# Oh What a Day



## alleyyooper (Apr 7, 2018)

Remember that song. I sure did and by the afternoon I was a believer, also part of a remembered song.

Met Mike at Johns,I had called him as I was warming the PU up and cleaning the frost off the windows. Mike saw me turn in the drive and slid the machine shop door open so I only need to back in and hook up to the gator trailer, as Mike was putting his gear in the truck. Once I pulled out Mike shut the door and got in, said he had a list of places John and he had made up the night before that had not been hunted recently.


The first place the Aberdeen sheep farm about 11 miles away, It was just getting where most of the stars could no longer be seen and still a cold 25F by the trucks tempture read out. Mike wanted to hike in, told me he was pushing 90 pounds for 10 minutes now. I asked how many pounds he was able to pull with that leg, Remember I did therapy when I had knee surgery.

Decided OK we would take the gator, go back in a pasture with a small island of trees to set up.


This is a good place and we have taken many coyotes in the past. There is a 10 acre wood lot to our front and just across the fence is abandoned farm fields. Those fields have not been worked in nearly 8 years and is full of Autumn Olive bushes and Multi Flora Rose some nasty stuff.

After the decoys and caller is out we settle in, I am glad to have my baklava and covered my face so only my eyes were showing against the wind chill.


I had made up my mind that today Mike was going to shoot till his shoulder hurt maybe. As if on cue at about the 15 minute mark a coyote pokes his nose into the clearing to the sound of a Horney female coyote. I am sure we are a bit late for using that sound but Mike had suggested it before we arrived at the farm. Mike waits til he can see the whole critter hoping another was just a tad behind. Seemed to be the only one I signed to shoot and that 222 mag belched a bit of flame in the early dawn light and there was one dead coyote down.



We waited till 30 minutes was up Mike went and got the gator and I picked up the decoys and caller. Mike arrived to pick me up and show off a nice fured male coyote. Once back at the truck Mike said he was glad he didn’t have to drag that coyote. Next place on Mikes list was Zane’s dairy farm with a Michigan game area along one side and across the back. Set up the decoys, set the caller out then set up in a grassy fence line again happy too cover the face as it was 28F now and a bright sun had cleared the tree line.


I had talked to Mike about the mating calls being on the late side of the year so he agreed we would use some thing else. This time since there was a stream cutting across the corner of the field we went with a pair of coons fighting. OH boy that was the ticket 4 coyotes came charging thru the fence into the clear and stoped to look around for the coons. Mike signed to shoot so I signed back after hime and I would take the trailer and the 3d one if possible. Our BOOMS were nearly together, quickly racked a second round in the Swift and got the retreating 3d coyote in the cross hairs led it by a good half mile and fired. I was sure surprised when that coyote spun in place then dropped. MY first double of 2018. Mike had gotten his and thought may have hit the second one. A search of the area, we found blood and tracked the coyote about 300 yards to a water filled pond and the coyote just in the water laying. Mike finished it off and was going to drag it back to the field. I signed to leave it and get the gator I would take care of the coyote as I slid my short tow line from my pocket.


As we were going back to the truck with 4 coyotes in the gator I was thinking Chuck has a golf cart silent mode of travel.
Only draw back is it sucks in the mud. Maybe one with some aggressive atv tires would work.

Back at the truck we put the coyotes in the back of the truck and load up the gator. I tell Mike as we are getting in the truck I have a thermos of tea in the rear with the gun cases along with 2 travel mugs.

Look at the list and next place is 25 miles away a crop farm big drainage ditch running across the place connecting some wood lots. You ever get to Michigan go to Huron county the tip of the thumb, you will see those drainage ditches and wonder why so deep.

Arrive at yet another crop farm, I am thinking is starting to get along in the day and it is not what I would call a coyote meca area really. We set up and try the coons again, but after 30 minutes we had seen no hair of a coyote or any other critter.

As we finished loading and got in the truck Mikes phone rang. Is Dean calling to tell Mike the people had not excepted his offer but had made a counter offer. I could see the light go out of his body. Told Dean he would think on it and hung up and told me to drive to a diver duck cafe near fish point where they like hunters, duck hunters mostly.
We get there look at the menu and settle on a double bacon burger with endless fries. The fries even came with malt vinegar. Rare in Michigan but found thru out Canada.

Mike then filled me in, He had made a offer on the property he had told me about on Saturday. He considered it a fair offer and Dean had also said it looked fair. The owners didn’t except his offer but made a counter offer for $5000.00 more. Mike said that amount would build him a nice pole barn to store things and a place to skin coyotes even. I just said in the end you can counter the counter offer, cut it in half.


 Al


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