When you have the chance shoot that second arrow!!!

[BLACKJACK]

Was out bowhunting Thursday morning over in Meeker County, was surprised to find a couple inches of snow on the ground. About sunrise I was patiently waiting when a coyote surprised me, he appeared quartering from behind me, and passed me at 20 feet. He stopped and looked right at me but I held still and he moved on. When he got out to about 35 yards behind some deadfalls, I stood up, grabbed my bow, attached my release and then started 'squeaking' with my mouth - he turned and started coming back!!! He got to about 20 yards, quartering toward me, he stopped and was looking for the squeaker, I said when he goes behind that tree I’m going to draw, then he looked back over his left shoulder!! I drew back, aimed, and even thought he was now looking at me, I let go. He let out a couple of yelps, sounded like I’d shot the neighbors dog, I put another arrow on the rest, he’s biting at the arrow, this is where I screwed up, I had a shot at his ribcage but passed thinking I’d let the broadhead do its work, he got up and started limping off, sat for awhile, then disappeared into a creek bed about 50 yards away. I sat and watched but never saw him again.

I sat on my stand for another two hours, hoping for a buck to come along – no activity. Climbed out of my stand to go collect my trophy. I already had visions of him hanging on the wall!!! Nocked an arrow and slowly worked my way to the creek, peeked over, no coyote!!! Saw blood on the ice and saw the bloody trail going up the far bank!! The chase was on!!

Ice didn’t look strong enough to support me (this comes into play later!!), had to find a creek crossing, and then started following the blood trail. The snow really helped!!! At times there were nice spots of blood and other times it was just flecks on the snow. He led me thru cockleburs, back across the creek, into a dead fall tree; I’m circling thinking that he’s in there somewhere, then find a blood trail leading away. Kept following, had to be careful anytime I crossed a deer trail, making sure I was on the right track, that I had more blood. Led me into a thicket along the edge of the woods, I’m realizing that he’d got more life than I thought and that he’s taking evasive action. Thicket got so thick that I was almost had to get on my hands and knees, backed out, circled the thicket, -- and found his bloody track!! He was headed across a big combined soybean field.

I proceeded to take up the trail. It was a big, 120 acre hilly field. As I’m walking along, I looked ahead and there was Mr. Coyote about 100 yards ahead!!! At a fast walk I caught up with him, got to 30 yards a couple of times where I was going to launch and arrow, then he’d break into a lope. He was gimping pretty badly on a back leg, he’d trot ahead and then stop and watch me approach, then start trotting away again. This went on for a couple hundred yards with me not making much headway; I realized that if he made it into the big cattail swamp over the hill I’d never find him, so I started circling. He just lay down on a hilltop and watched me walk out of sight.

I circled around in front of him, had the wind in my face, slowly eased over the hill, as I saw the lump that was the coyote at 30 yards I eased forward, getting ready to shoot, and Mr. Coyote jumped up and started trotting away again!!! So we’re back to me following at a fast walk and Mr. Yote trotting ahead,

The coyote was inspired and with the downhill route trotted ahead 150 yards – and lay down in a small patch of standing soybeans that had been left in a wet spot. I made the command decision to call off the chase for awhile, I had a brunch date with my mother, proceeded into town, had French toast, bacon, and coffee, more coffee, and three hours later I arrived back at the field.

With the snow and warming temperatures Thursday afternoon the field road and soybean stubble was getting greasy but I ‘skated’ over the hill to where I could see Mr. Coyote’s last resting spot. I put the binoculars on the spot and he was still there!!! Got my bow out, circled downwind and slowly approached him, arrow on the rest, hoping he was dead, got to within 20 yards, debated shooting him with an arrow again, saw movement, pulled the arrow back – and he jumped up and started trotting away!!! Launched the arrow at him while he was on the run but missed!!! This was the second time I had had a good 20 yard shot at him and hesitated – and watched him trot away – lesson learned!!!

