Jim Taylor
COYOTES
Thursday, October 04, 2018, 17:28

Many years ago ....

I had shot a burro in the hills a couple miles behind our place, packed in the hind quarters and the backstraps to eat, and then used to the rest of the carcass for coyote bait. I had been riding out and shooting coyotes with a handgun from horseback, but the wiley critters soon caught on to that. When they heard my horse coming they would scatter. So one afternoon I decided to go on foot. I put on camouflage and took the Remington 600 in .243 loaded with 80 gr. BTHP loads. I worked my way out to where the carcass lay and when I was within 200 - 225 yards I could see coyotes working on various parts of the old donkey. I held on one that was chewing on part of a leg and squeezed the trigger. The coyote immediately dropped. It's partner ran off a few feet, then stopped and came back, sniffing around the fallen one. I had the crosshairs on it and pulled the trigger. I lost sight of it in the scope due to recoil, but when I pulled the gun back down I could see several others milling around as if unsure what to do. I shot another one as it was moving off and it jumped straight up into the air, then walked into the brush, stiff-legged and hunched over with it's tail sticking straight out.

By this time all the others had disappeared, their reasoning being most likely that this was not a safe place to be. After watching awhile I loaded up and began heading for the house. I had gone not more than a quarter mile when here came 3 more coyotes, walking along as if they were going to their favorite restaurant. I shot at the near on and missed. One that was above it took off across the hillside as hard as it could run. I shot at it and missed, but the bullet threw up chunks of rock and dirt in front of it and it stopped for second. My next shot nailed it. All during this time one lone coyote sat up at the top of the hill an his haunches, watching the proceedings. I knelt down, put the scope on its chin and fired, and the dog dropped.

This was the best coyote shooting I have ever gotten into at one setting. The nearest shot had been around 150 yards and all told I hit five of the 7 I shot at. I recovered all the bodies and laid them in one place to take photos. Two days later I went back and found their cousins had eaten them. I guess the got tired of burro meat.

........

The night before last I woke up about 1 AM with coyotes singing in the back yard. Yesterday I got out my Burnham Brothers call. I am gonna try to pop a couple one of these evenings.