Given my past history with bowhunting during gun season....
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=39;t=000044 I was a bit leary to go this morning. But my bowhunting only spot in Westchester Co. wasn't an option today. So it was opening day of gun season around here, or don't hunt.
Now I still won't hunt just anywhere during the gun season. As a matter of fact I won't hunt anywhere that I think I'll be share the woods.
I have a spot that is a good funnel created by terrain, a river, and a house. Small woods, urban area, and I've never seen anyone else there.
I even hesitated getting up when my alarm went off this morning, and that never happens! I laid in bed contemplating whether I should go.... gun season, a mile walk in just to avoid spooking the deer that might come by.....hmmmmm...
But I've learned over the years that days that I've thought about not going, but forced myself to go, have almost always produced good action. So that was the deciding factor. After 10 min. of laying and deciding I jumped out of bed and hit the shower!
Fast forward 1 1/2hrs......
Sunrise over the scenic Hudson River......
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Shortly after taking that picture and putting my glove back on I heard something running. Figuring it was one of the many squirrels that are a constant part of hunting this stand, I turned and sure enough....there was one running at top speed. I heard something else coming as well and looked to see further back expecting to see another squirrel.....Here comes a coyote at a fast trot, closing fast! It was headed for my shooting lanes about 14yds. away!
I whipped around and grabbed for Miss Faith. I had to do it as fast as I could, taking the chance that it might see the movement because if I didn't, it would be thru my shooting lanes before I could even be ready to shoot, and I wouldn't get a shot anyway if I tried to do it slow.
Turning back around quickly with Miss Faith, it was still coming and I was ready for a quick shot as is the norm with a coyote.
But all of a sudden it pulled up and put it's nose in the air! I had the wind, but it seemed like it had maybe gotten a bit of scent. It turned and started to circle to get downwind.
Now my experience with coyotes is that they don't stick around at the slightest hint of a hunter. So maybe it just "sensed" something, guess I'll never be sure.
But as it started around downwind, it ran into an almost impenetrable wall of brush and stopped to lift it's nose and check the wind again. Satisfied that all was kinda ok, it circled back around on the the bench it was on to begin with, and started back toward me on it original path.
When it got to the same spot it stopped the first time, it stopped again to contemplate things.....
It stood for a couple seconds, then it almost seemed like it wasn't quite sure, but decided to "go for it", and broke into a trot, closing very fast again!
There was no way to even try to shoot at this bugger as fast as it was moving. So as it crossed broadside at about 14yds. I tried to stop it in my shooting lane with a whistle....a second louder whistle stopped it and put it on high alert.
Miss Faith's limbs sprang forward and sent a VPA Terminator tipped Vapor 3000 on a deadly path!
Of course, at the shot the coyote was already taking evasive action. Wheeling toward me in an attempt to turn and run back the way it had come from. But it's duck, turn , and run wasn't quite quick enough!
The arrow hit with a "crack", and the 'yote's back end went down. But that hardly slowed it down as it attempted to get away. As it flipped, fell, and flopped I could see the blood spraying even in the low light.
After quite a "battle" that lasted about 40yds. and about 10 seconds...it was over!
In this pic you can clearly see the scuffed leaf trail it left along the bench....
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Close up from the stand....
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Again from the stand....Like I said earlier, I thought I could see blood spraying as it tried to retreat.....
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I was ecstatic! Not only had I just shot my 3rd bowkilled coyote, but I'd done it with Miss Faith!
Because of a prior commitment of my wifes, I had to get home by 10:00. So that left me with about an hour to "hang and hope" that one of my target bucks would also try to use the funnel. I knew I wanted plenty of time to take pix and get my prize out of the woods......
After an hour....no deer, so it was time to get down......
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More in a bit....
Topic: The Adventure of Hope and Faith 2009/2010 (Read 6792 times)
