UphillDoc 278 Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 Well the circus was in town yesterday...Idaho Steve and Capps on my porch at first light for a bit of coyote running. Ol Steve shows up right on time, bright eyed and high steppin, not sure if he OD on the Geritol or the Viagra but he is ready to rock. We head out in two rigs and as we get to the first spot. I send Capps to a parellel road. Steve and I are about 3/4 thru the section when I spot a pair out in a winter wheat field. I had just finished telling Steve I wanted to drop his side first if possible, as that set has been missing out on races for one reason or another the last week. As luck would have it, the coyotes are on my side, and I cant drive into the field to show the other side the coyotes. I decide to just pull the rope and hope my side sees them and can make up the ground. As I drop them the coyotes go over a little rise and are out of sight for a second. The dogs (Hoss, Reba Cookie) hit the ground looking and get out about 50 yards before "Cookie" spots them. The others pull to her and its a race. We have to go WAY around to get to the other side of the field, and by the time we get there we can see they have made the catch. They have it stretched, and Im glad to see them go so far and finish the coyote. We walk out and get the dogs and coyote. During our race Capps calls and says he had a race going, but another coyote blew it up and he doesnt get either one. He is cussin my running ground, but I assure him thats par for the course here. We meet up and head to another spot, but see another coyote on our way. We make a play for it, but he uses the uneven ground and fences to beat us, so we move on. As we get to the next spot we roll in and there is a coyote in the middle of a big field. Capps calls and asks if we see him, and I say yep, but he is yours. We swing in and I go way around him to haze him away from the only spot he can escape so Capps can get a good run. Capps cant find him for a while, Im starting to wonder if he is going to drop on it. I think he was looking for truck traps harder than he was the coyote...LOL He finally spots him and drops. "Hog, Moustache and Blue" gather it up quick. Capps cousin Dave is in the area so we go out to meet him so he can jump in. On our way I spot a jackrabbit and drop the passenger box to give it a run. "John, T, and K" run it around but it makes it to the sage and shakes them. Then Dave calls and says he has one spotted. We hustle over and make a plan. I push to Capps and he spots the coyote but the sly b*****d puts some moves on him in the hills and gets out before he can drop the dogs. We move to another field and Capps spots one. Its near a fence, so I go to the field on the other side just in case, but Capps dogs "Bull, Speedy and Speedo" make sure it never reaches the fence. We hit another big field but no coyotes. Capps finds a jackrabbit to run but his dogs find some barbwire... Steve has a prior engagement with some sheep... So we decide to go grab some lunch and do a lil BSing before he has to head out. Capps and I go make a loop, and try a couple fields I have not hit yet. The first field we split up and Capps calls and says "Im in pursuit" he is headed away from me so I keep going in case it wasnt alone. Its hilly and tall cover so I cant see Capps race. As I come up out of a wash a coyote passes right in front of me at full speed, so I pull the rope. Just as my dogs hit the ground Capps dogs come into view. Im not sure at first if they are on the same coyote, but they are angling in and I only see the one. Still no sign of Capps. "Moutstache and Bull" are back and forth trying to trip it, but its using the cover to stay just out of their reach. My dogs "John, T, and K" are coming in from the side and Capps dogs turn the coyote towards them. They all go over the rise and when I pull up they have it on the ground. "Hog and John" are stretching its neck, and thats alot of dog power on a coyotes neck. It looks like they will pop its head off like a dandylion. The rest the mob is on it like pirahnas and there isnt much left to skin. When Capps shows up he asks what happened and I tell him what I saw. He says last time he saw the dogs "Blue" was in the lead, but I never saw him, we figure he must have crashed in the last big wash. He is at the fight, so who knows. He tells me he was just about to drop on a herd of real big rabbits... when they spotted the coyote. We load up and see if any rabbits stayed in the field, but no luck they have left for safer ground. We go hit another spot with no luck, and then go hit a big field. We are barely into the field when I spot one moving out away from me. I put the pedal down and the truck is hopping. The coyote goes over a rise and I decide when I get over Im dropping no matter how far he is. As I come over he is way out and running hard, but I drop. Its a big section so I know they can run him for a