i'm a little shocked that you guys think the .22mag is a little light. i've dropped three with that bolt action .22mag i use to have, sure wish i still had it. they were all close range head shots <75 yards, but they still dropped right where the stood and never took another step. all three of these were basically "chance" coyotes, it was before i really started hunting coyotes and i just lucked into the position. maybe i should just scrap the whole idea and go with a .223. i've got several other bigger calibers that will do a coyote in, and i'm not really doing it for the hides. i was just thinking of something light with quick follow-up shots to play with and maybe use on ground hogs this spring as well. i sure wish a good accurate semi-auto .223 was half way affordable...guess i'll have to either go with a bolt or save a bunch of pennies and build up a flat top AR15...
I agree that with a perfect shot the 22 magnum will do it. Like you just said, you killed three with head shots. The problem is, when you're actually "hunting coyotes", you pretty much have to make the best of the limited shots they might give you.
Last year, I had a very nice coyote standing broadside at about 30 yards in the wide open. The only problem was that he managed to stop with his daggone head behind the only single little sprig of brush in a 200 yard radius of me(night time/wide open fields). I had to take a chest shot. I had my 22 magnum, as I was actually after red foxes. I put one right behind the shoulder, and he bucked up, and ran. I popped him running(somewhere), and he went down hard. When I stood up, he jumped up, and started limping off pretty fast. I hit him three more times before he got over a little knoll, and out of sight. I know I hit him, because I could hear the thumps on him at each shot.
There was a frozen snow on, and the blood trail was very easy to follow. I tracked him for a good mile, untill he just finally quit bleeding. There's no doubt in my mind that that coyote died. He just didn't do it quick enough for me to find him. That was about a week after I had the exact same thing happen with a nice bobcat, while hunting grey foxes in the mountains.
If I had to choose between a 22 magnum for coyotes, and a 30-06, I'd go with the big gun, and just deal with sewing up pelts. At least you'd have a pelt to sew up.
I'm not trying to rag nobody for there choice of calibers, and definately not trying to discourage anybody. I'm just offering my educated opinion on it. I'm no professional caller, but I do have a few years(and mistakes) under my belt, and I've learned what I know the hard way. I work very hard for my predators, and nothing hurts worse than to finally get one in range, only to lose it because of something as un neccessary as too little of a gun.
