Squirrel hunt suprise

[rushlake1]

Took yesterday off from work and spent it in the squirrel woods...30 deg overcast slight fog with ice mist. Really nice conditions for central Wisconsin in mid January. Hunting a 20 acre patch of mixed pine and oak...On my first set while calling turkeys..Just for fun...it happened...
seated with back against a tree I hear what I thought was a squirrel on the semi crunchy snow to the right and behind me...I turn and here comes trotting in is the most beautiful coyote...Thick lush coat filled out..noticed it was favoring one front leg...didn't seem to slow it down any...
I shifted from the padded folding stool and the coyote was at 15 yards....Rifle laying across my lap pointed to the left(right handed shooter)
When we made eye contact the yotes eyes were as big as saucers..Think mine were even bigger..The yote hesitated for a second or two ..Bet it never saw a 200 lbs. turkey before...I did my best to swing and cock but the yote took off like a rocket....No shot
This close encounter made my hunting season..
This is a first for me....It was more than awesome.
pics below are of the 3 prints from the yote and my rifle and stool at the base of my set at 15 yards..
Any body else have a close encounter with a coyote while hunting you'd like to share ?..
I want to experience this again.
Wish I had a go-pro camera running.
No squirrels were harmed during this hunt..saw 4 total all moving..no shots
It was a red letter day! Thanks to the coyote!
Hat placed for size...3 legged track

Rifle leaning on set tree at 15 yards

 

[coloradoclyde]

That's an interesting hat.. :haha:

I was deer hunting once on a steep slope covered with trees, I was sitting on a stump and heard a noise behind me. I turned my head just in time to see a coyote jump up onto a log behind me about 5 yards away. It looked around for a moment and then disappeared never to be seen again....

 

[Shifty]

Great experience seeing the yote,they are really hard to hit even if you are turned the right way not called Willy Coyote for nuthin.

 

[jackley]

Always fun to get any animal up close and personal.

Jerry

 

[Eric Krewson]

I was bow hunting this year out of a tree stand when a coyote came down the trail right at me. Two more steps and he would be in my shooting lane, I raised my osage bow thinking; "this was going to be a slam dunk shot at ten yards".

He hit where I walked in and swapped ends in the blink of an eye, those critters are mighty fast!

 

[larry wv]

This hunting season I killed two Coyotes Bow hunting. Two with a Rok-lok .54 trade rifle and one with a .22 while hauling in round bales. Coyotes are going to kill most of the small to medium size game in the USA. I have an unfair advantage hunting compared to most as I have gone morning and eve hunting since Sept 26. Not a great hunter but just there at the right time.

Larry

 

[Critter Getter]

Not a close encounter but called in a coyote with a turkey call a few years back. Watched him coming from a 150 yards away. Killed him with one shot of number 4's at 46 yards! He never knew I was there!! Greg.

 

[trent/OH]

One summer I had my 32 flinter in hand while hunting groundhogs. I stumbled across a coyote pup and closed to about 40 yards to try a shot. I got a flash in the pan for my efforts, and was treated to an exhibition of fast running. But I swear the look on that pup's face when he saw the smoke from my pan and heard the clatch was "Momma told me something about these situations, what was it? Oh yeah, RUN!"

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I was camping in the book cliffs one night with my cousin, we were sleeping at the bottom of a small Canyon about 100 yards wide at the point where we slept. We were awakened by the sound of a pack of coyotes driving some animal before them down the canyon.

Now our camp was pitch black I couldn't even see my cousin who was on the ground maybe 6 feet away from me. Both awake and listening to the sound of the coyotes, we quietly spoke a few words to each other about our thoughts that there were several coyotes five or six at least and that they must be driving some game animal down the canyon. The pack began to close in on whatever they were after, becoming more and more vocal and excited. But they were also closing in on us! :shocked2: Without a word we both stood from our sleeping bags, the coyotes sounded about 80 yards out. In my mind I felt sure whatever they were after had to be right amongst us....... When the pack seemed right on us, 30 yards maybe I jacked a round in my shotgun and heard my cousin do the same. Everything went silent , and that was it :idunno: Not a sound to be heard except our breathing and the pounding of my hart in the pitch black night.

 

[robinsroost]

Not a coyote but a bobcat. I was sitting on the tool box on the back of my pick up. I was nosed in to the back of a cul-de-sac, in a new development that they had not yet built on. A solid chocolate bobcat came out of the stone quarry I was next to, and laid down, in the road, about 30' behind my truck. He was so close I could see his eye lashes, and he didn't seem concerned about me. I let him walk.......robin :wink:

 

[Patocazador]

No surprise on my part on this encounter. I went back to my pond early one afternoon to check to see if ducks were rafted there in the unusually strong wind we were having on a warm February day. No gun because duck season was over. I spotted a very large bobcat slowly stalking through a thick blackberry patch ... step . pause . step etc. The 25-30mph wind was right in my face. I slowly walked up behind him until I was able to get 5 feet from him when I thought, "This is too danged close, dummy!" I stopped and did a bobwhite call. He turned his head and looked at me, jumped a good 4 ft. straight up and had his legs in gallop mode before hitting the ground. He was gone in about half a second with me grinning. :grin:

 

[Brokennock]

Not uncommon for coyote to run in and grab a decoy while we're spring turkey hunting. They usually run a few to 15 yards with one before realising something's wrong. Most of the time they just drop it and take off, occasionally they'll abuse it a bit before deciding it's not a meal. I've also had hungry spring bears come looking for a turkey dinner, as well as fox and bobcat.