We were back to me following at a brisk walk and him trotting ahead, stopping to watch me approach, and then gimping ahead again, dragging the right hind leg. At one point he was actually broadside looking at me at about 30 yards, contemplating his options, was getting ready to take a shot – and he trotted off. As I walked I could see where my arrow skittered across the ground, I was able to pick it up. That’s important because I only carry three arrows with broadheads and I’d already used one on the initial shot (he had bitten it in half getting it out!!)!!

I followed him for the width of a 40 acre field, he was headed for the low end of this field that was bordered on two sides by a drainage ditch, I’m thinking this is make or break time, if he gets across he’s gone. As he got closer to the ditch he picked up the pace, I think he’s starting to realize the periliousness of the spot, I also picked up the pace, as he went over the edge I sprinted up there to within 15 yards of the far bank, waiting for him to struggle up the far bank – and he didn’t show!!! I know he didn’t run down the ditch to my left because I had a good view of it, was watching down the ditch to my right, the ice was looking kind of thin and black, about 5 foot across – no coyote!!!!

There was brome grass along the edge and into the ditch, he could be in there, I’m thinking I better be careful, he could turn on me if he was cornered, waited a couple of minutes, watching, waiting, still no coyote so I inched forward where he had went over the edge, finally saw him down by the edge of the ice, leaned forward, and took a shot at whatever was exposed. With a growl he flushed out onto the ice and broke thru, with his bad leg he was struggling, I was able to maneuver around and launched my last arrow right thru his chest!!!! Finally down!!!!

Now how to get my trophy out of the ditch?? Bank was steep, but not deep, he was right in the middle out of reach. Walked all the way back to my truck, drove it back, hoping I didn’t hit a soft spot and get stuck, got a gravel shovel and some rope out of the truck, was able to reach him with the shovel, loop the rope around a leg and drag him out. He was covered in mud and green algae from his swim, took him to my brothers, rinsed him off, then took him to a trapper, he’s going to skin him and get the hide tanned so I can hang him on the wall.

Moral of the story is – shoot them again if you have the chance!!!

Sorry this got so long but I’ve enjoyed other peoples hunt stories so I thought I’d share mine.

Happy hunting!!!

[DonBo]

mmmmmm, bacon. Sorry, you distracted me.

Great story, great advice. Don't know why gun hunters feel the need to keep shooting till down for good, when we bowhunters are so hesitant to take that second shot.

Glad you got him.

[sticknstring]

Tough little rascal! I can just picture the two of you out in the middle of the field chasing each other around!

[Rippinlip]

Pretty cool story, I think I just got my workout done after being across the fields with you several times.

[BLACKJACK]

I won't forget this for awhile!!! Wish I had a picture of him stopping and looking back at me every 40 yards or so.

The good news is that the trapper/skinner guy that I took the coyote says the hide is in good shape!!! With six holes in it!!!

I worked as for this coyote as ever have for any deer!!!

[sticknstring]

Archery 'yotes are trophies for sure! I've only had two within bowrange, and missed my only shot with the recurve. When I do finally get one, it'll be tanned, no doubt.

[Scoot]

I think the moral of your story is definitely a good one, BlackJack- if you can get a second arrow in them, do so. It's usually not possible, but when it is it's almost always the right thing to do.

[mwal]

The reason is broadheads and arrows are expensive and they usually bleed out which was not the case here. I used to be the same way with bow or gun and payed the price with long tracking jobs. I now put a second shot in it if it starts to get up or is in range and offers another shot and I am sure the first shot hit it no exceptions regardless of weapon. That strategy has paid off for me in the long run saving me a possible lost doe to a poor 1st shot that I thought was a killer shot with a slug. It was farther back than I thought but the follow up made sure.

Congrats on the yote I hope you have great memories enjoying telling the story of the hunt while admiring the hide. You sure worked for it. a trophy with the bow for sure

Mwal