TheBanyanTree: A Kiss At Midnight

Sun Apr 11 19:46:47 PDT 2010

*****WARNING THIS IS A HUNTING RELATED STORY WITH A KILL SHOT******
**Some of you may not be hunters or agree with hunting so I respect that and am warning you to delete ahead of time********************************

A Kiss at Midnight on New Year’s Eve 

2009 has been like a down hill, out of control, bobsled ride without a prize waiting for me at the end. I was never so happy to finally close this chapter. It was going to be full moon. The temps were just perfect in the 20’s. Calm sky and clear as well. Gary and I have never bought into that staying up at midnight stuff. Him being a dairy farmer, he is in bed by nine at the latest every night. I was into a month of traveling and wanted to get out and take advantage of the moon and snow cover.

To be quite honest… all I wanted to do was “Kiss a Coyote for New Year’s Eve.” I needed some “me” time, so I made sure that Gary would have supper and I started getting ready. I thought back to deer season, I had been noticing for some time that the coyotes had changed their pattern. My first thought was, where was I going to set up for the night. You heard right, I was going to just make one really long stand. I had decided to set up behind the start of the hedgerow that leads back into my hunting shack.

With that settled, I finished getting my layers on of silk long johns, sweat pants, insulated bibs, long t-shirt and a sweat shirt. I filled my Bass Pro jug up that holds an entire pot of coffee and added some chocolate raspberry creamer. I wanted tonight to be special. I laugh hearing me say those words, kind of like I was getting ready for a special date with someone special, isn’t it? It was my kind of date!

Now, before we go any further, I know you have probably read or seen, me hunting off of a four wheeler or out of my truck. I have a few health issues that prevent me from walking or hiking anymore. Some days you might even see me attached to a cane. Those days, I just tell everyone to call me Tri-pod. So my hunting is now tailored to still get me out there and do what I love to do… hunt coyotes. Thank goodness for my doctor and the Pennsylvania Game Commission for signing me up for a handicap license!

With that said and out of the way, I made my way up back. Four-wheel drive all the way, I took the edge of the fields because the road has been drifted shut for awhile. It felt so dang good heading out on my special date night, almost exhilarating. I drove with the windows down trying to taste and savor the crisp chilled air. When I would pass under a tree along the way I would get a flurry of snow off of the branches, like magic dust blessing me for my adventure just waiting ahead of me.

I pulled up to the hedgerow around 4 p.m. I had about 10 feet long of trees and brush and then a clearing of just low piled rocks for about another 8 feet before it went back into brush again. I drove up tight so that just the front end of my truck and the drivers side window was in the clearing. I love my truck for its quietness. I could see deer milling around about 300 yards out on the side hill that we jokingly call the neighbors game preserve. They were completely unaware of my presence. 

During deer season, I had seen coyotes and bobcat taking the game preserve route. I wasn’t sure if they would cross over to my fields, but I figured it was close enough to their pattern that I might have a good chance at calling them just 20 feet or so off of their beaten path.

I took my quilt and draped it over my legs and then stuffed the excess between me and the door to build a make shift shooting rest. I put 2 shells in the gun, got my lanyard around my neck, put the binoculars on the dash and took a big swig of my coffee and got comfortable. What wind there was from time to time was coming from the northwest and blowing to the southeast. Even though I knew there was a strong possibility that they were going to try and catch my downwind side, I still took a chance that their path being so close would allow them a little stray before they try to get behind me. All I needed was 20 feet of stray and I would be able to close the deal. I put my chips on the table and took the bet.

For the next couple of hours, I just sat and watched. A few snow squalls blew through just adding more magic dust to the picturesque landscape. The deer and turkey had no clue that I was there. They just milled around until it was their time to move on. The turkeys went to roost down in the pines. They sure can make a ruckus when they take flight and land in the tree tops. When the sky is so clear and the air is so still, those sounds just add to natures symphony.

A gorgeous 10 point just came to the horizon following three doe and two fawns. He stood in all his glory at the top of the game preserve with the sunset beaming all kinds of colors around his silhouette. No need to count his points with them beaming in size and whiteness. The does suddenly came to their alert mode. That was my cue to pick up the binoculars and try and see through all the thickness on the side hill of what they were trying to tell me. Maybe 5 seconds had past and I see ten feet down from them a huge bobcat come prowling through. The deer did not make a move as the cat slinked his way down into the pines. As soon as he made his way over the hill, the deer high tailed it out of there in the opposite direction.

The sun had gone to bed as he pulled the shades and made way for The Old Man In The Moon. I finally heard the alpha male do what I call the roll call. He barked once and then one by one every other coyote in the pack answered him back with one bark. I counted 6 different coyotes with that roll call. They came from the other end of the game preserve so I knew it would be some time before they made it to my end. I didn’t join in for their roll call this time, I had plans for them later, when they got closer.

There was not a blade of grass peaking out through the snow and the moon was so bright, the only time I needed to pick up my binoculars was to really scope the edge of the fields and the game preserve. I did happen to pick them up when I couldn’t identify this long line jetting across the top of the snow. It was a mink making his way to the other side of the field. I don’t get a chance to see very many of them. They are more elusive than the bobcats used to be. Just then a rough bark came along the top of the field. I think the fox might have gotten on the trail of the mink and he came trotting through. 

