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Five minutes after I turned on the rabbit distress call, he busted me, pure and
simple. I didn’t move much – just a small turn of my head when I sensed movement
to my left. My response was pure reaction and I paid the price when the coyote
took off at a dead run. If I had a shotgun, I might have stood a chance, but
there was no way I could get off a shot in what was more like thick Midwestern
swamp than Southwestern desert. Disappointed, I moved stands, but the wind
quickly picked up and swept away any hopes I had of calling in coyotes that day.
On the drive home I thought about the day’s events. There were several things
that made any hope of getting a shot at that coyote a pipe dream…I had on
military BDU camouflage, but nothing on my head, face or hands. I placed my
electronic call next to me, which meant the coyote was probably looking right at
me as he came in. Finally, my selection of firearms left a lot to be desired;
there are times when a shotgun is the very best choice. I have shot plenty of
coyotes with exactly the setup I had that day, but I left enough holes in my
plan for an elephant to get away, let alone a coyote.
I was better prepared the next week. I returned to the same site, only this time
I had a short barreled shotgun stuffed with #4 buckshot, a 3D ghillie suit for
camouflage, and a remote control for my electronic caller. I set up in nearly
the same spot and used the same rabbit distress call, but this time drew a blank.
It happens with the best setups, so I just moved on down the road. A few miles
later, I spotted a hill with a low saddle. The road I was on took a turn to the
right, meaning a quick hike over that saddle would put me a ways from the road.
I grabbed my pack, swapped the shotgun for my .223 Ruger Ranch Rifle, and headed
out. On the other side of the saddle was a perfect stand for calling – the
terrain slowly fell away into a wash. I set up my call on a tree in the wash and
then climbed back up the hill about 40 yards away. Mike Dillon at FoxPro told me
that the distressed woodpecker call on his FoxPro electronic call really draws
in the coyotes, so I decided to give it a try. I threw on my camo suit, facemask,
camo gloves, and then hit the remote switch.
I left the call on for a good 7 or 8 minutes, then flicked it off. Except for
the chirping of birds, all was quiet. Time ticked by…and then, off to my right,
I spied movement. “Good. Coyote, I thought…no wait, it is a bobcat! A big one!”
Mr. Bob moved along the wash from my right to left. Since he was a good 50 yards
away, raising the rifle slowly to take aim was not a problem. I was sitting on
the ground, so I shot sitting. When the bobcat paused, I took a shot. The cat
jumped what seemed like 4 feet straight into the air, and then ran toward the
bottom of the wash. He did not exit. I walked down to claim my prize. I poked
him with my rifle barrel, and when he didn’t move, I touched his back leg.
That brought him to life, as he sprang up but then fell on his broken front leg.
I backpedaled as fast as I could, then shot the cat one more time. That finished
him. I looked at my watch. It had been 15 minutes since I started to call – a
fast response for a bobcat.
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