First 6.8 kill and my 2nd coyote

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  • Daezee

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    SAWMAN and I went hunting last night. Spotted 2 coyotes coming down the road 200+ yards away. At first it appeared to be one large animal from the thermal signature, but then the "large" animal split into 2. We could tell it wasn't a deer, but what was it? We waited to positively ID, and when they got about 100yd away they stopped. May have just stopped or may have thought they saw something (us) out of place in the moonlight. We were dressed in dark clothing with head coverings. I was slightly to the right and SAWMAN on the left. He could see the yote on the right (I couldn't), and I could see the yote on the left (he couldn't) so our whispered conversation on who should shoot was puzzling at first (I.e., I'm gonna shoot the one on the right if you don't (I couldn't see one on the right). He let me shoot, as he's killed 500+ yotes, whereas I'd only killed one before. One shot to the chest; it went a few feet and flopped. Thermal made it easier to go right to the downed animal. A full size male. SAWMAN said he heard the bullet hit. The next time out, I may use a suppressor so I can hear the hit (boy am I optimistic).

    For FrankT: 6.8 handload with Hornady 120gr SST. 6.8 AR with 16" Wilson Combat bbl I bought off the forum. Nikon M223 2-8x with Nivisys UTAC-32M thermal sight in front of Nikon.

    SAWMAN got a fleeting glimpse of another yote, and we both had our sights on a 4th, within range, but didn't shoot, as we wanted to be sure it was a yote, and maybe it would come closer. It did come closer, but then it went off the trail and into the woods out of sight. It was a successful hunt and truly a team effort. We both have thermal sights, and feel we learn every time we spot an animal. If one saw something, it would be pointed out to the other for that person to get more spotting practice. Strange, but no deer were seen. 1 squirrel, 3 rabbits, and probably several armadillos (from the size and movement; we didn't go closer to confirm as armadillos) were seen. Yes, squirrels sometimes come out at night.

    Let me close by saying that when hunting at night, safety concerns are even more important than in the day (if that is possible) due to the lack of visibility, and that includes positively IDing before we shoot. We had went over safety precautions and signals and would discuss the directions we'd be looking each time we stopped for calling.
     
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    SAWMAN

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    You da man !! Just to add ---> For Bruce and I.....we will not target bobcats or fox. Thru thermal the "name of the game" is the animals profile. How it presents itself to the viewer/sight/shooter. Most grass and brush will not stop thermal. Even if 1/2 of one square inch of the animal is in the thermals line of sight,you can see him. BUT.....a hill,tree,or another animal will hinder the "profile" of the first animal. At saaaaaayyy,200+yds, if a coyote is behind a tree or behind a hill and ONLY his head is visible,the thermal will see it. You know "something" is there. If he moves his head he might look like a squirrel,armadillo,or rabbit.

    We passed on a called yote last night. He came down the small roadway to the call. He stopped(IMO) just over the 4-5ft rise of a small hill in the roadway. Initially,this prevented us from seeing his entire(or enough)profile. He was at 80yds or so,the moon was God awful bright and the B3(Bad Boy Buggy)was in the roadway(no where to get off). Wind was good but he did not give us time to "determine" that he was a yote. Thinkin' back on it ......... it was a coyote. We both were on him. We could of killed him when we first saw him. But.... he saved his own life by being in a hurry. Bottom line ---> "know your target". There could be some awful small deer running around the woods these days.

    Looked to me like the 120gr entered the left side of the front chest. I believe that it fragged on the sternum and exited at the shoulder. In my opinion,the 120gr SST,when driven "fast" is a great yote killer. I heard the impact ..... it damn near sounded as loud as the shot. He was hit in the road and died in the road. Nothing better than that. Also...with thermal we could see he was in the road and even see the blood in the road. If the need arises you can use thermal for tracking blood also. I would estimate the male yote to be 35lbs or so. BIG for Fla-Dah.

    I have done allot of coyote killin' in my day ..... however ..... hunting with thermal is a new "ball game". THERE IS A LEARNING CURVE ! --- SAWMAN
     
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    Daezee

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    Glad the rifle's working well for you. Nice yote!

    It's working perfectly. Flawless functioning. So far, I've left the trigger as-is. Was easy to workup an accuracy load. Thank you for the excellent buy.
     

    Fear21

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    Sure thing! Hunting with thermal sounds like a blast - might have to give it a go someday.
     

    Burnt Drag

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    Saw and Daezee, that was awesome play by play. Good shooting and excellent sportsmanship.
     

    Welldoya

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    So what game is legal at night and how do you convince a game warden that you aren't deer hunting if you are stopped?
     

    FrankT

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    If you don't have a deer carcass on you, you are golden...LOL well unless you have a predation permit of the landowner. Private land, Hogs, yotes, small game, bobcats in season, Fox are a nono in Fl. Each zone has a list.
     

    Daezee

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    So what game is legal at night and how do you convince a game warden that you aren't deer hunting if you are stopped?

    Good question. At a deer/coyote/hog damage seminar I attended, there were two game warden officers there who announced a gun and light permit for night hunting would no longer be needed for hogs, coyotes, and non-game animals like armadillos. I asked that question. The two officers chuckled and said we know what's going on in our areas and what animals are there. They said one technique is to tell the person they suspect is up to no good to "show me the hog sign".
     

    Welldoya

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    How late do you guys usually stay out and what time of night is most eventful?
    It would have to happen pretty quick for me cuz I'm usually passed out in the recliner by 9:30.
     

    FrankT

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    Take the recliner with you, I have one in each blind. For hogs I have bells on the roll barrels that wake me up, for yoyes, you just gotta stay awake...LOL
     

    Daezee

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    I'm a novice at night hunting. I'm also not very much of a "night owl", but I've found the excitement of hunting at night keeps me pretty wide awake. It's the driving home afterwards that has me concerned. The last time out we started the actual hunting about 8pm and stopped around 1:30am. Prior to that it was unloading the electric buggy from the trailer, loading firearms and stuff into the buggy, doing a safety brief and agreeing on procedures and signals. I've not found the best time, if there is one, yet. The night active animals I've seen aren't always moving about, but may eat or look for food followed by lying or sitting down, followed by more eating or looking for food. In other words, they aren't always moving about. I've seen armadillos at all times of night.

    If it is deer season or turkey season, so as to not disturb those hunters, we arrive after legal shooting hours in the evening and leave before legal shooting hours in the morning. I hope to go night hunting on a large cattle ranch in Georgia this year (my brother has gotten us permission). In that case, the ranch owner simply asked we not hunt at all during fall deer season and spring turkey season so as to not possibly disturb things for the hunters who lease his property for deer and turkey.
     
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