Coyote Caliber Considerations

Im just a dumb old country boy down south but around here coyote pelts are useless anyway. They are devistating the deer and turkey around here and I would use a scud missile on one if I had it.

scuds are hard to reload. all of those will work but (and each person's situation is different) building a task-specific rifle is fun.

A .243 would be a real good choice with lighter than usual bullets for flatter trajectory and less damage.

A regular soft point bullet would work but may come out the other side - depending on shot placement and angle. A hollow point might be better if you don't want the bullet to pass through-&-through. I think a HP would most likely enter but not exit 50% of the time. Any smaller and you really need to make a CNS shot or chance losing the 'yote.

I have a 22-250 with hot loads of Speer 50g TNT and I have shot several. The results were a hole in the animal the size of my fist as the bullet starts to expand as soon as it hits the first fur. Those did not go through but took his heart out on each shot and the 'yote ran another seventy feet or so before it dropped from pure adrenaline. I did shoot one with a factory load of Remington 55g soft points. The bullet went into his chest, on a 45 degree angle downward and came out between his front legs, his heart came out and dropped, hanging out of the 3" hole between his front legs. He went about 15 feet in a semi-circle before dropping.

I agree with Hunt480

I don't CARE about the pelts on a useless animal. I use a Winchester Model 70 in .270 with 130 grain soft points. "One shot, one Kill"....hehehe

.223 55gr works

HM2PAC said:

I am planning on doing some coyote hunting this spring, but I don't have a true "Varmint Rifle". What would be the best plan of action so as not to destroy too much of the pelt?

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We have visits on a regular basis from ole Wiley and typically it's my wife that alerts me, " dear we have a coyote out by the horse fenceline". I grab my Ruger Mini-14 ranch rifle loaded with 55gr .223 and it's one shot and done.
Couple of weeks ago I caught a glimpse of one under one of the pecan trees not but 50 or 60 feet from the house at 11:30 in the morning but he either saw me or heard me and lived to see another day :banghead:

I use my Bushmaster AR-15. The 223 is a great caliber to use for coyote, but if you dont want to spend the money your 308 would work great.

When I lived in ND a few decades ago, pelts were fetching $65 each - it didn't take too many to pay for the new rifle you used to shoot them.

For ease of use, any .223 will work - but for more challenge, find an XP-100 in 6mmBR or 7mmBR - light recoiling, good to over 250 yards, and both are very accurate. They can also be had in rifles.

I agree, if there is no money in the pelts, and you are shooting a nuisance 'yote, I would use any rifle that works, forget the fur as it will just be buried with the carcass.

Where I reside, the coyote pelts are a dime a dozen (worth nothing). The only reason I shoot them is because my neighbors got sick and tired of having cats that would go out and never come home again, so they asked me to "do them a favor." I had found some pet cats that were about half eaten and half-buried from the Fishers.

You cannot legally move or transport any game animal where I live, and the game warden will NOT give you permission to move them, but he will tell you that, if it is bothering your land in any way, you have a right to protect your land and shoot them. If it is a Fisher or Fox, I would notify my game warden beforehand to get the thumbs-up that he may be having a fox or fisher carcass if he wants the pelt. They come and pick up the whole carcass right where it dropped and take it away.

.243

Pelts are going right now for $44 each.

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These are nothing but mangy dogs around here, but I'm curious what you can make from a coyote hide that somebody would buy? Even if it is a good winter hide. Just asking

I forget how many tanned hides it takes for a vest...six or eight, anyhow. More, of course, for a jacket.

If you are not interested in the AR rifles for whatever reason there is nothing wrong with a good bolt-action .223Rem. rifle. (Get a good scope.)

Nothing wrong with 308 at all. I use it for hog and coyotes where I'm from.

M80 ball will not tear up a hide all that much.... but I don't collect their hides either.

If it comes down to selecting FMJ vs your hand-loads, I would suggest that you go with the load that is the most accurate through your rifle.


11B

scuds are hard to reload. all of those will work but (and each person's situation is different) building a task-specific rifle is fun.

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I'm going with the scuds, goin to be tough finding dies and the conversion kit for my LNL
But I'm on it! I hate those things, always worried about my dog.

+ on the Scuds

scuds are hard to reload. all of those will work but (and each person's situation is different) building a task-specific rifle is fun.

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I'm going with the scuds, goin to be tough finding dies and the conversion kit for my LNL
But I'm on it! I hate those things, always worried about my dog.

If you want a reason to justify the cost of a new varmit rifle, here you go. On the other hand there is nothing wrong with getting in a little practice with the same rifle you will be using to deer hunt with.

I own a 223 and would use it. If I didn't own a 223 I'd just use one of my deer rifles.

M ychoice weapon for the yote's is a REM700 .243 with 58gr hornady "molys" they are cheap and havnt had but a couple over-penetrate (i usually aim for about the top of their elbow on front leg) it will break bones on impact and usually the frag from shell will go thru heart or lungs, never had to chase 1 more than 50-yds after that,,

well, being on a fixed income, i can certainly understand not purchasing a seperate firearm just for coyotes. i am lucky enough to own a 223 that was given to me by my aunt after my uncle had passed away. but i have also loaded up some 300 win mag loads for just that purpose as well. most of my firearms / equipment i had prior to "becoming fixed" (income). so i have a decent amount of stuff. all of which will be handed down to my kids in the not to distant future. i say use what you have, until you can afford to buy something you really want. a 22 lr is not a good candidate, unless you are within very close range. coyotes are not dumb, so getting close is really tough. the 30-06/308 with fmjbt bullets should work wonders. as for the pelts, make sure you can really sell them before you count your money. the one i shot last year, i could only give away. the market was such that they said they could not pay for it. i gave it to a freind, who had the yote mounted.

.22-250....what else is there to say..

.22-250....what else is there to say..

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Would you like a list?

Ammunition costs for the big rifles will quickly exceed the cost of a new rifle. The problem is choosing a caliber that won't also break the bank. A lot of these specialty calibers are very expensive.

I was in the same situation I wanted to go coyote hunting but only had a 300 win mag and a 30-30. I saved up some money. I bought a savage model 12 fcv in 223 and its been one of the most accurate rifles I have ever owned. Hoping to get my first coyote soon.

Get a 223 IMO. It's relatively inexpensive to practice with for one. Secondly, nearly anywhere in the country that sells ammo will have some variety or other of 223 ammo on hand.

If you're considering a serious varmint rig? 22-250 or 243 deserve some heavy investigation, or if you're a reloader, or don't mind ammo being a bit scarce, 6mm rem is hard to beat.