won't.

 

I've found quite a few people do not understand why I would kill a coyote. I take the time to explain the buck being killed by a pack and how horrible it was. Then if people still continue to question why I killed a coyote, I tell them about all the cute baby deer and javelinas that the yotes kill. That seems to quiet them up pretty good because nobody wants cute little babies being eaten

[acftfireman]

Keep after them!!