OK, so I had a terrible turkey season, but this morning's outing was deemed a success nonetheless...
My permission to hunt my brother's woods for turkey came with not only a blessing, but a request to take any coyotes that offered a safe shot. He has already lost a couple of barn cats and has an outdoor dog that barks at them in the middle of the night when they're around. And, with 4 young children running around, I can see why he wants them gone.
So, having just procured and set up a new .223 bolt gun, I humped it out into the woods this morning along the with shotgun just in case any 'yotes passed by.
As has been the case all year while turkey hunting, I was covered up in deer. There were 2 or 3 behind me and 4 in the woods in front of me. I was having a great morning watching the birds and deer and other critters when all the sudden I see 4 bouncing white tails heading out of the woods for the ditch. They stopped every so often and looked back into the woods. I knew something had spooked them, but didn't know what - until I looked to the top of the hill. There was a 'yote and he was looking right toward me.
At this point I slowly and carefully put down the shotgun and reach for the rifle. As quietly as possible I run the bolt and chamber a round. As I look down to ensure the safety is on, the 'yote starts trotting into the woods and I lose sight of him. Not giving up, I get the rifle on the monopod and shift around toward the right to have a better chance if he pops back out. Sure enough he did - at 20 yards and closing fast. He had no intentions of stopping and I only had small window in which to take a safe shot (he was headed toward the horse pasture). I flick off the safety as I settle the dot on his shoulder and at 15 yards I drop him.
For those curious, it's a Savage Stevens 200 in .223. I dropped in a Rifle Basix trigger, stiffened up the forearm area on the stock and added a kydex adjustable cheek rest and gave it a quick and dirty spray paint job. I put a Vortex Crossfire 4-12 illuminated dot reticle on top. My first range trip with it provided a 3 shot group of .8 inches at 100 yards with cheap factory ammo. So far, I'm really happy with it.
This was my first 'yote, but it won't be my last.
My permission to hunt my brother's woods for turkey came with not only a blessing, but a request to take any coyotes that offered a safe shot. He has already lost a couple of barn cats and has an outdoor dog that barks at them in the middle of the night when they're around. And, with 4 young children running around, I can see why he wants them gone.
So, having just procured and set up a new .223 bolt gun, I humped it out into the woods this morning along the with shotgun just in case any 'yotes passed by.
As has been the case all year while turkey hunting, I was covered up in deer. There were 2 or 3 behind me and 4 in the woods in front of me. I was having a great morning watching the birds and deer and other critters when all the sudden I see 4 bouncing white tails heading out of the woods for the ditch. They stopped every so often and looked back into the woods. I knew something had spooked them, but didn't know what - until I looked to the top of the hill. There was a 'yote and he was looking right toward me.
At this point I slowly and carefully put down the shotgun and reach for the rifle. As quietly as possible I run the bolt and chamber a round. As I look down to ensure the safety is on, the 'yote starts trotting into the woods and I lose sight of him. Not giving up, I get the rifle on the monopod and shift around toward the right to have a better chance if he pops back out. Sure enough he did - at 20 yards and closing fast. He had no intentions of stopping and I only had small window in which to take a safe shot (he was headed toward the horse pasture). I flick off the safety as I settle the dot on his shoulder and at 15 yards I drop him.
For those curious, it's a Savage Stevens 200 in .223. I dropped in a Rifle Basix trigger, stiffened up the forearm area on the stock and added a kydex adjustable cheek rest and gave it a quick and dirty spray paint job. I put a Vortex Crossfire 4-12 illuminated dot reticle on top. My first range trip with it provided a 3 shot group of .8 inches at 100 yards with cheap factory ammo. So far, I'm really happy with it.
This was my first 'yote, but it won't be my last.
