This week I am writing to you about a challenging two-day experience that I embarked upon with my good buddy Gary Howe who lives in Prairie du Chien.

The fieldwork for this adventure took part in the bluffs, coulees, and Mississippi River bottoms of Crawford County during the lowest temperatures and heaviest snowfall so far this winter.

Friday, Jan. 20
High 8, low minus 4

I left my home near Necedah at 4 this morning and was really excited about spending two days attempting to call in and harvest a coyote. Two hours later, as I was driving south on highway 35, it began snowing.

Gary Howe is the publisher of the now five-generation, family owned Courier Press in Prairie du Chien, and has been my sidekick on several go-for-it outdoor experiences during the last 15 years. During the last couple of weeks Gary had obtained permission for us to hunt on several pieces of property and it was looking like we had an excellent plan.

Hunt number one was a dandy; each setup would include a long "slog" through deep snow with each of us carrying a rifle and a shotgun. Our hikes often included climbing steep bluffs, sliding or falling down steep bluffs and intense physical exercise.

Setup number one, which also included fall number one, was after a long hike that at times included waist deep snow drifts and less then positive comments from my "'yote" hunting partner. I might mention that my buddy had showed me his electronic coyote call that is worth more then my '96 Chevy pickup. Set up number one has us watching a picked cornfield with a bluff for a backdrop.

Mr. Howe is proudly ready to begin enticing a coyote in with his fancy electronic device, as we lay hidden in a brushy drainage ditch. Mr. Howe's call does not want to function, I pull out my trusting mouth call and pretend I am a rabbit that is in intense pain. Twenty minutes later we move onto our next hunt and setup.

On this hunt we are watching the same bluff as well as river bottoms and we cannot see each other, as we are about 30-yards apart with some high ground between us. Ten minutes after my first call, I heard the beautiful sound of Gary's rifle firing a round. When I stood up I did not see a coyote and was happy as heck. Then I saw Gary attempting to put another shell in his gun and in the poor visibility saw a huge coyote looking at us from 130-yards away.

I attempted to put a bullet in the dog with what appeared to be an easy shot and soon realized that my entire trigger housing was a block of ice. I abandoned that thought, was a well aware that the coyote was out of buckshot range, and watched the coyote through the scope of my rifle. Before I heard the blast of the gun, I saw snow go flying above and behind the big coyote, and had a good laugh thanks to my hunting partner who also had, had major freeze up problems with his rifle.

The rest of our day we hiked, climbed, slid and fell with both of our guns in cases and did not see another dog.

Saturday, Jan. 21
High 17, low minus 11

It was minus 11 when Gary and I started our first slog this morning in mid-calf to mid-thigh deep snow. There may have been some muttering of discontent from my hunting partner but as usual; I ignored what was said and plowed forward.

We had agreed to hunt both days from dark to dark, and that is what we did. Folks, for a couple of guys in their 50s, this truly was a physical challenge.

At noon, Gary had to take an hour off to go to a funeral and I chose to keep hunting in some river bottoms that I hunted for deer in a few years back
There were fresh coyote tracks in the snow as I hiked in for my first setup and an incredible experience to follow as I loaded my shotgun and rifle and hunkered down near a large cottonwood tree.

In all honesty I still had my call in my mouth, had been wailing into it maybe two seconds when a large coyote came running towards me as fast it could, looking for rabbit dinner. I had an easy shot and blew it; I tracked that dog for an hour in the snow just too make sure it was not hit and once again realized that I am human.

The real thrill for myself is calling in a coyote the old fashioned way and hunting hard with an old buddy. Both challenges were met and I am looking forward to doing it again! Sunset

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