What guns do you take on such an outing?

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Sniper66

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I'm leaving Friday for a 4 day prairie dog/coyote shoot and finally decided on 6 rifles. I know it sounds a little nuts, but what would you do? I have access to 2 large ranches in western Kansas, about 10-12 sq miles in total. One ranch is home to lots of prairie dogs and both have populations of coyotes. I've been invited to a 3rd ranch, but have never been there. The rancher is asking me to shoot the coyotes that pester and sometimes kill calves. That will bring land access to about 18 sq miles, which will permit numerous set-ups for coyote calling. So I'm going loaded with two 17 HMRs, a .22Hornet, .204, and two 223s, a Remington 700 VSF and an AR15 for coyotes. Don't have a 22-250 or would take it. Could always take a 22, just bought a new Bergara in fact. But, I frankly prefer the killing power of the 17HMR. Could take my 17Mach2, but again, I prefer the HMR. Any recommendations? I really need a week or 10 days to cover the ranches better, but 4 days is all I have for now.
 
Any recommendations? I really need a week or 10 days to cover the ranches better, but 4 days is all I have for now.

Sniper - why would you want to burden yourself with all those guns? And don't forget the possible damage or theft of same during transport and when you aren't there?
I agree with the other three about 1 caliber and 2 guns. You can have different bullet weights based on target body sizes but you can take both rifles with you into the field and be prepared for either quarry. While the .223 might be a little big for prairie dogs, with the lighter, faster bullets, they will take care of them quite well. Then the heavier bullets in the AR will penetrate the coyotes very effectively.
But, "4 days"? That has to be a little depressing.

BTW, what kind of binoculars or spotting scope are you going to be taking/using? If binos, might I suggest you use a decent 10 x 50 pair? Good magnification and light transmission and not too heavy. A 20 - 60 power spotting scope with its own tripod would also do well. The only problem is that even at the low end (20x), the field may be too small.
 
That's why I write these things down and solicit responses. Helps me think through things with people who give a damn. The reason I take two 17HMRs is because the trip gives me the opportunity to shoot both in an infinite number of circumstances that can never be replicated at the rifle range. Do I need two? Of course not. I prefer shooting the 17HMR up to around 125 yds because I don't have to reload. And the HMR makes much less noise and consequently I get more shots; less recoil too. When I bring out the .223, the noise chases the dogs away much quicker. OK. The 22 Hornet has been my 100-150 yd gun and I like it because it is an old-timey cartridge and I like to give it a run every now and then just for fun. And I can give my reloads an opportunity to shine. OK...the .204 because it is a flat shooting screamer that obliterates targets at much longer ranges, 150-200 most of the time, with the occasional shot out there further. My long barreled .223 because it is the most reliable shooter I've ever had. When conditions get complicated, wind and such, my Rem 700 .223 will always deliver. A 50gr bullet at 3200 fps out of my .223 is steadier than a 39 or 32gr .204 bullet at 3700-4000 fps. The AR .223 provides the semi-auto benefit when the caller brings in coyote pairs and quick multiple shots are useful.
Thanks for reminding me of the safety issue. I carry a good insurance policy that travels with my firearms, so I'm OK there. Plus I stay with my friend who lives several miles from the nearest town and no one else is out there. My guns locked in my home while I'm gone are probably at greater risk of theft than the ones in my car. Not sure why the question about binoculars, but I use a Leupold 10X50 and they are very good....spotting scopes are not as useful as the binos. Also not sure what is "depressing" about 4 days of unrestricted hunting in beautiful country that is only interrupted by naps and a snack.
So....after due consideration, I'll probably stop at 6 rifles...wish me luck.
 
That sounds like a lot of stuff to take. I've killed a lot of PD's and several Coyotes with a 223. Its neither too big for PD's nor too small for Coyotes. Take an AR and a bolt gun in 223 and maybe one of the 17's if you insist and call it good.

I used to take several rifles and it got to be a job, keeping up with everything, digging out the correct ammo, ect.

I'll be leaving out on our trip next week! Can't hardly wait! Most of the guys take 2 rifles. Calibers vary, everything from 17 rimfires to custom 6mm's.
 
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OK...you have convinced me to lighten the load. I removed the extra 17HMR, the 22 Hornet, and decided against the BOG DeathGrip tripod...taking a lighter bipod instead. My level of excitement inflames my desire to take everything. Can hardly contain myself. A separate note to those who think only a .223 is required. While I recognize the versatility of the .223 and I shoot it a lot, a question emerges. Do you guys have a 17HMR? Three years ago I had shoulder surgery which made me shy away from anything with a recoil. During that period, I shot the 17HMR a lot more which increased my comfort with longer shots, I've developed great faith in the killing power of that speedy little round. Calm wind is essential. When I prepare for the p-dog shoots, I practice 100yds with the 17HMR, 200 with the .223 and 300 with the .204. Now I had planned to take a shotgun too, since close quarter coyotes are best dispatched with a shotgun. But to lighten the load, I'm relying on the AR. Thanks for thee coaching!
 
I've seen two brothers kill 700 pasture poodles in a day with .22 LRs. Been know to have shooters kill 10,000 a year out here on the high lonesome.
My brother and I used to have access to 6 different ranches that all had lots of dogs. Since then, all but one has prairie dogs remaining after forced poisoning. Anyway, during that hay-day we could kill 200 or so with 22 rimfire in a day before switching to centerfire. Our record kill was a 4 day shoot-a-thon when we shot approx 1400 dogs in total with 6 different calibers. One solo hunt of mine, I killed about 125 dogs in one field with my Remington 541S .22 rimfire. On that particular hunt, I killed 400+ with 4 different calibers over a. 3 day period. The large number of dogs are gone now, but enough to make it exciting. That's why I'm planning to call coyotes if the p-dog numbers dwindlle.
 
A friend and I went through planning a PD trip to the Dakotas, he lives there and said an accurized 10/22 with a 4x to 6x scope was a must for close up PDs. One gun 6-10 100 round plastic boxes, shoot all day, plus it is an easy pack. He said the centerfire guns heating up was a real concern. Small diameter bullets crud up pretty quick. If federal land is involved, you can not go onto it with wheels, only hooves or feet and what you can literally carry. He had a flood and I had a hurricane so we never made the trip.
 
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