I went hunting Christmas Eve morning, here in Idaho, and got my first coyote!! I wa shooting my Ruger No. 1, .22-250, with my favorite handload. This rifle is sweeeet! I've done some work on it to accurize it over the years. The rifle shoots a 40gr. Nosler ballistic tip bullet into 3/8" at 200 yards!! The bullets are only loaded to 3850 fps., since that was the most accurate laod I've tried. I use VARGET powder, since it's temperature stable, and I was shooting early in the morning when it was only about -5 degrees or so. I got myself a guide, who has access to some prevate lands here and we helped some ranchers with thier coyote problems at the same time as having a great time hunting. Our set up was the second one of the day. At the first one, we had several coyotes howling near by when we used the dying rabbit call, but none of them came in for some reason. On the second stand, we used the guide's caller again, and got several excited howling responses, but still no coyotes would come in. Then I used the secret weapon..my Wildlife Technologies caller, with the cottontail distress call, and several coyotes showed up almost immediately. One ran right up to the speaker!! The guide was saying "turn down the caller and he might stand still to give you a shot" but it was too late, I was already reaching for my rifle, having just put down the remote control. Well, when Mr. Coyote got to the sqeaker and found out that there was NO RABBIT there, he turned tail and made like the cartoon coyote trying to go from 0-100 mph in just 2 steps. Legs spinning everywhere. He did 2 360's and started to head uphill. quartering away from right to left. We had our callers in a shallow depression, about 100 yards from our position. I picked up my rifle, and immediately all of the things I have been studying, and reading about and practicing myself flashed thru my mind in just a second....
1. The coyote is moving!!
2. Safety off
3. Lead target-figure 25 mph!
4. range and bullet drop calculation
5.The guide is watching-says we might not get another chance today, or another shot
6. My Ruger No. 1 is a single shot, make it count
7. I'm zeroed dead on at 200
8. Breathe-not so easy when everything from the 2 weeks of preparation is rushing thru your head all at once
9. find the trigger, pull all the above together.
10. Take careful aim...no second chances, just one shot is all I get.
11. check lead on target and
12.FIRE!!!
I got the coyote on a dead run, quartering away at about 150-175 yards, running uphill.
He was running with his head straight out in front, kind of parallel to the ground, and I put my crosshairs on the tip of his snout and shot.
I hit him right behind the left ear, and he crumpled up right there ont he spot! Not even a twitch. The little nosler exited right between his eyes, and there was only a dime sized hole. No stitching up on this pelt! It was a fairly large male coyote, with some really impressive fangs. He was in prime fur and looked healthy, about 2-3 years old. My guide was so excited he jumped up and down yelling "You Got Him! You Got Him, I can't believe it YOU GOT HIM!!" Was I ever happy, a big coyote on my first hunt, and only 1 shot fired all day. Well, the guide is putting the story in the monthly hunting club newsletter, even though such hunts are rarely worth reporting about. He told me that on his last hunt, a client messed a 75 yard still broadside shot. I was REALLY prepared. Lots of practice at the rance, from field positions, good camo, confidence in my rifle and bullet combo. Anyways, the guide suddelny says, hey, maybe there's more than one, we should look around! Well we did, and there was. About 300 yards there was coyote No. 2 high tailing it away from us, obviously disturbed by our loud whoops and high 5ing!! I tried to get set up for another shot, but it was too late. It didn't matter at all.
One Perfect Shot
A quiet morning
a successful hunt.
That's what I wanted and worked hard so I could accomplish my dream hunt.
I'm hooked, anyone want to go predator hunting?
My First Coyote/The Perfect Shot
