Anybody drop a coyote with a .22lr handgun?

DustyGmt

DustyGmt

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I've got two dogs (pitbull and hound mix), both are in the smaller side and not fully grown but they really want a piece of the 4 or 5 coyotes that have been skulking around the bank on the other side of the tracks, about a stones throw from my 20×20ish kennel that I send them out to go to the bathroom, one of my dogs can squeeze through the fence if it's really motivated and the other is like houdini. I've had a few close calls plus my neighbors have chickens and ducks and dogs, etc....

I am not a kill for no reason guy but I've spent a few nights this past week shining my light up on the bank just to see 5 or 6 sets of eyes creeping on the bank. I chuck rocks at em and go charging up the bank with my 9mm and they take off and while I don't want to wake the neighborhood with gunfire at 12am-4am, it's getting to the point where they come around enough that I'm thinking if I leave one totaled with his head inside out it might send a message to move on.....

I'm at the end of the street and my neighbors aren't really worried about noise, I could touch off my .223 at any time of night and they'd be happy that I dropped a predatory animal, but there are enough houses close by that would really not appreciate it. Fireworks during the summertime are a regular occurrence around here, just curious if a .22lr is an appropriate tool for the job, I'm pretty sure I could tag at least 2 or 3 with a 10rd magazine since I can get withing rock toss distance..... would you guys use a .22lr for this task or wake some neighbors one time and make sure I take out half the gang with a few #4buck or .223?
 
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A suppressor is the obvious answer..

If you’re lucky, you will get to shoot one with it in 9 months.

Unless you are really good with that .22 pistol, you likely won’t drop one. And, I have no love for coyotes, but I wouldn’t really want him to linger and die.
 
I have shot two of our New England sized coyotes with a T/C Contender in 22RF. Both were shot at about 20 feet in the head. They were coming in to my mouse squeaks call while I was squirrel hunting. I use the mouse squeaks when a squirrel goes into a den tree to try to get them to come out.
 
Yeah I guess I didn't really think it all the way through, I only asked about the handgun because I've been putting my streamlight on em and am getting within 20 or so paces which is in head/boiler room territory for me with a handgun, but I was only thinking handgun because of my pistol light. I'm thinking I could just as easily take my 10/22 and put it up a nostril at that distance, but illumination is the only drawback, since I can't torch the bank and run the 10/22 at the same time.

I'm thinking maybe loading up a few buckshot in my mossberg w/forend light or more preferable my AR with a light might be the answer, but it will definitely ring a few bells in the hood. I wouldn't be surprised if I was talking to police and getting dressed down for it. Don't want to kill anything I'm not ready to throw on the grill tbh, but it's clear my place is a popular hangout and don't want to lose more animals to predators....

Would it make sense to contact the local PD and tell them of this problem and inform them of my intentions ahead of time or is there a better solution.


I love the suppressor idea, but even if they had a 2 day turnaround time for the application I'm not thrilled about the whole process. I will only be at this particular interim residence until my house is finished in the next month or two, but......
 
I killed a dog substantially larger than a coyote with a 22 CB Short , 1 shot while on a neighborhood safari for a pest scaring neighbors.

You may criticize my choice of ammo, but remember that this was a safari in a neighborhood, so stealth was key.

Granted I used a rifle, but a CB Short! What is it, 700 fps?

The feral dog ran 50 yards, but it died when it dropped in a neighbor’s driveway. I had to quickly hose down the driveway before the neighbors got home.
 
I shot a young coyote with a .22 handgun from horseback. I wouldn't do it again as it required several rounds to finish it. I can still see the look in his eyes.
 
To start off, there will always be more coyote. They are this continent's most successful predator. Despite man's efforts to control their numbers they continue to spread their domain. For information about just well they have done so read "Coyote America", a history of the coyote in America by Dan Flores.

On to the OP's question. No, I have never killed one with a 22LR pistol as I have never been close enough to one to take an effective shot. As a high schooler I got one with a 22 rifle because he wandered into close enough range to take a shot while I was resting against a rock. DRT. I was completely still, the wind was in my favor, and he never knew what hit him.

Coyotes are smart. A few close shots with quites might discourage them for a night or two but they will quickly figuer out that the noise and dirt flying did no harm and they will be back as long as there is food to attract them and they consider small dogs as food.
 
I have when I first moved out to where I am now and no one had been shooting them.
The closest one foe me was almost a muzzle stamp.
Now that the local coyote population has been properly reeducated on humans they tend stay at or outside of rifle distance.
 
Never shot a coyote but years ago a opossum big enough to poop like a German shepherd took three hits of target load 38 special to get him to drop out of my Apple tree.
 
Ever think about trapping? In GA a landowner license is free. Interesting thing is you are required to carry a .22lr when you check your traps.
 
Bob Milek used to write about killing Coyotes with a long barreled Ruger Single Six using Remington Yellow Jacket rounds. So yes a 22lr will kill a Coyote. Mount a scope on your 10/22 and order a Predator Light from Cabelas that mounts on top of your scope. Use the red lense and keep the range short and will have both hands free to shoot and the red light won't spook the animals as easily.

