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coyote hunting calibers
- Thread starter SPUSCG
- Start date
Five of Clubs
Inactive
Your .357 would certainly do the trick, but I think the most common caliber by far for coyotes is .223. The former should be good to 200 yards in most any rifle.
take your rifle to the range and shoot it with several different types of ammo. The one you can consistently hit 4" or better with at 100 yds could be a choice. But in a lever action, accuracy and the quality of the sights will limit your range more than the carridge will. A good bolt action in 223 or 243 will take coyotes cleanly out beyond 300 yds, but even though you may be shooting a more powerful round out of a lever action rifle, you won't be able to hit the target consistently.
If you don't want to blow it apart, don't use a hollow point, which you probably know. Your .357 would suffice out to about 100-150yds depending on how good you are. A .223 or .243 or in between would be perfect if you can afford to get another gun. They're good out to 300yds and sometimes beyond.
If you are shooting summer yotes you can use most anything because you are not going to want to save any fur. If you are shooting for fur a .222, .223, .243 or .22-250 do a nice job. If you don't have a rifle in these calibers now you have an excuse to buy another rifle.
Some guys take em out with a shotgun using an extra full turkey choke and #4 or larger shot.
Your calling and set up are going to be as important as the weapon you use.
Some guys take em out with a shotgun using an extra full turkey choke and #4 or larger shot.
Your calling and set up are going to be as important as the weapon you use.
Then use your .357 and if you care about the fur or carnage, use a solid point. I think a good round is Remington Corelokt or somethin like that. I have some for my .30-30 and it's pretty good.planning on hunting in woods so probably wouldnt have many shots beyond 100 yards.
FrontSight
New member
anyone know if .220 swift is ok, or too much?
I hunt varmints with a 22-250 (essentially the same as the Swift ballistically), and I found that if I want to save the pelts I need to either take only head shots or learn to sew really well. But if you aren't worried about pelts (this time of year you are not going to get a pelt), the Swift will drop them where they stand with any solid hit.anyone know if .220 swift is ok, or too much?
Learn to call them into range. Nothing like the rush of having a coyote come in to your call. Use a tight choke and #4 or larger shot, anyway that is what I like to use.i was thinking of hunting with a shotgun but then im new to hunting and dont know if i could get into shotgun range of a yote easily
Centerfire close range think about a .22 Hornet. I've been center punching them in the chest with a 55 grain HP out of a .223 loaded to moderate velocities and don't get very many exits.
Sidetracked
New member
My choices would be based upon the range I intended to shoot.
"Without blowing the thing apart" would lead me to .17-25 caliber. For me, that means .22 caliber, and quality expanding bullets or FMJs tailored to the specific cartridge.
Rimfire -
.22 WMR - 100 yards would be my absolute max. ArmsCor 40(45?) grain SPs would be the load.
Small .22 -
.22 Hornet / .218 Bee - 200 yards max. (for me) Hornady 50 gr SPSX, explosive expansion so fast there should be no exit.
Medium .22 -
.221 Fireball / .222 Remington / .223 Remington - 300 yards before I step up to the heavy guys. 52 gr A-Max or a tough Match HP from 50-62 gr.
Heavy .22 -
.22-250 / .220 Swift - 500 yards if you know the rifle. Tough Soft Points or FMJs for me. Anything from 45-68 gr.
So, yes, I think .220 Swift would be ok. In many people's minds, it might actually be a little too much gun.
Of course; don't feel that you HAVE to use anything listed by myself or others. If you have anything from a 5mm Rem Mag to a 30-30 to an '06... use a bullet that won't expand much, but will make it to the target.
Once they're dead, they won't care what you shot them with.
"Without blowing the thing apart" would lead me to .17-25 caliber. For me, that means .22 caliber, and quality expanding bullets or FMJs tailored to the specific cartridge.
Rimfire -
.22 WMR - 100 yards would be my absolute max. ArmsCor 40(45?) grain SPs would be the load.
Small .22 -
.22 Hornet / .218 Bee - 200 yards max. (for me) Hornady 50 gr SPSX, explosive expansion so fast there should be no exit.
Medium .22 -
.221 Fireball / .222 Remington / .223 Remington - 300 yards before I step up to the heavy guys. 52 gr A-Max or a tough Match HP from 50-62 gr.
Heavy .22 -
.22-250 / .220 Swift - 500 yards if you know the rifle. Tough Soft Points or FMJs for me. Anything from 45-68 gr.
So, yes, I think .220 Swift would be ok. In many people's minds, it might actually be a little too much gun.
Of course; don't feel that you HAVE to use anything listed by myself or others. If you have anything from a 5mm Rem Mag to a 30-30 to an '06... use a bullet that won't expand much, but will make it to the target.
Once they're dead, they won't care what you shot them with.
L_Killkenny
New member
Some good advice, some bad.
I use a 22-250. As stated it's very similar to the .220 swift. I have ZERO exits using medium handloads and 50 Gr. V-max bullets. Shoot em in the chest, go pick em up. Full metal are no-no's for hunting. Too many runners and to many ricochets. Use very fragile bullets and you won't have any troubles with holes
.243's and bigger usually blow a coyote up good and leave big holes.
.223: See the same as 22-250. Just not as much range as the 250 but if you're hunting in the woods it won't matter. Great caliber for yotes. Ver little damage.
.357 should be great. You'll have an exit everytime but the hole shouldn't be big even if you are using HP's
IMHO, Rimfires are too small for yote.
Shotguns: I've never shot a yote with one but know many who do. 12 ga are great. Stay away from shot shells (like #4 shot, save it for pheasant) and big buck (like 00 buck, to few pellets). Copper plated BB's and #4 BUCK are the old stand-by's. New coyote loads like "Dead Coyote" are the best. About 50-55 yards max using 3" Dead Coyote from what I hear.
