Crow Busters Forum

.  .  .  it ends badly for the fur-bearers.

We'd been out to two other properties in two counties south of the DFW area earlier this morning trying to lure crows into range of our long guns.  We enjoyed some success (fifteen crows) with those efforts.  We finally visited a third property, probably in a third county, tried the crow thing with little success and then Bob switched us to daytime raccoon calling in a hardwood bottom.  Four of us in full camo standing, crouching around tree trunks and brambles keeping watch a few short yards away of a bizarre little device that randomly spins a wire shaft with four little furry tails attached to the upper end of it, while the electronic caller puts out sounds I can guarantee you've never heard but which really provoke startling behavior in animals with sharp teeth.

The other three heartless killers arrayed themselves around the Kill Zone while I assumed a secondary and support position behind the gun-line and facing aft to provide the "six" protection.  Remember, we all were armed with shot guns with five foot barrels loaded with low recoil #8 shot shells.  In a wooded bottom.  Two minutes after the e-caller starts playing the gawdawful sounds, I'm looking up a dry swale when a cream/buff-colored creature suddenly appears from around a large tree trunk about twenty yards away, running down the swale toward us and going to pass within a few yards from me.  Frantically throwing images at the CPU!  Not a raccoon!  Looks like a dog with long, pointy ears!  Not a dog!  Coyote!!!  With a fine coat, too!   And as I told Bob, it possessed a singular focus on the movement mojo rig and was late for lunch.  Very exciting to be standing there to witness an apex predator's stare and they don't know you're within spitting distance!

By this time the animal has halved the distance, my ultra long shotgun barrel is coming down, the butt is seeking my shoulder, I'm rapidly getting to a shooting solution, shifting my hips to accommodate the barrel continueing the right traverse and avoid hitting a sapling trunk, when I thumb the tang safety off as the stock and cheek settle.  It must have heard the safety because it came to an abrupt stop and the hammer dropped.  Hit it in the right shoulder with just less than an ounce of #8's from seven yards.  The muzzle was five yards away from fur. 

It went to the ground and then spun around and took off up the path that had carried it here, staying low.  And I emptied my shotgun while it did. Quickly James and Matt displaced and moved to intercept from my left, James landing two loads on the back end of the departing yote.  We found it a few yards up the swale and brought the contest to a quick close.  22 and a half pounds.  Should have had heavier loads. 

Within minutes, the TCP had abandoned that kill zone and quietly moved about 150 yards to another likely coon spot.  Set up essentially the same way but in slightly more open hardwood bottoms with clearer vision lanes down low.  Since I had just scored, I told the rest of the patrol that I would locate myself behind their gun line and watch their six again.  I was crouched behind a two-foot tall sapling when the caller started spewing its dis directly behind me, minding my own business when, there straight ahead of me, the grass parts at the base of a large tree and this big coon comes galloping toward me!  Just about the same set up as with the yote.  First saw it at thirty yards but this animal is a) growling audibly - it's pissed off - and b) its heading right toward me and my little sapling!  Gadet Bob is always getting me in these situations!!  When it got to about ten yards, I needed to do something (What would ShaneDog do?!?!), so I stood up and leveled my long gun at it.  That stopped the charge, it looked at me and I put the first load in its masked face, chest and shoulders, it rolled backwards and I used two more rounds to still the animal (Note to self: pack three or four rounds of heavier loads and ear protection on predator hides!)    12 and a half pounds.  We tried to lure some inquisitive crows into the bottom, had a handful flash above the canopy and blew a few holes in said canopy but, alas, were unsuccessful.  The Patrol then displaced to another part of the bottom and did down a couple crows.

When predator hunting In the woods, the all-camo really is a huge advantage - not so much on an orchard floor though.