Last Saturday morning was very cold and windy at The Proving Grounds.  It had been unseasonably cold for days so I assumed the deer would be feeding late into the morning.  I had selected a stand about 100 yards from a bedding area in hopes of observing deer returning to cover.  I was able to approach the stand with the strong wind in my face and the set-up seemed ideal.  The wind was shaking the tree, even though my stand was located in a bottom.  I rarely hunt the bottoms at The Proving Grounds unless the wind is howling as other conditions tend to allow the wind to swirl.  Swirling wind was a non issue last Saturday.  Keeping my balance while riding (versus standing in) the stand was an issue.

During the late morning I spotted a coyote moving about 50 yards away.  Recent research is clear that coyotes consume lots of fawns.  Many times folks state that only a few coyotes actually kill deer.  However, research from South Carolina clearly showed that a vast majority of fawns that were killed by coyotes were killed by different individuals (the wonders of genetics in research).  Therefore, I consider each coyote a potential fawn and turkey killer.  Coyotes also harass and kill adult deer.  I wonder how many hunts I’ve had where deer I had patterned changed their travel to avoid coyotes.

For those and other considerations, I instantly began squeaking (sucking air through tight lips) when I saw the coyote.  The cameraman began filming and I readied the Z7.  It was only seconds between when I first saw the coyote and when my arrow hit the mark.  The first step of making a nice coyote pelt had been completed.  I never worry about spooking deer during a hunt when shooting a coyote.  Rather I consider the fawns, poults, and adult deer I’m a bit more likely to encounter during the future because I opted to take the shot.  What will you do the next time you see a coyote while deer hunting?

Growing Deer together,

Grant