Hunting Coyotes with .22's?

enfieldmike said:
coyotes around here are big friggin animals....at least 100 lbs. A 22 rimfire just aint gonna cut it. In ns i think you can hunt coyotes all year round with any calibre as long as it is under 85 grain. But i could be wrong its been known to happen occassionaly.
Click to expand...

lmfao!!!
 
Well... for some of you, this will be a shock... there actually was a 100+ pound coyote (DNA confirmed) shot by a beef farmer in Iron Bridge, Ontario... 105 pounds to be exact.

The idea that a 100 pound coyote is common is ludicrous... this was a very rare aberration.

As to using a .22 LR for coyote, I have shot many... never lost a single one... when I was a young man, all I had was an old Mossberg semi .22... so that was what I used. I shot at least a dozen coyotes with that gun out to about 70 yards (most under 30 yards)... every one was lung shot... I have also taken a few coyotes with .17 HMR and 20 grain XTP's over the past few years.

BUT, having said that it will work, I don't recommend LR for coyotes. These days I have many options and shoot primarily .22 cal centerfires (.22 K-Hornet, .223, .22 BR) or .243's... they offer much more range and margin for error. A good friend of mine uses a .22 WMR exclusively for coyotes... he is one of the best coyote hunters I know... but limits his shooting to under 100 yards.
 
I've known a few guys who shot coyotes with .22 rimfire, but it was all close in shooting, and all head shots.

I would not go out hunting coyotes with a .22 rimfire myself, period. It's illegal where I live, but that's almost a side note.

You said you've got a .308. Find a reloader to load you up some low powered handloads using a tough bullet; the low velocity and tough bullet combo will basically act like a solid and give you a small exit wound and much less noise and recoil. And you'll still be hunting in a much more humane manner.
 
I have shot both the 110 V-Max and the 125 SST out of my .308's with pretty decent accuracy... the 110 would be a good bullet coupled with 40 grains of H4198 or 48 grains of H4895, these resulted in very consistent loads and good accuracy out of 22" barrels... these out of your .308 is a far better way to go than a with your .22.
 
Furync said:
hmmm..
Yes it's .22LR and I was asking the question because it's either my rem 597 with a scope or (the next smallest caliber i have...) my deer gun, .308 pump with iron sights.

I love my deer gun but it may be a little too much... ;)
Click to expand...

Another vote here for the deer rifle....even if you do not reload.....just use the ammo you have confidence in......"a little too much" in this case is better than not nearly enough !!
 
.22 wont do it, when i was a kid i used to scare them off by shooting them with it when they would get to close to the farmhouse.
you could with a .17HMR but there pretty tough to take out without a melon shot.
good luck with your coyote problem bud
 
i spent my morning with a group that doesnt like shooting them with larger calibers. the last yote take while i was with them was hit with a 22 well under 100 yards and i ended up in a dranage ditch peaking under a drift to finish it with my 243. that being said he could have finished it too but i will not use anything under a 223 for coyote. the other one was shot 2 or 3 times with a 22 before it went down.
 
Sure I'll hunt coyotes with a .22, a .22 WMR, .22 Hornet or .22 Hi-Power. I've shot them with whatever is closest at hand when they showed abnormal behavior; ie a lack of fear of humans, following people walking pets but that is not hunting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom