Coyote helps me take season's first deer!
This morning was supposed to be our coldest of the year so far, so 6 a.m. found me in my stand overlooking a standing corn field with the convergence of three ridges behind me. At about 8:20, I caught glimpses of a deer slipping through the trees to my left about forty yards away and into the corn field. I could hear it breaking down stalks every so often, but he never came my way.
Since I had just decided to get down, I decided to get out of my stand real quietly and walk the edge of the cornfield heading the direction I had last heard the deer. After walking about twenty yards or so, I could hear stalks breaking down -- and coming right at me, quickly! I was amazed when I realized it was a six-point buck being chased by a coyote, and they were nearly on top of me! I came to full draw, and tried to get on the coyote, but he melted back into the corn before I could steady and release a shot.
The buck slowed to a walk once the coyote was gone, and started feeding off to my left at a distance of about twenty yards. He kept feeding away from me, and I made up my mind that if I could take him from the ground, I would. There would have been no hesitation in letting him pass from a stand (that's why I was going to shoot the coyote instead of him), but I decided one from eye-level would be a bit different.
He kept feeding straight away, and I kept closing the distance as he walked. Finally, he looked around and caught me mid-stride. He stared at me for probably a full two minutes, and finally turned and walked into the edge of the woods. As he disappeared behind a tree, I hurried forward a few paces and came to full draw. Sure enough, curiosity got the best of him as he circled back toward me to check me out again -- but this time he stopped broadside about 22 yards away, and with me at full draw. I touched off the release, and smoked a Gold Tip tipped with a Rocket Aerohead Miniblaster through the middle of his heart, taking out one lung in the process.
Who says coyotes aren't hazardous to a deer's health?
Discipline -- not desire -- determines destiny.