# Feeling this small right now.



## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

I'm going to tell a story of me hunting tonight, many of you will figure out the ending well before you finish. I'll show my own stupidity, but I need to vent and maybe you guys will get some laughs out of it.

I'll preface by saying I've been around coyote hunting for as long as I can remember, mostly with dogs but for the last five years I've been calling. I've had good years, bad years, plenty of failures and my share of success, but tonight hurt the pride a little.

I got permission last spring to hunt the property across the road from my house. I'm going on my third winter here and I've never had coyotes in my section, my guess is the section has to many houses in it. I live down about a 300 yard lane set back of the road with timber all around and then another 700 yards to the east another house and on the other side of the 80 is another house. So it's not that there is a ton of people here were just so set back into their habitat. Anyways last spring and early summer when they were pupping across the road the next section south I listened to coyotes every night. Well fall has rolled around and it's been the same thing so I was pretty excited to give it a try this year. I got my crap together tonight and headed down the lane and across the road, so I'm facing straight south and there is a house staight east of me and then a road straight west. South east a couple hundred yards is where some timber starts and the a property line with real light brush about 400 yards south. Beyond that is 1000+yds of open field then timber then probably another 500 yds before a road. The road west of me is around 300 yards off with a house about 100 south. So I have a pretty narrow but long shooting lane to work with. I start calling and next thing you know I have deer all over the place around me everywhere I shine my light I'm getting eyeballs and they keep moving on me. So this is my first pain, it's making it impossible to keep track of if anything is coming in. I keep calling anyways, after about 25 minutes I let out a howl, this didn't seem to bother the deer to much, but then I get a howl south of me a long ways off then a pack east of me a half mile cuts loose then the house dog just south east starts barking at me. The deer cleared out and the howl South just keeps going, so I bark back and start back on rabbit distress. But this thing keeps howling and barking at me almost sounding like a alert bark and howl, I can't see him with my light not even eyes which tells me he's at least 600 out. I look through the scope with the light and way off I can see the glimmer of eyes, I can't tell how far but I can just see them with the full moon and my light. I tried every call you could think of trying to get this thing to close some ground but he wasn't having it. So I get up and start closing it myself working slowly across the field stopping and checking to see if he's moving and calling a little too keep him interested. After about 400 yards I can make him out just a little better but still can't see eyes without the scope, so I get comfortable and start calling again but he's still not closing ground. As I'm sitting there off to the west of this thing I can see a poll light about 500 yds but it's kinda on the other side of a this small hill the thing is standing on. Then it hits me as I listen closer, I've been working a house dog for the last half an hour. He was down a field lane East of this house probably still feeling close enough to home to be safe, but I couldn't pull him off that lane. There are very few exceptions that I've ever worked so hard to get a coyote, let alone to find out it was a house dog. I grabbed my crap and walked back to the house in shame, I started to tell my wife the story and she almost instantly new what happened. The only thing I can figure out is hearing the other pack going got me so one track minded I wasn't paying attention to what I was hearing until I calmed down and actually listened and looked at the big picture. I was just imagining how cool of a story this was going to be if I could have closed that gap and sealed the deal, all the while I should have been thinking that's a house dog you idiot. So I had another first this year I got worked by a damn house dog, everyone take your shots and get your laughs I deserve it this time. If I could figure out how to post it I have a 5 second clip of him howling and barking at me to make it even better.

I guess we can all say we make stupid mistakes on occasion but this one took the cake for me. I'm glad I got it out of my system, now back to using my brain, best of luck to everyone. Sorry for the long winded post.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

It wasn't stupid not to shoot. Another person may have shot at those eyes.


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## JTKillough (May 4, 2010)

We've all experienced the unexpected while calling, and as Glen states above, that the lord you were smart enough to close and verify your target. Funny you should mention domestics, as I myself slipped out yesterday morning and had two domestics answer the call. If I were you, I would take that as a lesson. One, pay attention to what sounds you're receiving from your call in, two it was great stocking practice, but three, and most importantly, you posted it here so others could learn from your mistake. I just don't see anything to be ashamed of, you handled this like a true sportsman.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Great story and lesson, that's when field exp. comes in. Good luck next time.


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

I agree with JT, not a mistake but a lesson. You actually did everything correct and was making sure of your target before shooting !

and on mistaking the howls, I wont tell you how many times I have been fooled by other hunters when calling Elk, lol


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

LOL.I HAVE CALLED IN SO MANY ELK HUNTERS OVER THE YEARS. ain't never shot one yet though


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

I havent either, but it is sure fun to watch the look on their face when they realize I am not a Bull Elk, but I will also say I have been fooled by a few.


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

yeah , me to.always feel like a fool when I realize it to.but if you hunt public land long enough it's bound to happen.


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## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks guys, I have settled down a bit now but I'm still not happy with myself. Such is life though lesson learned for sure, I always know what I'm shooting is a coyote I couldn't imagine shooting someone's pet.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

A few houses ago my neighbors had a female sheltie that sounded A LOT like a coyote. I used to set my ecaller out front and get her going(her disabled owner encouraged it because it got her running around the back yard and kept her somewhat exercised.) If I hadn't known it was her I would have absolutely thought it was a coyote.

I shot another caller once. the ER Dr. said he probably would have made it if I hadn't skinned him out !


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

lol. now that's funny.

I was once calling in the moonlight ,with a couple inches of snow on the ground. I looked to my left and not 50 yards away was what I would have sworn was a bobcat ,sitting on it's butt looking at me. I got sighted on him and was just about to squeeze er off when it turned it's head and turned out to be a great horned owl.that is the only time in my life I came close to making such a mistake and I can tell you for certain, if it had not turned it's head when it did it would have been a great dead owl. fate was our friend that night.


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## Agney5 (Sep 28, 2013)

kiyote said:


> lol. now that's funny.
> 
> I was once calling in the moonlight ,with a couple inches of snow on the ground. I looked to my left and not 50 yards away was what I would have sworn was a bobcat ,sitting on it's butt looking at me. I got sighted on him and was just about to squeeze er off when it turned it's head and turned out to be a great horned owl.that is the only time in my life I came close to making such a mistake and I can tell you for certain, if it had not turned it's head when it did it would have been a great dead owl. fate was our friend that night.


I can only imagine the feathery explosion that would have been, Randy Johnson wouldn't of had a thing on you.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Lol. The news played that over and over in Phoenix.


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