Coyotes

[Alabusa]

Are there any coyotes hunters here abouts? Where are you hunting and with what do you hunt? Calls? Rifle? Or??


I am in the northwest corner of Alabama. I use several different mouth calls and an Icotec GC350 electronic call. I am shooting a Savage 22-250, 55gr NBTV over 38gr H380, and an 870 with Kicks Howler choke and Hevishot coyote T loads.
I spend most of my time hunting drainages, thickets and creek bottoms that border cattle pastures. We have plenty of that for all day hunts in many different locations. I do hunt some agriculture land but seem to have better luck around the cows.

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[mjcmichigan]

Hi NW-bama!

Sounds like the same stuff we do in Michigan. I use only a mouth call - a dramatic oversold wounded rabbit works well for me. Also shooting a Savage 22-250 with HVMax40gn. I’d have to look up the recipe.. been a while. Also have the same Savage in a 223Rem, also with a 40gn HVMax, I let friends pick between the 223Rem and 22-250. I’ve got a spot where I’d like to try the HeaviShotYote, but haven’t got around to it. Love the HeavyShot Turkey loads. I’ve done better where the deer herd is strong. There is a trapper who traps where I deer hunt, but I’m seeing Song dogs on my cameras in broad daylight and he’s not getting them..them come over a ridge and cross a small clearing..maybe 70 yards tops.. thinking I need to get those HeavyShot Yote loads for that.

I expect you’ll get some feedback. We have some serious song dog hunters on the forum. I do it to help my deer and small game hunting... so more seasonal vs Year round.

Happy hunting! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I do love the Nosler BT so would be very happy to try it in Varmint version.

Mark


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[Guy Miner]

Every winter we get some cool coyote-shooting reports from a certain fellow up north in frozen country. He's just changed his 25-06 load:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=40232

I do a little coyote hunting now and again. It always seems like a great idea, then I get busy doing other things. But, I do shoot a few. Matter of fact, in a couple of hours I'm taking the 25-06, the 204 Ruger and a 7mm Rem Mag to the rifle range to make sure they're all sighted-in and squared away.

The 7mm isn't really intended for coyote hunting. It's a new rifle, and I just want some field time with it before taking it to Wyoming in October for antelope & mule deer. I have used a 7mm on coyote before. It works!

The 25-06 has been the rifle I've used most often on coyotes over the past 12 - 15 years or so. It works fine. I just use my standard deer load, a 115 Nosler Ballistic Tip at about 3150 fps. Have used the 115 Berger VLD. My goodness, that thing rips up a coyote!

I haven't used the 204 Ruger much. Got it some time back for varmint shooting, sage rats, prairie dogs, etc, but... not much of that action here in Central Washington, so I'm converting it to a coyote rifle. Using a 35 gr Berger hollow point.

When I work at it, I camo up and set up carefully, then use a mouth blown call, either dying rabbit or sometimes just a deer bleat. A buddy of mine is really good at howling like a 'yote, which has brought in some big ones this time of year.

Sometimes though, I just drive the backroads in my Jeep, with a pair of binos on the dash and a rifle near at hand. That's fun and easy. I know a lot of the ranchers and farmers in the area, they're happy to see the Jeep out there wandering around. I thought that was a pretty lazy way of "hunting" coyotes, but it's amazing how often it produces a shot opportunity. Pop out of the Jeep, set the rifle on bipod or shooting sticks and Whack! The 204 is great, 'cause it's got a detachable 5-shot magazine, so I can cruise around with the gun unloaded and legal, then have 5 shots avail very quickly.

Guy

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

In the past, I've had outstanding success using a .243 Winchester, and using bullet weights from 85gr all the way up to 100 gr.
The 85's will make quick work of any sized 'yote. You might think that the 100 gr bullets too stout, but they worked like a charm, when you hit them in the shoulders. Usually makes 'yotes summersault with side shots.
So....when I got a .25-06, I thought to myself, hmmmm, if a 100 gr .243 bullet decimated them, why not try 100 gr bullets in the .25-06?!? And, you know what, that 100 gr Sierra Gameking was outstanding medicine on them too. If you can believe it, the .25-06 with the 100 gr bullets killed them faster than the .243.
I shot the furthest I have ever shot a coyote, at 425 yds, with the handloads of 100 gr Sierra Gameking, going at 3350 fps.
I have taken a .270 Win in the woods to go after Coyotes, and had 100 gr .270 bullets ready to scream for them, but I wasn't lucky enough to see any to shoot.
Nowadays, I have my TC Venture .270 Win, or TC Venture .280 Rem ready to dispatch Coyotes at a moment's notice while out and about.
Yes, I can hear some of the readers anguish over using such artillery as a .270 or .280 Rem. for coyote hunting, and I have witnessed some of the small hyper velocity rounds blow up on a coyotes shoulder, knocking it down, and in a few seconds, watch it run off at high speed, mortally wounded. I will use, once again, a 100 gr bullet in .270, and a 115 gr 7mm bullet for my .280 Rem.
To also add, I don't coyote hunt for the pelts, and don't mind a gaping hole on the off side when I will shoot them with the deer rifles I have.
I have used a mouth call mostly, one that can imitate a rabbit in distress, along with sometimes a coyote in distress.
I've been with buddies that use the Fox Pro electronic callers, and all work well.
It's funny how wildlife pops out of the woods when you do a coyote in distress call. You see all sorts of animals become very curious when that call goes out.

