Please help me feel better about myself..looks like I missed one

White_Farm · 10-16-2006, 07:10 PM

Called for about a half hour tonight while watching down a longtrail (225yds) that opens up to a field. Just before it was too dark, I had a coyote come running down the trail at me from the end. He jumped in the brush for a second and i couldn't see. I called againquick and he popped back out and started running straight at me again and when he got about 120-130 yards I took a shot at him straight on before he could jump in the brush again on either side of the trail. Well, from what i can tell I missed and he jumped off the trail right after I shot. I waited...called some more but it got too dark and I had to leave. I came back in the trail with a light and couldn't find any blood/hair so i'm assuming I missed.

Please reassure me that I don't suck. I'm pretty bummed having botched a perfect opportunity. Should I have waited till he was closer? I was pretty worried he would just jump into the brush off the trail and I'd never see him again so I shot whenI could.

Howler · 10-16-2006, 08:59 PM

One thing you need to do when you set up every time, is know the direction of the wind. Make a mental note to yourself where your scent cone is. An incoming coyote very seldom will leave without first smelling you, or seeing you, and if he only turns to leave because he saw your movement, you can stop him with a simple mouth bark, BUT if he smells you, getting him to stop becomes less than probable. SO, with all that said, you should've let him come, as long as he wasn't getting too close to your scent cone. Any time that a coyote is in your comfortable shooting range, use your mouth/voice to bark at it, like a dog, and when it stops, take the shot.

bhw · 10-18-2006, 11:22 AM

Yoiu are not alone... All predator hunters have this happen. If they say they don't... they are lying!

If anything can go wrong while calling coyotes it probably will. There is a reason why coyotes are so successful in the wild. Part of it is their ability to get out of potentially dangerous situations, such as what you describe.

You will be "bummed" again in the future, but when you do successul score a coyote, it will make up for the close calls.

Arkansasmountainman · 10-18-2006, 03:08 PM

dont woory bud... i missed a huge bobcat yesterday at only 25 yards with my muzzleloader

sullivt · 10-18-2006, 04:53 PM

I would hate to admit it but I missed a coyote twice at one stand... still this is one of the most memorable hunts I have had... andlooking on the bright side...I did not have to drag him out of the woods.

Whitehair · 10-19-2006, 05:07 AM

Dude, it happens to everybody...
One thing Ive learned; Pick a Hair, doesnt only apply to bowhunting.Hold your crosshairs on the exact hair you want to hit, and you shouldnt have any problems...
Good luck next time!

North Texan · 10-19-2006, 11:32 AM

It happens to everybody. With practice and experience, you'll call up more coyotes and miss fewer.

I missed probably the first 3 or 4 coyotes I called up when I first started. I didn't have anybody to show me how, and I didn't know about websites like this that offered a lot of good advice. So my success rates were very, very low.

This summer, I killed a bunch of coyotes. But I still missed twice. It comes with the territory.

Learn from your mistakes, keep honing your shooting skills, and keep hunting. Then the misses come fewer and further in between.