Illinois Coyote Hunt: Good Calling and Guns/Loads Advice
Long-time blogger Scott Guerink made his annual winter pilgrimage to IL to do some coyote (deer/fawn predator) control. He filed this report, which contains great tactical info for setting up and calling yotes. Also, good stuff on their coyote arsenal (guns and loads):
Weather was pretty good, low 20s at night and mid 30s daytime. Warmer than the 13 below last year! I had my dad, Russ, with us for the first time this year along with buddies John, Ryan and Mike.
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On the first morning of our 2-day hunt Mike, Dad and I set out together. Hunting with 3 guys is ideal for this kind of property. When you think of Illinois you think flat ground, but this is anything but. The area we hunt is in the northwestern part of the state along the Mississippi River, and most of it is high ground with steep valleys and ridges (picture above). Two hunters are okay, but a third guy can cover another finger coming up a ridge or keep a eye out for a yote that might try to sneak in behind.
On our fourth set, Mike called with his FoxPro electronic call, starting with a rabbit distress and then into fighting raccoons. Just as he paused the call I saw one trotting toward us from the thick bottom. I lip squeaked to see if I could bring it straight in and not have it circle around us. He heard it and started to angle in. He disappeared for a moment, but popped up about 100 yards away. I mouth barked and it stopped facing me, just long enough for me to put it down with my .223 New England single shot (Black Hills ammo, 52-grain match hollow point). First yote I killed using the new Cabela’s Caliber-Specific Scope I put on the rifle a few weeks ago.
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Later that day, just before dark, we made another call. Shortly into the set Dad had one coming up the ridge his way, trying to circle around. He did a couple mouth barks and the yote stopped on a ridge about 100 yards out. He shot it with his Howa .223 with a Remington Premier Accutip V (varmint) load.
On our second call the next morning, Mike did the same routine, calling with rabbit distress and then fighting raccoons. A coyote appeared scaling the hill below me at 60-80 yards. It got in an opening and I gave a bark; it stopped, I shot and it piled up.
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Ryan and John called together, and Ryan shot 2 coyotes with his 12-gauge Mossberg using 3 1/2" Dead Coyote loads. They also used Fox Pro calls, but they started with a coyote howl or two and then rolled into rabbit distress.
We ended up killing 5 coyotes, our best year ever, and we missed 3 or 4 others on tough shots. We had a great time and all of us were able to get shots off and have action.
Our friend Mark that runs the place informed us that 2013 may be our last year because half the property was sold and he may be losing the lease he's had for over 25 years. We have been hunting there with him for 10 years and hate to see it come to an end, but hopefully he can get something worked out. It’s just a great place to have some off-season fun and shoot a few critters. —Thanks, Scott from MI
230-Inch Ohio Bow Giant!
From what I glean from the article, Ryan Dietsch took a picture of this deer with his iPhone one day in 2010 as it walked under his tree stand. He didn't shoot because one side of the buck's rack was busted off. Ryan kept hunting the area, and last Oct. 30 he killed the giant: 24 points and 230 inches!
Most striking are the drops, but all the stickers and kickers are cool too. Hopefully Ryan will contact me and give us the full story. comment
BIG DEER Super Bowl Contest
Pick the winner and total number of points scored in the game. For example, if you think the Giants are gonna win 24-14, vote “Giants 38.” If you say Patriots 20-17, vote "Pats 37."
Closest to total points with right team (over or under) wins. In case of a tie, I'll pull one winner out of the hat. Winner gets a box of cool hunting stuff.
One vote per blogger email, but your wife, girlfriend, kid, buddy can vote too. Contest open till 3:00 PM ET Sunday.
Guess who I'm for :)
Huge Iowa Bow Buck: 151-Inch 8-Pointer (285 Pounds)
Mike: After some time spent in the tree in my home state of PA, I was off to Iowa last season with the most precious piece of paperwork any bowhunter could want--an Iowa Buck Tag. The evening started off with several does and small bucks entering the freshly picked cornfield. At 6:15 a nice, heavy 7-point popped out. He worked some scrapes and fed down through the field to my right. I was trying to keep track of all the deer in front of me when I noticed another buck in the field. He was "ears back," following the Big 7. I took a quick glimpse with my binoculars--a shooter! I hung up the binos and grabbed my grunt call. The first few grunts seemed to go unnoticed, but when I turned up the volume, both bucks picked their heads up and looked my way. They were about 125 yards out. Once I had their attention, I gave a loud snort-wheeze, directed right at them. Instantly it looked as though there was a collar around the big buck’s neck, and I had given it a good jerk in my direction. He was on a steady march right to me! He came in to my right, along a fencerow. At 40 yards he stopped and worked a scrape as hard as I have ever seen a buck work one. I had freshened that scrape with fresh estrus urine on my way in. He stopped, gave a snort-wheeze of his own and came 20 yards closer to my stand. Then he worked another scrape. I still did not have a shot, because he was so tight against the fencerow. He left that scrape and walked right to the base of my tree. I was at full draw, and when he stopped, I buried the Muzzy and Carbon Express arrow through his lungs. He jumped the fence and ran off. I was sure of the shot, and after supper we went back to the field. We found him after his "death run" about 150 yards away. It never gets old walking up on a big buck, and this one was exceptional, HUGE. He weighed 285 pounds and sported a 151-inch rack. I was truly blessed again.—Thanks, Pat Strawser.jpg)
Pat Strawser guest blogs about his incredible late pre-rut hunt for this old giant, awesome!
