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Frank Lovato's First HuntFrank's been a good neighbor of mine for a couple of years now. He's watched me come and go in full hunting garb, at what he'd considered odd times of the year. As-in, it's not deer season, nor elk season, or quail or dove or... So he finally asked me one day just what it was I was hunting. His words in response were something to the effect that he thought I was crazy. Generally disbelieving that anyone would/could hunt coyotes. I assured him that it was really GREAT fun. I made it a point then, on the next outing, to bring my quarry home for Frank to view. Which he did, |
and astutely observed as I skinned them. He also asked if he could tag along on a hunt, to "check it out." I agreed.
The following Saturday, Frank and I set out for a favorite area of mine near Socorro, NM. The first stand yielded a dog that refused to come inside 150 yds. Called him in a second time after changing calls and locations by a couple hundred yards. Still, the coyote refused to come in close.
On the second stand, I had Frank about 50 yds. downwind of me. We were in a wide, sandy wash and I was calling from a brush pile in the middle of it. About halfway through the calling sequence, I heard a gunshot. Moments later I saw a coyote departing the area at full speed over a ridge to the north. I kept calling and after nothing more came in, I stood up and pulled off my gloves and facemask, and headed off towards Frank and the truck.
Frank saw me coming down the wash and stood up. His antics were great! His eyes were big as saucers and he was obviously rattled. "I thought that coyote was going to eat me!" he said. I had to laugh.
Apparently the coyote came down off the ridge that I'd seen it go over during its departure. But instead of it coming in downwind of me, it downwinded Frank by about 10 feet. As soon as it caught Franks' scent, it abruptly put on the brakes, showering gravel and sand around as it slid to a halt. At the sound, Frank was startled, whipping his head around to look at the coyote only feet away, looking back at him in total astonishment and fright. Frank jumped, the coyote jumped, and somewhere in the process Frank managed to get a shot off. Frank was still shaking so bad by the whole incident when I arrived, that he wouldn't have been able to hold a steady bead on any target, muchless a small, high speed coyote.
Frank got to witness 3 coyotes come to the call that day, including the kill which he's posing with above. Needless to say, he no longer questions my sanity for the hunting trips I make at non-typical times of the year. Although he may question my where-with-all for calling coyotes in so close that they can end up in your lap.