17cal Fan
Silver $$ Contributor
I'm sure that I am the only one with access to property that is just hard to hunt. This place has been a challenge. Hill top vapor light near parking area makes it a challenge to get out of the truck and down into the property without feeling like you are in the spotlight.
Tried it by myself earlier in the week. Hadn't been there in a couple of years but it all came back to me, how it lays, where the yotes are etc. So I do my best to get out of the light and slip down the ridge top to the north with a south wind. I know that's all wrong but it was the cards I had so I played em. Called a pair but they were not anxious to come into range, which was no surprise, so I didn't attempt a shot. The place is invested! Returning to the truck, I took a route along the side of the ridge to see if there was a spot that I could use the elevation to my advantage but get out of the spotlight. I made mental notes of some low spots where a person might sit and be out the light.
Last night my buddy went back with me and the wind was right, needed to be out of the north and it was. We slipped in, headed north and dropped off the side of the ridge far enough that sitting down we wouldn't be silhouetted. Normally we stand with Bog Death Grip Tri-pods but needing to sit with them worked just fine with all the adjustment needed and available.
I set the call north of us 20 or so yards and snuck back to position. Fired up the call with a pair of yotes howling/barking for a minute or so and got a response within a couple of minutes. Switched to a fight sound and it wasn't long before my buddy said there was a coyote out in front of us. I was scanning with 4x thermal and hadn't seen a thing. He let a bullet fly and then I figured out that it was much closer than where I was looking. I spotted the second yote headed north at a high rate of speed and there wasn't time to get a shot off.
He had not seen or realized there was a second coyote until I told him. We decided the pair had come between us and the call some how, very quickly. I have wished since early on with my thermal scanner that I had bought a lower start power and this proved it to me. 4x base is too much when they come firing in that fast and close. This one won't do it again.
Tried it by myself earlier in the week. Hadn't been there in a couple of years but it all came back to me, how it lays, where the yotes are etc. So I do my best to get out of the light and slip down the ridge top to the north with a south wind. I know that's all wrong but it was the cards I had so I played em. Called a pair but they were not anxious to come into range, which was no surprise, so I didn't attempt a shot. The place is invested! Returning to the truck, I took a route along the side of the ridge to see if there was a spot that I could use the elevation to my advantage but get out of the spotlight. I made mental notes of some low spots where a person might sit and be out the light.
Last night my buddy went back with me and the wind was right, needed to be out of the north and it was. We slipped in, headed north and dropped off the side of the ridge far enough that sitting down we wouldn't be silhouetted. Normally we stand with Bog Death Grip Tri-pods but needing to sit with them worked just fine with all the adjustment needed and available.
I set the call north of us 20 or so yards and snuck back to position. Fired up the call with a pair of yotes howling/barking for a minute or so and got a response within a couple of minutes. Switched to a fight sound and it wasn't long before my buddy said there was a coyote out in front of us. I was scanning with 4x thermal and hadn't seen a thing. He let a bullet fly and then I figured out that it was much closer than where I was looking. I spotted the second yote headed north at a high rate of speed and there wasn't time to get a shot off.
He had not seen or realized there was a second coyote until I told him. We decided the pair had come between us and the call some how, very quickly. I have wished since early on with my thermal scanner that I had bought a lower start power and this proved it to me. 4x base is too much when they come firing in that fast and close. This one won't do it again.
