22WMR enough gun for eastern coyotes

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K.L.O.sako

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i have a friend who,s farm is getting run over with coyotes and he finally said HELP! my problem is i have two good big and bigger game rifles, both 30,s, but no serious .22 or .25,s I do however have a nice .22WMR and with 40 grain loads i think it'll be enough. plus it holds ten rounds and it's cheaper to shoot than an ultra mag. ranges will be no more than 100 yards, most 50 yards or closer, thick brush around here, he said there coming after calfs and chickens in packs, three or four at a time. i've never hunted coyotes before so any tips or info will be greatly appreiciated THANKS.
 
A 40grn soft point in the vitals of a coyote from a 22 MAG may not stop a yote in his tracks, BUT chances are that he won't be hanging around the farm anymore either.
 
Depends mostly on the size of the coyotes. The .22 Mag is really too light for body shots on a 40 pound coyote, but a head shot at 50 to 100 should do nicely. HP's would be better too. A .223 or .22 Hornet would be best though.
 
If your shots will be under 100 yards, scope it (if its not already scoped) and take head shots (which will also preserve the pelt.) What you might find though is that once you've zapped a couple, they no longer get into that close a range, and something with more "reach" is called for.
 
I'd use my .22 Mag in a heartbeat. I've shot coyotes with deer calibers, but when I was deer hunting. You'll be hunting at night? Just how far do you think you can SEE a coyote at night? You ain't gonna be shooting over 100 yards. I'd take body shots, no problem, with CCI maxi mag. My 597 shoots 1.5MOA and I know I can hit with it. Yotes ain't that tough and pelt damage will be minimal if that's a consideration.
 
My bet is that that they do drop they will get back up take off if it is over 25 yards. I have punched a lung at 50 yards with a 45 ACP and the dog ran after it got up and I had to track it down and hit it again. The problem with the 22 WMR is that it will not do enough damage for a cavity shot unless you're lucky enough to hit the heart. Your best bet with that caliber is to go for the head shot. The last dog I shot was at 250 yards with my AR and I punched both lungs, he got right up and ran 25 yards before dropping over dead. Coyotes are a lot tougher then people give them credit for and they can take a lot of damage and still survive. I have seen dog with a mangled front shoulder and I have seen scars on others from fairly large caliber guns on some of the dogs we have gotten over the years.
 
There are Coyotes and there Coyotes. New England yotes can be a lot larger than there brethren in south Texas. I feel the .223 is a good starting spot. Everything is entitled to a clean dispatch...........Essex
 
If you're just offing yotes as part of an out of controll pest problem and not for hides or to EAT:neener: Why in the world would you care what they do after you shoot em as long as they die?
 
"...hunting at night?..." Be very sure that's legal where you are.
"...Why in the world would you care..." It's called ethics. No animal, vermin or not, should be allowed to suffer a slow painful death.
 
thanks guys i appreiciate the info i think i'll step up my gun choice i have an SKS at my disposal and like some of you said even a coyote deserves a clean kill. we're heading out friday night to hunt let yall know how it turns out
 
I buy Gold Dots for this very reason. .22 WMR has a 2 mile lethal range. While it may not give you a clean kill, it should take care of the problem, if you can place the shots.
 
If you believe the 22 mag has a 2 mile "lethal" range on coyotes, or any critter you're crazier than a pet coon. Dont use the 22 wmr for yotes.:banghead:
 
I strongly disagree with the people aying that .22mag isn't enough for a 'yote. I have killed several coyotes with my Marlin 25MN using Remington's 30gr. V-Max. The closest shot was 60 yards and the farthest was about 180 yards. The close shots roll the coyote's ass-over-end and they run about 50 yards before they realize their dead. The longer shots (150+ yards) are still enough to effectively dispatch them into the next life. If your looking for fur preservation or ethical hunting, I would use a .223. However, if your just looking to kill the SOB's, then .22 mag is more than good enough.
 
I wouldn't stretch it past 100 yards, but at night you can't see much farther anyway. But, I've killed song dogs with a .22 LR quite dead at 50 yards, not a problem, body shot, too. I've killed feral dogs with a .22 LR that were a lot bigger than a coyote.

But, if you have a .223, why go for the .22 mag? I have bigger guns for pure coyote hunting. I might just decide I wanna use my .257 Roberts for that, makes a good varmint gun, though I've shot mostly deer with it. I don't do any specific coyote hunting, though. I just take 'em when I'm out after something else and see 'em. I've shot one at 20 yards with a 12 gauge 7 1/2 shot (was dove hunting the late season), with deer rifles while deer hunting and .22s when I was squirrel hunting.

Tell ya what, a .308 anchors 'em pretty solid! LOL Took one at 352 measured yards with it one year.
 
Hit em with the .30 cal rifle, your friend wants them dead and it will do it. Most importantly it will do it in a humane one shot. a 22 mag will not be a quick death by any means.
 
There are Coyotes and there Coyotes. New England yotes can be a lot larger than there brethren in south Texas.

I used to think we had some big coyotes in the Sandhills of Nebraska until guys back East started sending pictures to Fur-Fish-Game magazine of the ones that they shot and trapped. They are indeed at least two sizes larger than what we usually see out here, though I can't say how the compare to coyotes in other places.

Spalding_Wolf.jpg

We did have some guys out in the Sandhills get one of these by accident, though...:eek:
 
if you use the 22wmr make sure you use remington v max. these bullets are awesome if killed very large groundhogs with theses no problem. as well as a 65lb beaver with one shot at 70 yds.
 
If you have the discipline to keep your shots within 100yds and you also have the discipline to wait for a good kill shot and you can execute that shot well (meaning hit that yote right in the vitals), then 22WMR is a fine yote cartridge.

If you want to shoot at anything that moves, at any distance and as soon as you have a half decent sight picture, use a .30 cal.

It's not the cartridge, it's the hunter.
 
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