Coyote Fever

[UphillDoc 278]

If I didnt have it before, I can GUAR AN FUKIN TEEE I got it now... Got together with the Capps boys, Idaho Steve, the Cowboy, and B.W for a bit of running yesterday. I had gotten a jump box in Loomis, and bought "Gator" back from "Workman" so I had to give them a go! I didnt drive all thru the night and only sleep 3 hours to not hunt when I got back...LOL

I didnt have time to get it set in the truck cross ways (like normal) so I rigged it up for the dogs to come out the back of the pick up bed instead of over the side rails. Of course the peanut gallery all laughed and told me how it wouldnt work, and how I needed to get it set right. B.W. rides with the Capps boys and the Cowboy and Steve ride with me. I have "Gator, Zorro, Cookie and Rufus" in my box. "Rufus" is a son of the Coyote Capps "Grey" dog that they sold to The Cowboy. He can do it all, but isnt fast enough to run with their best dogs. They gave the Cowboy a trial period, and he caught 3 coyotes solo, so needless to say, he passed the test...LOL

The Capps started the day with a fox race before meeting us, but the fox gave them the slip. We head out and before long we spot a coyote, The Capps boys head into the field, and we take a road parellel to them. While in the field they call on the radio and say there are 4 coyotes!!! 2 make it to the willows before they can dump, so they haze the other 2 towards us. We can see them coming hard our way and we are flying up to try to catch the coyotes before they cross the road into the foothills. We spot a coyote coming over the hill and I race ahead, skid the truck to stop and swing the back end towards the coyote. I pull the rope to the tune of the Cowboy screaming "JERK IT, JERK IT" the dogs come out hard just as the coyote hits the tall grass. They misjudge him and he gets by them, then they see him again and try to make up the ground, but he makes it to the foothills first and we are whipped. The Capps have dumped as well, but theirs makes the hill too far ahead and the dogs dont pick him up either. Damn, what a start 0 for 3. We head out and decide to split up and run the roads parellel to each other, usually 1-2 miles apart. We go a few miles and the Cowboy spots a coyote out in front of us and to our left. It is running hard and trying to cross in front of us to try to make a ditch line of cover. I mash the gas pedal and roar up beside him. I get the truck between him and the ditch and slide it to a stop, while swinging the back end towards the coyote. I pull the rope and the dogs have him lined out. The dogs fan out with "Gator, and Cookie" on the left of the coyote and "Rufus and Zorro" on the right. He pushes hard for the cover, but they close the gap in about 150 yards and he trys to make a turn to the right, but "Rufus" rolls him. The rest of the dogs each grab a piece and go to work. "Gator" is on the head and Im sure happy to see that. They get real rough on him and make trying to save the pelt a waste of time. Our next race is on a beautiful big red fox that the Cowboy spots in the stubble. It lays down so we cant see it. I drive up to where the Cowboy thinks he saw it lay down, and as I stop it pops up about 50 yards away. He runs straight away from us and has the afterburners on trying to make a strip of cover. Im bearing down on him hard in the truck when Steve yells "he is going to make the cover" I do my best Earnhardt impression and get between him and the cover. Just as I pass between them I skid the truck to a stop and pull the rope. The fox has done a 180 and is heading for an old barn. The dogs move up on him but he throws some fancy moves on them and somehow makes it to the barn just ahead of them. The Capps truck has caught a couple in the mean time, but we didnt get to see the races. They had a front row seat on our fox race, but didnt realize the fox was heading for the barn until it was too late to haze him for us. We get to see "Coyote Capps" pull off some first rate stunt driving, one time the truck has two wheels in the air and we are sure they are going to be on their side when we get there, but he not only saves the truck he keeps track of the coyote in the tall cover and gets a good dump on the coyote! On another they are running the coyote down a ditch line and its heading right for a house. They call us on the radio and want us to intercept the coyote at the house...LOL We are bearing down hard and have both in our sights. Neither truck is 200 yards from the house when the coyote hooks out of the ditch and across a plowed field. The Capps dump and the dogs scoop this one up quick. B.W. tells us there is actually two coyotes and trys to give us directions to the other one, but taking directions from him is useless, as he is so excited he cant keep track of where we are compared to the coyote and sends us on a wild goose chase. The next race we team up and drive on opposite sides of a ditch line that we saw a coyote duck into. The coyote breaks in front of Capps and they call on the radio they are heading back the way we came in. I spin around and drive hard to get back in front. They say they have 2 coyotes going back to the road. Just before they get to the road they dump and catch one, while the other crosses the road and gets back into the ditch line. Steve jumps into the back of the truck to get more elevation to see the coyote in the cover. We are in hot pursuit, and I almost slow down for Steves sake until he yells "its up ahead running hard" We make up ground in a hurry and as we get beside the coyote on the opposite side of the ditch I swing the truck to a stop and pull the rope. The dogs go blind into the ditch and when they come up the opposite bank they spot the coyote. He has a big lead, but they are gaining. They have gone a few hundred yards when "Gator" finds another gear and pulls ahead of everybody. He is closing fast and after another hundred or so he makes his final burst and rolls the coyote hard. He catches a neck hold in the tumble and the rest the dogs get there and go to work. Again they ruin the pelt. The Capps have come into the field on the other side of the ditch and go out and pick up the dogs and the Cowboy (who had run across the ditch and out to the dogs) We all get back to the road and let the dogs have a drink and a soak in the ditch while we enjoy reliving the races so far. We decide we should go get lunch and give the dogs a rest. We are almost to town when the Capps spot a fox mousing out in the stubble behind the airport. Well thats too good an opportunity to pass up...LOL We decide to park the trucks behind some cover and each to take one dog and try to sneak up on the fox. We fan out and as we clear the cover we can see the fox, but he is in a low spot and the dogs cant see him yet. All the sudden he sees us and breaks hard for the cover, but with us fanned out there is no safe spot to run to. Capps "Bo" dog snatches him as he tries to avoid the other dogs coming from the side. There isnt much left to skin of him either. We call it a day after the Capps catch another that we haze to them, but its the stunt driving that makes the differance today...LOL Total 6 coyotes and a fox. Im sure I left alot out and may even have some of the races out of order, but I was still rummy from lack of sleep and all the travel this weekend. Im sure some of the others can chime in and give better accounts of the Capps races, and all the other funny things that go along with a hunt like this. Im just calling it coyote fever and man do I ever have it bad!

 

Take care.

[Corkonian 44]

Edited June 9, 2009 by Corkonian

[Nobby 65]

Good post UphillDoc enjoyed reading that i was riding with you there LOL .

[skycat 6,173]

Brilliant read! Any chance of some pics of the dogs? Really would love to see them: put faces to names LOL

[UphillDoc 278]

Thanks fellas. I will try to get some pics to someone that can post them for me. Im horrible about taking any during the excitement, but sometimes someone else in the rig will get a few for me...LOL

 

Take care.