Regards,

Hawk

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[leadchucker]

Central alberta farmland for me. I use a primos trophy dog e caller and an old wood mouth call, rabbit distress(don't remember the brand name though, could be an olt). Shooting a rem700 varmint sf in 220swift. 55gr varmageddons and imr 4064.[emoji106]

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[leadchucker]

Central alberta farmland for me. I use a primos turbo dog e caller and an old wood mouth call, rabbit distress(don't remember the brand name though, could be an olt). Shooting a rem700 varmint sf in 220swift. 55gr varmageddons and imr 4064.[emoji106]

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[super-7]

East Central Alberta. Use mostly 243win 75 gr v-max/Rl15, or the 80 gr Gmx also with RL15.
Sometimes use the 223 with a 50 gr Sierra blitzking.
Have on occasion used the 17 hmr. Got keep those shots under 100 yrds.
Fox-pro fury e caller and several hand calls distress and howlers.



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[Elkman]

I am currently hunting NW Arizona and SE Nevada. I use two Remington bolts, one a .223 the other .308 tactical. As I don't care about the hides, I use 55 and 150 grain SP, Bullets. I have several mouth calls, and usually pick up at least one every time out, but am running on a dry spell. Its rough terrain so the shots are usually under 100 yards.

 

[Blkram]

Have used the rabbit distress mouth calls and have shot coyotes mostly as targets of opportunity while out hunting here.And mostly along bush roads or in the grazing leases and farm fields.
Have used the rifle in hand at the moment; a ranch rifle in 7.62x39, a 270 Wby a few times (these rifles with 100 gr bullets busts them wide open and there is red mist on the ground. the upside is you do not have to gut them!),a 6.5x55, and the last one with a 250 savage (in the paddock behind the horse corrals).
The wolves taken were with a 375 Win and a 300 WSM.
The second wolf was responding to howling with our mouths after spotting a long way down a powerline right of way, but it was the rabbit distress call that really brought him into 90 yards. Again, because that was the rifles I had with me at the time.

In your area, I would think you would have bobcats too?
Cats will respond to your calling too, but may take awhile longer to come in than the coyotes. Stay still for 20-30 minutes after you stop calling, for the cats, or you will bust them and miss your opportunity by moving too soon and get caught unprepared for the opportunity.

And if you have black bears in the area, watch for these too as they will also respond to the calling. Usually pretty quickly, and mostly if they are within 400 yards and do not know that you are there. Although I have called in bears from as far 1 km (about 1094 yards) away when I have seen them first and the wind is right. They will run towards you as long as you are calling, and will hang up to look and smell the wind when you stop calling.

Have fun, watch your 360 when calling and don't move too soon after calling stops, and you'll have fun!

 

[mjcmichigan]

The watch your 360 is for real. One of my nameless relatives who is deaf in his left ear from shooting without ear protection was predator calling...more successfully than he realized. Coyote came in from his left 360, he was concealed well enough and convincing enough, the Yote dove through the bush and he then had a Yote attached to his left forearm. Yes they were both startled! He stood and swung his arm, the Yote went flying (nasty forearm wound from the teeth raking the flesh. He did not get a shot off.). Yes, he ended up getting the rabies shots...

Watch your 360 and if you don’t have good hearing, get a partner to watch the 360!

(Took lots of phone calls and arguing before he went to the doctor). He was in Arizona we’re the rabies rate in Yotes is in the 90% range, it’s a painful and fatal disease if not addressed. Don’t take rabies casually.


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[Ridgerunner665]

I use coyotes for target practice...

I set up where I can see a long way (300 to 1200 yards) and snipe them as they venture into the open river bottoms in the evenings.

I don't keep a close count but I average 30 - 40 per year doing that...I took 2 while deer hunting last week, I consider them targets of opportunity and shoot them when I see them....its actually part of my deal with the landowner where I hunt, kill every coyote I see.

