[John in WYO]

Hey guys, I've been off the board for few days getting my #@% kicked on the Interstate. Blowing snow with 62 mph winds created no visibilty to 100 feet visibility and people were still trying to drive 40-50 mph to get to grandma's house for Christmas! Drifts were closing the lanes and we had 62 crashes/slide-offs in a seven mile stretch in 5 hours. No one killed or seriously injured. Several major rear end crashes. 3 foot deep snow-filled medians and right-of-ways contiribute to rapid deceleration when one leaves the road. Snow plows couldn't keep up and the highway dept. finally closed the road.
Now to the point of the title of this post, yesterday morning at daylight, while I was parked a few miles south of the ROAD CLOSED gates waiting to hand out driving awards for those motorist who decide to drive past the gate, I noticed movement to the NW of me just below a ridgeline. Got out the ol' binoculars and found 5 coyotes traveling single file from a russian olive filled draw where they probably bedded to get out of the storm.
As they crested out, they stopped to survey the rolling plains ahead of them where about 500 antelope were feeding, spread across several miles. I got to watch the little buggers while they obviously had murder on their minds. They were always at least a half-mile out and when I finally lost track of them they went under a fence about a mile SW of me. Really got my coyote fever going and I still had to work until 3pm. Dang it!
Didn't get to watch them make a kill, but when the snow gets crusted over, the coyotes can stay on top while the skinny antelope hooves break through. If a pack of coyotes can get an antelope in a drift, it's done. Seems they may be packing up a bit early, but mating season is just around the corner.

 

[Snake River Marksman]

Aggravating aint it? I see coyotes everyday either in the park or around the various housing developments. Always in places where I can't touch them.

How did the lion hunt go last week?

 

[geotg]

Coyote Predation on Pronghorns

...that would be a real interesting study. Wonder if one has ever been done. I have noticed in western Nebraska that when you find a herd of goats there is ALWAYS a coyote hanging around them somewhere. I know that there has been a major drop in pronghorn populations in Nebraska and I have to think that coyotes are involved to some degree.
A fawn in distress call in that area you saw those five might be fun

 

[John in WYO]

Hey Larry, I posted about the Lion hunt. I think it was titled "No stitches toady-lion hunt report" or something like that. Even had a few pictures, maybe you can find it. No luck that day. However, I did get a phone call last night from a rancher who found lion tracks at his back porch and around his shop yesterday morning. I'm headed out there this afternoon after my houndsman gets his cattle fed. The rancher has been finding deer kills within a 1/4 mile of the house in a big draw so we're going to try to tree Ol' Tom this afternoon. I wish the wind would lay down.... I'll take a camera this afternoon. It might get interesting, I hope , I hope, I hope...

 

[John in WYO]

Well, we found a day old track and followed it until we lost it. Made a 1/2 mile loop and never found it again. We finally decided that even if we found a deer kill it was getting too late to turn the dogs out. Found lots of bobcat tracks, note to self: Go back with FoxPro FX3 and woodpecker distress/lucky bird and .17 Remington.
I was carrying a Super 14 .44 mag Contender with 2x Leupold. 200 grain Speer Gold Dot handloads and sighted dead on at 25 yards. When we get Tom in a tree, he's going to have a bad day...

 

[Dana in Montana]

keep after 'em John

heck,we don't even have any snow here...haven't had more than a couple inches all winter....ground is bone dry 5' down...
I haven't heard of anyone around here getting a cat...but there are plenty around...
Anyone down there have any dogs for sale?? My neighbor is still looking...
more fun on the way---big storm headed your way

 

[MTGunner]

Big snow..

Yes, that storm is passing thru here in NW Montana now. Should blow out of here and toward the SE for Thursday and Friday. Problem is, we are heading to New Mexico via I-15 saturday down thru Idaho into Utah. Will be pulling a 30" tag along travel trailer. Hope most of the blow is gone by then. Great story about the 'yotes! Never, but never give a 'yote a pass!