Is Mike Hanback a Tatoo Artist?
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I have gotten some weird emails since I started this blog 4 years ago: Hey Mike: I'm reaching out to you because (we are) getting a lot of job leads for tattoo artists, and I'm looking for another tattoo artist who is interested in taking on more clients. After checking out your website I think you are a great fit for (us) and I'd love to start sending you job leads. Please fill out a few details about your skills and rates, and I'll start forwarding you potential new clients. Thanks, Heather
Hmm, if this years-long recession doesn’t improve soon, I might have to think about it. I suppose I’d specialize in buck ink, cause deer are pretty much all I know.
Milk River 7 Year Shed!
Very cool guest blog from our bow brother Luke Strommen:
One day last week I found this shed that I have been hunting for 7 years!
Mike, remember the “7 Come 11 Buck”? He was a big 5x6 that I hunted for a couple of years. One day in 2004 we.got some awesome footage of him when I was hunting on camera for Mossy Oak. He came to within 40 yards and on the wrong side of a tree, too far for me to shoot with my recurve anyway. He would have scored 163 to 170.
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I went on to miss him twice that year. One day I stalked him on the ground and shot over him; the other time, on a rainy tree stand day, he heard the wet feathers on my arrow coming at him and spooked!
The next year I passed him up at 7 yards in his bed because I was pushing brush to some guy; I drew on him 3 times before he knew I was there, and then he spooked up!
He got poached that fall, in October 2005. We caught the guy; I snapped this picture of the buck in the officer’s truck. He went over 170".
I found his last right shed in the spring of 2005 (left in photo below) and have been looking for the other side ever since. I would go into the point where the buck hung out several times every spring, saying: “Today I am going to find 7 Come 11’s other side.” I found it 7 years later! I am stoked. The flood last spring and animals moved it around I guess. It has some chewing and cracks. Found it less than 200 yards from where I found the first one.—Luke
Giant Croc Photo!
Tall-Tined Indiana Giant Buck, 169!
Hi Mike: After numerous days of bowhunting and passing up several small bucks, I finally had luck on the second day of Indiana’s gun season last year. I shot this buck on November 13th, in Decatur County, Indiana.
It was very windy that morning and I honestly didn’t think I was going to see any deer. It was already getting light out, so I put on some blue jeans, a sweatshirt, camo vest, orange hat, grabbed my muzzleloader and was out the door. The rut was on and I had decided I would just find a good spot and sit on the ground.
I only made it about 250 yards out in the field next to my house when I spotted 2 small bucks, and then I saw a buck that I wanted a better look at, a wide 140” 10-pointer. As I was sneaking closer a bigger buck and a doe jumped out, and I shot him.
I had watched this buck in this field one evening when he was in velvet not 50 yards from where I shot him. He didn’t have any ground shrinkage--the rack actually seemed to get bigger the closer I got to him! The meat locker guy weighed him in at 210 pounds field-dressed, and I wish I would have been able to get the live weight as well.
The tip to tip spread of the rack is only 2 4/8”wide. What I like most are his really long tines and a 10” split that comes off the right G2. The rack has 3 tines over 13”. He grossed 169” non-typical —John Herbert
Great buck young John! Two key points: Go when you can when the rut is on, even if conditions (wind, warm, etc.) aren’t great; John saw 4 bucks that morning and shot a giant…also, while some mature bucks move a mile or more after rubbing velvet in September, many stay in the area where you see them in summer, as proved by John’s buck he shot in the same field. comment
Real Avid Gun Tool
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Not just another multi-tool, but one designed for shooters and gun hunters. It features 18 of the most commonly used tools for working on rifles/shotguns: flat and Phillips screwdrivers, Torx and Allen wrenches, a pin punch, scope windage/elevation blade, etc. for scope mounting, break down, trigger disassembly and other jobs. Handy at the range or in camp and a bargain at $25. comment