22lr ammo for coyote

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Your going to get a bunch of "use more gun" "ethics" etc answers. As a guy raised on a farm I know a 3 legged coyote is less likely to eat livestock or poultry so I get that. I use 223 or 17. They really arent that tough. Just hard to get close shots at. Assuming you hit where you are aiming I dont think the type of ammo matters in 22lr. It all performs like a lead slug IME.

Years ago I had 80+ chickens slaughtered by coyote in 1 hr. I don't aim to wound and I dont miss nor do i use a 22. But the less coyote they are the better.
 
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CCI Mini Mags my personal fav for shooting critters. Broadside with solids should pass into body cavity and lungs if it misses a rib...no guarantees if it hits a rib but should penetrate if within a decent range.

But I strongly doubt they will drop on the spot. I suspect they will run and hide and probably die slowly, which I don’t approve of. That said, it’s legal in many places to blast away at the hated yodeler since their numbers are booming and they are raising havoc on pets and livestock, and even getting “brave” around kids, so if they need to be engaged, even with a less than optimal kill shot, I understand why.

But if you are hunting hides, its not the right gun.
 
On game animals that I want to recover for the meat using enough gun to put it down quickly is something to consider. Vermin elimination is a little different. While I'd prefer something bigger if a 22 is what I had I'd use it.

I'd probably use 40 gr FMJ to get the most penetration. And while head shots would be nice, I wouldn't let one walk if a head shot never presented itself. I'd take a lung shot, it's going to die rather quickly, but more than likely run far enough that recovering it may be an impossible.
 
I’ve shot them with .22’s before. Would have shot them with a pellet gun if that’s all I had or a 50 BMG for that matter.

That said I don’t like things that like to eat my chickens, I’d run them over with a tractor if they would stand still, they don’t, so I shoot them.
 
If they're game, use more gun.

If they're varmints, 40 grain High Velocity, whatever is accurate in your rifle. I find this varies a lot by brand, so experiment. They'll likely be 'self burying' with that little energy.

The only thing I kill with a .22LR are chipmunks, and I use CCI 40gr lead for that.
 
When I go hunting coyotes on purpose, I do use more gun. Either a .223, .280 Rem, or tight choked 12Ga with buffered lead BB.

They do, however, often present themselves as targets of opportunity around the farm. Since I can't/won't keep a centerfire rifle in the barn, an old, inexpensive .22 is pressed into service. I have folded them cleanly to 125 yards with CCI Stinger, misc. 38 gr HV hollow point, and Browning high performance 40 Gr HP. The latter is my favorite. Better accuracy, impact, trajectory and wind than the Stinger or generic 38 HPs. I believe Winchester has an identical load. Every one I have shot with this load or Stingers died quite quickly, just minus the shock and awe of the high velocity centerfires. Of the few I took with generic 38 HPs during the great rimfire shortage, results were mixed. Didn't lose any, but one required 3 hits at relatively close range 50-75 yards.

When fur prices were decent, I did a fair amount of trapping and coyotes and bobcats were on my list. My standard trap finishing load was Aguila 38 gr Subsonic HP from a Ruger MK2. This load was 100% lethal, first shot, in the head at close range. More substantial rimfire cartridges are IMHO sufficient for coyotes if your marksmanship and self control on shot selection are up to the task.
 
Would 22lr be good for bobcat within reasonable range ?

I would think it would work well for one treed. Other than that, like others have said, for both Bobcats and 'yotes, I'd want more gun if I was calling or running 'em with hounds. Yotes are not hard to kill, they're thin skinned and not very big. A huge male is 45#s. Many a deer has been killed with a .22 head shot and they are at least, twice as big. I've killed many 'yotes with a load of #5s while calling turkeys, Get them within 30 yards or so and it folds them right up. 40 and beyond they jump and bitr at themselves like they been attacked by bees. That reaction generally means they'll die, but it's gonna take a while. Even 'yotes deserve better than that.
 
Just a couple things I'd like to point out:

1. Not everyone can afford "more gun"
2. Not everyone is going out to purposely hunt 'yotes.
3. Caliber selection does not make up for poor marksmanship.

Having said that...

I have killed several large critters with the lowly .22 over the years, and at longer distances than you'd think. Aim for the eye, or between eye and ear and you can kill anything that walks in N. America with a .22 short. You just gotta be close enough for the bullet to penetrate and a good enough shot to put it where it needs to go. When I'm on the farm, I carry a little single shot Rossi .22 on the tractor, and I can't begin to tell you how many varmints have fallen to the "$50 .22". If I'm out hunting in our woods, I don't feel under-gunned with my .22 at all. I've knocked off a few varmints while still-hunting for squirrel. But then again, its hard to miss a 'yote head at 25 steps.

However...

My go-to, be-all end-all, "there's a varmint at ~200 yards and it's gotta die right now" gun is a Ruger M77mkII 25-06. I use standard 117 grain core-lokt on everything from groundhogs to deer. It's never failed to stop 'yote sized critters. Sure, it does pelt damage (hell, lets be honest: it ruins the damn things), but I'm well satisfied that you aren't concerned with that. Assumption is a dangerous thing, but I feel like this post is more in regards to pest control than fur hunting.

So, bottom line: if you can afford to buy a bigger gun, then buy one. If you own a bigger gun, use it. I don't care if it's a 30-06. But if all you have is a .22LR, then learn to put 5 shots in a dime at 50 yards and kill every mangy 'yote and bobcat that comes into range. My opinion on the matter, and its worth exactly what you paid for it.

Mac
 
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/71025 This is my preferred varmint fodder as mentioned above. Had to look at the notches in my barn post to tally, 6 coyotes killed with this load. Mix of head, high shoulder and behind the shoulder shots. Head and shoulder were DRT, behind the shoulder at longer range were a short run and piled up dead. All one shot kills to maximum of 125 yards. This ammo is downright violent on smaller varmints such as raccoon, opossum, and wood chucks, and is surprisingly accurate in my rifle, comparable to top target ammunition at closer ranges, and superior in terms of wind and trajectory at longer distances. The rifle is a Norinco JW 15 (CZ 452 clone) with an old bushnell fixed 6 scope. I did burn a full box of 100 to establish my POIs to maximum ranges visible from the yard, and am confident to longer than standard distances for rimfire due to ranging landmarks in the vicinity. Striped ground squirrels near my 150 yard post are a challenge.
 
CCI Velocitors if you have to use a .22. Heavy for caliber bullet, extra speed. I gave up on the .17 (one for three, all hit behind the shoulder, but maybe too far away) and now use .22 mag or bigger. (prefer .223)
 
Where I live, you can shoot anything you want (given proper game permits) as long as you keep your shots confined to your own property. 5 acres used to be adequate (for most owners until recently, last 10-15 years).
My wife and I raise goats or lambs alternate years for when I don't fill the freezer with an elk carcass. Miniature livestock worked pretty well except for the occasional coyote who needed a reminder this wasn't suburbia.
A centerfire rifle shot in the neighborhood these days will raise eyebrows and I don't do it because there are residents all around me now. Easily within rifle shot. So...I've shot at least two coyotes with a .22lr on my own property and unfortunately both exited my fence before expiring. This because they had attacked my livestock on my property. I know and would have gladly used a more appropriate cartridge (I have others) if my situation would have allowed it.
 
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