Coyote calibre

The last batch of coyotes that I sold in the May NAFA sale were all shot as I did not set any snares last year. The ones I shot with my 204s sold anywhere from $125-$199. The ones I put up that guys gave me with bullet holes shot in deer season from 243s up to 30-06s sold as damaged from $25- $75. I try to sew the holes but honestly I have better things to do with my time and must not do a good job. With the demand for fur the way it is you don't need a lot wrong with it to be graded with slight damage and have the price drop drastically.
I own rifles in 222, 223, 22-250, 243, and 6mm yet 95% of the time when I go out coyote calling I take a 204 loaded with either a 35 or 40gr Berger. I have shot a lot of coyotes from 3ft to 450yd with the 204 and don't have any desire or need to change.
 
rokoro said:
Sounds to me like you have an issue with the bullet you are using Not the caliber of the rifle. All of the plastic tipped bullets tend to expand violently and do lots of pelt damage. There are two ways to go. You could use a more fragile bullet that will go in the animal blow up and not exit.I have tried these but success has not been that good. The other option is go to a heavier bullet like a 100 gr in the 243 that is designed for deer sized game and the bullet will not mushroom as much and it will do a lot less damage. Better yet Hornady and Speer (there are likely others as well ) make a FMJ bullet for taking fur. No expansion very little pelt damage. If you occasionally come across a wolf you would be better off with your 243 than any of the smaller calibres.
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This is what I was thinking also, I have had good shot where it's a fairly small entrance and exit hole but if I'm slightly off big hole. So either I use a different bullet which would probably be the easiest choice here or try out the 204...I wouldn't mind a new gun...and as for the wolves like I said I'll have someone with me carrying something bigger to take care of any wolves so in that sense I don't need to worry.
 
B-78 said:
The last batch of coyotes that I sold in the May NAFA sale were all shot as I did not set any snares last year. The ones I shot with my 204s sold anywhere from $125-$199. The ones I put up that guys gave me with bullet holes shot in deer season from 243s up to 30-06s sold as damaged from $25- $75. I try to sew the holes but honestly I have better things to do with my time and must not do a good job. With the demand for fur the way it is you don't need a lot wrong with it to be graded with slight damage and have the price drop drastically.
I own rifles in 222, 223, 22-250, 243, and 6mm yet 95% of the time when I go out coyote calling I take a 204 loaded with either a 35 or 40gr Berger. I have shot a lot of coyotes from 3ft to 450yd with the 204 and don't have any desire or need to change.
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This is pretty much the main reason I want a 204, less damage better prices when selling. I also like to keep some and I don't want to ruin the pelt if I'm keeping it.

And the distances that the 204 can go is plenty for me don't think I'd get past 400 yards, but it's nice to know I could have that range.
 
...i use a very heavy .223 for coyotes...shot here on the home place...50 grain Speer TNT's...and 3300 fps...out to 300 yards...they go in but don't come out...but not a rifle to lug around all day

...i use a 700 classic in .243 for easier carrying in the bush...70 grain MatchKing...at 3350 fps...to really reach out past 300 yards and for heavier animals up close...and not devastating on pelts

both are great rounds for what they do
 
rokoro said:
Sounds to me like you have an issue with the bullet you are using Not the caliber of the rifle. All of the plastic tipped bullets tend to expand violently and do lots of pelt damage. There are two ways to go. You could use a more fragile bullet that will go in the animal blow up and not exit.I have tried these but success has not been that good. The other option is go to a heavier bullet like a 100 gr in the 243 that is designed for deer sized game and the bullet will not mushroom as much and it will do a lot less damage. Better yet Hornady and Speer (there are likely others as well ) make a FMJ bullet for taking fur. No expansion very little pelt damage. If you occasionally come across a wolf you would be better off with your 243 than any of the smaller calibres.
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Are non expanding ammo allowed for hunting where the OP is? I know they are not in BC.

I have also heard that a heavy 243 pill designed for deer is the best choice for being fur friendly. Hopefully I'll get a chance to test that theory later this year.
 
Suther said:
Are non expanding ammo allowed for hunting where the OP is? I know they are not in BC.

I have also heard that a heavy 243 pill designed for deer is the best choice for being fur friendly. Hopefully I'll get a chance to test that theory later this year.
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I used the Hornaday 58gr superformance and federal premium varmint 55gr nosler both polymer tipped.

If I don't sell or trade the .243 by the fall I'll keep it and try that out.
 
