Roosted ain't roasted

It was dark, with a cold northwest wind whipping across the open fields. There was just the hint of a lighter-colored sky in the east. I left the truck parked behind a thick hedge of mock orange bushes and started down the side of the field.

I had let my son Clayton out at the ditch bank on the other side of the field. He wanted to walk to the piney woods, closer to the head of the old mill pond. We were hoping to hear from some gobblers this morning. Clayton had seen a big flock of turkeys out in the field a few days before.

A very loud series of barks very close behind me stopped me in my tracks, and the hair stood up on the back of my neck! I knew from the tone that it was a coyote. I immediately turned and walked quickly back to my truck. The coyote was just across the road, but I couldn't see him in the early morning darkness. He was not retreating, and his barks got louder and more aggressive.

At the truck, I opened the door and retrieved my shotgun. Of course, the dome light came on, and I figured the light would spook the canine. It didn't. He continued to bark at me but did start to move slowly away across the field. Now, I was concerned that his barking and high-pitched yipping would spook any turkeys in the area.

The sky was getting lighter now, but the ground was still dark. I had a small pen light in my pocket and tried shining that in his direction. He was close enough to shoot if I could get his eyes to shine. But I didn't particularly want to shoot at the coyote, as I figured the gunshot might also spook the turkeys. I was hopeful that he would just wander on off. He didn't.

In pure exasperation, I started to walk quickly toward the unseen coyote. He kept barking and kept moving away. I stopped, elevated the shotgun and fired a shot. It worked. He shut up. So, I turned and started back to my truck. Before I got back to the truck, I heard a turkey gobble across the field toward the woods that Clayton had walked to. I guess the coyote barks and the shotgun blast hadn't bothered him.

I started down the side of the field again, and another coyote started barking out in the field behind me. This one was farther away but was not moving away. I turned and started toward him. It was getting light enough now that I could see him, and he was too far out to shoot with a shotgun. I realized now that the coyotes had intercepted my scent stream as it drifted across the field on the wind. This one could also see me, and he did run on across the field. But he didn't stop barking.

The turkeys were gobbling now and didn't seem to be fazed by all the coyote racket. I was relieved. There wasn't any need to walk down the field now, and I was concerned that they would see me if I tried to get closer. So, I just stood at the edge of the bushes near the truck, where I could keep an eye out for any other coy dogs that might come along.

The turkeys put on quite a vocal show with their lusty gobbles, and the hens must have been truly impressed. It ended all too soon, and then I saw Clayton coming across the field. He had a big smile on his face. He asked me, "Did you see that sunrise?" I answered that I did, but I had been distracted by the coyotes. He said, "I saw a coyote in the other field - did you shoot at one?" And I answered, "Yes, I did." Then he asked, "How about all those turkeys!" And I replied, "Well, it reminds me of an old saying - roosted ain't roasted. You still got to hunt them."

Clayton went back Wednesday morning to hunt the turkeys, and I went back to Columbia to attend the Fish, Game and Forestry Committee meeting that is considering a new turkey hunting season. There is also a bill in the Senate that will offer a bounty on coyotes. Bill S. 489 is sponsored by Sen. Stephen Goldfinch of Georgetown. The bill is currently residing in the Fish, Game and Forestry Committee. Both bills would be good for South Carolina hunters.

Reach Dan Geddings at cdgeddings@gmail.com.