Met Charlie at a Tim Hortons for breakfast at 6:30 AM. After we had some breakfast we headed out west of the village. We were going to hunt a crop farm first where they keep a supply of live animals for food. Turkeys Ducks Chickens a couple pigs and couple heifers and a milk cow.


The Zimmerman’s farm about 500 acres of their own and about 2500 to 3000 they lease. They do corn, soy beans and Sugar beets mostly. There is a state game area across the road from their home and out buildings where the coyotes had came from and run amuck of the barn yard fowls 3 years ago.


They had gotten the number to call from another farmer so we went out and took 3 coyotes out of the game area that first time.

This morning is damp but not so cold but it had rained off and on over night so we were sure the coyotes would be ready to hunt for some breakfast this morning.


We parked in the farm yard dressed in our camo and walked down the ditch to an area where we entered the game area. With it so damp it was easy to walk silent to the area we were going to set up.

This is going to be some close shooting if anything responded to the call. About 75 yards across a clearing and about 50 yards both right and left.


We decided to go with a yappy ankle biter dog chasing chickens sound. Don’t remember where we got that sound. Off the internet or if some one had recorded it and put it on a SD card.


Started the sound going and waited a full 30 minutes with out seeing any thing. I shut the caller off and started to rise when Charlie gave me the sit down sign. I see his rifle raise on the shooting sticks and a two finger sign. I still am not seeing any thing, with the snow gone the wild life really blend in good. Then I see one and sign I had seen one. Charlie signs I should take the shot when I could. I had shot about 50 rounds thru the Swift Monday and could take a milk jug cap off a tree limb I had it tied to every shot at 150 yards.


I sign to Charlie the trigger and quickly slid the finger on the trigger and squeeze. One coyote is going in a circle about 3 times and then lays still. Charlie gives the thumbs up and 2 fingers laying down. Go pick up our gear and go look at our coyotes., both females, mine was an old one.


We get them to the road side, walk back to the truck and drive down and load them in.

I saw I had a voice message so check it and it was Kare asking if I had taken my journal with me. Ashleigh was supposed to call me at 10:00 AM. She was my VA nurse till in Oct when I was handed off to a pharmacist (Crystal) who was going to keep tabs on me when they switched me to a new insulin. Crystal was going to have a baby and handed me back to Ashleigh when she went on leave January 10th.


No I didn’t have my journal ( AW SHUCKS) so I had better work my way home in the next 2.5 hours. I got home with 10 minutes to spare and Ashleigh was 10 minutes late. She says your going to kill me aren’t you. She says I know how you don’t like it when people are late and keep you waiting.

Anyway I get all the numbers for the last 3 weeks read off and keep my insulin dosage the same, and she will see me in 3 weeks when I come in for my blood draw.


Charlie was ready to go when we finished as we had gotten 3 more coyotes on the route back to my home. Kare had filled him up with home made cookies and coffee while I was on the phone and got out of him Brent was going to be gone for at least 3 more weeks. Decided to check out Arizona to winter in.


We stop at the next farm about 15 miles from my home, another crop farm. Again with farm yard fresh meat for the family.

They had been hearing coyotes they thought using a drainage ditch for a travel route between wood lots about a half mile apart. We walk back to a hill where we could see down into the ditch which was nearly full of water. Hadn't thought about that for some reason as our creek is full up too.


We decide we would stay since we were there and might just as well stay for 30 minutes. You can never tell after a night of cold rain what a coyote would do. We get the caller and decoy set up and start.

Wasn’t 10 minutes and a single coyote appears, funny it didn’t seem interested in the decoy or call. Charlie took it, as another comes along the ditch again not interested in the caller, decoy or a dead mate.

Turns out Ralph Messer farm owner had taken a dead deer back to the ditch Saturday that had been hit by a car in front of their house.


Charlie full of Chocolate chip cookies says we can wait another hour for lunch. Works for me as I had a couple cookies my self and it would get us closer to a Hardys for dinner. Got to be my favorite fast food joint.


We hit a dairy farm next we had started hunting this place about 10 years ago when they had Coyotes coming into the loafing yard and eating grain from the feed bunks. They have a 80 acre wood lot back from the house. It is hard to set up here because it is so flat, no high ground but they do have fence rows with trees and brush to hide in but shots are usually long. We get 2 more coyotes there, then head for town for a 1/3 pound grilled cheese, bacon thick burger, fries, hot coffee for me.


I am enjoying hunting with Charlie and glad I decided to just stay partnered up with him for the next two weeks.


Al