VERY cool morning... except for the miss!
12-01-2004, 06:58 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jackson, Missouri
Posts: 7,051
VERY cool morning... except for the miss!
I had a feeling something neat would happen today. When I usually have to pay a harder price than normal -- go the extra mile, if you will -- it just always seems to make for a great day. Today was no exception.
I was about 100 yards from my stand with about 10 minutes before twilight when I came upon the little creek which I usually step over. I'd forgot about the effect two days' of steady rains would have on it, and found the little three-foot wide creek swollen out of its banks and nearly fifteen feet across. I found a thick limb and used it as a guide to poke and prod along, testing the depth every foot or so. I'd made it 2/3 of the way across when I found the channel, and icy water poured in over my right boot. The Jeep's temperature readout had said 31 degrees when I stopped to park nearly thirty minutes earlier, and the water felt every bit of it.
I made it on across without getting my left foot wet and took my right boot off and poured the water out. After getting in my stand, I pushed the rubber Lacrosse upside down through my treestand slats, allowing it to drain. I pulled my wool sock off and wrung it as dry as I could, smiling inwardly at how crazy non-bowhunters would think I was.
Two hours later, I still hadn't seen anything, and my foot was freezing. I decided to get down and still-hunt my way back to the Jeep. I had been set up over a CRP field being used as a bedding area, and I cut through that before entering the woodline. Upon reaching that, I could hear something running ahead and breaking limbs in the process. I got a glimpse of brown, and figured I'd pushed the whole local herd ahead of me.
After freezing and peering through the limbs, I started making out coyotes about 150 yards ahead. One after another, they kept running by. But as I kept watching, some started coming back! I finally realized that what I was watching was a family of four yotes... two adults, and two full-sized juveniles. I surmised this after watching them for nearly 10 minutes chase each other and tumble and roll and nip each other. The other two yotes watched with seeming approval and kept guard. After awhile, one of the older dogs disappeared over a hillside and came back with a tattered red fox squirrel hide, and the two younger dogs gave chase, tumbling all around and streaking everywhere within a 50-yard radius.
Realizing they were oblivious to me, I began creeping toward them after nocking an arrow. Nearly forty-five minutes later found me closing the gap to nearly sixty yards. I was literally amazed I had crept so close to such an ultimate predator!! There was always one of the dogs sitting on its haunches and scanning the woods from side to side, and I always had to be aware of that one plus the other three frollicking around.
Suddenly, they all took off down the draw, and I just knew I'd lost my chance to complete my stalk. But a few seconds later I caught a glimpse of them returning, but they were still 100 yards out from where they were just playing. I moved up about 20 feet and took a knee and one of the yotes crossed directly in front of me and stopped broadside. I estimated the distance at 30 yards, held the pin in the middle of his body, touched off the release, and watched the arrow zip over his back. The coyote ran forward a couple feet and stared at me, bobbing his head back and forth trying to gain depth perception and pick me out. The distance was closer to just over 20 yards, but the shot had been across a deep ditch which threw my ranging ability off.
Upon recovering the arrow later, I found a fistful of fur. Disappointed at my miss, I was still thrilled with my stalk. To be so close to not one but four of some of the best predators in the woods and watch them play and interact for almost an hour unmolested was absolutely one of the coolest bowhunting experiences I've had yet.
I was about 100 yards from my stand with about 10 minutes before twilight when I came upon the little creek which I usually step over. I'd forgot about the effect two days' of steady rains would have on it, and found the little three-foot wide creek swollen out of its banks and nearly fifteen feet across. I found a thick limb and used it as a guide to poke and prod along, testing the depth every foot or so. I'd made it 2/3 of the way across when I found the channel, and icy water poured in over my right boot. The Jeep's temperature readout had said 31 degrees when I stopped to park nearly thirty minutes earlier, and the water felt every bit of it.
I made it on across without getting my left foot wet and took my right boot off and poured the water out. After getting in my stand, I pushed the rubber Lacrosse upside down through my treestand slats, allowing it to drain. I pulled my wool sock off and wrung it as dry as I could, smiling inwardly at how crazy non-bowhunters would think I was.
Two hours later, I still hadn't seen anything, and my foot was freezing. I decided to get down and still-hunt my way back to the Jeep. I had been set up over a CRP field being used as a bedding area, and I cut through that before entering the woodline. Upon reaching that, I could hear something running ahead and breaking limbs in the process. I got a glimpse of brown, and figured I'd pushed the whole local herd ahead of me.
After freezing and peering through the limbs, I started making out coyotes about 150 yards ahead. One after another, they kept running by. But as I kept watching, some started coming back! I finally realized that what I was watching was a family of four yotes... two adults, and two full-sized juveniles. I surmised this after watching them for nearly 10 minutes chase each other and tumble and roll and nip each other. The other two yotes watched with seeming approval and kept guard. After awhile, one of the older dogs disappeared over a hillside and came back with a tattered red fox squirrel hide, and the two younger dogs gave chase, tumbling all around and streaking everywhere within a 50-yard radius.
Realizing they were oblivious to me, I began creeping toward them after nocking an arrow. Nearly forty-five minutes later found me closing the gap to nearly sixty yards. I was literally amazed I had crept so close to such an ultimate predator!! There was always one of the dogs sitting on its haunches and scanning the woods from side to side, and I always had to be aware of that one plus the other three frollicking around.
Suddenly, they all took off down the draw, and I just knew I'd lost my chance to complete my stalk. But a few seconds later I caught a glimpse of them returning, but they were still 100 yards out from where they were just playing. I moved up about 20 feet and took a knee and one of the yotes crossed directly in front of me and stopped broadside. I estimated the distance at 30 yards, held the pin in the middle of his body, touched off the release, and watched the arrow zip over his back. The coyote ran forward a couple feet and stared at me, bobbing his head back and forth trying to gain depth perception and pick me out. The distance was closer to just over 20 yards, but the shot had been across a deep ditch which threw my ranging ability off.
Upon recovering the arrow later, I found a fistful of fur. Disappointed at my miss, I was still thrilled with my stalk. To be so close to not one but four of some of the best predators in the woods and watch them play and interact for almost an hour unmolested was absolutely one of the coolest bowhunting experiences I've had yet.
12-01-2004, 07:09 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ontario,Canada
Posts: 2,107
RE: VERY cool morning... except for the miss!
That was a very interesting story,almost made me feel like i was stalking with you.
One of the most memorable hunts I had this year had to be watching a fox digging in a dead log about 25-30 yards from me,then,20 min later a fisher wanted to join me in my stand.I was not going to let that happen.I dropped my rope to hoist my bow into the tree and he started to bite at it,I was playing tug of war with him for maybe a minute and decided to say boo to him because he was getting a little to comfy around me.Not sure if anyone knows what a fisher is but they are vicious,can put a black bear on the run.Anyways he almost turned inside out,and took off like lightening.I was laughing so hard i almost fell out of my stand.But it could have gotten ugly if he had of chose to climb the tree.
One of the most memorable hunts I had this year had to be watching a fox digging in a dead log about 25-30 yards from me,then,20 min later a fisher wanted to join me in my stand.I was not going to let that happen.I dropped my rope to hoist my bow into the tree and he started to bite at it,I was playing tug of war with him for maybe a minute and decided to say boo to him because he was getting a little to comfy around me.Not sure if anyone knows what a fisher is but they are vicious,can put a black bear on the run.Anyways he almost turned inside out,and took off like lightening.I was laughing so hard i almost fell out of my stand.But it could have gotten ugly if he had of chose to climb the tree.
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