Two Yotes Down - One Night to Go!!

My hunting partner and I entered the Mosquito Creek coyote hunt that is being held this weekend. So far we went hunting Friday morning from midnight till 5am and again Fri night until Sat morning when the snow squalls cut our hunting short. There was still some snow on the ground in most of the areas we were hunting so we decided to wear snow camo Fri morning. We lost 90% of our snow here in Centre County Fri during the day.

At about 2:30 am we set up in a large horse pasture and positioned ourselves in an elevated position. After about 1/2 hour of trying different sounds I gave out one lonesome mouth howl. The wooded hillside in front of us lit up. I worked them for another 10 minutes or so then tried a challenge howl using my hand call. I watched one coyote break cover at approx 270 yards then started charging in angling slightly downwind. My partner was downwind to my right about 40 yards covering an area I couldn't see from my vantage point. What I didn't know was my partner was fixated on a second coyote that was headed directly towards him. The coyote I was watching didn't stop until about 70 yards out. After I dropped him I learned my partner was just ready to squeeze the trigger when my shot sent his coyote running. If I would have waited to shoot a few seconds longer we may have had a double.

Friday night we started at 7 PM and set-up in hedge row overlooking a field that boarded a large wooded area. I gave out several long howls with my Fox Pro and the hillside lit up. After about 20 minutes I saw a set of eyes at about 250 yards coming down the partially wooded hillside. The wind was blowing from left to right and the eyes were slightly up wind. My partner was watching the downwind side so I gave a couple of lip squeaks to lure the coyote a little closer and to alert my partner of the approaching yote. Soon after the eyes disappeared so I continued calling for an additional minute or so. Nothing! We sat silent for another 10 minutes then my partner gave out a few female whimpers with his mouth call. Shortly after that I heard my partner lip squeaking, out of the corner of my eye I could see his gun light illuminate then I heard the crack of his .223 with a solid whack of the bullet hitting the coyote. I looked to my downwind side to see a large coyote at about 170 yards laboring to get back on his feet. I yelled shoot it again, second shot... lights out! We should have stayed and continued to call because after we walked (okay ran, lol) to the downed male dog we were given the dickens by his mate. I guess she was ticked off that he left her for another female, lol!

We also called in two grays, a coon and a huge bobcat ( I know where I'm going next bobcat season).

I would have had a group photo taken but I didn't think my wife would have appreciated me waking her up at 4am to take the picture.

We will weigh in at Mosquito Creek sometime tomorrow early afternoon but first we will see what tonight brings!