On December 2, 2023, history was made for us—the DakotaDogsDown crew. We set new records, both personally and as a group. After pheasant hunting all day in the heart of South Dakota, my dad and I geared up with our Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50 LRF scopes and Telos XP50 spotters for what turned out to be the most action-packed, exciting night in a short amount of time. Equipped with our Pulsar gear, along with my Lucky Duck Super Revolt and shooting tripods, we headed out with a few good friends who came along to spectate. These friends, armed only with our Pulsar spotters, were there to experience the new world through thermal vision. That night included a first-stand success with a kick, a new personal best in a single set, and a single-night record for the number of coyotes killed. I’ll briefly describe several memorable and exciting stands on this trip.
The night was calm, with only a slight breeze coming from the North. There were no clouds in the sky, and as the night grew older, the stars above shone brighter, forming God's magnificent Milky Way. Just as we set up in our first field, I took my Lucky Duck to the east to call the coyotes crosswind from us. As the rabbit distress echoed across the open field, a pair of coyotes came racing in immediately! One charged in to 40 yards, while the other hung back at 150 yards. Dad and I aimed with our .22 Creedmoors and fired! Behold—a double down within minutes. I kept playing sounds from the caller, and another pair approached from the southwest. These two coyotes were more skittish and wouldn't come any closer than 300 yards, so I decided to shoot one before they caught our wind. I aimed, fired, and another coyote went down, making it a triple on the first stand of the night! After several minutes of silence, I started the rabbit distress again, which drew in another coyote lingering around 500 yards away. At that same moment, we noticed headlights behind us, driving into the field where we were set up. It turned out to be someone who wasn’t supposed to be there, and when the landowner found out, he was furious! Our coyote stand was ruined for the night because of the intrusion. Although it was a successful stand, we left feeling upset and confused about what had just happened.
After several more successful stands, with shots taken over 400 yards, we had six coyotes in the back of the truck before the most memorable stand occurred. We moved to an open winter wheat field that had already been harvested, a stand that’s been successful every time we've tried it. As I walked back from setting the caller, we heard coyotes in the near distance, so I rushed back to our setup spot. Shortly after, I let off some lone interrogation howls and played the rabbit distress—the action began! With the wind in our faces, a coyote trotted in, looking for an easy meal. At 100 yards, I took the shot—BAM! One coyote down! With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I excitedly discussed what had happened with the crew. In the middle of the excitement, my buddy, using my Telos XP50, warned me of another coyote coming in! Frantically, I fumbled to find my gun in the darkness and spotted the coyote he mentioned. Sure enough, there it was, only 200 yards away. The coyote trotted in to 150 yards before my itchy trigger finger couldn’t hold off any longer. Another successful shot—another coyote on the ground. Two coyotes down within minutes.
At this point, my dad was itching to shoot and join the action. For context, in the past several stands, a couple of coyotes had gotten away because my dad’s gun was knocked off zero, and he hadn’t realized it until the misses. Learning my lesson from earlier, I kept scanning the field, and lo and behold—a third coyote was making its way in. I was about to let Dad take the shot when I remembered his gun was still off. This coyote, probably a bit older, stayed back at 310 yards, but with my Pulsar, .22 Creed, and sharp shooting, I let another round fly, landing a triple on the ground! The excitement in my voice was uncontrollable! As I started to talk out loud, my buddy again warned me of a FOURTH coyote coming in from the same direction as the previous three. Dad was eager to pull the trigger, but I told him NO! I was going for a solo quad, and I wasn’t going to be stopped. Understanding the moment, my dad stepped back and let me take the shot. This one, out at 250 yards and facing me, was dropped with a light squeeze of the trigger. IT HAPPENED—A quadruple! Not only was it the first quadruple for DakotaDogsDown, but I did it all myself! The most exciting coyote stand ever!
With ten coyotes in the truck from just a few shorter stands, we headed off to a farmer who had a pack of problem coyotes near his house, attacking and harassing his dogs. We set up on a flat, half section of tilled soybeans—fields like this let us see in every direction, and with the wind low, it didn’t matter where the coyotes came from. About half a mile from the landowner’s house, we spotted the coyotes right in his backyard! Five of them, just playing around his tree grove. Knowing they were there, I opted not to howl yet and went straight to rabbit distress. Oh boy, did they come running full blast! With one coyote leading the pack, it ran right past us—20 yards away—straight for the caller! Dad, who had finally tuned his gun right, started popping off rounds at the running coyote, missing the first shot but tumbling him with the second. The coyote face-planted and rolled eight feet! The other four coyotes, now wary of the suppressed gunshots, began circling us about a quarter-mile away, trying to figure out what had happened. Playing coyote pup distress lured a second coyote into 180 yards, and Dad dropped him for a double! After about ten minutes of trying different sounds to lure the remaining coyotes closer, one circled to about 400 yards. Dad and I figured it wouldn’t come any closer, so we both prepared to shoot. To stop the coyote, I let out a bark. After a quick 3, 2, 1 countdown, we both squeezed the trigger and watched it eat dirt—another triple down!
I’ve spent many memorable nights hunting with my dad and friends, but a beautiful night like that one will never be forgotten. We started at 8 p.m. and ended an hour before midnight with a final count of 13 coyotes. Every stand was action-packed, with multiple coyotes shot each time, helping out the local farmers and ranchers. This coyote hunting experience is something my friends, who had never been thermal coyote hunting before, may never experience again! What a God-given blessing to be in His marvelous creation, under the most beautiful starry skies, eradicating these harmful critters for the better. I look forward to making more memories and sharing them with you all as we take our Pulsar thermals into the night for next season!
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