Great and yet bizarre hunt with my daughter this morning. Have hunted this Woodward Co. property since 1993, but haven't hunted there the last 3 years. Assuming birds were still roosting in the same areas, which is in one of two, or both canyons, we parked in between the canyons well before light, zero wind...........complete silence in all directions except for quail. Plan B, we waited till the sun rose, drove the mile to the other end to check some wheat fields. While glassing, spotted a cow and calf in the center of the neighbor's rye field........and a lanky black and tan dog with a collar was standing not 20y away watching them. Watched the dog for a couple of minutes, and I see the mama cow spin a 180 and here come three coyotes. The coyotes stroll up to the dog like they're long lost pals, circle and sniff, circle and sniff..........expecting this to get violent, the dog continues East across the field, and single file right behind follow the coyotes. The dog stops to dig, and while digging, the coyotes all come right up to the hole being dug, two check out the hole, and the other lays down! That went on for about ten minutes until all four slipped down into the canyon...........never seen anything like it.
So back to glassing for turkey, went to another vantage point that overlooks both canyons where we first went............and there were birds along both canyons in three groups.........which meant 12 toms were completely silent this morning, as well as about 50 hens, because we weren't 400 yards from either canyon with roost trees. We were able to slip down into one canyon, and she was able to put down a jake. We called with no response, I think they were headed towards us anyway(sitting along a food plot edge)........but we'll say we called them up
So back to glassing for turkey, went to another vantage point that overlooks both canyons where we first went............and there were birds along both canyons in three groups.........which meant 12 toms were completely silent this morning, as well as about 50 hens, because we weren't 400 yards from either canyon with roost trees. We were able to slip down into one canyon, and she was able to put down a jake. We called with no response, I think they were headed towards us anyway(sitting along a food plot edge)........but we'll say we called them up