I use my 280 Ackley with 162 grain Hornady bullets.

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[Anonymous]

I've been known to shoot a coyote on occasion. We call them in winter using either a reed call or an e-caller. I usually use a .223REM with factory 55gr Hornady SP or FMJ bullets. We can either get fox, lynx or coyote in most of the areas we call so it's usually a FMJ in the pipe and SPs in the magazine.

 

[35 Whelen]

Here in Northern Maine, we hunt them very similar to
Wolf hunting in Quebec/ Ontario style; over bait!
A big season for us would be twenty songdogs. An avg 10/12. I shoot a large percentage at nite, mostly
older adult animals. The few that we get during daylight hours are usually this years pups or sickly
ones that are literally starving to death.
I have used 223 with moderate sucess mostly 200yds or less for effective kills, I had poor luck with
it over 200 with waaaay to many "run offs". When we upgraded to the 243 that was a huge step upladder
on longer shots. Much better in bad Xwinds and if hit
properly, effective on a 300yd bait. Having shot hundreds over the years, with a .243W and it flat works! Mostly Vmax and Varmagetton bullets. Both work fine.
However: poorly hit ones, will leave the scene at times but I can usually track em down with the snowmobile. If not we can always get them with the dogs.
The 25/06 I nowadays use as my " go to" bait gun, has proved to be the ultimate coyote killer for us. It will NOT kill a coyote any better than a 243 at 200yds, it will however make the difference at 300yds on the poorly hit ones.So I use it now exclusively for our bait that is exactly 300yds.
I played around with numerous different bullet weights, and of course anything will work, but I found as the ultimate loading for the yodel dog,
The 90gr BlitzKing at 3400fps and change, to produce a true "redmist" off from them with a very high percentage of 'instant kills' with that bullet from the 25/06! I have shot them out to 465yds and it will still literately flatten them.
If I were rigging up to shoot even FURTHER, then a Sendero in .264WM with this new 90gr Varmagetton would be Invincible!
Just a note for those of you that have never hunted at 30 below ZERO? The red mist off a coyote will freeze into hundreds of tiny red ball bearings and be laying ontop of the snow when you go out to retrieve your animal! I am going to experiment with the 85gr Nosler BT Varmint bullet this winter in my 25/06 to see if it works as good as the 90gr BlitzKing???
I also have some of the new 90gr Varmagettons loaded for my "Sweede" (6 5x55) with a 414 load that
Chronoed just proud of 3200fps. That is the backup
Gun if there are any issues with the 25 Whelen. When fired at a frozen raccoon out on our baitpile, I was very impressed with the sound of the impact, and the damage it was doing. I am expecting stellar
results with that 6.5 combo. I would think the Creedmore crowd will have great luck with this new
Nosler bullet they built for us!
Good Hunting where you live and what
ever your shooting.
E
Here is a link to the Nosler Varmint performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygCixkgiD5E

 

[SJB358]

Cool info E. I am sure that big 25-06 is a beast on coyotes at 300..

 

[35 Whelen]

Best way to discribe it is;
Like old George Bush said.
SHOCK & AWE.

 

[Thankful Otter]

Just a note for those of you that have never hunted at 30 below ZERO? The red mist off a coyote will freeze into hundreds of tiny red ball bearings and be laying ontop of the snow when you go out

This is always interesting to folks when thy visit from the south (-:

Excellent information Earle, very informative as always

We dont have a limit on coyotes, but we also dont have a limit on wolves and we get more for the wolves---soooo (-; (-; Anyway, either way the 275 H & H or the 7mmWSM seems to work well on either of them

Earle, I mentioned this to Don, but wanted to also tell you. The Northwest Territory. has a few Thin horns but wanted a reliable number of how many and I told them. I can do that --(-: (-;

 

[35 Whelen]

Happy New Year Cheyenne!
Good to hear from True North. Got
the Cub on my wheelskis, so will be
Doing some canine surveys shortly.
We have NOT had hardly any sub zero
Temps yet which is very unusual for us.
Thanks for the update, and hope you got
everything you wanted from St Nick ????
I kept this little " grouse getter" for my present!


Cheers
E

 

[Alabusa]

Not a coyote but a beautiful specimen of southeastern Red Fox

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[Thankful Otter]

Earle, I forgot everything you said when I saw the puppy love it !!!!!!!!! So cute !!!!!!!!!!

alabusa. even the fox brings in more than a coyote, well done

 

[truck driver]

That's a great looking present Earl.
Cheyenne glad to see you posting.
Though there are Coyotes around where I live we seldom see them since they are more nocturnal.
The Fox looks like he had his full winter coat.