Eric and I met early Saturday morning and drove out to the Aldrich farm, they are one of our oldest farms from back in 2003 we hunt. Eric had spent some time Friday calling several farms asking if they had been hearing in the evenings or early morning or seeing any coyotes. The Aldrich's had been hearing them in the evenings just at last light but had not seen any.


We get there and get our gear on, it is cold out, wind chill is 17F so we put some hand warmer packs in the pockets of our jeans and in the outer coat pockets. Never the less the face is tingling after the walk in to where we made the set. Is to hot if I wore the polar fleece baklava while walking in so I put it on as quick as I can once the decoy and callers are set out.
Kare bought my first one a camo one, at a aisle vendor in the Flint mall a long time ago. Then one year I came home from the UP deer camp a really cold year and expressed a desire for a blaze orange one. Finally
found the original dealer by searching the internet for a long time and got the blaze orange one. Then started coyote hunting in the snow so got a snow camo one. Once on you pull it down over the fore head then pull the lower part up to the eyes so that is all that will show. Still plenty to hang down inside the coat.



Set # 1 was a bust only see a hawk soaring and I do believe eye balling the decoy setting out like that.
Back at the truck I think Eric wanted to stir up some weather conservation as he knew already how I felt about all the rain and mud we have had recently for about 3 weeks. Any way he started in on me having the sun shade on the Swift. Maybe if I took the thing off we would see some sun instead of all the rain and fog we have had the last 3 weeks.






I was glad when we got to the next farm Once out of the truck all talking stops so I didn't have to hear any more about the jinx sun shade. Walk back and decide to set up in some Douglas fir trees that were planted years ago in some extra rocky ground. Most of the fence lines here are stone walls it is so rocky. Built up from way back when to about the 1970's when they started digging huge holes and burying them.

I got my one and only coyote of the day here. It came up out of a drainage ditch slowly started working it's way to the decoy finally once it was clear of the tall pampas grass completely I fired. About 185 yards, hit the coyote and it spun and got in the grass. waited our 30 minutes then went and looked to find it just in the tall stuff.

Pampas grass has became a problem in many areas of Michigan. Some department of the state has contacted Kare and I about spraying the stuff on our UP property. Was told last fall they were going to spray this bunch come spring.
If you get on I69 drive to Port Huron, about 30 miles out side of town you start running into the stuff on the road side. Makes a nice orentimatle plant for the yard but you have to get after the seed heads ASAP or the spread on the wind.

Get my coyote on the plastic drag it to the truck. Decided to go get some lunch before we make the 3d set. Get to the restaurant, walk in and see John and Dean. They had been out and were not having much action either. They had did 3 sets and had not even seen one coyote nor heard any at any of the sets. They were going to do one more and if nothing showed were going to call it a day.

Eric and I decided that sounded like a plan our selves.
At our 3d set we once again called in just one lone single. Eric popped its eye balls out with a shot into the left ear. Wind had also picked up so I was also wishing I had my 243 instead of the Swift. We decided to do just one more set at another farm with rock walls where we could set up out of the wind. Trucks temp read out is 22F Radio station reported a wind chill of 11F now.
Our 4th set was just exercise walking in and back out. We called it good for the day.

Al

I like the story's too.

I also like the tang safety ruger, I have one in 7x57 when my youngest let's me have it back.
and one in 250 savage A.I. when the oldest let's me use it.
they are both pretty good midrange deer and varmint rifles.