TheBanyanTree: This is a story about hunting

[Sheri Baity]

**Warning**  If you are not in favor of hunting, please delete now.

Left Without The Cash But Came Home With The Gold 2004

By Sheri L. Baity




This is my third attempt at the Mosquito Creek Coyote Hunt. This year is different, however, I can hunt from the comforts of my own farm. They have made the contest state wide. For the last month and a half, I have been leaving the coyotes alone, in hopes to allow them to settle into a false state of comfort. Kind of like, hoping they will let their guard down, somewhat. Although, it has been quite tempting on my part to pull the trigger at least a half dozen times now, I have remained in control of this game of chess. This weekend, it is "my move."

It took me three and a half days to hand shovel through some of the 2-3 foot snow drifts to break a path to the cabin. No telling what will happen if I do get a coyote on how I will retrieve it, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. The snow drifts down in the hollow are massive. If I would have had to shovel to come in that way, well, I'd still be shoveling come spring thaw.

I quietly puttered my way on up to what I've named, "My Cabin On The Greens." I parked my four wheeler in snug behind the outhouse. It blends in real nice there. I took my time unloading groceries, bedding and kerosene to my cabin. It was 3:00 p.m. and I had 9 hours before the start of the hunt.

By the time I got my bed made, my heaters rolling and all the groceries put in place, the crows were starting to leave for the night. I decided it was time for a break and took the front window out to say Good Night to my friends. They bid me the same, as one by one they would stop in mid air to contort their bodies in what I call "Wing Dance" to me and Kaw-Kaw their beautiful songs echoing throughout the valley. 

My Crows and Ravens have been my guide and teacher for many years now. When it comes to hunting, we have made an awesome team. I have given them a haven on my farm, they lead me to the predators with their distinctive Kaw's and wing swoops as I in turn, try and leave them with a feast to follow. They are indeed true messengers of the woods and fields. And if given the chance, your entire hunting world could open up into ways that are almost magical by forming an ally with them instead of seeing them as another target to hunt.

The daytime sky is gently pulling the nighttime shade down as the fields and woods become silent. I decide to set my alarm for 11:30p.m. and rest my bones in a long winters nap until contest time. I toss and turn during my sleep waking up every hour or two thinking of all the coyotes that might be roaming my fields, but force myself back to another try at shut eye. Finally, my alarm goes off. I quickly hit the button with a smile on my face as I whisper into a silent cabin, "Let the game begin."

With five minutes before midnight and the contest starting in another 6 minutes, it was time to see just where my coyotes were and hopefully find out how many also. Since I was starting at an odd time, I decided to howl instead of my usual locating bark. I had just been sent an "All Call" by Decoy Heart. What the heck, I thought, it certainly isn't a sound that they have heard before.

I loaded up my gun, Winchester .243 model 70, clicked the safety on and placed it in my gun rest. I took out the front window and got everything in place. I gave the coyotes two lonely howls and then listened. I heard 8 coyotes answer back with a sound of interest in their barks. I sat back in my seat and waited another 10 minutes. I didn't want to over call. None were real close so I knew I needed to give them time to come to me, if that is what they chose to do.

12:05 a.m., finally, within contest time, I gave off two more lonely howls. All 8 answered back once again but one had closed in the distance considerably. After about 5 minutes of nothing showing up on my blank snow canvas, it was time to make myself a cup of mint tea. Too many hunters back east make the decision to keep on calling. I, on the other hand, have made my success by patience. Less is definitely more.

>From observing my coyotes here, I noticed although they are extremely vocal, they are vocal when needing to communicate and then can quiet themselves for up to an hour while they work areas. With taking this lesson into consideration, I have incorporated it into my hunting skills. When hunting, I am not just a hunter trying to out hunt the target, I make myself out to be the coyote himself. I try to blend in with the pack by way of thinking, acting and vocalizing just like one of the pack.

While soaking up the star show and sipping on my tea, a darkened movement caught my eye from just inside of the swamp. He was walking very cautiously, looking in all directions. My guess is, he was looking for that female coyote that has been howling. 340 yards down, he decides to stop. I knew at that distance I would have to hold my crosshairs about 18 inches high. Deep breath, holding high, I squeezed off the trigger. There was my distinctive thud, which meant a hit. Down he went, but he regained composure and started running away.

With each step he was creating more distance, but with each step, I also noticed, he was losing speed and control. I watched him go into the edge of the woods that border the swamp, cross over a downed tree and then he disappeared. Rather than trying to get off another shot, I thought I could get his attention or another coyotes attention by the wounded distress. As much as I read about this and it's success rates for the western coyote hunters, this has never worked for me, but I was game, one more time. No good as usual. The coyote was hit bad and he was going for cover. Little did I know just what job awaited for me, come morning light.

I closed up my window and hit the sack for the night. No sense, hunting any further, too much noise had already corresponded from my area. In the morning, I called Gary on my cell phone and told him the story. He called me back an hour later and told how we would try to get down there at the place of impact. The snow was knee deep all the way with some waste deep snow, from drifting.

