Don't laugh too loud - I am such a novice.
I woke out this am planning on doing a few stands. It was 8 degrees and snowing pretty good with limited visibility. The wife said she was making a nice breakfast and I would need to be back by 10am. I checked the weather and it looked like it would be done snowing about breakfast time so I decided to hunt later today and enjoy my good breakfast.
Around noon the sun breaks out and I am shoveling snow and I see a coyote out in my neighbors meadow hunting hard. about a mile away. I watched him waiting to see which group of red willows he would most likely enter and be ready to head out for hopefully a short hunt. Sure enough after about 30 minutes he disappears into one of the willow patches. I am off and nearly running to get set up on him.
I get set up about 500 yards from the willow patches and start off with my lowest setting vole call. It is still really cold 12 degrees and now I have slight breeze. I am already thinking I hope this is short hunt as laying in 6" of snow and I am getting cold and uncomfortable almost immediately.
As soon as start calling a big coyote steps out of the other patch of of willows. I am surprised, but now I am thinking I have big pair in play. For a second, I thought maybe it watched me get set up, but it starts working toward the other willow patch that I watched the other one go into. Either way, I am feeling good.
The breeze picks up and the big dog actually starts hunting so I hit the volume button a little trying to get its attention incase we just had a coincidental sighting. The dog disappears into the willow patch and I keep calling to no avail. After 5 minutes I switch to the woodpecker call still expecting to see 1 or 2 big dogs leave the willow patch - to no avail.
I am really cold and getting bummed, so i go back to my old trusty -pup in distress call. The wind is picking up and I can't wait for the 20 minute stand to be over. I try and shut the call off at 18 minutes and am having a hard time since my fingers are so cold and keep punching the wrong arrow. Finally I get the power off or at least I thought I did as I now the damm call is yipping and barking. I start punching the damm buttons trying to shut it off to no avail. Finally I turn the damm thing back on the pup in distress call starts playing ---- AT that moment in time It all clicks!!
I look over about a 125 yards away not in the direction of the willows is a medium dog yipping/barking pacing back and forth.
I promptly shot him and started laughing so hard.
Another lesson learned!