[FrequentFlier]

Dang near became a statistic day before yesterday. Went hunting in Eastern Wa on Friday. Got back in several miles in rolling sage, calling with no success. About 30 minutes to dark thirty, a fog rolled in and obliterated everything. Happened mighty damn fast and suddenly it is pitch dark and cant see any lights for reference. Staggered out of there about four hours later, with what should have taken less than an hour. Temperature about 19 degrees. Interesting. Real interesting. Got my attention.

Got up Saturday morning to resume the hunt and 1st thing spied a coyote headed away from an orchard - was eating apples all night and was headed up to sleep it off no doubt. He was about three hundred yards away uphill of me and trotting, looking over his shoulder at me. Snapped off the top of a sage brush and laid the Cooper 17 MachIV on it and got on him. Cranked the scope up to 14 power and whistled once. He slammed on the brakes and held very nicely for me. Placed the crosshairs a foot over his back and squeezed. Off he goes, running like hell. Dang it, what was I thinking! Should have held on the top of his back. Got home and checked the ballistics - sure enough, 25 Grain Berger at 3800 fps, zeroed one inch high at 200 yards would be just over five inches low at 300. I shot seven inches over the top of his back! Broke my own rule - never hold off hair with a 17 MachIV. If you miss, he is too far away anyhow.

Hunted four sets more and called it a day, convinced that coyotes near orchards are pretty much a waste of time to try to call in. Until someone comes up with a screaming apple sound I am not going to hunt within two miles of one.

 

[coaster]

hi, FLIER. i feel your pain. for what it's worth, one time i found a fresh coyote turd three miles from the nearest orchard, in a sagebrush saddle, with lots of pieces of appleskins in that dropping. they cover a lot of ground!

sorry it took you so long to get back to your vehicle. is it worth investing in a GPS?

 

[John in CA.]

Blinding fog.....not good

Matt, Im glad you did get out of it ok ! That happened to me out in an open field once, and I got going north instead of east. Another time in the Sierras, and I had NO idea which way to go, so stopped, and fortunately, it lifted just before dark, and I got out. I was at 8800 ft. elev, and it was November, so that would have been a 5 degree night!

Be careful out there, and dont write off the apple orchards Just get set up downwind, before light, and wait. At least they are there, and thats half the battle.

Hope you try it again sometime, and get a different result!

 

[clark22d]

A Compass!

A simple compass should be the first thing around your neck on a lanyard.
Both hilly and flat ground can be a challenge when headed back to the truck in low light or other poor visibility conditions.
GPS is always good as long as you have power for it, even then, I have a compass with me!

 

[akita]

Glad all turned out well..

Good read, sorry you didn't connect. Better luck... Russ

 

[JRinKY]

Hold on Hair..not Air

I did exactly the same thing a couple of months ago with my .22 BR. I caught one out in the field mousing; held about a foot over his back ...and of course shot a foot over his back. I overestimated the range; there wasn't time to laser it and I guess I went completely stupid. Soon as I touched the trigger I knew I had screwed up. Gives you an attitude adjustment doesn't it?