Weekend of October 27th.

By Ben Smyser

This weekend was the annual North Central PA hunt that Ernie Wilson puts on every year. It was the 25th and I was locating some coyotes that a local farmer had said he heard the night before. I was checking to see if they were in the same area. I cranked the siren on the FX5 and right away they opened up in a corus in a hollow down at the back of the farm. It just so happened that the wind was going to be perfect tonight to hunt this farm. I got in the truck after talking to the farmer a bit and left knowing I had a ace in my back pocket. On my way home I got a call from Ernie himself wishing me luck. I then felt something was going to happen. I headed home took a shower made sure the truck was packed and went to bed for some rest. As I laid there I had coyote howls and red eyes dancing in my mind. I finally drifted off to sleep.

I hear the alarm rolled over and turned off the alarm clock. It was 11:45. 15 minutes till the official start of the hunt. I got dressed and walked out to the kitchen ate a ham sandwich that I had made earlier in the night. As I sat there I had the weather channel on and the weather was supposed to turn bad around 5 in the morning. That meant about four and a half hours of good hunting. Past experiences have taught me that right before a major front is the time that predators tend to move. As I laced up my boots and walked down the walk I said a little prayer and got in my truck. The clock in the truck said 12:10.

As I pulled into the mountain drive I took notice to brightness through the woods. It was a overcast full moon night. Almost bright enough to walk without aid of a light but fearing getting hurt I turned on a small led head lamp. I dropped the tailgate on the pickup and was wondering if at that very same time some of the best in the state was also doing the same. I slid on my turkey vest and grabbed the FX5 and Jack in the Box decoy. I normally do not use a decoy but figured as bright as it was and tight as the cover was it could not hurt. I set the decoy and call about 15 yds in front of a ladder stand. This spot was considered my honey hole and I had always killed grays here. My uncle lives about 300 yds down the mountain and when I left work earlier that day I remember him telling me he thought he heard coyotes the night before. I put that to the back of my head. I started the call and after about ten minutes I turned on a new grey fox pup distress foxpro came out with earlier in the season. Another 5 minutes into the stand I changed to the tried and true Johnny Stewart grey fox pup. A few moments later I catch eyes about 30 yds up the mountain. I seen the big ears that told me coyote and I let a load of #4 buck loose. As the coyote tumbled off the log its front paws were perched on just a few moments ago I was in shock. I kept the shotgun trained in the general area. I then cycled the action and sat down in the ladder stand I was standing in. It was about that time the shakes came. I started doubting myself. I had been calling predators for 4 years and have called in a few coyotes before but have never got that worked up. With the grey fox pup wailing away in the stillness of the night I composed myself made another sweep and turned the call off. Once on the ground I added another shell just in case. I started walking to my prize still in shock. Once I got there and picked the now still coyote up I got em again. Only this time it hit me like a ton of bricks. I started hyper ventilating and decided I better sit down. I sat right where the coyote made her last stand. Thinking back on my past hunting experiences I never dreamed in a million years it would happen this way. I had coyotes running through my mind for months. I even had coyote fever where I would be hunting a field and thinking one was on his way totally committed to the call. Ears cocked and eyes burning a hole through the call. At this point the task at hand was the only concern. I grasped my prize and started down to the call and decoy. I placed the decoy and call in the back game bag and through the coyote over my shoulder. I walked the 200 yds to the truck on air thinking that if I do not kill anything else I had made my whole season.

Once I got back to the truck I headed to the fields below me.I was hoping to bag another point critter. Not knowing what was in the next field waiting for me. I knew that if I went into the field confident it often times helps you’re calling success. I walked out into a open field that I knew was good for reds. As I turned on the blue jay distress I started my methodical sweeping with my red light. I played the blue jay distress for 2 minutes and changed over to a cotton tail distress. Immediately I picked up red eyes that looked like red amber coals burning. The wind was crossing from my left to my right in a weird eastern wind. Once the fox started galloping towards me I knew he was heading downwind. To get to me though he needed to cross a ditch and would disappear in a roll of the field. Once he was in the roll I moved from sitting flat to one knee in one smooth motion at the same time bringing the gun up and the light under the forearm. I knew this fox was totally committed to the call and would appear in mere seconds. Once he crested the hill he was about 20 yds out. I centered the red dot on the reds chest and with that I let a load of #4 buck lose and with a big orange ball of flame that came out the end of my modified Mossberg 500 that has been nicknamed ol mossy' I was pumped. Two predators within a hour of the hunt. I finished out the stand and with the adrenaline rush I had only a few minutes before came the disappointment with finding no red where I had shot. I took the red lens off my light and scanned the field with it looking for the red fur worth a few points. Disappointment quickly turned to questioning. How could I have missed that shot? He was right there 20 yds away. I walked back to the truck still happy with myself with a female coyote in the truck.

