What could that possibly mean?

Today I set a new record for me. A record for calling coyotes.

I called in seven coyotes on ONE stand; one came as close as 25 feet, they ALL came within 100 yards or less, and I got ZERO shots.

I digress a bit: about six days ago, just before dark I set up in a spot overlooking a very large meadow with a small creek running through it. I was determined to shoot a coyote with my Ruger .22 pistol; and I called in three coyotes from that stand,
and all came within scoped pistol range, but not close enough for my .22.

So this evening, I set up about a quarter mile away from that
other spot. But I was PREPARED this time. I had my trusty Contender Super 14 in .223 equipped with a 7x Burris and a Harris bipod, along with my little Ruger .22. I was wearing camo cover-alls, and I had my face mask and camo gloves on. I set up prone, overlooking a portion of the same large meadow as before. The wind was in my face, BASICALLY EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE PERFECT. I was gonna hammer 'em now!

The first few faint squalls of my call drifted down and across the wide open expanse, and within 2 minutes I spotted a coyote coming in from off to the left. I moved the .223 ever so slightly to get him in the scope, and then he disappeared in a hollow, but still coming; about that time another coyote appeared from the right at 75 yards, and I swung the gun over to cover him; he saw me and did a double take and reversed his direction, just as the first coyote appeared in front of me at 90 yards, and then 2 others came into view, and then another and then another, from all directions it seemed there were coyotes either coming or going! And they all came up over the last little "hump" within 100 yards but none of them stopped, even when I did my "kissing sound" by sucking the back of my hand which normally works to stop them but there was just too much action and too many coyotes; it was pandemonium! A comedy of...OK, errors. As soon as I would get the crosshairs on one of the coyotes, it would wind or see me and split, so I would switch to another one, and then the same thing would happen, it was, well, hilarious. And to top it all off, a young one came in from behind me and ran by me at 25 feet.

They say it is good when you can laugh at yourself. I did, that's for sure.

A lot of you have posted lately about wanting to bust a coyote with a handgun. I put this up here to maybe hopefully give you some encouragement. Even when everything seems perfect, and the coyotes come in, it is not easy. Especially with a handgun.

My message to you is: keep on trying!!! Best of luck!! Sooner or later, if you prevail you will succeed!!

Thanks for the great story, Gregg! I'm planning on using an open sight AMT Automag if I can get them close. If not, I'll have something else handy.

You should start doing coyote hunts Gregg!!I miss Colorado and the abundance of fun shooting! Good for you. My only question, did you have the camera with you??

Seven coyotes on one stand is something to be proud of however it plays out.

What memories!!

Did you get any of it on film?

Great story Gregg and thanks for sharing the story with us.

Yep when the Coyotes are gonna come in, they come in. With me the past couple years it has either been feast or famin in regards to calling Coyotes. However I have NEVER called in 7 at one stand before.

I did call in 4 at once one time armed with a Super 14 .223 Contender. And oh by the way I didn't fire a shot either, but it was worth the price of admission just watching them. It was the very first time using a new call (Primos Double Wammy) and I have never called in a single thing with it after that day.

Larry

Good story.

I have had some funny stories of coyote hunting with Steve, and Steve has a ton more than I do.

It is possible to take a yote with a SP.
I have never taken one with a rimfire-Good luck Gregg.
Here is the most recent yote I have killed.
It was a coyote of opportunity.

Back when cover scents were starting to become popular I had bought some fox urine.Dad and I had been hunting(bow) a treestand right over a scrape on where we had a couple of trails coming up out of a ravine(there was pasture down below)Anyway,I was going to the stand one morning and had dosed my boots with fox urine and when I got to the scrape I dosed up again walking around it to my stand.30 minutes later I here something coming from the ravine and as it got to the top of the trail(15 yards from me)I noticed it was a big fat coyote and his smeller was just going crazy.I pulled back and shot him were he come flying under my stand with blood pouring out both sides.I could tell he was about done so I nocked another arrow and hung my bow up.Within a couple of minutes I here something else coming up the trail and sure enough it was another coyote and he stopped in the same spot with his nose in the air just going crazy.So I shot him and he ran back down the trail hollering as he ran.So know I'm really excited but thinking my buddies are going call me a liar about shooting two coyotes and as I'm pondering those thoughts another coyote shows up on the same trail and stops in the same spot and he too has his nose in the air just waiting to find that fox.I shot him too and he runs back down the trail just a hollering so I ended up shooting 3 coyotes because they came one at a time looking for that fox.And my dad was hunting with me that morning and was checking deer sign as he approached my stand coming upon the two coyotes laying at the bottom of the ravine so he's my witness when it comes to that hunt and the three amigoes!

Thanks. These last two stands will help make up for my dry spell of umpteen stands with no shows!

No! Now of course I wish that I had taken the time to etc. etc. blah blah blah.....

You know how that goes...

I have killed probably a dozen or so with rimfires, including .22's and .17 HMR's, but rifles.

Nice 'yote, Ernie. Coyotes as targets of opportunity; yeah done that lots too but nothing like the thrill of the hunter calling in the hunter.

Wow!

Johnwilliams, I don't doubt your story one bit. I also had a wackem-stackem hunt on coyotes. It was by chance, for I was deer hunting, but I killed 4 with a bow one morning. I had a pack of six come under my stand and the only reason I didn't get "but" 4, was because I only had four arrows. I firmly believe I could have killed 5 because the other two presented easy shot after I ran out of ammo.

And now, for THE REST OF THE STORY...

I lay there for a few moments, almost in disbelief, my pounding heart finally slowing down. Carefully uncocking my Contender, I felt...both happy and sad. What an experience to treasure, one I will never forget.

I got up slowly and gathered my gear together, then turned to head for my truck. It was at that moment when one of Mother Nature's most beautiful sounds, at least to my way of thinking, reached my ears: The coyotes were serenading me, their yips and howls going up and down as darkness closed in. I'm sure it wasn't a love serenade, more like a "hey we beat you, we won, we survived..."

I grinned, and under my breath I said softly, so as not to block out their music: "Yeah, ya did, THIS TIME. But we...we just might...meet again someday..."

Ah yes, nothing beats that feeling of closeness with nature and life when your heart beat gets going over close calls with nature like this. And nothing beats that memory afterwards. After all, until tomorrow, all we have is memories!

Kral,thats why I have an 8 arrow quiver on my Oneida Eagle and a 10 on my Martin,I love to thump squirrels or coyotes if given the chance when bowhunting.Greg,I went out one afternoon with my nephew trying to call coyotes in (electronic caller)and didn't see anything but right as its getting dark we had one group howling from the south,from the east and from the north all heading in our direction but of course it was dark so we had to leave but it was pretty cool to have them coming to us even though we didn't get to see them.

Hi Gregg!

Almost all of my coyotes have been taken with a handgun. My very first one was a small yote running from my chicken coop, one shot on the run with an old Ruger .22 Mk 1. I'll never do that again (I like luck!!).

But I have never called seven in at one stand!! You need some help, or maybe an AR!!!

Sorry to hear about the HHI WY 2011 Antelope hunt, I know you love putting that on.

Bill

I went to my "coyote honey hole" again this p.m. and again got some action; too dark for pics, will try to get some tomorrow and post one.