Had a fox run up a friends back and off the top of his head while seated on the ground hunched over calling for predators. Not sure who was more surprised, the rock that wasn't, or the fox that thought it was.

 

[hoochiepapa]

My dad and I were deer hunting. We would split up and one would walk in the deep of the canyon, and one near the top, paralleling each other. It was my turn near the top. I heard quick footsteps coming up the hill, I wedged myself between two trees to hide. A coyote that my dad had pushed ran right out in front of me and stopped, looking down towards where my dad was. I made a growling noise really loud, and he about turned himself inside out looking like he'd seen a ghost as he tore outa there.

 

[sidelock]

I was spring turkey hunting with my .50 TC one morning at barely daylight. I was standing at the edge of a logging road hoping to hear a gobble when out of the brush on the other side walked a bobcat. He walked to the center of the road less than 10' away and shook all four feet and his hide to rid himself of the woods water. Then like a king raised his head and eased down the road and out of sight. No turkey that day but day was made.

 

[sidelock]

I was spring turkey hunting and had walked perhaps 2 miles down a small stream bottom without seeing sign or hearing a gobble. I had turned around and headed to the truck and gone about a mile when behind me I heard dogs running and coming my way. Thinking I might see a nice deer run past I backed up about 50 feet and leaned against a large tree. Before long I knew they were running my track. They ran past me a few feet and lost the track and began to circle trying to locate me. When the located me they started to charge but would back off if I jumped at them. I didn't want to kill them but this was getting hairy. I knew I would only get one shot. I kept jumping at them as they circled and finally they ended up in one clump about 40' away. I shot at the center one's head and killed 3 with the one shot. The others were gone before I could reload.

 

[jethro224]

There have been quite a few times I've had close encounters with coyotes but this is my favorite;

Early bow season one year and I was sitting on the ground, full camo, along the edge of a field where I could see a long ways. It was the middle of the day and I was eating my lunch when I saw a lone coyote hunting along the edge of a big ditch where a powerline crosses thru the farm. He was probably 400 yards out then.
The coyote would sneak along the top edge for a few yards and then drop down in. Then he'd pop up a few yards closer to me. He did this all the way along the power line until he got to a point even with me, then he turned and started walking along the field edge straight toward me.
By then I had finished my lunch and was just sitting quietly watching the coyote. He just kept coming closer and closer.
About the time he got to 20 feet or so I decided he was close enough. He didn't have a clue that it was me and not a bush sitting there. So I went...
:blah: BLALALALALA!!!!!
If you ever watched an old Scooby Doo cartoon where Scooby sees a villain and tries to run off 5 different directions at once then you can picture that coyote's reaction. :rotf:

 

[Spikebuck]

Quite often the animals and birds we aren't actually on the hunt for are the very ones that make the hunt memorable when they show up. :thumbsup:

 

[Boomerang]

About 5 years ago I was deer hunting with my longbow on public land. I was still hunting just walking along slowly when I noticed a coyote trotting through the woods about 100yds off. I got down on my knees and started squeaking with my lips. That coyote heard that and started making a bee line towards me. It worked it's way around a big tree about 5yds in front of me and as soon as it was half way around the tree, it saw me and locked up just long enough for me to stick an arrow in it. I was so proud of myself that I had it mounted. :grin:

 

[Patocazador]

Shooting one while on the ground with a long bow should make you proud.

I have killed 3 with my compound bow from a tree stand and I was excited each time, mainly because I hate coyotes.

 

[Arcturus]

I love threads like this. As has been posted earlier, it's often the critters we're NOT hunting that make a day afield so memorable. I've had many sightings of coyotes and bobcats coming to turkey calls or while hunting other game, but one of the coolest close encounters ever involved a fox.

One spring I was seated on the roots of a tree with my back to the trunk, facing downhill on a wooded ridge, calling to a big gobbler. The ridge was sort of terraced, the flat benches were mowed hayfields, while the steep sections were young, thick forest. The turkey I was calling to would answer, but never stepped out into the open grass just below the strip of woods I was in. I heard a commotion to my left, then saw motion coming my way. A big fox squirrel was headed along the ridge at top speed right at me, with another following...except I soon realized it wasn't a second squirrel, but a big hungry fox chasing him. The squirrel jumped right across my lap and kept going. The fox slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt not five feet from me, and for a few seconds we stared into each other's eyes. It then swapped ends, and headed back the way it came at double speed. My presence was very good fortune for that squirrel, and even though I never got a shot at a turkey, it was a great morning I'll never forget.