Coyotes Wolves and Small game

One_Rook

One_Rook

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Hi folks,

Just got my hunting license and I have a friend who has invited me to come out to his farm and clear up some coyotes, foxes, and other pests. So I'm looking for advice on a good rifle to pick up for this kind of thing. I have a Remington 11-87 (12 gauge) and I'm waiting on a Anschutz CIL 190 (.22) to come in the mail. I'm not sure if the .22 would do the trick for the coyotes, and I'm thinking that the 12 gauge might not be right for the job. Could any of you recommend a solid rifle for this?

Thanks very much!
 
Most rifles will do the job, but as the caliber becomes larger, it becomes a case of extra expense and overkill: But if someone likes to that's their business. If you already have a hunting rifle adequate for deer, it will work for coyotes. If you don't have cash out the ears and you will like to hunt deer or other big game next year this is a good time to consider a dual purpose rifle: 243/6mm, 25-06, 6.5x55, 270, 280, 308, 30-06 amoung a long list to choose from that are adequate for deer and will certainly work for coyotes. If you just want a single purpose rifle for coyotes, 243/6mm would be plenty for reaching out long distances. The 22 class of centerfire is also good for coyotes: 222, 223, 22-250 etc, but if you care about the pelt on the coyote, be careful about the ammunition you use as much of this class expands rapidly for varmints and would make a hash of an otherwise good pelt.

22rimfire would require excellent marksmanship to kill a coyote cleanly at a distance you'll likely encounter them so not satisfactory. Shotgun is ok for close distance, but the same caveat about hide damage. If it were me hunting the coyotes, I'd choose a 6mm rem (because I've wanted a rifle in this caliber but 243 win is more common)

I like my Tikka T3 (6.5X55) and they are available in the other calibers mentioned.
 
Thanks very much!!

I do want to preserve the hides as much as possible. I don't want to waste anything that can be used on a harvested animal. Being new, I'm not exactly sure how to get the hides off cleanly - or what to do with them once I have them off. I'm going to try to figure that out before I pull the trigger on anything. My hunting instructor told us during the safety course that experience is the best teacher for field dressing and skinning, so I suppose that there will be some experience needed as well. Thanks for the advice! I'll look into something between the 223-250.
 
I'd go BB lead loads in the scattergun for calling or pushed yotes and or buy some CCI Stingers/Rem Yellow Jackets for the .22 Shoot them in the head with the rimfire if possible.........Harold
 
For preservation of the hides, a 243 my not be your answer. My 243, with 70 grain pills will put fist sized holes at the exit site at 300 yards. I got pics to prove too.

You may want to opt for the .22 caliber in say a 223 or 22-250. Even the smaller bullet - the 204 Ruger, should do the job. The problem is that with the smaller calibers, you pretty much dedicate that rifle to varmints as they may not be sufficient (or legal) for big game.
 
Ya I have a .204 and for preserving hides its hands down the winner. Small entrance and usually no exit, like the Sobo said its a dedicated varmint rig. Also don't be fooled it kills yotes at 300 yards, never had a chance at a longer shot at one with it but I'm figuring it would put them down at even further distances as well. Since its a dedicated varmint rig it gives a guy an excuse to buy another rifle.
Cheers
Geoff
 
ive shot youte with 12ga and even .22 when i was out hunting other small game one time if you can hit them in the heart/lungs with a good accurate .22(any high velocity .22 ammo tends to be not so accurate) do not go for a head shot this does not always kill and the head is always moving

number 4 buckshot is good for yotes but if you can find any t sized shot works really well
 
My vote is for the .204 in a Tikka T3. That's what I have. A 40 gr vmax from a 204 has the same energy as a 50 grain 22-250 at 500 yards. Recoil is so light you could watch it all through the scope, and nothing can beat the trajectory. Hard to find the entry hole, and no exit. I you want deer too, go with .243 or 25-06.
 
pol83866 said:
I have a .223 Savage Axis and it is an inexpensive rifle new and to shoot .223 are cheap but effective for varmit.
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I got one in 223 also. It has proven to be very accurate, but the trigger was terrible. I put a Rifle Basix on it for another $105. It is a fantastic gun for Coyotes and cheap to shoot. I was wanting to upgrade, but can't bring myself around to spending twice as much and risk having a less accurate rifle.

