Would this pattern kill a coyote?

[IOWA DON]

I was looking at some old photos and found this photo of a pattern shot with my Ithaca Mag-10 with 2-1/4 ounces of copper plated lead BB's. I probably highlighted the pellet holes inside the 30-inch circle with Magic-Marker to make them more visable in the photo. The ones outside the circle would not have been highlighted. This was probably almost 25 years ago. I had the gun's 32-inch factory barrel shortened to 26 inches and had it set up for screw-in chokes. This pattern was with the super-full choke tube. I still have the gun and maybe even the rest of the box of shells. Do you think the hits indicated on the coyote would kill one at 60 yards?

[trotterlg]

If you are loading these up yourself, I would go with fewer bigger holes, like Number 2 buck or the like.  I don't think those steel BB's are carrying much energy at 60 yards, plus, you will be lucky if you can get the Coyote to stand exactly broadside while you pull the trigger, the ones I see are usually standing behind a rock or bush.  Either way, he will probably never come to that call again.  Larry

[IOWA DON]

These were lead BB's.

[jasonprox700]

I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. 

[IOWA DON]

trotterlg - Your reply got me thinking. I've only called in one coyote and that was when I was 18 years old, 43 years ago while deer hunting. I saw him on top a hill 200 yards away where he was lined up with a barn so I made some squeaking sounds. I was also on top a hill but with brush in front of me and trees behind. He trotted down the hill to a waterway between us and started looking there for the meal, so I squeaked again and he came right to me. I shot him in the front of the chest at about 50 feet. The 175-grain bullet from my 7MM Weatherby penetrated him end-to-end and exited. Of the 100 plus coyotes I've shot the others were ones which were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They normally saw me and in the process of trying to get away made the mistake of stopping and turning sideways to look back. Anyway, I think of a coyote target as being broadside. I never thought of them as facing the shooter, but it makes a lot of sense that callers would get normally get that type target. Also, the 2-1/4 ounce load was a factory buffered load by Federal. - DON

[billy_56081]

Lead BB is one of the best yote killers out there. Looking at your pattern I would say that would be a coyote who will not get more educated.

[bulletstuffer]

I think this would be bang you're dead to that coyote.  If it didn't work, then it would be bang...bang you're dead to that coyote  Set up a couple of milk jugs at 60 yards filled with water and see what happens  Lead is thicker than water

Bulletstuffer

[trotterlg]

I'd also shoot him with it, but I would not be as sure about it being a bang flop.  If you trun him head on you will be lucky to get two holes in a good place, ones that go through the ears don't count.  I will admit I have no experience shooting them with shotguns, I do put a BB sized hole in them, but it is from a 17 Remington.  Larry

[bulletstuffer]

I don't think it would be a bang flop either.  I think there is enough energy to do him in at that range with the first bang with a second finisher if necessary.  Only problem is carrying that cannon around the coyote fields between sets   I've wished I had wheels on mine at the end of a long day walking around waterfowl hunting

Bulletstuffer

[trotterlg]

You are putting about three 10 grain bullets in him at about 1,000fps, a 30gr bullet at 3,800fps doesn't always do the job the first time.  With the shotgun you are taking grab bag on the shot placement.  If that is what you have got I would go with it for sure, but if you are planning for the future you may want to investigate a little more.  There does seem to be two differt thoughts on Coyote hunting, shotguns and rifles.   Larry

[bulletstuffer]

Sounds like it's about that time to dig out the 10 gauge, lead bbs the xtra full lead only choke, range finder and go looking for a willing varmint for some testing     Doubt if I can get a coyote to stand still at 60 yards but may be able to sneak up on a crow, skunk, jackrabbit or some other varmint to volunteer   Looks like we have some testing to do   I love hunting season  

PS  I agree with Larry, use what you have

Bulletstuffer

[Catfish]

I have never shot at a coyote with a shotgun, but all of the guys I hunt with that carry them use # 4 buckshot.

[Thebear_78]

I have used lead BBs and they are great for fox but a tad light on long range coyote,  #4 buck works very well and recently tried some of the dead coyote loads in my 12ga.  THey killed better than anything I have ever used before.  Worth checking out.

[pruhdlr]

While guiding in Maine I used a LEAD load of "BB's" to kill quit a a few yotes. I found a sporting goods store that had a sale on their stock some years after they could no longer be used for high flying geese. These are the red Winchester brand in 3".

I would drive the logging roads in the winter and look for ravens. That would signify a deer or a moose kill by coyotes. I would put on the "shoes" and go out to where the ravens were feeding and find the dead animal that the yotes had been feeding on nightly. They will come back night after night 'til the animal is completely gone. I would carefully build a snow blind(3 sided usually) and plan to come back an hour before sunset.

