Shifting season, shifting rifle

[Guy Miner]

The .30-06 is cleaned, lightly oiled, and put away for now. It may come out now and again to mess around with some heavier-bullet loads, but for now it's tucked away. All my 2016 big game hunting is done.

Winter is well upon us here in the Northwest. Ski area just above town recorded 39" of snow in 24 hours! Temps down to zero here in town. Yup, it's winter.

So... It's coyote hunting time! :grin: Local farmer reported seeing six coyotes working together, to try and take an elk! They were not successful, but as the snow gets deeper, and the elk run low on energy... It might work. I know they take mule deer every winter and every spring.

Time for me to thin the coyotes a bit. Been a while since I popped a coyote. Hauled the trusty .25-06 out of the gunsafe yesterday and gave it a good once-over. All looks well. Also, kind of itching to get the AR-15 out for 'em... And there's this very cool .22 Hi Power Savage 99 that might need a workout for the first time in my lifetime!

Hoping to have some photos of ol' Guy out on snowshoes with a rifle soon.

Oh, and there's a cougar tag burning a hole in my pocket too.... :grin:

Guy

 

[DrMike]

Trust you have great success, Guy. Couple of questions. What is the bag limit on coyotes on your tag? Do you intend to sell the pelts?

 

[Guy Miner]

There is no bag limit, and the season is open year 'round.

No, I don't have a nearby buyer. There is one gal who buys the pelts, but she's a couple hours drive from me. I just whack 'em.

Guy

 

[maverick2]

If your weather is like ours (warmed to mid-teens and snowing) tomorrow would be a good day to go out. I made a run to town this afternoon and saw two loners sitting fat, dumb and happy 150 yds off the road. (If I had any sense at all would have taken a rifle along with me.) Will probably spend a little time at it tomorrow -- shoot a little trap in the AM and then snowshoe some rolling hills of the Palouse with the 6.5 CM in the afternoon for coyotes.

I'm thinking the Savage 99 would be a great coyote gun. Currently looking for one in a .243 to compliment my .308 for that specific purpose.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

I can tell you from experience that the .25-06 with ANY bullet isn't the ticket if you're keeping pelts. I too just whack 'em most of the time. I got a pile of them in 2016. It is time to thin them here locally as well!

Good luck Guy!

Dale

 

[cloverleaf]

Looking forward to a pic of that pretty old savage laid across a song dog in full fur. Go get'em. CL

 

[Guy Miner]

Saw a coyote today, wasn't hunting, but I did have my .357 mag with me. He never stopped running, I never took the shot. It was good to see him though, mid-day!

Guy

 

[super-7]

Guy , I know you don't really like the idea of the left coast telling you a mono metal is a must. ( trust me I like options on what I chamber as much as the next guy) but I would like to see you run a 100gr ttsx or a 90 GMX thru a couple of pelts and compare them to a standard varmint bullet out of the 25/06 ( 87 gr Vmax) comes to mind.


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[super-7]

Well after a kinda crappy week at work , Guy inspired me to get out with the coyote rifle. I started this morning by finishing off reloading some more 243 win fodder. I had the Remington brass prepped and had seated the primers about a week ago, I topped them off with a nice load of RL-15 (38.5gr) and my new go to the hornady 80 gr GMX. I finished at about 11.00, hardly prime time for calling . But I called in Ruger and Winny and put them in the shop and went for a walk to the back forty . My property borders a ravine on my neighbors land but he a great guy and him and his dad give me full permission to treat it as though I owned it.
I set up the foxpro, and moved down wind about 75 yrds, I set up with my back to a tree and on a slight rise with a good line of sight, I always start off at low volume. So snowshoe distress at 12 vol and let her go, after 5 I bumped the volume to 16. Litterly in 10 mins 2 yotes popped up and came in as they moved I setup for the shot at 130 yrds the first one stopped , facing me I hit it below its chin and bullet exited the rear inner ham ( small in and out). I tryed ki-yi to stop the second one but he had no part of it, he was over the hill before I felt good enough to squeeze.
Still great for my first set of 2017!

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[DrMike]

Good show, S7! That is one less fawn killer on the loose.

 

[SJB358]

Good show, S7! That is one less fawn killer on the loose.

Very awesome! That's too darned cool. Great picture.

 

[Guy Miner]

Congrats S7!

 

[Guy Miner]

Guy , I know you don't really like the idea of the left coast telling you a mono metal is a must. ( trust me I like options on what I chamber as much as the next guy) but I would like to see you run a 100gr ttsx or a 90 GMX thru a couple of pelts and compare them to a standard varmint bullet out of the 25/06 ( 87 gr Vmax) comes to mind.


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No problem! :grin: Except I've got hundreds of Nosler 115's, Partition & Ballistic Tip, as well as a couple of hundred Berger 115 VLD bullets on hand. I don't feel compelled to try anything else... :wink:

Do have some lighter bullets on hand, but those short rascals are for my son's .257 Weatherby.

Guy

 

[SJB358]

Guy , I know you don't really like the idea of the left coast telling you a mono metal is a must. ( trust me I like options on what I chamber as much as the next guy) but I would like to see you run a 100gr ttsx or a 90 GMX thru a couple of pelts and compare them to a standard varmint bullet out of the 25/06 ( 87 gr Vmax) comes to mind.


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No problem! :grin: Except I've got hundreds of Nosler 115's, Partition & Ballistic Tip, as well as a couple of hundred Berger 115 VLD bullets on hand. I don't feel compelled to try anything else... :wink:

Do have some lighter bullets on hand, but those short rascals are for my son's .257 Weatherby.