243 with the right bullet would be fine. I'm only into blowing them up so I'm not sure what would poke nice clean holes in them, probably solids like a TSX, or some match BTHP, or FMJ if anyone makes that.
They were only going for $50 snared here last year so no big deal blowing them in half. For $150-$200 I'd be far more interested in preserving them. 223 with a 55/62gr fmj would work nicely.
 
.243 and .223 have been my historical favourites for coyotes. With hot heavyweight handholds and a 1 in 7" barrel, I have KO'd the dogs out further than I care to mention.
 
as you can see by the replies people love to point out all kinds of first hand experience when it comes to coyote hunting and fur friendliness and the topic has been beat to death time and time again. after reading way more threads than i would like to admit on the subject i have come to notice a trend in the answers that pop up.
1. use a non expanding bullet like a heavy big game bullet or fmj for complete pass through's. this can work but from what i have seen this method only works if you dont hit bone. hit bone and the bullet will tumble causing a big exit.

2. use the older style soft point or HP style bullets as the polymer tipped ones are too fragile. i have not tried this method enough to know how well it works but i do notice its most of the older experienced hunters who mention this method so it is worth looking into.

3. use a polymer tipped bullet as they expand inside the chest and dont exit. this is the method i prefer and i wont say it works all the time but enough that i still use it. i have found that a Vmax bullet pushed at slightly lower velocities produces fairly good results in all 4 calibers i have tried provided shots are behind the shoulder in the chest cavity.

4. (insert .224 caliber here) is the greatest coyote caliber around and a 20 cal is useless and blows around in the wind too much. i wont say much on this except the fact that you should compare the balistics on a 204 and 22-250. my 20cal is the most accurate long range varmint gun i have and i will put it up against a 220 swift or 22-250 in any condition (and i own both a 22-250 and 220 swift)

hope this helps and all i can say is one thing that works for one guy may not work for the other so its up to you to experiment and find your ideal combination.
 
I shoot western coyotes all winter in all conditions and the .204 is an top performer. All my fur gets put up by my own hand and averaged $150 a coyote in my last auction. In my experience nothing beats a .204 in terms of combined killing power, trajectory and fur friendliness at close and long range.
I solely shoot a 35 gr Berger @ 3850 fps and 99% of the time have about a 2 inch hole to sew up after I trim the edges.
Maybe a .204 drifts a bit but learn to be a better caller and hunter and that will negate the wind factor...99% of my coyotes are shot in the 100-200 yard range. I used to get alot of hang up in the late season but learnt some tricks and have had much success. Im by far no expert but this what Ive learnt after about 15 years of calling/shooting coyotes.
 
I have used most of the "main" cartridges and settled with 243 w/87 gr bullets. Damage has been ok. My next choice is 22-250. These have the ability to reach out with enough energy to stop. I have gotten a 17 Rem. but it will be a gopher & crow gun (if a coyote walked out I will try it :)). Before you change calibers I would try some different bullets. Also price out 204 brass, ridiculous !!
 
If you're a hand loader, the 243 is one or the most versatile calibers available. I've played a lot with different coyotes calibers over the years and currently shoot a 22 hornet, 17 fireball, 222 rem, 220 swift, 243 and I just picked up a 260 for this fall.

I guess your "best of both worlds" would be a 22-250 loaded with 50gr vmax or 55 gr nosler tipped varmageddons. In particular, the 55gr varmageddons need to stay @ 3600 fps to maintain fur friendliness that doesn't require sewing.

Last year, a number of my friends and I all switched to 243 for coyotes. 70gr nosler varmageddons and we are all loading 39-41.4ge of varget behind them (I don't have the exact fps). 9/10 coyotes had such little of an exit (if any at all) that we didn't bother stitching any up. The only big problem was frontal shots, typically it was pushing the front shoulder bone out through the skin from the force and that needed some more major needle and thread work.

I do have a friend that shoots the 22-50 and 50gr hornady superformance ammo exclusively for coyotes and he puts up 200 coyotes a year. Like all hunting, shot placement is essential. A bad shot with a larger caliber will always make a mess. But a good solid chest shot or frontal shot shouldn't ever make a mess.

And for the guys who use dentil floss for sewing, try this. Tan coloured shoe makers thread and a bet needle (for stitching horses). It's the same colour as the coyote leather so it's a lot harder for the fur grader to detect. It's also a lot stronger so you can pull it as tight as needed. It might help you guys out a lot!
 
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