Staredown at 20 feet

I settled in under the juniper tree as the sun rose higher in the sky. The surrounding area was thick with junipers and scrub brush, giving approaching animals plenty of safety routes from which to approach my call. I watched my homemade feather decoy blow gently in the breeze as I began a low but high-pitched rabbit scream. My first set of calls produced nothing, and during my momentary pause I looked around to take in the beauty of the land. I had hiked over a mile to get to this location so that I could be far away from where other hunters had attempted to fool the local predators. I started my second sequence with a higher volume, putting more emotion into the sound as if I really were a dying rabbit. Suddenly I saw movement in the juniper to my right, and a young pup stepped out from the shadows to get a better look at me. The way I was sitting allowed me to be able to raise my rifle so I could get a shot, but this young dog stood there about 20 feet from me, eyes locked on my exact location. Any movement on my part would alert him to my presence, and he would retreat quickly to the protection of the thick junipers. For now I had to sit completely still, and wait for the moment when I could move my rifle into a good position. We stared at each other for about a minute before the wind suddenly shifted direction and blew directly to him. I felt the change at the same time that he got a nose full of my scent, and as he turned to bolt I shouldered my rifle, but he was gone before I could find him in my scope. After a little more calling to try to entice him or his friends back for a second chance, I ended the stand and when I stood up I realized that my Ace-in-the-hole, the feather decoy, had been blocked from the pup's vision by my body. Oh well, you can't get them all - but he'll live a little wiser now and be a little tougher to convince next time!

Pup coyotes are such odd looking dogs, with huge ears and seemingly undersized bodies. This time of year finds them with a short coat, just starting to get their thick fur. Here's a picture that a fellow predator hunter named John got of one such pup: