My boy and a young friend of mine went calling last year. I was up NORT working earlier and most all the snow had evaporated and the sun was out. Heck there was even gophers out running around. SO I set up a calling trip. We had about 2" of snow that night... The temp was -1* when we left town and as the sun tried to punch through the Low clouds and fog and falling snow the temp dipped to -2* .
Anyway the first set was a fair walk out to a good looking spot just beyond a Prairie dog town up on a big river brake. If it had been clear we could see for miles, but it wasn't. We hit the call , a pup in distress call and two dogs stood up out of the grass only 100 yards from us. They very quickly melted in to the trees and falling snow out of sight. We called for 10 more minuets when I here my boys 223 go off. Not a clue what he shot at, But in front of my other friend a coyote slipped off under 50 yards and he didn't get a shot. Hum. We called for a shot time after just in case there was other dogs but there wasn't. My Boy got up and walked BEHIND us 50 yards and picked up a snow covered female coyote. COOL.
The next set went good to but the three dogs we called disappeared in the the snow and fog with out a shot. We went on. The overcast conditions where defiantly taking it's tole. We did a BIG sage brush bowl with the wind at our sides almost immediately a coyote appeared straight down wind and got our sent but it hesitated just long enough for the boy to pop him and bang we had two.
The wind was out of the Northwest which is very unusual for he and a lot of our normal spots would not work. We came across a mile section of short CRP grass and could hide the truck,kind of. We where about whipped by then so we didn't go very far out in to the snow. With No place to hid us we set up with KOJO the coyote decoy up wind the call a bit farther and all three of us back to back to back. Called a short time and one single male came in from across the road right in front of the truck and from behind us again as he went buy us he looked right at us and kept going to the decoy. He had sex on his mind, we where using a female in heat call. My Young buddy ( I work with him 21)Put the 243 on his shoulder and let one go. The dog was only 30 yards from him and I was wishing I had taken the shot gun. The dog fell over and we where finished.
My new 22/250 never took a shot... But you cant argue with three in the fur box.
KOJO the decoy