I picked him up at the barn and took him out to as far as I could with the four wheeler. He told me to stay put, he was going to go down. "If you go down there, we'll be here until afternoon waiting for you to get back to the top." Of course, I wasn't going to argue that point. His knees are a lot more flexible than mine. But before he started down, he couldn't resist one smart more comment, "Are you sure, you are not sending me off on a wild goose chase?"

As much as that would be funny, since I have been known to pull some good ones on him, I assured him that I was not up to any tricks, this time. And the tracking was on. With each time he thought he would be able to walk on top of the four inch crust over the snow, he would only get a step or two and then he would sink down. After a long struggle down there, I heard the most favorite words of all being hollered up to me, "You hit him, you hit him good!"

I did a "Yahoo" as I danced a little jig and started praying. My prayers were full of thanking everyone, including the coyote and praying that he is retrieved. He was a beautiful coyote with a real long body structure. I placed him in about a 40-50 pound range. I told Gary to come back up and we would call his nephew for the snow mobile to try and track the blood trail. No one can ever say Gary is not determined when it comes to anything, so off he went step, sink, step sink on the blood trail.

An hour later, I finally saw Gary surface from the other end of the swamp. He was using a walking stick but no coyote was with him. He hollered up, all out of breath, "Call my nephew." I said to myself in low key, "My, what a novel idea! Why didn't I think of that?"

After Gary finally made it back to the cabin, he told me what he found. There were at least three spots that the coyote had laid down and rested for awhile. I think when I lit back onto that call, I was only pushing the coyote further. I will never know, but that is just my thought. Gary said the snow was so deep in the woods, he couldn't make it another step. We would definitely need help.

His nephew wouldn't be home until later that evening so that would mean we would have to wait until Saturday to continue our search. With all of that snow and being cold enough, it wouldn't hurt. I couldn't do weigh in for the contest until Sunday at noon anyway. But. you remember Mr. Determined, well, you guessed it. We would get a posse of three and hike in the woods from the other end.

Three hours later we were making our way back out of the woods without a coyote, once again. The last signs of him were headed across the small stream, up the steep bank into the thick patch of briars. This would make the fifth coyote that has made it to that patch to crawl in, die and never be retrieved. The only way you can get through there to look is equipped with a really tough chainsaw. It was time to put the pieces together and try to understand the why's for this hunt.

With my other contest hunts, I never even got a chance at a shot. So, I just passed it off to, I wasn't supposed to make money off of the coyotes. I've never been this close, but yet so dang far away.

I was having a hard time with this lesson at hand. Why would Creator allow me to kill a coyote during a contest, but not allow me to be able to retrieve? I have never been able to win a coyote hunting contest in all these years of hunting although, I have been allowed to take many coyotes. I knew there would be a lesson on this hunt, but as far as what, that required much reflecting on the entire scenario.

After speaking to my friend, Rich, from Arizona and Ronnie, from Texas, last night, I had told them that the only thing that brought me peace and comfort, was when I said, "I think I needed to feed and take care of my feathered friends first. They have had such a long winter to endure with food source low. They have given me so much and I haven't fed them for awhile. I think that is why the coyote lays in those briar scrubs. He lays there for food for my feathered friends."

I told them, how when daylight came after the shot, the crows and ravens were celebrating before my eyes. They were flying circles in front of me, being extremely vocal and wing dancing. It didn't register that they were giving thanks for a feast to follow. I had just thought it meant they were happy I was going to win the money.

Now I can see and understand and smile in peace with them, because, I knew I took care of others that needed to be taken care of first and foremost. I pulled my two cards from the White Eagle Medicine Wheel, written by Wa-Na-Nee-Chee and Eliana Harvey, for the day and came up with Buffalo and Butterfly.

Buffalo's message is as follows, according to the book: When this great beast comes, you know that your prayers have been answered. Healing and nourishment are yours on all levels. You understand the connection between yourself and the Creator, which is heartfelt prayer and gratitude. Remember this, and share with others the rising smoke of the sacred pipe that is the universal language of prayer. Your awareness is expanding, you are becoming sensitive to the needs of others.

Butterfly's message is short and simple: Sensitivity, positiveness and transformation. Beautiful butterfly asks where you are on your transformational cycle. Honor each stage of growth, each is important, there are no short cuts and nothing is wasted.

My lesson has been learned and learned well. Today is another step among my journey. Today I can see farther. Today is a new day and tomorrow is another day. One day I will win this contest, but for now, I will celebrate all of the lessons that I have endured. They are who I am and where I came from and how I will get to the next level.

Gary, while talking to my dog, tells her, "I don't understand it. She kills all these coyotes. She's written a book. She talks at seminars, but she can't bring home the purse, just once. She has never brought home the purse!"

I, in my quick wit tell him, "It took Dale Earnhart a very long time to win the Daytona. Do you think, his wife sat around telling him, you do this, you do that, but you never bring home the purse??!!??" Point now at rest in this house. Until next time.












http://www.coldnosed.com/farmstyle.htm