Met Charlie at a truck stop, and as instructed Friday evening ate breakfast at home.
He had did as he had said and went out in the freezing rain Thursday then ran his Locator call.

Then Friday durning the high wind event he mapped out a route where we could do the maxim hunting and the least driving between sets. He had also knocked on doors and gotten permission to varmint hunt 5 farms.


I threw my pack and gear in his truck about 6:15 AM off we went to the first farm. It was not a new place but had been hunted by the group for about 8 years. We arrive just as the huge orange ball is not breaking the sky line yet but was reflecting off the clouds bright.

This is a sheep farm be longing to Crushanks family. We hike back a lane to a fence line about 125 yards from a wood lot. We set the decoy out at 75 yards. Charlie runs the lamb in distress sound. At about 10 minutes 3 coyotes show up my zone, I sign Charlie can he get a shot off, signs yes so I say take the tail one. He picks up the rifle butt it up to his shoulder so I trigger and fire the swift, quickly rack another round in and can’t find a coyote.
We have two down so wrap the females in plastic and drag them to the truck. Charlie tells me
the third coyote just bellied down and moved out of there.


We just drive 5 miles to another sheep operation. Again a farm we have hunted 6 or 7 years it belongs to the Crushanks son in law married oldest daughter, Burton Scott. We work thru several gates and fields to a brushy swale. Find a row of Round bales where we set up. Put the decoys out about 50 yards near the caller. Charlie again ran the lamb in distress sound, we were about to pack it in when a single coyote appears out of the brush Charles zone, Charles coyote. Back at the truck he told me he had not located any coyotes there but since it was so close decided to map it on the off chance none wanted to sing in the freezing rain.


The sun is up bright NO WIND either so the 20F temps felt good on us as we set up the next farm a dairy farm a 15 minute drive from the Scott farm. They use loafing barns in their operation of 250 Holsteins and Guernsey cows.

Fields are laid out a lot like a crop farm no fences but a few brushy drainage ditches and some stone piles provided a place to set up and see about drawing a coyote thru the ditch system. But that wasn’t to be today.


We make another 15 minute drive to a old fashion farm on the west edge of the Saginaw Valley. Most any one who lives in south eastern Michigan who knows farming knows the valley is famous for sugar beets, wheat, corn and soy bean production. The sugar beets are really the king how ever.


But the edge is where small acreage 100 acre homestead farms thrive. It is one of Charlies door knocking farms. They had had problems in the past with coyotes raiding their free range chickens. At the time they had no idea there were people like us around to call for help.

They had a 40 acre wood lot we could hunt that day as they were about to get ready for syrup season. Charlie told them we would get in and be gone in 40 minutes. We set up in a fence line walked about 40 yards to set out the decoys. Charlie used the Yappy ankle biter chasing chickens to pull two coyotes from the woods. Both became jingle in our pockets.

As we were loading them in the pick up the family came out to see them up close.
The lady Nancy Belcom asked who was buying the fur, we told her we had a Michigan buyer who took his hides to Canada to big auctions in the spring and Russians bought a lot there.


By now Charlie had mapped us in for a lunch at a little village family type restaurant. Food was good place was neat and clean, service good. I had a hot roast turkey sandwich which came on home made bread sliced thick.
Came with a cup of chicken & rice soup plus ice tea for me $7.85 minus senior discount for a total of $7.06. left the girl a $6,00 tip.


We continue north along the edge of the valley hit another small 120 acre place being held onto by a retired coupe who raise there own meat animals and a large garden Plus U Pick apples in the fall. Another Charlie door knock place. Fred and Margret Patz owners.

There is a wood lot the other side of the large orchard so we set up the decoys just inside the orchard slide off to the side and use tree trimmings piled to hide our shapes.
About 10 minutes in Charlie added another big male coyote to the collection.


About 20 minutes more up the road we arrive at another farm a small dairy operation. Made me think of Johns except the cows were Holsteins instead of Angus. But I could see the nice looking sugar shack at the edge of the woods and see the fire wood stacked near it just like John used to do.

Roy and Emma Mack owned the nice neat place. You guessed it another of Charles knocking conquest. We walk back and around the corner from the sugar shack so we can see down the wood lots side and set up the decoys about 100 yards out from a fence line. Charlie ran the piglet in distress sound. Another pair of coyotes responded to be added to our haul. Both Females with very good fur.


I am thinking the coyotes are liking the sun shine now too. Still only 21F but no wind and the snow is getting mushy So much for thinking we hit 3 more farms with out seeing another coyote.


Time we hit our Home town bakery for a after dinner snack.
As we are munching Charlie asked if I want to go again on Sunday.
I say sure what time and where should we meet.

He says being Sunday we can meet in a little village of Capac and leave one of the trucks at the bank parking lot. Zig & zag north and east of there.


We make it to the limit of where we want to turn today and start back to my truck.

Stop and a old time farm we have been hunting for almost 20 years now Robert Zinger farm Beef is what they deal in free range beef. They have a nice sized wood lot we walk across a pasture to a fence line with a few bushy tress set up the decoys and wait for the piglet to call coyotes out. Four show up and they are being cagy holding back in the woods and not giving us a good clean shot at any of them. Charlie changed to a challenge call and they had heard enough and disappeared back into the brush.


We hit 3 more farms and couldn’t seem to call any more out so Charlie says we should just call it a day maybe they scence the up coming storm. I wasn’t so sure, seemed to me if they thought a storm was coming they would be hunting hard to stock up.


Any way I wasn’t going to argue with Charlie as he had put us on some coyotes did the locating Knocked on doors and maped a route out.


We get back to my truck just as it turned dark transfused the gear and coyotes.
I got home and hung them in the skinning room for later in the week.

Al