A Good Hunt at Last

This past Saturday I got up before dawn and drove to my special hunting spot. This time I was not focusing on coyotes but on quail and rabbits. Just after dawn, I started walking away from my truck when out in the distance I heard what sounded like 5 to 6 coyotes having a morning howl. My first thought was that I was going to be hunting in the same area as some coyote hunters. After a bit the howls quit but a short time later I heard them again only this time they had moved about a quarter mile west of the original howls. This time I knew that it was not hunters but real coyotes. I at least this time knew that they were in the area and maybe next time I would hunt them.

This trip I was going to concentrate on quail. I heard some almost immediately so I headed directly for them. I kicked up the covey and shot the first and missed the second. It has been 35 years since I have used a shotgun and I had forgot to shot above a bird flying directly away from you. So with one in my bag I felt accomplished. The weather was great and conditions were perfect for a great day. I hunted in the same area for about three hours and saw many quail and at least three giant jack rabbits but they were too fast and to far away for me. So I went back to my truck, cleaned my one quail and headed to another spot.

I had walked less than an eight of mile from the truck toward a water hole that I know about when all of a sudden up jumps a big jack. I hit with my first shot but he only slowed down but the second shot got him for sure. When I go to him he was huge by my memory's standard of what a jack should be. I picked him up but soon realized that he was too heavy to carry so I stashed him in a clearing in hopes that a coyote might find him and also so I could find him on my return. The terrain around the water hole was devoid of wildlife of any kind so after a couple of hours I headed back to pick up my jack and head to the truck.

Back at the truck I felt great. I had been a very relaxing and restful day. Plenty of good exercise, at least three miles, in a non-polluted environment without any human contact. We all should such a day now and then to regain our prospective on life.

Here's a picture of my giant jack rabbit. You be the judge on his size. That's a 20 gauge Winchester Model 12 that I borrowed for the weekend laying behind him.

This did in fact turned out to be a great spot and I hope to return soon.