<-----

Knowing where to look is the first step in achieving success during those "dog days" of winter.

    It has been a tradition for quite some time during the holidays for my boys and I to get together for our annual Rabbit Safari. Each of us seems to have a favorite gun he brings. Some favor shotguns and others favor .22s. I favor the center fire .22s either in a .223 or a 22-250.

    Cottontails are great sport and great on the table. The real sport for me lies in the fast stepping western Jackrabbit. Here in the western deserts it seems the population cycle of the Jackrabbit has been on the down side for quite a few years. The numbers are not anywhere near what they used to be and it takes a little looking to find good shooting. The rabbits we are finding seem to have gotten a little smarter and don't get up and run as readily as they used to. Now they seem to hold for a longer time in hiding to let you walk past them before getting up and sneaking out behind you.    When hunting in a group we have found you have to stay closer together and move slowly, all the while watching for the tricky bounders to slip out the back door.

    We have found it productive when hunting in pairs for one hunter to hold back slightly and move slower in order to catch those that are waiting for you to walk past them. Shot guns are the way to go for the highest success when hunting in heavy cover, but when the brush thins and you can push a few into the open areas, your marksmanship is really tested if you are carrying a .22 or a .22 center fire.

The practice you get and the skill you acquire working on these targets will be a great benefit in your big game shooting success.   Rabbits provide a great hunting experience for our young hunters, and there is no greater place for fathers to teach their sons about hunting and gun safety than in the field. So gather up the family and friends and go hunting. Start a memorable tradition. Rabbits are one of the favorite targets for another hunter, the coyote. It has been said that coyote numbers follow the rabbit population. When the rabbit numbers are up so are the coyote numbers and vice versa. I am not so sure this is the case anymore. Rabbit numbers are down but the coyote population seems to be on the increase. It looks like the coyote has added more venison, sheep and livestock to their menu. When looking at the deer herds in the early winter where I live we see a lot of does that should have fawns but do not. The coyote and lions are having a definite impact.

    I love to hunt coyotes. Whether it is riding in a pickup just looking for the grey ghost or out calling. Calling has always been an effective way to get coyotes if you have done your home work and are in areas where coyote populations are good.

    Today there are so many different calls on the market that the choices are almost limitless. There are basically three types of calls: closed reed, open reed and electronic. The open reed calls are more versatile but harder to control. The closed reed calls are easy to blow but you are limited to one sound. The electronic calls are capable of producing about any sound you want by changing the tape or pressing the button to change calls as is the case in the newer ones available. Not long ago we took a fellow on a coyote hunt in Nevada. As luck would have it, we were able to score on a couple. He was hooked. After we got back, he rushed down to the sporting goods store, bought a call and a tape.

    Someone had told him of a rancher who was having coyote problems. He and a friend visited the rancher, got permission to hunt, and set about to save the rancher's herds. The one thing he had forgotten to buy was the recorder to play the tape. Being the resourceful person he is, he drove his car behind some bushes, rolled down the windows all the way, and turned the stereo volume on high. The two of them then beat it for the bushes. Within minutes several coyotes appeared and they were able to collect a couple of them. So much for all the basic rules of calling.

    Years ago when calling was not as popular as it is now, it was quite easy to get a coyote to respond to a call. Coyotes get educated really fast when they have been tricked or shot at a couple of times. Be serious about your calling and don't just mess around. Doing so will ruin yours and others chances for a great calling experience.

Coyotes are really not very big. They are not nearly as big as they appear with all that fur sticking out. An accurate rifle with a quality scope with which you have practiced and shoot well is required. My personal favorites are the 22-250 with 55 grain bullets and the .243 with 70 or 80 grain bullets. Both have the power and accuracy to reach out when necessary and touch that dog that does not want to come any closer. We usually run into a coyote or two during the deer and elk seasons and whatever rifle you have along will usually do.  Coyotes are quite tenacious and must be hit well to put them down. On several occasions I have hit coyotes and after hearing the bullet strike, thought it was a sure kill, but in looking found only fur.

    On a hunt in New Mexico I was the designated caller and had three coyotes respond. My partner was doing the shooting and made a going away shot at one, only clipping a leg. As the coyote ran for a ravine, you could see the leg dangling making traveling for it difficult. After missing the other two we followed up on the wounded one. Following the ravine and a few blood spots we soon came upon him sitting in the bottom of the ravine licking his wounded leg. He saw us at the same time we saw him. Not wanting to be bothered by that dangling leg any more, he simply reached down and bit the leg off where it had been shot and was off on three
legs. What a survivor!

    Coyotes are one of our greatest predators. Whether you hunt them or just observe and photograph them, they will provide you with a great outdoor
experience.