So just walked in from smoking a yote with my thermal. The last 3 times I have been at the ranch I have gotten little sleep because the yotes would start howling behind the camp and my dog would go nuts. Last weekend we had hunters so i could not go chase them. I decided this time I was going after them. 5 am my dog starts growling and I hear the yotes I find my pants my rifle my hand held thermal and my snake boots and off I go. I walked a couple hundred yards and scanned. No activity and no more noise.
I decided to change course due the wind and continued easing through the brush and deadfall. After another hundred yards or so I scanned again. There it was moving across the top of the ridge. I was almost shocked to be honest. By the time I got my scope on and up there was no yote. There was a white heat signature close to where he had been. I waited for a while and then moved toward it. I continued to sneak towards that signature until all at once the yotes started singing. They were close. I scanned the area but nothing. This is canyon country so I figured they were down in a draw.
I continued parallel to the howling stopping to scan every 20-30 ft. Sure nuff there they were about 10 feet apart.
One issue with thermal is knowing the range. So I decided to aim for the back bone as my thermal is dead on at about 150. I settled the Daniel Defense 223 and took a good standing posture. The cross hair was steady on the yotes back. I concentrated on my trigger squeeze. I next thing I hear is the distinct sound of a bullet impacting an animal and the yelp of a yote. I watched it jump, flop and then spin out of sight. Whooo Hooo I had just done it. I was more excited than I thought I would be. What a rush.
Then the the next thing through my head was where the heck am I. I hung a bag I had with me in a dead cedar top. I walked back in as straight a line as possible and marked the fence that is around the ranch head quarters. I was about 150 yards down the main road from the camp. I walked in the door at 6am. One hour after starting the hunt.
Once it gets light I will go back and try to make recovery.
I have always wanted to do this and can’t believe actually worked.
Thanks for reading and sorry it’s long.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I decided to change course due the wind and continued easing through the brush and deadfall. After another hundred yards or so I scanned again. There it was moving across the top of the ridge. I was almost shocked to be honest. By the time I got my scope on and up there was no yote. There was a white heat signature close to where he had been. I waited for a while and then moved toward it. I continued to sneak towards that signature until all at once the yotes started singing. They were close. I scanned the area but nothing. This is canyon country so I figured they were down in a draw.
I continued parallel to the howling stopping to scan every 20-30 ft. Sure nuff there they were about 10 feet apart.
One issue with thermal is knowing the range. So I decided to aim for the back bone as my thermal is dead on at about 150. I settled the Daniel Defense 223 and took a good standing posture. The cross hair was steady on the yotes back. I concentrated on my trigger squeeze. I next thing I hear is the distinct sound of a bullet impacting an animal and the yelp of a yote. I watched it jump, flop and then spin out of sight. Whooo Hooo I had just done it. I was more excited than I thought I would be. What a rush.
Then the the next thing through my head was where the heck am I. I hung a bag I had with me in a dead cedar top. I walked back in as straight a line as possible and marked the fence that is around the ranch head quarters. I was about 150 yards down the main road from the camp. I walked in the door at 6am. One hour after starting the hunt.
Once it gets light I will go back and try to make recovery.
I have always wanted to do this and can’t believe actually worked.
Thanks for reading and sorry it’s long.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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