RETURN OF THE QUIVER CRITTER

   No, it's not the pet name for Shewho's vibrator. The QC is a cute, furry rabbit sock puppet draped over a battery operated twitchy wire. It's designed to replicate a bunny in the last throes of life. In reality it looks more like a muppet on a stick, turning slowly in the microwave. In any case it's part of my arsenal when I go after coyotes. Which is just what I spent yesterday afternoon doing. 

   I decided before the rut totally heated up, I would give the Q critter a try in coaxing in one or two of the dogs prowling Gilkey's farm. I took the 12 ga., figuring if a turkey came in I could take a shot. This was my first mistake. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. First I went to the laundermat and washed all my gear. Coyotes are near the top of the food chain and have all the senses working overtime. Deer are bedded down during the midday hours, so I had time to hunt the hunters. 

   I set the QC out at noon, near Savage Lynch's old hedge row high stand, near the river, and placed a speaker behind the decoy. I had a remote that could switch from dying rabbit screams, to howls, to pup in distress calls. I've shot coyotes before, but always while hunting something else- usually turkey. A turkey call is like ringing the dinner bell. This time I stuck with the screams of the cottontail. I'd been calling less than five minutes when I saw the outline of the light colored coyote etched against the wood line 300 yards away. We were in business. The 12 ga. was already on my knee. Now all i had to do was get him to cross the field within 40 yards of my gun barrel. Easier said than done.

   This was the mistake I mentioned earlier. If I had just brought the .243 I could have shot him within 150 yards. He disappeared in the stream bed, periodically popping up, as he circled down wind. Mistake #2- I didn't have a good view of the hedgerow. As he circled I lost sight of him. More than likely he came straight up the hedgerow and either smelled or made me. Either way, I never saw him again. I'll try again today. I know it's risky. I could see that 8 pointer with my dick and a rifle in my hand. But those dogs have the deer spooked. Gotta give it one more try. Then back to the bow.