Shot size for coyote's

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xxclaro

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I've shot a grand total of 1 coyote with a shotgun,and it didn't turn out well. It was a frontal shot,40 yards,with a 12 guage loaded with #4 Federal Buckshot theough an Undertaker turkey choke. It rocked him pretty good,and forthe first couple hundred yards the blood trail was pretty good,but it declined until it jsut dissapeared. So, the places I'm planning to hunt pretty soon are quite thick and a shotgun would be ideal,so what would you recommend I use? Rem 11-87 12 guage,30 inch barrel.
 
The yote running away likely had more to do with shot placement then the shot size #4 should do fine at 40yds. Try aim for the head not the chest or just below the chin on a frontal shot. Have you patterned your gun to see how many pellets are in say an 8'' circle at 40yds?....
 
I shot a number of coyotes - 7 or 8 - a few years ago over a dead calf. As there were plenty of farm-buildings and livestock near by I elected to use a shotgun loaded with some old 3" CIL 1 7/8 ounce lead BB's I had in the ammo bin. Out to 30 yards or so not a single dog went more than a couple of feet at the shot.:)
 
Check to see how bad your pattern is with a turkey choke and #4 buck.You might be surprised it could be real bad.#4 buck is used a lot on dogs and works fine.I prefer double 00 buck a hit is usually a quick kill.Coyotes are tough as nails and can go a long way with a marginal hit.Some times weeks or months.
 
chances are the tight turkey choke deformed the pellets causing many fliers and a bad pattern. shoot a 4x4 target at 40 yards with the same load and choke to see what kinda pattern its throwing. sometimes the larger targets allow you to better judge where the center of the pattern is.

i find buckshot shoots better in the less restrictive chokes ;)
 
all good advice. When calling with a shotgun I like #4buck & 00 buck. I have killed then while waterfowling with lead 2s,BBs,nickle plated 4s, steel BBs &2s. The steel is not worth a crap as it does not seem to get through the fur. Pattern the gun & let us know how it turns out.
 
I wouldn't actually shoot buckshot out of a turkey choke. Turkey chokes are like, fuller than full. And even if it didn't deform the shot, it would cause a wildly rattling shot column.

Cylinder or improved cylinder chokes are best for big shot, I think.
 
I have never shot coyotes with a shotgun, but I have friends who do a lot of hunting with hounds. They use exclusively 4 buck and lead BB. It is my understanding that the BBs are usually better killers than the 4 buck, especially at longer ranges.
 
Ardent said:
I'll be the odd man out and say use 00 12 pellet 2 3/4" loads or 00 15 pellet 3" loads. #4's and BB's etc work, but are just too light for an animal that gets over 50lbs. A #4 pellet weighs a measly 20 grains. In BC, it's not legal to hunt coyotes with buckshot smaller than #1.
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While any shot size will work at the appropriate ranges, the standard seems to be 4 Buck and BB, larger size buckshot will work but your pellet count is very low and your odds of getting enough pellets in the vitals is not great.

Don't get 4 buck confused with #4 shot, it will work but I would stick to about 10yds.

I saw a fox shot with 00 buck at about 25 yds and he just ran off and cried for a few minutes, we had to give up looking for him when it got too dark.

3 Coyotes were killed today on our hunt all shot with 4 buck at various ranges.
 
I've tried it, still have 3 shells out of a 5 pack of #4 buck left, it works. However it's also too light in my humble opinion, and the fish and wildlife people out here agree and the legal minimum in BC is #1 buck for coyote. I shot this guy yesterday morning, wouldn't dare shoot anything his size with #4, the guys here use 00 principally if shotgunning for them.

Edited to add... 4 shot (birdshot) has no place in coyote hunting...

DSCN0924.jpg
 
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Interesting...
I just hear a lot of people cursing the larger pellets, too many wounded coyotes.
I was just talking to one of the guys on the hunt today and one of the coyotes was taken with BB steel, bang flop.
 
How about a slug?

It will smash through a bit of brush and connect with more than enough energy to do the final job on a 'yote. It can be followed up with buckshot in the mag tube if you need it.

Unless you're shooting for fur, slugs work if you're having trouble with buckshot. Otherwise, some great suggestions already here.

Good luck - after your next successful hunt, some pics would be awesome!!!

SD
 
Ardent said:
It'll work, but I wouldn't use it... I'm betting we're talking a significant size difference (I'm ignorant of PEI's coyote population admittedly) between the coyotes between here and there however. Here they get up to the small end of wolf, like the guy above.
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30-60 lbs, biggest on record caught by a trapper is 68lb.
I didn't realize BC had larger coyotes, I understood it was only Ontario and East that had the big fellas. I know the prairie coyotes are smaller but the eastern ones have some wolf dna, unfortunately that also makes their pelts less valuable as they are darker and coarser.

So far all of mine have been shot with a .223 or 22-250 (and one wounded one was finished off with a .22lr at 25 yds, a 22 between the eyes drops them just fine)

What kind of ranges are you shooting them at with the 00buck?

Is "Dead Coyote" still available, if so, seems like a no brainer, heavier than lead designed specifically for coyotes.

Found this on another Forum, I think any of these should be fine at the right range and if legal in your province:

No. BB (.18 caliber)
BBB (.19 caliber)
T (.20 caliber) (Steel shot)
No. 4 Buck (.24 caliber)


KILLER COYOTE LOADS
12-Gauge

2 3/4-inch

Load Size Pellets
Dead Coyote No. T Hevi-Shot 42
Federal Vital-Shok No. 4 buckshot 34
Federal Power-Shok No. 4 buckshot 34
Federal Magnum Wing-Shok No. BB 74

3-inch

Load Size Pellets
Dead Coyote No. T Hevi-Shot 50
Federal Vital-Shok No. 4 buckshot 41
Federal Power-Shok No. 4 buckshot 41
Federal Ultra-Shok No. BB High-Density 69
Federal Magnum Wing-Shok No. BB 94
Remington Express Magnum No. 4 buckshot 54
Winchester Supreme No. 4 buckshot 41

3 1/2-inch

Load Size Pellets
Environmetal Dead Coyote No. T Hevi-Shot 54
Federal Ultra-Shok Waterfowl No. BB High Density 81
Winchester Super-X No. 4 buckshot 54

10-Gauge

Load Size Pellets
Federal Magnum Wing-Shok No. BB 112
Winchester Super-X No. 4 buckshot 54
 
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00 buck works great in some guns while #4 buck works great in others. the ones who are wounding coyotes using anything between 00 and #4 buck are either bad shots, shooting too far, or have bad patterning choke/load combos. any shot size in lead between those sizes is plenty for coyotes at BUCKSHOT RANGES with GOOD PATTERNS.
 
I have to agree about specific guns with specific loads. My Benelli M2, Improved Modified choke and Winchester 00 buck shoots nice tight patterns at 50 yards. Go to full choke and the pattern just falls apart. If I use Federal buckshot it completely changes. The right brand of buckshot for your gun with the right choke will make a good combination. It's just a question of finding that combination.
 
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