The yotes would usually come sneaking back in just after sunset. Typically there would be 2-5 of them. My weapon of choice would be my Benelli M1 Super 90 with its 7 shot mag tube installed. It would be loaded with either the 3" BB load or 3" #4 buck load depending on how far from the animal I had to build the small blind.

I would wait 'til they got onto the animal then take the furtherest yote out and shoot him. All hell would break loose then and yotes would be running everywhere. Quite a few times I would kill two or three and several times I would kill or severely wound more.

I killed yotes out as far as 50-60yds with the BB's only putting 8-12 pellets in them. Of course ANY CNS hit would be DRT. A yote with a heart lung shot would sometimes go 50-100yds however on snow cover the tracking was somewhat easy. Any yote within 40yds hit with a halfazzed pattern would only go a short distance. Usually <30yds.

All in all I would say that 60yds is stretching it a bit for BB's. <50 would be good. <40 would be a killer.

I still have about 4 (25 rd) boxes of that BB load. And am still killing yotes with them after nearly 25years. Now down in Fla. I find that the 25lb yotes(even primed out) do not need near the killin' as the bigger 40-60lb Maine dogs. ---SAWMAN

[Swift One]

I am thinking that the larger northern dogs might have the ability to run from that. Maybe die later.  I would have no problem with that load if i were in the SW shooting the smaller dogs.  Sometimes it's not the amount of holes you put in the dog when using a shotgun.  It's where you put the holes and with what kind of energy.  I would much rather have two #4 buck pellets in the chest cavity, than 10 steel BBs scattered between the stomach and chest. In the middle of winter when their coats are full and thick, Smaller shot has tendency to deflect- especially when the shot is angled.  I had a negative experience with Dead Coyote rounds at 25yds on a young dog a couple of years ago.  My buddy was down wind from where i was calling and the dog circled me right into my bud's lap at 25yds.  The dog was facing directly at him when he dropped the hammer on the 3" 12ga dead Coyote round (T size shot). The shotty was dialed in good too.  He rolled it, it got back up and dissapeared into the corn field.  We tracked that thing for a long ways until the blood dissapeard. Another problem with shotgunning yotes- Thick fur holds blood.  I am confident that if he had some #4 buck or larger that the kinetic energy from the pellets would of at least semi- anchored the dog so he could of made a quick finishing shot.

[billy_56081]

First of all you need to reread the first post. He is talking of using lead BB not steel. Second of all if your friend shot a yote at 25 yards with dead coyote and it ran off number 4 buck would do no better. I have personally shot several from 30 to 90 yars with both 4 buck and dead coyote. I actually believe the dead coyote penetrates better as it is harder and denser than lead. Seriously if he shot that dog at 25 yards and it ran off, he either missed or made a really poor shot. I've also killed yotes with lead BB and it works out to 50 yards.

[trotterlg]

The only problem with a shotgun is that you shoot the whole animal and the shot falls where it may.  Mostly it works, but then where the shot hits the animal is just luck, and some times you are just not lucky.  Most likely the shot that hits the dog carries a total of about as much energy as a what I use which is a 17 Remington with 30gr bullets.  When I do it right, all the energy and the hole, is in the right place.  Just shoot what you got and see if it works out for you.  Out West our shots may be a little longer than where you are.  Larry

[Swift One]

Billy,

The steel BBs was just an example.  I understand what he is using.  Im glad that you are having such good luck with the dead coyote rounds especially out to 90yds.  Thats absolutely freakin amazing.  I on the other hand have had the exact opposite experience.  #4 has worked much better and at more "conventional yardage" such as 30-40. I said in my post that we tracked blood for quite a long time before we lost it.  So a hit was made.  I will give you that MAYBE he made a messed up shot.  It would be unusual though, he is a good shot and pretty calm under pressure. Everyone screws the pooch once in a while.  But, that may have been the case.  #4 is just more my taste thats all.  I would like to see some grouping pics of your load at 90yds.

[Ron 1]

i killed a coyote with my new mossberg 20 ga. if i remember right i had no.8 bird shot
the first shot at 25 ft second at 20  feet 3 rd at at 30 forth at 35-40 and the 5th at 20 ft
first was a head shot faceing me 2nd running at close to 30 mph hit him in hind leg 3rd  was a butt shot
4thbroud side shot and 5 th chest shot.  i was looking for crows and i cought him trotting on the quad trails so i just crouched down and drew aim and he came in like he was on a string. i think he was blind after the first shot.
but was going to keep shootin tell it went down. oh and it is a full choke
          rw