Question for Coyote hunters

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Blane8552

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Looking at starting this year, I have a wickedly accurate tikka t3 .308 (my fav) and I am wondering if that is too much or a coyote..... my gut says it is, but I would like some responses from experienced hunters and examples of people using one, with the results if possible :)
Thank you.
 
If you're looking to save prime fur, then yes, its too much cartridge. Your question might get wider responses if it were in the Hunting section.
 
I will try this winter with my 30-06. Rather than try to find a varmit bullet that will expand quickly enough to not exit, I will try a tsx/gmx and hope it performs like an fmj, with a small entrance and exit. I also can't afford a dedicated rifle right now.
 
My one and only coyote kill with a .308 was with a 100 gr Speer "Plinker" at about 30 yds. (it was in the yard after my chickens and the .308 was all I had close to hand). I expected to find the pelt badly blown up but there was only a relatively small exit hole.
 
I have shot a number of coyotes with the 308 using various big game bullets in the realm of 150-165 gr. Not one has been spectacularly destroyed, bit of an exit hole just about every time as should be expected. This is at various ranges from 30-125 yards.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the most spectacular pelt damage I've ever seen was from a 223 55gr FMJ that literally ripped one whole side of the chest open on a yote at a guesstimated 60 yards. The hole was literally big enough to fit my head in, most likely the result of a bad bone hit. (Didn't bother going full CSI on a stinky ripped apart coyote) FWIW the 50 cal muzzleloader is very mild on pelts the couple of times I've tried, the 308 will leave a second hole but I don't shy away from putting them down with it. It's my go to rifle this year, since I'm short a 223 ATM.
 
One of the guys I got yote hunting with used an SKS last year open sights to give himself a challenge as an experienced yote hunter. Saw him do 2 headshots with great success at the 100 yard ish mark. Best way to save a pelt is headshot from the results hes been getting over the year.

He uses the Hornady superformance SST to great success in 7.62x39
 
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Up until my knee blew out and I am now awaiting a knee replacement I went from a 223rem to a lovely 308 that only seemed to be happy with surplus 7.62x51 Nato. It didn't care which country it came from. It hated any hand loads I put through it until I clued in and started using Hornady 150 grain FMJs loaded to around 45,000 psi. Then it started to perform reliably. The FMJ bullets performed very well as far as impact and pelt destruction were concerned. The heavy bullet also bucked the wind much better than any of the 55grain 223 dia bullets.

Towards the end, I had picked up a lovely used SS Tikka T3 from a CGNer in Kelowna that was going through a break up. It was chambered in 6.5x55. Fantastic rifle. It shoots everything from some old 75 grain bullets I picked up from Century in Montreal many years ago right up to 160grn round nose into less than moa at any given range if I do my part. It seems to buck the cross winds which are so predominant when hunting coyotes this time of year on the open fields or along ditches/cover they frequent.

IMHO, go right on ahead and use your 308win chambered Tikka T3. It will do the job very well. If you are worried about pelts use FMJ bullets. The coyote won't know the difference. You can ask it in person.

One thing about FMJ bullets you need to be extremely careful about where you use it. If you hunt around cattle or sheep you need to be very careful what is behind the coyote. I find that hunting around cattle and sheep the ranges tend to be less than a couple of hundred yards so I try to use extremely frangible bullets. Hollow point 75 grain 6.5 bullets still penetrate but don't continue on forever and shed a lot of their energy expanding. I have yet to find a rifle that will shoot 110 grain 30 caliber bullets well enough to hunt coyotes with. Those bullets are made for cartridges like the 30 M1 Carbine and similar cases. I have a feeling the 1-10 twist rates most common in 30 cal rifles may be to fast for them when they are loaded to fast velocities. On the other hand, 125 grain bullets intended for the Rem light recoil ammo and the bullets intended for the 7.62x39 chambered rifles shoot very well at high velocities and do a good job out to 300 or so yards on coyotes.

I used some of the .310 diameter bullets in a 30-06 recently on some resident coyotes that have been thinning out the deer population in the fields in front of my house. They were very quick and out to just slightly over 300 yards were plenty accurate enough to take coyotes cleanly with good consistency. Never did chrony the loads as I loaded them up to the point they gave the best accuracy and stopped there. They performed better than I expected. IMHO, they would also make good deer/bear loads at similar ranges. Never did find a bullet to see how it expanded but the exit wounds were around an inch (2cm) in diameter from up close and personal to just over 300 yards.
 
Thanks for the input everyone :)
I think I may try the .308 and go for headshots, loved that idea :)
I want to get a .223 tikka t3 eventually but funds are low at the moment.... have 3 firearms up for sale in the EE if anyone is looking... :)
Didn't see the hunting section, must have missed that somehow... I was looking for it at first lol.
 
Head shots are the way to go the furriers I deal with want nothing to do with the head, so there is no loss. Also, it drops them right there and then
 
Are you saving the fur? If not I'll take them I don't mind stitching holes and washing hides :)

.223 is harsh on coyote .308 with light bullets and tweaked powder loads will be better.

There is no caliber that is truly pelt friendly. Even the .22-250's, .204 rugers etc etc... I think the best fur friendly caliber I've seen was .17 Remington but so hard to come by now.

Shooting a coyote will really downgrade a pelt though, and with fur prices the way they are trapping would probably be better :) with that said if you're letting the fur go to waste I'll take it :) Just let me know when to come get the carcasses :D
 
No worries about FMJ's. I do not use them for hunting... too much cattle and farm houses around to worry about in Manitoba (besides being illegal, almost 100% on that). Being responsible for a death or property damage would be horrible.
I take pride in round accountability :)
I plan to be doing 1 shot, 1 Coyote (but maybe everyone says that at first lol)
Also I plan to be using the fur/selling afterwards.
When I get to that stage I may be looking for recommendations/tips :)
 
Boomer686 said:
OP heads up on this. It is illegal to use FMJ on game in certain parts ( maybe all?) of the country. I know for a fact it's a no-no here and will get you fined / charged.
Click to expand...

In MB, FMJ is illegal to use on what's considered big game, whereas coyote is considered a furbearer, so FMJ is fine, providing you're shooting them under a trapping license, not during deer season under a hunting license. I'm not sure what the legalities are in other provinces but suspect AB and SK are the same.

But in regard to the OP's question, even a 308 with FMJ's can leave some pretty nasty holes. If the object is to kill them, then it'll work just fine.
 
We've shot many coyotes with .308's and 7mm-08's... they are not hard on pelts when you use a proper bullet... at upper velocities a bonded bullet will kill cleanly without the explosive damage of the typical frangible varmint bullets.
 
I shot a yote about 2 months ago with my 375ruger and 300g bullets. Damage was not horrid, don't get me wrong that sucker flew back 4ft. If I were shooting with a 308 and worried about pelt damage I would load some 180g bullets and slow them down. be like drilling holes
 
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