C-grunt
10-11-12, 17:26
Today was my first coyote hunt and while I didnt get anything I learned a couple good leasons and Im hooked.
My good friend took me. Both of us were using ARs with iron sights. Mine is a Colt 6920 and his is a Daniel Defense middy.
We headed out just at dawn and hiked about a mile back into the desert a little north of Phoenix. It was cool and rained a bit which probably helped us with scent and noise control.
The terrain north of Phoenix is mountains and valleys with large washes scattered around the valleys. The brush and growth is pretty thick so most places will limit your shots to around 50 yards unless you want to climb a mountain and snipe.
We set up at our first spot and I get all nice and hidden under a tree. first learned lesson is to always be sure you can see your call and have a decently clear shot down to the area where its at. From where I was at to where the call was there was a slight downhill angle the gradually got steeper. When the dog came in to investigate the call I could only see the top of his back and his ears because of the curve of the slope and the brush. The only way I could get a shot on him was to stand up which alerted the dog. I fired two quick shots at him while he was running but missed him. He was only about 20 yards away but I only had about 3 seconds to stand up and fire before he made it to cover.
Our second spot was a really nice one in an open area probably about 75 yards wide. A dog came in quickly but must have seen or smelled us and took off before he got into the kill zone.
The third place was in the middle of a thicket of Mesquite trees. We found a small clearing in the middle of the thicket and placed the call. After a couple minutes a dog came in from behind me. He got to within 10 yards of us but I couldnt see him because of a large cactus to my side. My friend tried to snap the gun up and pop him but his sling snagged on part of his ghillie suit. the dog then took off into the bush. I saw a glimpse of his head running away and I took a snap shot double tap at him but I missed again.
Hunting this morning really showed me some weaknesses I have with my rifle. Mostly quickly acquiring a moving target and getting fast accurate shots off with iron sights. Next time I might bring my other rifle that has and Aimpoint on it and I think Ill do better then.
My good friend took me. Both of us were using ARs with iron sights. Mine is a Colt 6920 and his is a Daniel Defense middy.
We headed out just at dawn and hiked about a mile back into the desert a little north of Phoenix. It was cool and rained a bit which probably helped us with scent and noise control.
The terrain north of Phoenix is mountains and valleys with large washes scattered around the valleys. The brush and growth is pretty thick so most places will limit your shots to around 50 yards unless you want to climb a mountain and snipe.
We set up at our first spot and I get all nice and hidden under a tree. first learned lesson is to always be sure you can see your call and have a decently clear shot down to the area where its at. From where I was at to where the call was there was a slight downhill angle the gradually got steeper. When the dog came in to investigate the call I could only see the top of his back and his ears because of the curve of the slope and the brush. The only way I could get a shot on him was to stand up which alerted the dog. I fired two quick shots at him while he was running but missed him. He was only about 20 yards away but I only had about 3 seconds to stand up and fire before he made it to cover.
Our second spot was a really nice one in an open area probably about 75 yards wide. A dog came in quickly but must have seen or smelled us and took off before he got into the kill zone.
The third place was in the middle of a thicket of Mesquite trees. We found a small clearing in the middle of the thicket and placed the call. After a couple minutes a dog came in from behind me. He got to within 10 yards of us but I couldnt see him because of a large cactus to my side. My friend tried to snap the gun up and pop him but his sling snagged on part of his ghillie suit. the dog then took off into the bush. I saw a glimpse of his head running away and I took a snap shot double tap at him but I missed again.
Hunting this morning really showed me some weaknesses I have with my rifle. Mostly quickly acquiring a moving target and getting fast accurate shots off with iron sights. Next time I might bring my other rifle that has and Aimpoint on it and I think Ill do better then.