Guy

I think Earle worked with a 90 grain Sierra. Said it was real good on coyotes. Might need to order a handful of them.

 

[Guy Miner]

115 gr Berger VLD dropped this one right where it was standing at 160 yards. Typical performance. The other side of this coyote was NOT pretty...


420 yards with the 115 Nosler Ballistic Tip. Just as quick a kill, but nowhere near the hide damage:


I like using my mule deer load on coyotes. Helps me stay sharp with that rifle & load.

Guy

 

[super-7]

^^^^ Pretty hard to argue with those results!! If your just taking predators out of the food chain to help upland and deer populations, I say wackem and stackem!
I have a buyer here that buys them whole unskinned for 25-30$ each it helps balance out a few reloading supplies and such , plus it's just plain old entertaining. Every set is different and yesterday was an easy one they don't come along that often.


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[sask boy]

Here in Saskatchewan we are having a lot of trouble with the Coyotes. This winter I joined a group on FB called Coyote Assassins, the members are taking a large number of the deer killers out as there seems to be a higher number then usual. Now with deep snow and the extended extreme cold we need to take out as many as possible for the sake of both deer & upland game.
If you read the report the hunters are finding a large number have mange & mites which is natures way of trying to control.
The law in Saskatchewan is coyotes are vermin and can be shot any time of the year however if you keep them for fur than you must take a trapping course and obtain a fur license.
Glad to see that the people on the forum are doing their part .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[6mm Remington]

Getting me antsy to get out Guy with your story and the other's chiming in here! I'm thinking my shoulder is just about healed up enough that I can get out. I just need to make sure to wear my Katoola micro-spikes so I don't fall or slip and go down.

Hard to beat you son's 6mm Remington for coyotes Guy, but the 25-06 certainly has no flies on it either. I'm like you, I use my hunting bullets and ammunition so I get more practice with what I hunt with. Makes sense to me! Those Partitions out of my 6mm don't make a huge hole but anything will if you hit bone on the exit side it can make a pretty bad mess.

 

[tecumseh]

We're going into coyote mode here too. I need to check my 22-250 before I hit the areas I have permission to hunt em at before I hit the fields.

 

[mcseal2]

I've got 9 now in 2017, it's been a good start. Here is what I used and what it did. All but the one last night dropped on the first shot and didn't move after.

Calling
204 Ruger AR, 45gr Hornady factory load @3325fps, 160yds. Entry front chest, small exit behind shoulder
204 Ruger AR 45gr Hornady 80yds, entered throat tiny exit back of neck (only part of yote visible)
204 Ruger AR 45gr Hornady 21yds, facing me entered chest no exit
25-06 100gr Sirocco II @ 3187fps 220yds broadside behind shoulder, tiny entrance 1/2" exit!
(I was doe hunting but had a predator call in my pocket. Yote scared the deer, I killed the yote)

223 20" AR 55gr V max @ 2962fps 154yds entry behind shoulder, no exit
223 20" AR 55gr V max 60yds entry mid rib, no exit, 2nd shot entered hind quarter, hit bone and made a mess. Light was going fast last night and I couldn't stop him once he locked on the decoy, made a bad shot

While working on the ranch, carrying rifle in truck or UTV
25-06 100gr TTSX factory load 221yds caliber size entry, 3/4" exit behind shoulder
243 90gr AccuBond factory load 3028fps 189yds small entry 1.5" exit behind shoulder through spine
243 85gr Speer SPBT 3333fps 135yds small entry behind shoulder, 3" exit mid-rib offside. Hit rib.

As you can see I have a tendency to take the more powerful and flatter shooting guns in the vehicle. Calling I can hopefully get a good high percentage shot for the little guns. I like the idea of an AR platform if I call multiple yotes in too. Growing up on bolt guns I'm using predator calling to make myself get better with the AR platform. Working if I get a shot this late in the year they are often either running away or stopping at longer range. The ones I've killed lately have been exceptions. I like something that will break whatever it needs to and dump them then.

I haven't been using the old reliables this winter because I'm testing out the newer ones. I have my old bolt 204 zeroed for the Hornady 40gr V max Superformance loads it's shooting really well. I don't like them on coyotes that well so I haven't used it. They make a fist size hole without penetrating much on close chest shots if they hit a shoulder bone. On longer shots they can splash. If they are broadside and you miss a rib going in they drop coyotes like lightning, but I'm not a fan. The 45gr Hornady SP has always been a reliable killer for me, often exits. I've killed a bunch of yotes with that bullet from the old bolt gun. Since I have the AR in 204 now I'm using it for the 45gr bullets and using the other one for smalle varmints. The V max makes crows explode!

The 6mm with the Superformance powder and 70gr Ballistic Tips at 3824fps has been a safe queen the last couple winters. I need to get her back out and kill some more yotes, that bullet at that speed makes for a near perfect truck gun, hold center to 350yds properly zeroed. It's killed a bunch past 300yd as they stopped to look back. It can be messy on a close called one if it isn't hit at an angle where there is plenty of coyote to soak up the shrapnel. I had issues getting brass and now that I have some I haven't got anything loaded. I want to see how the 243 and 25-06 do with their bullets. I know that the 6mm and that load will destroy a bobcat if I get one called in so I'm doing some experimenting with game bullets from the other two, hopefully they will pass through a cat without blowing it up. So far the Sirocco is looking promising, but it's a small sample size on both.