As I drove down the waterway towards the woods, I saw something at the end of the corn field but couldn’t tell what it was. I hit the brights & at least 5 deer headed into the woods. I usually hunt this woods later in the season & remembered why when I got there. The leaves are so thick on the saplings that it’s hard to see anything. I sat at the edge of the woods at 6:20 waiting for it to get light enough to move through the woods. There are a lot of grapevines & you risk life & limb walking through in the dark. Another deer headed west through the power lines to the north & a few minutes later, I thought I had slipped back in time to a prehistoric age as what appeared to be a pterodactyl flew in & landed on the far side of the tree line. About 20 minutes later, in full light, a GBH left the trees. There were reds all over the place & I did shoot 1. I saw 2 foxes but couldn’t get a shot. The walnuts have hit pretty well & I have never seen so many buckeyes. I picked up 24 & will plant them later this fall in hopes of getting a few trees. I headed in for lunch at 11 with a stop at my nieces place for a short visit.
After lunch, I got set up near my honey tree at 12:30. Less than 10 minutes later, 2 foxes came tearing through the woods & would have literally run over me if the hadn’t stopped & reversed direction. One stopped on top of a log & the other crossed the log. The 1 on the log disappeared before I could get the scope on it. The other was still sitting there & I shot it. I knew exactly where it was, next to a small sapling on bare ground, so I didn’t go get it. I had a couple of reds dropping hickory nuts & then moving them off someplace. At about 1:15, I heard something running near where I had shot the fox. I looked & there was a coyote trotting south past me. There was a large blow down between us but I kept the scope on it & when it cleared the end of the blow down I shot putting it on the ground. You can see where I hit it at the top of the shoulder. The spine must have been shattered as it couldn’t use its back legs. I got about 10’ before administering the coup de grace. It was a young female. I went to get the squirrel & spent almost an hour searching with no luck. I even retraced the path the yote took several times thinking it may have picked it up & dropped it. Nada. The only thing I can figure is that there were 2 song dogs & I didn’t see the other. It really ticks me off that I lost the fox as I do eat squirrels but not dawgs!! I have seen that a lot of people claim that a .17 HMR is too light to kill a coyote. To them I say: “HA!!!!” At least there’s 1 less squirrel snatcher, 1 less poult purloiner, & 1 less fawn felon out there. That was it for me. I dropped her of at the taxmans to have a rug made.
This is a large walnut that a large part that broke away many years ago.
You can tell that a lot of squirrels have eaten 3 rounds a day in this tree.
You can see where the .17 took out her spine at the top of the shoulder.
