Coyote down

Well its that time of year again where hunters are willing/able to get up before the alarm clock goes off.   IT"S HUNTING SEASON!!!!!!!!  yippee.  I've mentioned before about a hunters ability to get up, with no problem full of energy and wanting to go out into the cold, sometimes freezing cold weather to hunt.  But yet on a regular working day, it's sometimes impossible to crawl out of bed even if it means you're getting a promotion that day.   Amazing isn't it, and it's something only a true avid hunter would know about.  There's something about getting out in the woods before the sun comes up,  enjoying the stars as they fill the sky on a moonless night.   The fresh air, and of course the ability to hear everything because it is so quiet. Yesterday when I dropped my brother in law Mark off at the gate he walked in and sat next to a tree amongst the high brush and he was able to get a doe which will be turned into chorizo.

It might not be big, but as Mark says, it'll eat good, and he's right.   So this gal is at the Market and he was lucky enough to find a new deer meat processing business just around the corner from where we hunt.   It's about 10 minutes and, on the way home.  The chorizo from this doe will be going to Tennessee on our annual Man Trip.  

So we decided to go out again this morning and try our luck on another doe.   My alarm was set for 0400 since mark was going to pick me up at 0500.   I woke up at 0230 and then at 0330 and dozed off for a few minutes and got out of bed at 0358.  It always happens this way on hunting days.  Mark picked me up and we headed to the ranch and arrived at 0530 and walked out to the happy hunting grounds.   Mark was going to sit in some brush again in hopes of getting a shot at a big buck.   I was going to sit in a tree blind about 10 feet in the air tied to an oak tree.  the view was about 40 to 50 yards all around so it would be alright and anything walking into the shooting zone wouldn't be able to see me till it was too late.  As I sat gazing at all the stars on this cool fresh morning, We could hear two owls about 100 yards apart just sounding off back and forth.  There's nothing like two hooters sounding off this early in the morning.  I climbed up in my stand and Mark hid in the bushes and we awaited sunrise. As the sun started to rise in the east and I was able to start making out silhouettes of trees and I could see see something dark walking down one of the trails.   It turned out to be a raccoon probably making it's way back to it's den.  Around 0700 I spotted another raccoon about 30 yards away making it's working its way down a trail, stopping every now and then checking out it's surroundings.  It wasn't long before a coyote came down the same trail but this guy would stay a while, not like the raccoon that left the area pretty quickly.   I watched this coyote work and dig around several of the cactus in this area.   After watching this guy for 15 minutes it looked like he was not going to leave anytime soon.  That's when I told my self, "self not deer or hogs will be coming into this area while this coyote is her", so I shot it.  

 I was hoping since it was only 0730 that something else would come in afterwards, but nothing would come in the rest of the day.   Mark texted me and said he saw a hog and a couple of does but he was looking for that big one since he already had a doe.  Looks like this will be my last hunt until we get to Tennessee.   Until then, stay safe