Wednesdays wanderings (long)

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alleyyooper
Posts: 412
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:12 am
Location: Michigan
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Wednesdays wanderings (long)

Unread postby alleyyooper » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:08 pm

Awake by 3:30 AM have to be at Lees at 4:00 to pick him up. My brother had called Sunday night and said that he had 5 coyotes out by his shed where he keeps his lawn care equipment. He got his 7mm08 and was able to slid a window open and shoot one before they ran off.
He wanted to know if I would come up and go out with him this week.

Told him I would get back with him but I was not going to drive nearly 3 hours to do one set on his place. He needed to round up a few places at least 2 miles apart where we could hunt too.

He called back Monday afternoon and said he had 7 places lined up for sure right them and figured he could talk to a few more people yet too.
I called Lee and told him I was going up to my brothers to hunt on Wednesday so only if he wanted to go could we hunt together before Friday with the rain forecast for Thursday.

It was agreed then he would be ready at 4:00 AM for the drive to be there around 7:00. His front lite was on in the house as I swing in the drive way as soon as my head lites swept the window the light went out and the Garage door was going up with a light coming on to reveal a pile of gear.
We load it up then he makes a quick run in the house and returns with a thermos of coffee.

A short hop to I 69 west takes us to the out skirts of Burton where I make the swing on I 475. Then I 75 where the speed limit picks up to 80 MPH which I had forgot about. At Bay City I make the turn to west bound US 10, it is a interstate but we have always called it US 10. At Clare we jump off and grab a couple breakfast sandwiches. Lee is on his phone with his wife so I pull my lap top out and fiddle around as we eat. We had made real good time so far and was a good 45 minutes ahead of what I had figured.

Back on the road We catch I 127 north to the US 10 swing to the Farwell exit. I catch M115 north west 41 miles to M 66, make the mickey mouse turn west on M 66 for about 100 Yards then make the turn on to my brothers road. Arrive his home 7:12 AM, almost light enough.


Brother has 35 acres, old school house got a bit many years ago, the state got a bit in the 1950 a really high hill for a tower and a bit was sold off early 60’s to a family for a vacation home or it would be a 40.

Brother leases it out for hay production to a beef operation up the road a bit. It raises in elevation as you walk back to the rear line fence. There is a pond there in the middle just past a field fence row that now has trees in it. Sort of a u upside down of trees with neighboring wood on the east and to the south behind the place.

We get set up and decided to go with a sequence of sounds that will run for 16 minutes with silence spots thru out.
My brother doesn’t know our sign so I told him to watch for me to point to him and do the trigger finger before he was to shoot.
We had 4 coyotes come from the neighbors woods about 10 minutes in. Was ideal for right handed shooters from left to right. I watch lee to see what he sign as he was on that side. He gives me 4 fingers so I know I get the trailer, I relay to my brother to shoot the 3d coyote holding up 3 fingers and pointing at him I see Lees finger move so relayed that to my brother. The swift jumped on the cross sticks as I hit the Kiki sound hoping to slow the remaining coyote down. I could not find it so when I hear the last shot I was sure Lee had got it.
We got 4 coyotes with nice fur all females. Guess my brother must have did enough damage the shot he took with the 7MM08.


Glad we had brought the snow shoes we get the coyotes back to my truck then make a short mile and half to my baby sisters place. She had a 80 acre plot it had been split into three 26 acres plots once. Oldest, middle and younger sister got those when my folks did a life time lease on the property. Oldest sister married a preacher so they live in church homes where ever they are at. Middle sister passed away baby sister inherited it, bought oldest sisters place.
The 80 is all but about 25 acres woods and brush a cedar swamp is in the south west corner.

The road near the house is on a hill then there is a valley to another hill with birch trees. We get back to the birch where it meets up with a bunch of Autumn olive and a open field and set up. Lee and I decided to again go with the 16 minute sequence.

:D Al


Your not fully dressed with out a smile.
alleyyooper
Posts: 412
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:12 am
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Wednesdays wanderings (long)

Unread postby alleyyooper » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:09 pm

Had ended and started to run the second 16 minutes when 2 coyotes show up. Lees zone he showed me 2 fingers so I passed that on to may brother watching Lees finger when to fire. It came and I passed it to my brother, they both fired and we had two more coyotes. Drag them to the truck make the drive back to my brothers road turn west of 2 miles to the Jensen beef farm used to be dairy but made the switch in the 70’s when the government bought dairy cows to reduce the amount of farmers.

Find a place I hope is out of the way to park grab our gear and work back thru some pasture and hay fields to a wooded area set out the decoys and caller.
Work back to a stack of round bales and set up Ran thru two of the 16 minute sequences and nothing.

