groundhog and coyote

[varmintshooter]

Went out this past week with a buddy and saw several gh out on our arrival. We shot three each in about 1 1/2 hr and moved to the other side of the farm where we spotted something in the edge between the beans and alfalfa, and after a closer look realized that it was a coyote. I got in position but couldn't see it from the ground so I crawled up on an AG BAG that was about 6' high and took the shot. I was shooting my 223 AI with 53 gr vmax @ 3600. The shot was right at 400 yds. it dropped on the spot. We walked over to it and found that it was eating a gh it had just killed. I hunted solo for the next 2 days shooting 23 more gh for a season total of 148. On the next evening I called in another yote but missed on a running shot.

 

[ARW]

With 148 groundhogs so far it doesn't seem like the coyotes are hurting the population much.

Good shooting!

Alan

 

[jpx2rk]

Nothing like some variety in life. Good shooting.

 

[5spd]

Its always nice to have a coyote come in & feed on something you shot earlier.
Happens every now & then out here p-dogging.
Nice take at 400 yds.

 

[CaptainMal]

You clearly wrote the coyote had killed the groundhog, not you.

Good shooting and story.

 

[snert]

148! And I thought I was on a tear!

Snert

 

[varmintshooter]

You clearly wrote the coyote had killed the groundhog, not you.

Good shooting and story.

That is correct. This is the second time I have found a coyote with his kill. We don't have a lot of coyote here but their #s are growing, I have killed 6 since Nov. and I am just learning to hunt them. I have also seen red fox on 2 occasions eating a young groundhog.

 

[WyleWD]

That is correct. This is the second time I have found a coyote with his kill. We don't have a lot of coyote here but their #s are growing, I have killed 6 since Nov. and I am just learning to hunt them. I have also seen red fox on 2 occasions eating a young groundhog.

This is almost identical to what I was seeing around 1999-2002 here in central Ohio. There were a lot of chucks around here and getting 150 per year was not a real big challenge. Then one day I starting seeing coyotes hunting in the same area I was, and 2 years later there were no chucks to be found. A farmer told me the other day that he hasn't seen a chuck hole on his property for almost 20 years. He used to trap them to reduce their numbers.

Good shooting on the coyote! WD