SAWMAN and I went hunting last night. Spotted 2 coyotes coming down the road 200+ yards away. At first it appeared to be one large animal from the thermal signature, but then the "large" animal split into 2. We could tell it wasn't a deer, but what was it? We waited to positively ID, and when they got about 100yd away they stopped. May have just stopped or may have thought they saw something (us) out of place in the moonlight. We were dressed in dark clothing with head coverings. I was slightly to the right and SAWMAN on the left. He could see the yote on the right (I couldn't), and I could see the yote on the left (he couldn't) so our whispered conversation on who should shoot was puzzling at first (I.e., I'm gonna shoot the one on the right if you don't (I couldn't see one on the right). He let me shoot, as he's killed 500+ yotes, whereas I'd only killed one before. One shot to the chest; it went a few feet and flopped. Thermal made it easier to go right to the downed animal. A full size male. SAWMAN said he heard the bullet hit. The next time out, I may use a suppressor so I can hear the hit (boy am I optimistic).
For FrankT: 6.8 handload with Hornady 120gr SST. 6.8 AR with 16" Wilson Combat bbl I bought off the forum. Nikon M223 2-8x with Nivisys UTAC-32M thermal sight in front of Nikon.
SAWMAN got a fleeting glimpse of another yote, and we both had our sights on a 4th, within range, but didn't shoot, as we wanted to be sure it was a yote, and maybe it would come closer. It did come closer, but then it went off the trail and into the woods out of sight. It was a successful hunt and truly a team effort. We both have thermal sights, and feel we learn every time we spot an animal. If one saw something, it would be pointed out to the other for that person to get more spotting practice. Strange, but no deer were seen. 1 squirrel, 3 rabbits, and probably several armadillos (from the size and movement; we didn't go closer to confirm as armadillos) were seen. Yes, squirrels sometimes come out at night.
Let me close by saying that when hunting at night, safety concerns are even more important than in the day (if that is possible) due to the lack of visibility, and that includes positively IDing before we shoot. We had went over safety precautions and signals and would discuss the directions we'd be looking each time we stopped for calling.
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