Late Wednesday night I got a call from a client cancelling my Thursday appointment that left for an open day to go scout in our local mountains. I immediately started packing the Jeep where Marley soon became very aware of the imminent trip to the wilderness. The weather has been much cooler and even a bit chilly in the early mornings so I packed accordingly. Marley anxiously awoke with me at 3:00amwhere we both quiety made our way out as to not wake up Lindsey. The drive was quite enjoyable up the long winding mountain road that eventually ends up in a huge rustic valley that is loaded with hunting opportunities. I have been hunting this area for years but have only recently really started exploring it's vast wilderness. The area that Marley and I were headed to was not far off the highway and was in between two very large washes that are surrounded by dense brush and pine trees. The area is home to a wide variety of animals such as Coyote,Bobcat,Cottontail,Jackrabbit,Mountain Lion as well as many species of birds. My primary objective was to find a new location for a Coyote hunt but also was to be on the lookout for large Jackrabbit and Cottontail populations. As we arrived to park in our spot Marley and I became very excited to jump out and explore a bit. The morning was a bit cold as to be expected with only a slight breeze coming from our West up the canyon.
After loading my pack with a gallon of water I filled up the EVOL .30 and loaded some 44gr Polymags that work great out of this gun. We slowly walked parallel to the wash hoping to spot some Cottontails on the edge of the brushline. I too was looking for some fresh signs of Coyote's such as tracks, scatt and ultimately an active den that I could come back to at a later date to hunt. Within about 15 minutes I spotted a large Jackrabbit moving quickly through the thick brush at near 90 yards across the wash. The sun was just up over the top of the mountain where it was already warming us up a bit. We slowly walked around from under a large bushy Pine tree when I spotted the silhouette of a large Jackrabbit sitting under a small bush.
96 yards
I put the shot right through the head that plowed the large Jackrabbit down instantly, the lack of movement made it difficult for Marley to retrieve.
A Jackrabbit selfie
After a short break Marley and I continued several miles down the wash where I took several shots at some Jackrabbits and even encountered several covey's of Quail along the way, they are amazingly beautiful birds.
Callipepla californica
As it was now approaching 9:00am and getting hot Marley and I took a break in the shade overlooking the dry riverbed.
As we sat overlooking the wash I decided our next approach would be to cross it into another area of dense sagebrush. We walked across the sandy wash that had periodic walls of rocks to climb over followed by tall 10' high embankments. Marley and I both had difficulty finding an area to actually climb up as most areas were very steep. As we made our way up I immediately noticed many little game trails that had obvious signs of busy Coyote's. We followed the little trails hoping to encounter some live activity or at least spot some Coyote's moving around. Several months ago I had spotted 6 of them moving towards this same area down through the wash. The wash is essentially a large game trail that brings many large predatory animals down through the valley. Several miles away to the North are a few large ranches that may offer easy prey. Being we were so close I decided to continue down the largest game trail where it ultimately came to the highway where just across was a poorly maintained fence. Behind this fence was a large field several hundred yards square with what looked to be animal pens. This area will get marked on my map of places to set up a stand and hopefully have some luck taking down a Coyote here. We continued South, running parallel with the highway heading back towards the Jeep. The area was looking quite dry but even then I can always find some beauty in some of the landmarks nature provides.
Marley and I took one more break before finally making it back to the Jeep by 11:45, it was in the mid 80s and time to head home. We packed up the Jeep and headed up the long winding highway where we stopped to take in the very picturesque views from atop.
It was a great day being out with my little friend and enjoying the cooler morning temperatures along with the beauty of this vast wilderness that I'm so lucky to frequent. I had a nice clean kill on a large Jackrabbit along with the gathering of some great video footage and some detail that might make a great future Coyote hunt.
After loading my pack with a gallon of water I filled up the EVOL .30 and loaded some 44gr Polymags that work great out of this gun. We slowly walked parallel to the wash hoping to spot some Cottontails on the edge of the brushline. I too was looking for some fresh signs of Coyote's such as tracks, scatt and ultimately an active den that I could come back to at a later date to hunt. Within about 15 minutes I spotted a large Jackrabbit moving quickly through the thick brush at near 90 yards across the wash. The sun was just up over the top of the mountain where it was already warming us up a bit. We slowly walked around from under a large bushy Pine tree when I spotted the silhouette of a large Jackrabbit sitting under a small bush.
96 yards
I put the shot right through the head that plowed the large Jackrabbit down instantly, the lack of movement made it difficult for Marley to retrieve.
A Jackrabbit selfie
After a short break Marley and I continued several miles down the wash where I took several shots at some Jackrabbits and even encountered several covey's of Quail along the way, they are amazingly beautiful birds.
Callipepla californica
As it was now approaching 9:00am and getting hot Marley and I took a break in the shade overlooking the dry riverbed.
As we sat overlooking the wash I decided our next approach would be to cross it into another area of dense sagebrush. We walked across the sandy wash that had periodic walls of rocks to climb over followed by tall 10' high embankments. Marley and I both had difficulty finding an area to actually climb up as most areas were very steep. As we made our way up I immediately noticed many little game trails that had obvious signs of busy Coyote's. We followed the little trails hoping to encounter some live activity or at least spot some Coyote's moving around. Several months ago I had spotted 6 of them moving towards this same area down through the wash. The wash is essentially a large game trail that brings many large predatory animals down through the valley. Several miles away to the North are a few large ranches that may offer easy prey. Being we were so close I decided to continue down the largest game trail where it ultimately came to the highway where just across was a poorly maintained fence. Behind this fence was a large field several hundred yards square with what looked to be animal pens. This area will get marked on my map of places to set up a stand and hopefully have some luck taking down a Coyote here. We continued South, running parallel with the highway heading back towards the Jeep. The area was looking quite dry but even then I can always find some beauty in some of the landmarks nature provides.
Marley and I took one more break before finally making it back to the Jeep by 11:45, it was in the mid 80s and time to head home. We packed up the Jeep and headed up the long winding highway where we stopped to take in the very picturesque views from atop.
It was a great day being out with my little friend and enjoying the cooler morning temperatures along with the beauty of this vast wilderness that I'm so lucky to frequent. I had a nice clean kill on a large Jackrabbit along with the gathering of some great video footage and some detail that might make a great future Coyote hunt.
