Proper Coyote Calibers

[trotterlg]

onecoyote:  Now that you are a little older you need to switch to the hard stuff, as long as more than 50% of your calories come from alchol you will never have a colestroal problem.  Larry

[onecoyote]

I've never had a cholesterol problem, just ex wife problems. Being a hardcore predator caller has it downfalls. At age 64 I feel I'm in great shape at 6' 175. I only drink beer, I love Tequila but I know better lol.

[trotterlg]

Kind of sorry I hijacked the thread, one of the 17 CF rounds is really the proper Coyote getter, others may kill them but the 17 does it with class.  As I sit here I am drinking Tequila, so I guess at 60 I am not yet quite as smart as you are, but I did have a Beer for Breakfast.  Larry

[billy_56081]

The best coyote caliber is the one in your hands when you see the yote.

Larry I hope it's Cuervo you are sippin. HA HA

[manofthe45]

Not sure about hunting yotes out west but here in the thick north east the 223 is pretty much top  choice.  The added fps doesn't help that much since most shots are under 150 and you have as much of a chance at fox or coon as you do a yote coming to the call.  Me I am considering a 17 mach 4 or the 17 fireball in my contender or encore for the next fur gun,but my top nod will probably always be my 223 super 16 barrel with NBT reloads.

[aulrich]

Bullet selection is key here as well, not all varmint bullets are made equal. Bullets made for the shock and awe PD shooting crowed may not work well for coyotes. A few winters back a buddy tried  v-max's instead of his regular BT's in his 223, the v-max's were discarded after one trip. they just would produce nasty surface wounds and not properly kill them.

[jamaldog87]

i asked around and here in the south shots are short so any 22 cal or 12GA would do with a 3-9x.  In the west long-distance shots are the norm so 220 swift, 22/250,6mm, and 243 are excellent choices with a 3-12x and in the Midwest and east shotguns , deer rifles, or any 223-243 will do.

[Dee]

Starting in about 1965, I have killed them with a 22lr, 3030, 12 guage, 22-250, 308, 3006, 243, 223, and a pickup. I have shot them beyond 500yds, and as close as 7 feet. Depended on how my calling and camo was working that day, and the individual coyote.
Which one is best? Well, they all killed coyotes, but my personal favorites and what I use today are the 223, and the 2506. The 223 is my favorite, as I like to try and get them into about 300 yds or closer, and it (the 223) is lighter and more portable, and being a semi, has a faster followup shot.
I can remember calling them up on the cellopane off a cigarette package, and when the Johnny Stewart record player (45rpm version) came out I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Boy was that thing heavy. Then electronics and now BACK to mouth calls.
So! Calls, rifles, or calibers, it boils down to personal choice.

[jasonprox700]

I use a Rem 700 VLS .22-250 and a Bushmaster AR-15 .223. 

I got the .22-250 first.  Worked up some pet loads for it, stuck a very nice Leupold on it, and used that.  It was a little heavy and long, plus I was getting the itch for a new one.  So I went and picked up the AR.  It was more of a "toy" at first.  Then I started using it more.  It is very accurate, and can handle a wide variety of bullets and weights, and it is a lot cheaper to shoot.  For doing long range stuff (Out past 300), then the .22-250 is better.  But anything under that, they are pretty equal.

I was thinking about getting something else for those really windy days like a .25-06.  You can load them down to around 90 grains for varmints that will bug the wind, or you can load 120's for deer.

[Dee]

I use a Rem 700 VLS .22-250 and a Bushmaster AR-15 .223. 

I got the .22-250 first.  Worked up some pet loads for it, stuck a very nice Leupold on it, and used that.  It was a little heavy and long, plus I was getting the itch for a new one.  So I went and picked up the AR.  It was more of a "toy" at first.  Then I started using it more.  It is very accurate, and can handle a wide variety of bullets and weights, and it is a lot cheaper to shoot.  For doing long range stuff (Out past 300), then the .22-250 is better.  But anything under that, they are pretty equal.

I was thinking about getting something else for those really windy days like a .25-06.  You can load them down to around 90 grains for varmints that will bug the wind, or you can load 120's for deer.

The Bushmaster if it is like mine, M4 flat top it has a match grade barrel and chamber. I have been shooting the 2506, since about 1970, and have found that the Speer 87 gr. TNT HP varmint bullet will shoot near Match Grade in front of Reloader 19, and it does not come out of even a bobcat. It is an excellent long range load on predators, and one heck of a deer gun, with an 87 grain spitzer. If I got an elk hunt I would shoot the 117 grain spitzer. It is plenty for such.

[jasonprox700]

I do have the flat top, actually it is the Varminter with the 24" barrel with a 50mm Burris on top.  It is very accurate and a lot of fun to shoot.

My youngest brother has a .25-06 in a Medium weight, 26" barreled Ruger.  It shoots like a dream with factory ammo.  I've been trying to get him to reload (I bought him the dies for CHRISTmas).  He doesn't even know what a versatile gun he has.  I'm waiting for him to get hard up for money sometime and sell it to me for cheap.  (It was also an CHRISTmas present from my dad)

[gooser]

well, I've  shot a few with my .223 while woodchuck hunting.I had one go about 75yds after being hit in front of the shoulder in the lower neck.I always try for a neck shot when i can on yotes. It'll drop em in their tracks usually.