Now in the days of internet you can probably find the light on line for less than what Cabelas wants for it.

Here is a page full of lights.

https://www.amazon.com/predator-light/s?k=predator+light
 
alfsauve said:
Ever think about trapping? In GA a landowner license is free. Interesting thing is you are required to carry a .22lr when you check your traps.
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Nah, I don't have the stomach for it. I hate killing animals period, unless I can deliver a good kill, But the thought of trapped critters with their paws clenched in jagged iron claws left to suffer in pain until I make it back around to put it down kinda sickens me.

Don't worry, I'm not with PETA. I understand the necessity of culling out predators and so on....
 
I’ve been warned that they are smart enough to avoid an area once they identify a trap. If you’re not collecting skins then a trap may be enough to get rid of them
 
DustyGmt said:
Nah, I don't have the stomach for it. I hate killing animals period, unless I can deliver a good kill, But the thought of trapped critters with their paws clenched in jagged iron claws left to suffer in pain until I make it back around to put it down kinda sickens me.

Don't worry, I'm not with PETA. I understand the necessity of culling out predators and so on....
Click to expand...
I don’t hunt because I can’t stomach gutting the animal but I have no issues with hunters that do it responsibly.

Anyway, around our hobby horse farm I have no problems disposing of opossums and raccoons. I usually use a live trap then shoot the animal.

I use my back hoe to bury the animal.

Opossums carry EPM (Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis) which is deadly to horses if not caught early enough. We’ve had one horse come down with EPM but we had a good outcome. Opossums are not welcome on our farm.

Raccoons are just plane nasty. They have the public duped with their bandit face.

I got over my dislike of killing seamlessly harmless animals.

Back to the thread, a couple years ago, I shot a ground hog at 20 ft or so. It took me 3 or 4 shots to put the ground hog down.

Unless you got a good head shot, I think a coyote would be difficult to put down humanely with. 22LR handgun.

Finally, when my daughter was about 5 years old, she had a friend who said there were live “opossums” and road kill were “no possums”.:)
 
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I’ve dropped a grey wolf with a 22 caliber hand gun, Ruger MK II.

First two to the boiler room, third to the hips, broken hip, dog sat down, 7 more to the boiler room. Dead wolf, 120 pounds.

Also, 43 pound fox, single 22 shot to white throat mark under chin, fox facing me, broken spine. Same Ruger MK II.

Coyote is in between fox and wolf.
 
Tricky situation with houses around . I am assuming that it is legal to discharge a firearm in your residential area . If so 4th of July would be a perfect night for the shotgun if they are in rock throwing distance . Neighbors might just think someone is celebrating with fireworks . I would think that you would need a light attached to the gun though unless you had someone behind you shining the light .
 
Dusty - as long as your neighbors are raising chickens, there may be nothing you can do to deter these coyotes.
That being said, a .22LR rifle is your best option, esp. for an "ethical" kill. Rather than an expensive suppressor, you can take a 16-20 oz. soda bottle and cut the bottom off. Depending on what gun you end up using (rifle or pistol), that will determine how you alter the neck of the bottle to get over the front sight. Then use a small hose clamp to secure the bottle to the gun. This will help to funnel the sound away from the houses and towards your target(s), further adding to their fright (hopefully). Tip: this works best on "round" barrels.
You can try some subsonic ammo but it may not have the speed to penetrate well but it may help with the sound levels.
Good luck.
 
DustyGmt said:
Nah, I don't have the stomach for it. I hate killing animals period, unless I can deliver a good kill, But the thought of trapped critters with their paws clenched in jagged iron claws left to suffer in pain until I make it back around to put it down kinda sickens me.
Click to expand...


Most all 'yotes I have trapped are lying down and not suffering when I come up to them. Modern leg hold traps are very humane.
 
I haven't tried it on a coyote or with a light, but I would consider the possibility of using a .22 LR scoped bolt action rifle loaded with subsonic hollow points. My rifles like RWS subsonic hollow points. Precise shots are very easy. The combination has been very good for head shots on small game such as squirrels. It also is a very quiet combination. With the handgun you are getting low velocity plus more noise. YMMV.
 
I spent a lot of time trapping in my younger years, and have probably dispatched 200 or more with a Ruger 22/45 and subsonic Aguila 38 gr HP. Note, this is not the same as shooting a wary animal at a distance. These were pot shots on a trapped animal to the back of the head. I rarely had to shoot twice, but it did happen.

I have killed a few under more sporting circumstances. Busted from cover, and taken down with HV 38 grain hollow point ammo on the run. Almost exclusively, these needed multiple shots.

I have taken Coyotes and other larger animals such as fox, raccoon and opossum with a .22 rifle and 40 grain subsonic and High/hyper velocity ammunition. This is a much more effective tool in terms of accuracy, on target performance, and quietness of shot. The 40 grain solid subsonic was my standard 'coon hunting load, and I slicked many hundreds from the top of tall trees and the occasional bonus coyote with a single shot to the head. With a well illuminated target, a 40mm or larger scope objective is an effective aiming device.
 
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