Another hour or so had passed by when I decided to start some light calling. The coyotes were definitely coming closer, hearing their barks here and there through time. I started with some light balling of a rabbit. I kept it to just a few cries here and there trying not to put too much stress into the sound. I wanted the coyotes to hear it and hopefully slowly peak their interest. After all, my game plan was to Kiss that coyote at midnight and no sooner. I was going to slowly seduce my date for the evening.

After about 5 minutes of crying the rabbit blues a boxed shaped critter entered the top of the field and started making his way towards me. I could tell from it’s shape and movement that it was clearly a bobcat, but to be on the sure side, I pulled up my binoculars and saw plain as day I was correct. I stopped calling in hopes that it would get bored and head off in a new direction. That’s the one problem with hunting coyotes now here in Pennsylvania, if you don’t have a bobcat tag, you can’t shoot them. Sometimes that adds a lot more time into your hunting or else you have to find a new place to call from.

Usually in a set up when I‘m calling, I have the bobcat first, because they have not been hunted or educated, then the fox and then, maybe then the coyote will finally show his face. It can be a pain but if it means that I can be out there, I’ll certainly deal with it. That bobcat did get bored and headed off towards my cabin. I had two more bobcats make their way through the fields later towards quitting time.

It was 11:28 according to my cell phone and the coyotes had just lit up in the pines which was about 350 yards away. It was time for me to start the show. I pulled up my closed reed and chirped with a female coyote sound towards the pines. I turned my head and then answered back with a bark. I chirped again with the closed reed. I then immediately went into a dieing rabbit and made it die until it ran out of air. Picked up my closed reed call again and started growling, then barked then brought up my open reed call and yelped like a coyote had just been bitten. Went back into growling some more, barking, growling, more barking and then more yelping and then got quiet. Maybe there was a 3-4 second delay until they just lit up the airwaves with barking, yipping and any other sound they could throw out there.

I don’t think it was a full minute before there were 5 coyotes that gave me that 20 foot stray that I had been hoping for. I went for the biggest one in the scope of my rifle as I quickly pulled up. He was about 200 yards up just running across the top of the field when I tried my best to lead him and pull the trigger. Down he went and then just as fast, up he came again and headed off back into the game preserve with the rest of the coyotes that hadn’t come down as far. No chance for a finishing shot.

I immediately got back on to my open reed and started yelping. My heart was yelping inside about ready to jump ship after this quick rush when a 150 yards closer came another coyote. He wasn’t limping so I know that wasn’t the one that I hit. He was coming at a dead run to me or the yelping sound when I knew I had to calm the situation down and get a more accurate shot off. So what do I have in my bag of tricks but my own lips. I call it the “Kiss of Death.” I put my lips together and started kissing the air. He came to a screeching halt and stopped about 100 yards out. I slowly squeezed the trigger as he sat right down and fell right over. He wasn’t getting back up. It took me a few seconds to get my eyesight adjusted back after the orange flash in the nighttime sky, but I went right back into yelping. Immediately another shape came sprinting out from where the coyote just came from. It was a bobcat of all things.

It just kept on coming and coming until finally at about 20 feet out I had to think of what to do before it jumped in the truck with me. So I started, very loudly, in a whisper… “hey, get out of here, go away, do not come one more step or I’ll have to shoot you!” So the bobcat did just what I never expected and sat down and looked at me. I’m thinking, “Oh man…now what do I do??” So after drinking a lot of coffee I let out a half burping half growling from myself and that bobcat stood right up, did an about face and scooted so fast back into the scrubs. Maybe I can come up with a game call for that sound some day. Hey, whatever worked, right? 

I was done calling after that close call with the bobcat. I could see my coyote out there on the field and he was done. I took a glance at my cell phone and the time read 11:41 p.m. New Years Eve. I thought that I couldn’t have played that scenario out any better if I tried. To me, there was no better way I could say goodbye to 2009 than with a “Bang Flop!” 

I sat there until midnight and soaked up the silence, moon and stars. I finished up my coffee and replayed the night back in my head. It was one minute before midnight as a brilliant shooting star came from the north and headed south. I drove out and did my prayers and left a blessing of beef jerky and thanks and picked up my beautiful blonde coyote. He weighed in at 47lbs. He had a 55 ½ inch stretch from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail bone. His girth was 25 inches. Out of all of the countless coyotes I’ve taken, I never got a blonde one. I’m having a rug made out of him which should be done in the next week or so.

A huge sigh of relief had come over me on my drive back home. I truly “kissed” a coyote for New Years Eve, I said Good Ridden to 2009 and I had the most magical, wonderful night of “me” time. A perfect way to spend the night with my date… my date of the Great Outdoors! Hello 2010! 

Sheri L Baity

American Predator Federation
"Where Predator Hunters Are Forming A Pack"
http://www.huntapf.org

A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water~~Eleanor Roosevelt