The squirrel and the Coyote - DS Revere

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tommyb

tommyb

Member
Feb 20, 2018
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North Carolina, United States
Hi gang,

It’s Saturday night, and I have never posted a squirrel hunting story.

I have a backyard woods behind my house. It is usually target rich with critters of all types: Squirrels, Raccoons, Foxes, Possums, and Coyotes. Lots of Hawks also.

Today, I shot a squirrel at 37 yards on one of my favorite squirrel runs. A downed tree, but one large branch above ground about 2-12 feet.

I have a Scope Werks big wheel on my Athlon 6-24X50 Helos FFP scope. Magnification at 9X. Zero’d at 25 yards. I placed the .22 Revere on my window sill and had a JSB 18.1 in the DS magazine.

I see a squirrel on the branch, take my time, and gently squeeze with a perfect trigger. I hear a loud pop. Aimed at his head. I see him fall down, then run 10 yards. He apparently ran into a big hole left from a fallen OAK tree. I go out And cannot find the squirrel.

Crap. I am 100% sure I hit him good.

Fast forward an hour to dusk. A Coyote is in the woods. He goes to where I was 30 minutes prior. He is rooting around near where I saw the squirrel run too.

You guessed it! He comes out of the hole with my dead squirrel in his mouth.

So, I did get him!

I loved the way this story ended. I got a squirrel and Coyote got dinner.
😀😀

Tom
 
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tommyb said:
Hi gang,

It’s Saturday night, and I have never posted a squirrel hunting story.

I have a backyard woods behind my house. It is usually target rich with critters of all types: Squirrels, Raccoons, Foxes, Possums, and Coyotes. Lots of Hawks also.

Today, I shot a squirrel at 37 yards on one of my favorite squirrel runs. A downed tree, but one large branch above ground about 2-12 feet.

I have a Scope Werks big wheel on my Athlon 6-24X50 Helos FFP scope. Magnification at 9X. Zero’d at 25 yards. I placed the .22 Revere on my window sill and had a JSB 18.1 in the DS magazine.

I see a squirrel on the branch, take my time, and gently squeeze with a perfect trigger. I hear a loud pop. Aimed at his head. I see him fall down, then run 10 yards. He apparently ran into a big hole left from a fallen OAK tree. I go out And cannot find the squirrel.

Crap. I am 100% sure I hit him good.

Fast forward an hour to dusk. A Coyote is in the woods. He goes to where I was 30 minutes prior. He is rooting around near where I saw the squirrel run too.

You guessed it! He comes out of the hole with my dead squirrel in his mouth.

So, I did get him!

I loved the way this story ended. I got a squirrel and Coyote got dinner.
😀😀

Tom
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It’s Saturday night, and I have never posted a squirrel hunting story.

" I have a backyard woods behind my house. It is usually target rich with critters of all types: Squirrels, Raccoons, Foxes, Possums, and Coyotes. Lots of Hawks also. " Hawks are not targets so i assume you just listed them in your yard ?
 
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tommyb said:
Hey Mike

Not sure if Coyotes are legal to hunt in NC, behind a residential backyard. I have ample opportunities to take many at 30-40 yards, but I don’t.

I prefer squirrels.
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I'm in SC and here on private land coyotes are 24/7/365, any weapon, bait, electronic calls, any sighting device including NV, Thermal, flashlights, laser's, etc... Only two regulations for after "normal" hunting hours in SC, you have to have your private land registered to hunt/shoot outside normal hunting times, which is nothing more than going on our DNR website, putting in the address of the private property and your hunting licencse number, done in a minute. The other is after normal hours, you must be in elevated stand. Where I call on my property is a draw where I sit on the top of a steep embankment 27 feet above the bottom of the draw, it is about a 40 yard walk from my front door, 20 as the crow flies. I thought NC was similiar so I just looked up your ncwildlife site. A few counties have rules/permit needed, Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington. After that section is this: In all other counties of North Carolina, coyotes may be taken on private lands anytime day or night; and on public lands without a permit from the hours of one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset, and with a permit from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. I'm sure there must be some mention of weapons, I didn't see it in a 2 minute look.

If where you shoot the squirrels and see the coyotes is your property and not in one of the counties above, lay waste to any you see. They decimate turkeys, and are the biggest cause of fawn mortality. Give them no quarter, they are non-native species in this part of the country and prey on native species.
 
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With the exception of 5 eastern NC counties, there is no closed season on coyotes, so they can be taken year round. But, a standard power .22 air rifle shooting pellets is not, IMO, the ethical weapon to use. Practices in killing varmints has always been a debate. Maybe we don't owe them any consideration, and I won't argue with those taking that position. But I've always believed that any critter I kill deserves my best effort at humane treatment. When considering a coyote, an 18 g pellet doesn't pass my test.
That said, I believe they should be eliminated when possible in urban settings where domestic animals and small children are easy prey. I recently read a study suggesting that a significant portion of the urban coyote's diet consists of domestic cats and dogs. And just today on the news, there was a report of a small child attacked by a coyote. Thankfully, the child escaped without injury. They are clever, persistent, and adaptive animals.
 
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elh0102 said:
With the exception of 5 eastern NC counties, there is no closed season on coyotes, so they can be taken year round. But, a standard power .22 air rifle shooting pellets is not, IMO, the ethical weapon to use. Practices in killing varmints has always been a debate. Maybe we don't owe them any consideration, and I won't argue with those taking that position. But I've always believed that any critter I kill deserves my best effort at humane treatment. When considering a coyote, an 18 g pellet doesn't pass my test.
That said, I believe they should be eliminated when possible in urban settings where domestic animals and small children are easy prey. I recently read a study suggesting that a significant portion of the urban coyote's diet consists of domestic cats and dogs. And just today on the news, there was a report of a small child attacked by a coyote. Thankfully, the child escaped without injury. They are clever, persistent, and adaptive animals.
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I saw the report of the Coyote attack on the news. That small child was in her own driveway / front sidewalk playing, while her father was several feet away putting something into a parked car, also in that driveway. The Coyote grabbed the child’s leg and began dragging her away from the car. The father immediately grabbed the child and the Coyote backed off. The segment was on GMA and the news.

I have three Granddaughters four and under, and when they play in the back yard, I am extremely mindful of Coyotes always being around. I watch them like a Hawk.

That said, and just to clarify for others reading this thread; I wouldn’t even think of shooting one in my residential backyard or woods, and certainly not with a .22. 28FPE air gun for all the reasons you gave.
 
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Flintsack said:
I didn’t mean to throw a curveball into your post. Everyone gets to decide what they shoot and don’t shoot.

I live in an area where coyotes are hunted. They are extremely wary and afraid of humans. I like that.

Mike
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Mike - it’s all good by me and no curve ball thrown. You were perfectly fine with your wording. I know and follow you often, so no worries.

Since I am in a residential neighborhood, I couldn’t even think about a dispatch. Now, if I was ever on a large bit of property or invited to a Coyote hunt, I would jump at that and with the appropriate caliber and gun.
 
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