This weeks blog post is going to be a story about the first successful coyote hunt I had been on! It was New Years weekend of 2018, a few buddies and I were at a friends cattle ranch for my 20th birthday. We drove to Eastern Washington and settled in to the bunkhouse. As we waited for the wind to lay down, we decided to light a bonfire, and were listening to music and having a good time, before our hunt. During certain months of the year you are allowed to hunt coyotes at night in Washington. As our fire raged on, we all heard the coyotes start yipping and howling not far from the bunkhouse at an area we call the " Boneyard". This is where all the dead cows, and calf's are dumped when they are found by the ranchers. We knew as soon as we heard their celebratory call, it was time to get out and start hunting.
It was about 11:00 PM and we decided it would not be a good idea to drive out to the spot as we might spook them. It would be about a 15 minute walk to the spot, which took even longer since the gravel roads were covered thick with ice. We finally made our way out to the first gate, barely making it since we kept slipping on the icy roads. We opened the gate as quiet as possible, and made our way through. I had my buddy Ryan shine the spot light in front of us to see if anything was present. As he did I looked through my scope, and there were about 7 coyotes standing in front of us at about 75 yards. Instantly the nerves set in, and we knew it was about to be a good time.
The Coyotes made there way down the gravel road out toward the open plains, so we instantly sat down and put our backs to these large boulders. Sitting in the fresh snow, we turned on our electric predator call and started playing "pup in distress". This sound is trying to mimic coyote pups that are in trouble. As the sound of whimpering, and whining flooded the open plains we waited. Shining the light every few minutes to see if there was anything coming in to the sound.
After about five minutes, I picked up the remote and switched to a prey in distress sound. Specifically the " Adult Cottontail Distress" which imitates the dying sound of a rabbit. Within two minutes of this sound playing Ryan shined the light up and we see a coyote trotting up the dirt road at a speed that showed curiosity, but hesitation. Once he got in range I made a yelp sound to try and stop him from moving. With the coyote in my crosshairs I squeezed the trigger. Dog down! I yelled as he ran maybe a few yards and took what we call a "Dirt Nap".
This was one of my first successful hunts, and between the frigid temperatures, countless falls on the ice, and frozen mustaches, it was one of the most memorable hunts I have ever been on, and would light a fire in me to continue predator hunting! I still have the bleached skull from this harvest on display, and continue to pursue these critters, as they are one of the most elusive animals out there to hunt!
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