Min Caliber for Yotes

during the course of today i have researched and researched...i think im going to +1 norton and go with a .243 as i do need a new deer gun:)
 
The .243 is great, as long as you're willing to accept the cons as well as the pros:

Cons
- more expensive to load (and more expensive factory ammo)
- more recoil, harder to spot your shots
- more muzzle blast and noise
- more hide damage

Pros
- can be used for hunting BG in AB
- hits with more authority
- can be loaded with excellent bullets for close-range varmint, LR shooting, or BG hunting
 
Jordan Smith said:
The .243 is great, as long as you're willing to accept the cons as well as the pros:

Cons
- more expensive to load (and more expensive factory ammo)
- more recoil, harder to spot your shots
- more muzzle blast and noise
- more hide damage

Pros
- can be used for hunting BG in AB
- hits with more authority
- can be loaded with excellent bullets for close-range varmint, LR shooting, or BG hunting
Click to expand...

Also more damage to the hide if your interested in them.
 
Just about everyone who grew up on the farm has a story about having to whack the odd coyote with a .22LR. It works, but isn't the first choice. .223 is the way to go.
 
I have shot several coyotes with the 22 WMR, but at ranges under 60 yards.
That being said, I cannot recommend any rimfire for 'yotes.
I would go with the others who say 17, 20, and 22 centerfires, plus the 243/6mm for the longer pokes, and more authority.
I have shot many coyotes with the 222, and the 220 Swift. The latter is quite authoritative on them, as is the 22-250.
The 243 or 6mm Remington are probably the epitome of coyote medicine, but can be tougher on pelts, depending on bullet choice.
Regards, Eagleye.
 
This whole question rings a familiar bell in my memory. I grew up in the boondocks of northern Saskatchewan, where one went hunting by carrying the rifle out the door and hunting in the bush, with an excellent chance of "putting up" a moose or elk, within the first hour.
The household rule was that I could take the 22 hunting by myself when I was 12, but had to wait until I was 16 before I could go hunting by myself with the big rifle.
A family friend was a well known trapper. In a conversation with him when I was 13, he stated that a 22 long rifle was all you needed for shooting coyotes!
I jumped for joy, because now I could extend my hunting activity beyond grouse, prairie chickens, rabbits and squirrels (for their hides and my spending money!)
 
H4831, I still live and hunt in Saskatchewan, and while I had the same advice as a kid, back then I did a LOT of unsuccessful coyote hunting with a .22LR. That's the only rifle I had, and the hunting certainly was entertaining, but getting within 50 yards while tracking them on snowshoes was mostly beyond my skill level. Still is. Calling them in close is a better tactic, but for called coyotes I have found that even a .22 RF magnum is quite limiting.
I have had good success with .22 Hornet and up, so I agree with many previous posters, to successfully hunt coyotes one really should use a centerfire.
 
The first coyote I ever got was with my 1981 mustang. The coyote was dead but I was not impressed with the mushrooming of my mustang. Stick to center fire a .22mag is limited at best.
 
Longwalker said:
H4831, I still live and hunt in Saskatchewan, and while I had the same advice as a kid, back then I did a LOT of unsuccessful coyote hunting with a .22LR. That's the only rifle I had, and the hunting certainly was entertaining, but getting within 50 yards while tracking them on snowshoes was mostly beyond my skill level.

You sure got that right!
But suddenly that 22 in my arms became larger and more important, as well as giving me an excuse to venture much further into the bush.
Ours was a little different than most households, as the big game rifle was not the usual W 94 in 30-30, but was instead a Remington 30 Express, 30-06. Thus, within a week after my birthday in October when I became 16, I did go hunting on my own with the big rifle and on only the second time out I did shoot a deer with the Remington.
The first coyote I shot was also with the 30-06.
Click to expand...
 
My buddy uses a .243 and shoots Hornady 58g V-MAX. He shot a coyote at 240 yards and that bullet didn't even exit. Coyote dropped on the spot. He used to use 100g noslers that he uses for deer, but they almost cut a coyote in half.
 
DVXDUDE said:
My buddy uses a .243 and shoots Hornady 58g V-MAX. He shot a coyote at 240 yards and that bullet didn't even exit. Coyote dropped on the spot. He used to use 100g noslers that he uses for deer, but they almost cut a coyote in half.
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Sorry but I love it when that happens:) 100g partitions rock.
 
I remember reading on another forum about some guy shooting one center chest with a 17 HMR. He said it went down and then he was surprised to see it get up and run away.

What the hell did he think would happen? :confused:
 
SoBored said:
I remember reading on another forum about some guy shooting one center chest with a 17 HMR. He said it went down and then he was surprised to see it get up and run away.

What the hell did he think would happen? :confused:
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I shot one with my old 22-250 center chest once, it didn't even drop, ran about 100 yards then stumbled and fell. I thought I missed it at first, but where I shot it there was a good amount of blood and almost a solid line of blood to where it ended up. If the bullet didn't go threw the heart it was damn close, at least one lung, bullet exited mid side of it. Huge exit wound. It was close too, 80 yards or so.
Yotes can be funny animals.

I'd say any center fire will do more then enough good, but I think the 17 hmr inside 100 would do just fine too.
 
.257AI

IMG-20111217-00216.jpg
 
3macs1 said:
Here I would say a 223 but our dogs are a bit bigger than yours also.
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I had never heard from an eastern coyote hunter before so I was a little surprised to hear about the size difference and started digging. Here's an interesting piece.
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/johnmccoy/2010/10/01/study-finds-wolf-dna-in-eastern-coyotes/
 
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