Silver, Coyote hunting and a dead ground squriell

[jeepcj5]

Well, the wife and I got up @ 0300 yesterday morning and headed out, I fixed us a couple breakfast burritos and packed our lunch made previously the night before into a cooler. Loaded both detectors one of my AR's :ar15: the SPR model, my Weatherby .243, electronic coyote call, hunting pack, couple gallons of water, camera bag and also tossed 1 extra spare tire and a floor jack into the back of the big Ford and away we went, our destination; Monitor Pass off Highway 88.. Monitor Pass
Got there as the sun was breaking and it was a beautiful site! Made three coyote calling stands with no luck but had a funny experience with a big doe Muley, she did NOT like that dying rabbit sound one bit and was snorting and huffing so loudly I thought it may be a black bear. I quietly and slowly stood up with AR at the ready only to see the back of a big ole Muley doe slipping around a PJ looking at my call; soon as I stood up she had kind of a bewildered look on her face and stodded off down the draw... I had a feeling she had a fawn or two close by and was ready to open a can of whoop A$$ on anything making that gawd awful racket...

Well, we spotted a ground squirrel quite a ways off on a big rock pile and since no luck on the coyotes she challenged me and said "think you can hit it from here" I scoffed, since she had the rangefinder in her pack I asked her to range him for me... "242 yds she says' Hmmm, now I'm shooting my custom made (by me) AR-15 with a slew of goodies so I'm thinking ha, not even challenging should be bang drop, instead I get a bang still standing, WTF!!! then I send another, still standing, then I get an epiphany "you IDIOT" I said to myself this is the AR I just switched scopes on and sighted it in for bout an inch high at 100 yds DOH!!! So I sent the next one with the correct adjustment and no more disease carrying ground squirrel, so I redeemed myself a little bit...

It started getting warm by now and we were ready to head down to 395 south to see if we could find anywhere to metal detect, we pulled into the Coleville at the elementary school WITH TAN BARK, mama's favorite, I noticed a sign, built in 1909 so we got out the detectors and started to work... MM (Miss Mary) found about .56 cents in clad I got about 1.35 plus a VERY sweet and in fantastic shape 1935s Merc she sure is pretty...

We hunted a few more minutes then headed back down south on 395...

Pulled into the little famous fishing town of WALKER and found a park, man I shoulda took a photograph! This place looked like dreamland, huge trees, well cropped grass but remember this is high desert with NO top soil , so clad coins were VERY deep, I think the 1997 quarter was at 9+ inches and gave a WEIRD sound, EVERYTHING I found was like this, my only conclusion was fill from some pasture with good soil. We had late lunch and decided to head home.

Moved on south down 395 to 108 west and headed up, what a beautiful drive, TOTALLY suggest if you've never been to this part of Cali go check it out


, also REALLY close to Bodie ghost town!!! So not the most successful day yote hunting or old silver finding but I did manage to redeem myself on a decent ground squirrel and a BEAUTIFUL Merc... Here are a couple shots and thanks for letting me bend your ear... Redneck rambling at its best!!!

 

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[TheRockDoc]

Wow, beautiful pic, and beautiful merc too. Its way off subject, but reading your coyote hunting story totally reminded me of my first and only coyote that I ever called in. It was my uncle and I, and I was a teenager, so imagine ohh, 25 stands with nothing.. No sight or sound of anything coming in. All I ever heard about was all his amazing stories about the 2, 4, or 10 dogs he called in last time.... without me. So, it literally got to the point where I thought he was full of dog doo. This had to be a prank, a joke of somekind. About the time I was DONE falling for his "next level snipe hunt" We had just sat down and he started calling, and maybe 2 min. later, first the sounds, then.... something, wtf? by this time, it was already over for me. My head was spinning so fast I didnt know my own name. There is this huge doe literally chasing this dog.... right towards us. It is too bad I had buck fever so bad, (my uncle had a camera, as we were trying to make hunting vids at the time). I am guessing this would have been amazing footage, and I ruined all of it, before my uncle had either one in view-so... no footage. Well, based on the little I know about coyote hunting, it is a dream come true to have a coyote coming right for you, but also paying attention to (anything else) the doe that is right on his tail, stomping, snorting, kicking, head butting, just trying to get this dog. To make a long story short, this incredible sight only lasted about 3 seconds because right when I realized that a dog actually came in, I did the only thing my mind knew at the time. I started hittin the mouse sqeaker call thing-he was only about 40 yards at most, and practically running right for us at this point. When I absolutely blew it with the squeaker, the dog stopped, and looked right at us-"busted", the deer head butted the dog, and I shot who knows what.. As I mentioned, i have never been so out of my mind ever with a gun, shooting at something, and for all I know, I didnt even look through the scoop when trying to "shoot" the dog. This is the first time I have ever admitted to anyone that the first and only dog I ever saw or called in while coyote hunting gave me a perfect... Standing still - broadside.... 20-30 yard shot. Fun times for sure. I havent been coyote hunting since but it has nothing to do with that "incident".

The only thing I could figure was that this doe had a fawn or two right nearby and maybe thought the distress call was her fawn? Either way, Im sure it had something to do with a fawn, because this doe was trying to kill the dog.

 

[jeepcj5]

rockdoc,
You had me ROFLMAO!!!! great story, yup it can get pretty darn exciting!!!! Deer do the strangest things ever see one swim they can haul A$$ in the water!!!! and bite the he!! outta ya if yu try and catch em

 

[kuger]

I used to hunt/call yotes for a living.It is an art,but rewarding.I have seen things no one would ever beleive

 

[relic lover]

Your story should read that you clipped the squirrels ear ticks one at a time before dispatching him. I never tell tall tails myself though Nice merc, but your greatest find is a wife who goes out with you into the field.

 

[TooManyHobbies]

That's some beautiful country you have there. Now, those of us that appreciate a good shot and a dead animal, would like to see the squirrel.
One of these days, I'd like to go after a nice muley buck too.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Yes, dead squirrel pics please. Was it a 13-lined?

 

[kuger]

There used to be some really nice Muley bucks in that country(my old bowhunting grounds)but now between the Mt Lions,bears and Fish &Game giving too many tags the deer have really suffered.Nothing to see several bears in a days ride (horseback)there now