while and I can get ahead and spike the other side if I want. Capps sees me flyin thru the desert and starts my way. Then he spots one and is in pursuit himself. Dave tells me, "I think we were standing the whole time, cause I was never sitting down" They drop and as soon as the dogs hit the ground they spot another so go for the double! Capps rolls up and drops and now has two fights going at the same time. He calls me and tells what is happening over there, and then says theres ANOTHER one, I need another set! I tell him I cant come help both mine are on the ground to...LOL As it turns out my dogs run the coyote a LONG way, with "John and K" each trying for the catch. They turn it at least a dozen times, but cant get it off its feet. Im so green eyed watching them I dont notice the tight strung wire fence coming up quick. I see it about the time they are going to go thru, and lock up the truck and spin it sideways. I hit the wire and my other side pops part of the way open. The dogs had seen most the race and were rarin to go. They come somersaulting out over the partially open door and wire and head for the coyote. They pass the first set, and looks like they will catch in about 100 yards, but the coyote turns hard and comes right back at me. It has to slow down for the fence and dodge the trailing dogs and they mob him at the fence. Im laughing and tellin Capps what just happened. I get them all gathered and head over to Capps. All the dogs are bleeding and sore, and its starting to rain, so we decide to call it a day with seven coyotes in the trucks. I only managed to get pics of the first catch, and the tailgate shot, but the rest are playing in my head like a video... We take Dave back to his truck to find he has locked his keys in the truck. Well he goes Magaever on it with a hanger he got from a lonely farmwoman, and we all set off for home. Good times with good fellas. Take care. Quote Link to post
stevemac 442 Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 what a yarn doc good hunting to you stevemac Quote Link to post
UphillDoc 278 Posted November 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 what a yarn doc good hunting to you stevemac stevemac-Thanks, glad you liked it. Heres another from this morning. Went out and caught one this morning to put the cherry on the sundae/Sunday... Woke up this morning to a cold clear morning and decided I better go get the dogs loaded before they forget what they are here for. "Reba and T" are both still packing a leg from gettin bit, so they stay home. The rest may be sore, but they knew it was tough going when they signed on, so they load... My boy "Ty" jumps in and we are off to find one. Go hit a field but dont find anybody home. On our way to another I spot one way out in an alfalfa pivot. As soon as I come into the field the coyote has its head down and is moving out! I never get close as it leaves the alfalfa and cuts across a big plowed pivot. No way to drive in that so I go way around to try to find him coming out the other side, but he beats me across and is into another plowed pivot. I go around again and its the same story he beats me to the other side, but this time there is a fence to keep me from going around again. I turn around and head out but decide to cut thru some different pivots and have a look. Luck is on our side and I spot a pair standing out in the middle of one right under the pivot. Its a soft field of new winter wheat, so I cant get any closer. The coyotes are 250-300 yards out but are not spooked by us. Im hissing at the dogs hoping they will see them, but the coyotes are not moving and the dogs dont see them. "Ty" says lets try it from here, so I decide what the hell. I send them blind. (John, Cookie, K and Hoss) The coyotes start to lope out when the dogs hit the ground, and go over a slight rise. Now I figure there is no way we will catch one. "Cookie" gets out about 100 yards and spots them. She pulls hard to them, and has gapped the other dogs a bit before they see her go. The coyotes split and the far one skylines itself first, so they all head for it. Again, I think no way we catch one now. Well they keep closing the distance a little at a time, and we just sit and watch them from there. They go clear out the back of the pivot and into another field, a fresh plowed potato field. They are just dots when it looks like "Cookie" trips the coyote. "John" is there quick, then "Hoss and K" get there. We drive around to the field they are in. I cant believe they were able to close that distance on the coyote in those soft fields. My last three races have all been long ones, and Im really proud of the dogs. When we get there "Hoss and John" have the coyote pinned. I just let them wool it until they are ready for me to take it. I text Capps "one and done" and leave out as happy with my dogs as I have ever been! Take care. Quote Link to post
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