[Jeff Higgins]

It's been too many years, but one of my favorite pastimes used to be being hunted by coyotes. Yes, I was actually hunting them, but to be successfull, one must fool them into hunting you.

Coyote hunting involves calling, just like ducks and geese. The idea is to make the little fellers come looking for you. It's best to have a partner that can cover your back, looking the other way, just in case (they usually approach from downwind, but not always). The idea is to sound like an injured or dying rabbit, either by blowing on a call much like a duck call, or by playing an electronic call. Decoys are also used - one of my most effective set-ups in an "over-called" area was a stuffed Snoopy doll (I'm not kidding...) and a dog yelper call. Set the stuffed animal about 20-30 yards away, staked to the gound, tie a string around its neck and pull on it to animate the dog. Then proceed to make noises like a dog with his tail slammed in a car door... Works like a charm...

Anyway, the excitement of being hunted by a coyote can be addictive. Talk about an adreneline rush when one pops up out of nowhere, that you didn't see working its way in. It's rather disconcerting at times. I would sit with my rifle in my lap, and a big bore revolver under it, at all times. The rifle (Ruger #1 in .220 Swift) was for the ones seen at a distance that stopped long enough to shoot. The revolver was for the ones that surprised us - sometimes at distances measured in feet, not yards. .44's and .45's are not necessary for coyotes, but that's what we packed nonetheless.

While we were calling specifically for coyotes, there are lots of other hungry opportunists out there. The areas I used to do this in are great black bear and mountain lion habitat as well. We've had to stand up and make enough of a ruckus to shoo off one or two of those over the years as well. Big revolvers were comforting when all we had were little rifles. Fun stuff...