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[Prairie Ghost]

Here is what some of the stuff in the Top Dog forums is like this if from earlier this summer. Pictures and/or videos usually accompany the stories in the Top Dog forum. Enjoy!

This morning had me at 3AM waiting for some rain to blow through before doing some locating. The rain finally subsided at about 4:45 and i waited drinking coffee and looking at the dash of my pickup for another fifteen minutes. The first denning area i had in mine was only a mile or two up the road and i was anxious to get going. I hit the siren and immediately got a response from the juveniles but it sounded as though the adults were absent. I moved on working with another hunter seperating by a couple of miles and locating but the wind was picking up and the sun was making it's presence in a hurry. After a full hour of locating we only had one more group of juveniles located. I choose to take the first group.

I was a little unsure of the exact location so i choose to stay back and try first and then if no response move in closer. The first stand was dry as expected after 45 minutes of howling with the dogs on stand nothing. I packed the dogs up and drove another 3/4 mile getting to the edge of the valley where the pups should have been.

My pup male cur was immedaitely excited about a antelope doe that i didn't see when i sat down and gave chase with me reaching for the shock collar tranmitter. One push and he had given up the chase and was on his way back. I watched as the antelope made a hook back after reaching the end of the drainage and watched as five coyotes gave chase! (both adults and 3 of the 5 pups) The antelope quickly lost them and when they returned to the knob they had been sitting on the female ( I would find out later) headed out of country i'm pretty sure she had seen me come over the skyline. A few pup whines and she was turned around and coming steady. I had now lost where the old dog was but figured he was on his way in.
He showed up on my left with the dogs on my right. The dogs got over the hill and i heard my pup open up and a fawn bawl! Of all things! The pup went running trailing hard with my older female standing on skyline watching the show. This was too much for the pair of coyotes they came at a full bore run the old dog chasing after my female at 200yds and the female taking after my pup that was chasing after a fawn oblivious of what he was going to run into when he turned around to come back to me.
The old dog was giving my female the dickens and had rolled her a few times barking and howling the whole time. I was in a predicament (sp) I couldn't see the coyote and my female most of the time coming and going over a ridge line and i couldn't see the female and my pup at all. I made the choice to move up on them. I crested the ridge to see my female dancing infront of the dog like a showgirl as he was discussing her family origins and the female watching intently as my pup was getting chased by a doe and chasing a fawn and i was discussing his family origins because he was out of range of the transmitter. Well my female kept bringing that old dog right by me and i was getting a little worried he was going to get way to close for comfort and bug out so i made the decision to take one in the hand instead of two in the bush. When she cleared him i was going to put him down and hope the female would get in the fight. Thats when i whistled to my dog and she came running right into my lap with the old dog right on her heels. I was not carrying a shotgun so my only option was to point to 204 in his direction and yank the trigger. He took a 32 grain pill at about 15 feet and then my dog got to discuss his family oringins. LOL The female bugged out and the juveniles that had watched it all scattered like quail. I ran the dogs around awhile but with the heat and the dogs having been running for some time could only jump one and we lost him in the high sage.
This was the best i have had a coyote work the dogs this season they have been fairly timid.

His stomach was full of antelope and sage grouse.

[Tim Anderson]

Good read. How about some more...

[The Outdoorsman]

That was a good read.