My name is Rod Rose, I am 58 and recently retired, I am from north central Kansas and have lived here all my life, my Dad before me and my grandfather before him, and my great grandfather before him and my great great grandfather before him. I have always enjoyed calling coyotes but never had the time to pursue it in a bigger way. This winter I have been at it pretty hard but for the most part I have called right around home (25 mile square area). On a couple occasions I traveled to Norton Ks. to call with my son Marty. My friend Von Taylor who brought me the Predator magazine to look over, we hunt together whenever Von can get free to go.

On one of those occasions, I had received a call from a neighbor that they were having difficulty with coyotes running their cattle out; they had two beef hit on the road because they were out. So Von and I made plans to call that area pretty hard the next morning. To our surprise, we had limited success; we did call in 3 in one spot and connected with only one. But we called the area hard. The next morning Von and I had plans to go again but Von had to cancel the night before. So I decided to go back to the same area and try again, maybe I would learn something. Normally you would think after hitting an area hard the day before you would be wasting your time, but you don’t know if you don’t try.

So, I returned and picked a different spot in the same area as the day before. I was by myself, which is the way I hunt a big part of the time. I set up with a creek to my back which runs north and south, a 30 acre milo stubble field in front of me and beyond that a very large pasture loaded with cuts and cedars. A very light breeze from the pasture to me (west to east). I am using a Primos Alpha Dogg call and a Predator Decoy. I had them set up west of me about 40 ft.

I used the female invitation howl first (this was about the second week in January). Almost instantly I saw movement to the south about 1/4 mile coming into the open field from the pasture, one, no two, no, three, heck 5, coyotes. They came out into the field and stood waiting for another sound to guide them. I nervously looked down at my remote and switched to cottontail on a very quiet setting and hit the button. Immediately the race was on and the 5 coyotes were coming hard. Luckily on this morning I had decided to bring along my 870 pump 12ga. loaded with 00Buck. Up until that morning I had not made a habit of carry a shot gun but this morning made a believer out of me forever more. I have seen a few occasions when Von was carrying his shotgun that it meant the difference between getting one down or not.

As they came at me harder than I had ever seen coyotes come before things became a blur, but I knew enough to know this was going to be a shotgun occasion if there ever was one. I had my Kember 223 with bipod already to my shoulder. I slowly reached down to my lap and started to slowly bring my 12qa. up to my shoulder, how I did that with my 223 already to my shoulder, I do not know.

As the coyotes got closer, there was one dog a little bit out in front and as they were about 5 yards from reaching my decoy I shot the lead dog and he pilled up. The other 4 were in a tight bunch and I fired into the bunch and 2 went down, I dropped my 12qa. and grabbed my 223 and got it back up to my shoulder. There was one coyote leaving to the south west, he was running but not hard. I grabbed my remote and franticly hit my Hot button which is preprogrammed to puppy in distress and the dog whirled around as I was sure he would and I dropped him at about 100 yds.. Where the 5th coyote went, I have no earthly idea. My head was spinning to say the least. As I was sitting there in shock one of the coyotes that had went down from the 12 ga. got up and made it into the creek that was to my back. Count them not 1 not 2 not 3 but 4 coyotes with 3 shots. As I set there in shock I did know enough to continue calling, even though I was anxious to look for the coyote that made it into the creek.

I tried to compose myself as I shook with excitement and began to call again using the cottontail call. In just a few minutes (maybe 5) I saw movement on the other side of a fence row about 100 yds. to my northwest, wind was in my favor and sure enough out pops another coyote running hard from right to left. I was sure I could stop him and I never fired a shot at this coyote and he never slowed down and disappeared into the creek to my south, why he didn’t stop I do not know, he looked over at my decoy but never broke stride. I can’t hit a running coyote worth a darn so he lived for another day.

I stood up and looked over the scene in front of me, it looked like the gunfight at the OK coral. I was thinking that if I could find the coyote that got up and made it into the creek, that would be 3 coyotes in one set all by myself all at once, not one coming in at a time. As I walked out to pick up the coyotes in front of me, I see something out there laying on the ground about 100 yds., is that a coyote?

Believe it or not out of my excitement, I had completely forgot about the coyote that I dropped with my 223!! Oh my gosh, if I find the one that got up and made it into the creek, that will be 4 coyotes not three!! I decided to take my 223 as I looked for a blood trail. There was good blood and I followed the trail into the bottom of the dry creek bed. There was a good bit of down treetops in the bottom of the creek for him to be laying up in. Something caught my eye and there he was, he had been bedded down and he was making his way slowly up a bank in front of me about 40 yds. away. He stopped and looked back and gave me a good shot and this hunt was over!! Of course I had to take pictures one of which I have attached for you. Send texts to my son Marty, my wife Rita, and Von. I tell you for sure I was super excited to say the least, I have called coyotes enough to know that this morning was one that would never be repeated again.

I cannot end this without telling you this. On Sunday’s I do not hunt. Sunday’s is God’s day. I preach God’s word in a couple small churches in the community, and God is good, He has changed my life. I am blessed with a wonderful wife, Rita, of nearly 40 years. A son we are very proud of who is a sergeant in the Norton Ks. Police Dept. and two wonderful grandchildren, Dakota, and Collin. God Bless

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