Go to http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php
Great Site with great info. It's where the pro's and manufactures of hand and electric calls hang out (FoxPro, Johnny Stewart, Manaska, Etc). Might as well go to the best when looking for info on this subject.
LK
I use a 22-250. As stated it's very similar to the .220 swift. I have ZERO exits using medium handloads and 50 Gr. V-max bullets. Shoot em in the chest, go pick em up. Full metal are no-no's for hunting. Too many runners and to many ricochets. Use very fragile bullets and you won't have any troubles with holes
.243's and bigger usually blow a coyote up good and leave big holes.
.223: See the same as 22-250. Just not as much range as the 250 but if you're hunting in the woods it won't matter. Great caliber for yotes. Ver little damage.
.357 should be great. You'll have an exit everytime but the hole shouldn't be big even if you are using HP's
IMHO, Rimfires are too small for yote.
Shotguns: I've never shot a yote with one but know many who do. 12 ga are great. Stay away from shot shells (like #4 shot, save it for pheasant) and big buck (like 00 buck, to few pellets). Copper plated BB's and #4 BUCK are the old stand-by's. New coyote loads like "Dead Coyote" are the best. About 50-55 yards max using 3" Dead Coyote from what I hear.
Go to http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php
Great Site with great info. It's where the pro's and manufactures of hand and electric calls hang out (FoxPro, Johnny Stewart, Manaska, Etc). Might as well go to the best when looking for info on this subject.
LK
Reload?
A friend is trying to talk me into a 218 Bee. I know, it's a little on the old side- but there's no reason it shouldn't work for call-ins. You can always be unique and go the old/oddball route like the Bee or 219 Zipper. Those can be fun, restrict damage, and amaze your friends who may think that all things within the realm of critterology must fall to a magnum.
A friend is trying to talk me into a 218 Bee. I know, it's a little on the old side- but there's no reason it shouldn't work for call-ins. You can always be unique and go the old/oddball route like the Bee or 219 Zipper. Those can be fun, restrict damage, and amaze your friends who may think that all things within the realm of critterology must fall to a magnum.
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CPTMurdoc30
New member
Pick up some Randy Anderson videos "Comming to the call" he is one of the best callers out there.
Calling is hard to do with mouth calls. I have been working on my mouth calling for a few years I hardly get out to use it. If you want a sure fire way to call in yotes. Get an electronic caller. They range in price from $35 to $695. For a first time caller and you are no sure you want to keep up with yote calling. I would go for the Johney Stewert Preymaster they run $100 to $200 the $200 version offers a wireless remote. The down side is they take cards to work. The be all end all in electronic calls are the Fox Pro callers. These range in price from $300 to $700. These you can get preloaded with sounds you choose or preloaded with a set pack. You can buy new sounds direct from fox Pro for around a dollar or two.
I prefer custom calls for mouth calls currently all my calls come from Kettle Creek calls in PA. I prefer the custom calls over factory calls for the simple reason as you can get some very unique calls that work great and look great as well.
As for coyote rounds for woods hunting. I personaly think a 218 bee or 219 zipper are a bit on the small side. I would look into a 221 Fireball or 222 rem for the bottom end and 22-250 or 220 Swift on the upper end.
Calling is hard to do with mouth calls. I have been working on my mouth calling for a few years I hardly get out to use it. If you want a sure fire way to call in yotes. Get an electronic caller. They range in price from $35 to $695. For a first time caller and you are no sure you want to keep up with yote calling. I would go for the Johney Stewert Preymaster they run $100 to $200 the $200 version offers a wireless remote. The down side is they take cards to work. The be all end all in electronic calls are the Fox Pro callers. These range in price from $300 to $700. These you can get preloaded with sounds you choose or preloaded with a set pack. You can buy new sounds direct from fox Pro for around a dollar or two.
I prefer custom calls for mouth calls currently all my calls come from Kettle Creek calls in PA. I prefer the custom calls over factory calls for the simple reason as you can get some very unique calls that work great and look great as well.
As for coyote rounds for woods hunting. I personaly think a 218 bee or 219 zipper are a bit on the small side. I would look into a 221 Fireball or 222 rem for the bottom end and 22-250 or 220 Swift on the upper end.
Depending on your skill and what call you use, it can either be very easy or can take years. In my experience, coyotes learn pretty quick what a dying jackrabbit call sounds like once they've been shot at or seen/heard bumpkins playing with one. On the other hand, a rodent squeaker is deadly within 100 yds, even a kid would have trouble messing it up. So go buy a mouth call and learn to use it, many of the calls have recordings of what a real animal sounds like for you to copy. Or buy an electronic call, some are available pretty cheap. My favorites are a cottontail squealer, a redtail hawk call, and a rodent squeaker.how long does it take to learn that skill, or can you just pick up a call that will work good
milemission
New member
I have never done it, but I would imagine if you were going to save pelts, your best bet would be a .223 with 40 grain V-Max bullets or a similar setup. The reason being that the V-Max would come unglued when it went inside the coyote, and theoritically, would not exit the other side (as it wouldn't retain enough mass to penetrate that far). Thus, lung shots with a V-Max would kill it right away and keep the damage limited to the inside. However, I have never tried anything like this, so while I know theory, I have no experience.
Full-choke
New member
Around OH we see a lot of folks using 22-250, 223, and 243. I myself have a 22-250 pistol and a 6mm Remington that would do the trick. A good friend of mine has a CZ in 204 Ruger that he uses. Does a fine job for him. He used to use 220 Swift but downgraded because he didn't need the speed and range that the Swift offered. I think anything centerfire between .2" and .25" would do just fine and allow for enough range that it'll kill just about any yote.
F-C
F-C