Get back to the truck drive 3 miles north on the next north south road to the Vanderhoff beef farm. Another former dairy farm, owned by a father and son, I went to high school with the son. Work our way back to the last field next to the woods and set up the decoys and caller. Once again go with the 16 minutes has worked so far at two places. Worked here also with 3 coyotes one for each of us once we turned a bit to face the direction they we coming from. Two females and a male.

Next place was a Vanderveen sheep farm again a former dairy farm. nearly all the diary farms had sold all there cattle and switched to some other animal. Also there are a lot of Dutch decent that live in the area. Not many A’s in the phone book but the V section runs several pages.

Nearly all these farms have big wood lots as nearly every one heats their homes with OSB. This farm is about the same. We work back to the the wood edge the sheep have pastured the wood pretty clean and there is part of the head waters of the middle branch rive runs thru the place.
Spend many a spring sucker spearing thru the place in my youth.
We were able to pull two coyotes out of the stream side brush. Again Lee and my brother.

Brother says should go back to his place for dinner, he had made some pulled pork BBQ in the crock pot for us and also some tater salad to go with it.

After dinner we once again head to Dutch country another Vanderveen brother to the other one. It is another sheep farm.
Here we are going to attempt to pull coyotes from the farm next door that is only cropped framed by the Vanderveens. Sticking with the 16 minute sequence we pull another out in 32 minutes.

A short drive of 3 miles gets us to the Scotts farm which has always been beef farm. Ran by the oldest daughter today who was two years ahead of me in high school. They have 120 acres of woods have a road plowed back to the edge of it to a sugar shack. Told my brother they were planing on tapping the trees this week end.
We set up just short of the woods down a fence line by some round bales.
At about 18 minutes we pull 4 coyotes from the woods, one made it back to the woods. 3 females with good fur.

We made a 8 mile drive to my Brother in laws farm, his oldest daughter lives there with her hubby.
the woods is heavy with hemlocks and cedars in one corner farm field that the next door neighbor leases for crops.
We go back and set out the decoys and go back aways and work our way down in a snow drift. 16 minutes again worked pulling 4 coyotes out, this time none made it back in.
Back at the truck as we were loading up my niece came out said for me to come in and see the new baby and the rest set down for coffee and some fresh home made bread. I haven’t seen Bethany for some time have never met her hubby either. The baby was cute like all babies then they grow up.

At this point my brother suggest we go and hunt the state land some. There is a place that has possiablitys. High barren hill side over looking a big cedar and hemlock area. Is a bugger to get to when there is no snow so I decline.

So it is suggested my brother start doing some calling and finding a few more places. He called a saw mill and asked them and got permission so got there. They had started in the late 1950 in cutting pulp and saw logs for rail road ties but the ties dried up when the rail roads stoped operations

:D Al
Your not fully dressed with out a smile.
alleyyooper
Posts: 412
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 2:12 am
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline

Re: Wednesdays wanderings (long)

Unread postby alleyyooper » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:11 pm

Today they are heavy into pallets and pulp also selling slabs and tree tops as fire wood. The farm was a 220 acre operation with 80 acres tillable when I was a kid but there was only hay taken off the place in the 1960’s by my dad and we boys. Since then no one wants to farm the hilly area.
Was Ok to farm with horses but they don’t roll over on ya.
As expected the woods is huge with a huge cedar swamp.
We again went with the 16 minute sound , about 18 minutes we had 3 female coyotes come to the guns.

As we are loading the coyotes in the truck my brother is again on the phone. Gets permission to hunt a old retired farmers place. This farm is also leased out Mister Cooper has to be well top in his mid 90’s today. As kids we used to get visits every so many Sundays from him and his wife to get us boys to go to their church.
Later in life we boys would go catch a mess of fish and take to them so we could fish and not be over our limits.
They as I said lease the farm fields out to the next door farmer their wood has gotten over grown as they don’t heat with wood at their ages. They have also planted pines on the other farm next to theirs.
We pulled 6 coyotes out of there 3 made it back in the woods.

My brother ran out of people to call so we returned to his house it will get us home just at dark any way.
I pay my brother $35.00 each for his coyotes because he doesn’t know a fur buyer so I will take them and skin them sew and stretch them.

Told him he should work up a bigger permission list and maybe we could make another trip up next winter.
Sure was strange seeing the old neighbor hood. Wonder if any young people wade the head waters spearing suckers in the spring any more.
Wonder if any one goes in to the timbered of farm lots and jumps on wood piles to get the rabbits to run out.


:D Al
Your not fully dressed with out a smile.


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