I got a call at 11:00 AM from the Captain. "Do you want to go hunting coyotes?"
"You darned betchya!" I replied.
It was a small enterprise. The Captain was joined by his son and his brother. We pushed about a half section of land, alternating standing and driving. We hunted until 3:30 PM. I figure I walked four or five miles. That estimate was verified by the Captain's son. He has an App on his phone that tracks distance and it said he walked 4.2 miles.
Walking through standing corn is hard work!
I did not see any coyotes but two of the guys who were standing did. They launched 8 shots but did not connect. The after-action-analysis was that 12 pellets (times 8) of 0-0 does not get it done at 100 yards. The song-dog squirted out between our two standers, who were 200 yards apart. They knew they were too far away but fired anyway to "Let it know we cared."
We need more shooters!
The Captain suggested that I invite Kubota for the next hunt. Kubota was thrilled to be invited. The Captain and company understand that we need to actively recruit new participants if we are to keep shooting sports viable. They are already talking about inviting some of Kubota's friends on future expeditions.
A quick tour of the internet suggests that 45 pellets of "T" shot, Remington RP12 wad, Federal hulls, 35 grains of Blue Dot, shot buffer and full choke is good coyote medicine. Lucky for me the Lansing/Mason gun show is this weekend and I might be able to find some T ( 0.20" diameter shot). One more shooter shrinks the gap to one hundred yards (fifty yard max shot for somebody) and the T shot loads should be able to reach that far.
Unlike the "old" guys, I like driving more than standing. The guys who are standing are far more likely to have a quality shots at coyotes. The driver, or walker, gets to see more countryside. I have already decided to load up with #6 shot for the next hunt. I have little doubt that I will limit out on rabbits.
This was more fun than a barrel of monkeys and I am looking forward to our next outing.
Sounds a lot like pheasant hunting except the quarry cannot fly, and is a lot smarter. More fun than a barrel of monkeys is a high standard seldom achieved, but it does sound great!
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