G
 
Tikkafreak said:
My vote is for the .204 in a Tikka T3. That's what I have. A 40 gr vmax from a 204 has the same energy as a 50 grain 22-250 at 500 yards. Recoil is so light you could watch it all through the scope, and nothing can beat the trajectory. Hard to find the entry hole, and no exit. I you want deer too, go with .243 or 25-06.
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The 204 is a decent round, but whoever is telling you it has the same energy as the 22-250 is full of it, literally full of it!

The 22-250 pushes a heavier bullet at the same speed as the 204, and has much more powder capacity seeing as it is based of the .308 casing.

The 204 is a good varmit round, but if you want a bit more punch at long range go with the 22-250
 
crazydave said:
The 204 is a decent round, but whoever is telling you it has the same energy as the 22-250 is full of it, literally full of it!

The 22-250 pushes a heavier bullet at the same speed as the 204, and has much more powder capacity seeing as it is based of the .308 casing.

The 204 is a good varmit round, but if you want a bit more punch at long range go with the 22-250
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He said same energy at 500 yds. Because it has a higher ballistic coefficient it doesn't lose velocity as quickly so it will have more energy at 500 yds but certainly not at the muzzle.
 
Collint2005 said:
He said same energy at 500 yds. Because it has a higher ballistic coefficient it doesn't lose velocity as quickly so it will have more energy at 500 yds but certainly not at the muzzle.
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The slightly better b.c doesn't make much of a difference, have owned both and killed many yotes with them. The 22-250 hits harder every time even at long range.

The 22-250 worked so much better at long range that the .204 has been gone from the stable for over a year.
 
janesy said:
Just be sure to check your regs. In ontario, nothing more than .270 for the yotes.

I use a 204 and a 12g.
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The .270 rule only applies to most of southern Ontario, be sure to chech the regs.

crazydave said:
The 204 is a decent round, but whoever is telling you it has the same energy as the 22-250 is full of it, literally full of it!

The 22-250 pushes a heavier bullet at the same speed as the 204, and has much more powder capacity seeing as it is based of the .308 casing.

The 204 is a good varmit round, but if you want a bit more punch at long range go with the 22-250
Click to expand...

The 22-250 is based on the 250-3000 savage not the 308 win. I won't argue that it has a bit of an edge on the 204 however I have had no problem taking coyotes out to 300+ yards.
 
crazydave said:
The 204 is a decent round, but whoever is telling you it has the same energy as the 22-250 is full of it, literally full of it!

The 22-250 pushes a heavier bullet at the same speed as the 204, and has much more powder capacity seeing as it is based of the .308 casing.

The 204 is a good varmit round, but if you want a bit more punch at long range go with the 22-250
Click to expand...




Whoever told you the 22-250 is based on a 308 is full of it. Its based on the 250-3000 case which predates the 308 by almost a couple decades. I like shooting both the 22250 and the 204. I'd take the 22 250 with heavier bullets for longer shots on game if I had to choose between those 2 rounds
 
-JD- said:
The 22-250 is based on the 250-3000 savage not the 308 win. I won't argue that it has a bit of an edge on the 204 however I have had no problem taking coyotes out to 300+ yards.
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One of the boys on Predator Hunt Canada recently smacked one at 477 yards with his .204. Considering that and the number of coyotes he tends to collect, I'd say that's pretty good evidence of its capability.

I should add that I would not advocate the .204 for wolves.
 
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Lots of talk about long range on previous posts, but the coyotes I have shot have often not been very far, it depends on how you hunt. Shot by calling or waiting over bait the shots are often under 100 yards, for which a .22 hornet is perfectly adequate. A .22 rf magnum is the bare minimum rifle cartridge that is reliable on coyotes, but that must be within 100 yards or so for best results.
If I were buying a dedicated coyote rifle and didn't have a safe full already, I'd probably opt for a .204 Ruger or a .223. Contrary to some advice here, you DO want to use light frangible varmint bullets in these cartridges, with any luck you will get no exit hole. A .243 always exits and always blows a big hole for me, so I am going to try some very light ( 55 gr.) plastic tip bullets this winter and see if I can keep them in the chest cavity.
 
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