I drove to another spot got out of the truck and headed past a farm pond. As I walked I heard the familiar plop of muskrats going about there business. I scanned the pond hoping maybe to pick up a coon but to no avail. I started calling on a critrcall standard and there are eyes 250 yds out at the wood line. The eyes skirted the woods till it could not skirt no more. I turned on the grey fox pup that proved to be successful less then two hours ago. Here he comes. right to the edge of the tall grass. I knew this fox was a grey by the way he was acting. I was hoping he would come out and show himself but once he started looking around I knew he was about to flee. I started to walk towards him hoping to make the extra ten yds I needed to get within range. I got about 5 more yds and he was gone. As he followed the same track he came in on I scolded myself for not having the combo gun. As he ran away he cursed me all the way to the mountain. I walked back to the truck but still felt great. I called two more farms and decided to wrap up the night at the place I heard the coyotes the day before.

I drove to the farm and got out. Gathered my gear and walked into the field. I called the field and to no avail a half hour of calling revealed nothing but darkness. I let loose a howl hoping to get a response. There was nothing but dogs in the distance. With that I packed my gear into the truck and headed home to the skinning task of my coyote.

I woke dad and mom getting the camera out of the house so they snapped some pics with me and my new prize. After skinning and getting the coyote hide in the cooler. I went home to get a shower and a few more hours rest before heading north.

Two hours later the alarm clock ringing I got dressed and looked out the window. I seen the rain had started. I walked down to the truck and drove to my parents house to pick up dad and his gear. Dad had drawn a bobcat tag and that was my objective the rest of the weekend was to get dad a bobcat. We headed north a full tank of gas and some snacks to hold us over till we got to Lewistown. Lewistown is where Foxpro game calls is located out of and I had prior arrangements with Steve Dillion who is there sound and tech guy to record some of my hand calls. After some recording and retelling the story of the night before to Mike and Steve Dillion we loaded up and started north again.

We arrived at the Quehanna wild area at around noon. We were heading back to where I had seen some sign earlier in the summer while up scouting. As we were driving back the gravel road I looked over at dad and said lets try this road. In the wild area there is a lot of old logging roads that lead off the main roads that work great for calling predators. Even the rain had slowed to a mist and fog. Visibility was even decent for where we where. Dad and I walked down the trail 200 yds and setup. There was a thick stand of new trees that grew up in a old clear cut to the left of us. The trail ran perpendicular to the stand of trees and looked and felt good. I set the decoy up and caller about 40 yds down the road. After hearing 30 minutes worth of assorted distress calls I told dad to make one last scan. He said he did not see anything so i sat up and as I was putting my gloves and facemask in my turkey vest I seen a black spot moving through the woods. As my heart jumped into my chest I thought black coyote. But as it got closer it turned out to be some elk. 5 cows and bull came past us at no more then 40 yds. After watching the bull go through the woods moving his head under the heavy antlers that was on his head we packed up and headed back to the truck. We made 5 more stands till the rain picked up above acceptable levels and basically soaked us. Cold and wet with darkness coming upon us we decided to head to renovo where the hunt was based out of for the weekend.

We rolled into renovo right when it was getting dark. After getting changed and laying our clothes on the registers in the room we headed down stairs to get something to eat. As we went down the hall I ran into some other members of the PPHA. I had decided to not say what I had killed hours ago hoping to surprise some people. They asked me if I had any luck and all I told them was I had some shooting and some missing happening. After supper we decided we would wait till morning to start at it again.

The morning came and as we looked out the window hoping to see no rain drops in the puddles in the parking lot left us disappointed with what we found. It was still raining and did not look like it was going to stop till the weatherman had predicted at lunch time. So we decided to hit the snooze and sleep in. When we did wake up we had some breakfast and decided that we should at least go scouting. We headed to the mountains looking for some good spots to call if the rain stopped. After a few miles of traveled roads it was nearing noon. At noon we needed to be back at renovo for the luncheon to pick up some extra points. As we were heading up to the room to grab some stuff more hunt contestants were in the hall talking of the prior nights hunt. They asked me how I did and all I said was there was some missing and some shooting. That was my answer the whole weekend if someone asked how I did. After lunch I asked a fellow ppha member if he wanted to head out in the afternoon to call at some spots we had found earlier and he said sure. The rest of the afternoon was a wash even though the clouds parted and the sun shown through the clouds and dried the forest up. Even though the rain stopped the wind started now. We where battling 45mph + wind gusts on top the mountain.

Sunday came bright and clear. I had gotten cold over night and we woke to frost. Dad and I made a few stands hoping to maybe luck out and get something. But nothing came to our screams that drifted through the vast open of the mountains of the sprout state forest. We headed back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to head to check in that was slated for 12 noon. Once we got there I had one of the biggest grins that I could have had. I put the tailgate down and pulled the extra cooler that everyone had not seen to the back of the truck. as I stood there the cooler sat behind a blood spot from the coyote. As checking time neared more and more people started asking me what I had. I just smiled. After a while everyone started saying ya know he has been awful quiet this weekend. As time for check in collapsed I pulled out the heavy duty trash bag that had the pelt of my new prize. A few guys gathered round as I opened the bag. They walked up to me saying what ya got a grey? I then pulled out the pelt of the lone coyote. I swear you could have heard a pin drop as the jaws dropped. As the congrats came more wanted to know the story. I did not bring home a trophy but I do know the sense of accomplishment and the look on those guys faces couldn't have been any better then a trophy anyway. Now there is only one more thing to figure out and that is how to get my first coyote mounted.