Coyote Hunting and Optic Logistics

[maskedman504]

My younger brother is getting married and the father of the bride is an avid hunter; my family, not so much. The gentleman knows I am a firearms enthusiast and has invited me on some hunting trips in Ohio and I have declined so far because of logistics. Recently, he let me knows he was buying a Howa Axiom for in .22-250 for coyote hunting and I expressed some interest; he told me that in Inverness, FL there is coyote hunting. I am pretty much decided on a CZ 527 kevlar stocked rifle in .223 for this purpose but I have never hunted and am at a loss for an optic for the rifle. I would like to limit the budget to $200-$400 dollars for the optic and still get a quality piece; the man told me for a quality hunting rig to expect to pay a similar price for the the optic that I pay for the rifle, so I hope I can get away with a ~$300-$400 optic for the $550 rifle. Thanks in advance.

 

[praharin]

What is the hunting area you are likely to go to like vegetation wise? Will you be likely to be taking long-ish shots? That rifle is capable of shooting out to 400-500 yards if you do your part. The Falcon Menace scopes would be a good set up for that in your price range.

To be more general, I would recommend a variable in the 3-10 power range. That will take you from inside 100 yards to over 500 easily.

 

[PurdueRifleman2008]

I've had good luck with a Millet TRS-1 4-16x50. I think I gave $310 for one back in 2007. They're pretty large, though and 16x is probably way more than what you'll need.

 

[maskedman504]

I am going out on a limb and thinking about ~300-350 yard is going to be the longest shots I will be taking.

 

[Maverick223]

I would go with a Nikon or a Bushnell 3200 in that price range.
This would be perfect but is butt ugly IMO: http://swfa.com/Nikon-45-14x40-Coyote-Special-Riflescope-P12815.aspx
A couple other options in (or just above) your price range: http://swfa.com/Nikon-3-12x42-Monarch-Riflescope-P7662.aspx
http://swfa.com/Bushnell-5-15x40-Elite-3200-Rifle-Scope-P41813.aspx

 

[danbrew]

Bet 'ya don't need to buy anything at all.

The fella has invited you hunting, so I'd guess that if you posed this same question to him, he'd say, "Shoot, come on down. I got a rifle with a scope that you can use." Then you can get to know him, he can grill you about crazy Aunt Sally, and you'll hear what a wonderful woman his daughter is. He's probably also gonna want to know about your brother. Maybe your brother should tag along? Perhaps that would make the future Mrs. Brother nervous, though?

Go shoot, go get to know the guy, go have fun. Ask him these questions when you're hanging out together and I guarantee he'll have suggestions on what you should buy. You make the mistake of buying something not suited for what you're doing and then showing up looking like a complete dumbass with all new stuff and no idea how to use it.

My $0.02.

Seriously.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I tend to avoid high powers -- my coyote rifle is a Kimber M82 in .22 Hornet. It mounts a Weaver 6X scope. Around here, shots over 200 yards are uncommon.

Another item you may need is a good set of binoculars. I've been a binocular man since I attended Artillery Officer Candidate School in '63 -- and again, I tend to avoid high powers. One of the best reasonably priced sets of quality hunting binoculars is the Leupold Yosemite 6X30. You can get these for around $75.00 if you shop around. Try www.wholesalehunter.com.

 

[rcmodel]

Been hunting coyotes since the 1960's.
It is far easier to have too much scope then not enough!

A 2-7X or 3-9X is way plenty enough for 500 - 600 yards.

But the majority of the time, I run on 3X or 4X.
The close running shots need all the wide field of view you can get.

If you see one 400 yards out, you will usually have plenty of time to dial it up.
But you will never have enough time to dial it down when you see one close!

rc

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Amen!!

 

[UniversalFrost]

(long time member, first time poster here, but senior member on TFL, AZS and various other forums).

nikon makes a nice prostaff or buckmaster scope with a BDC reticle in 4-12 x40 (or 44) in the mid $200's. Also, check used monarch ucc's. I also like burris signature series . I have a remmy 700 VSSF in 22-250 with a burris signature 6-24 x44 iwth the fine plex reticle. this thing is a telescope and way over kill on anything under 500yds, but it does have some of the best class for under 1k I have seen. it is up their with my S&B as far as quality of glass and craftsmanship.

on my old custom 98 GEW in .243 I shoot a plain jane bushnell 4-12x40 (paid $100 for it) and can kill yotes out to 400 no problems. and i agree on the lower power is a must up close. I always have my scopes on 3, 4 or what ever is lowest and then dial up if needed. I have killed more deer, yotes, bobcats, etc.. under 100yds than over. very rarely will you make a 400 yd shot. on yotes you can always call them in closer and take a 150 -200 yd shot. if you can';t get them this close, then you are doing something wrong to tipi them off and need to work on concelment, calling, etc.

 

[maskedman504]

The fella has invited you hunting, so I'd guess that if you posed this same question to him, he'd say, "Shoot, come on down. I got a rifle with a scope that you can use." Then you can get to know him, he can grill you about crazy Aunt Sally, and you'll hear what a wonderful woman his daughter is. He's probably also gonna want to know about your brother. Maybe your brother should tag along? Perhaps that would make the future Mrs. Brother nervous, though?

I appreciate that sentiment- but then I wouldn't get to buy any new gun stuff! My brother has been dating the girl for 6 years; most of the basics are covered all around.

But the majority of the time, I run on 3X or 4X.
The close running shots need all the wide field of view you can get.

I am quite a novice to optics assisted shooting. I am assuming that a "3-9x" is a 9x power with 3 magnification adjustments?

-This is where I consulted the internet-

Ok, the first number is the minimum mag, second is maximum mag and the final is reticle size.

So, the absolute ceiling for this .223 in terms of necessary magnification would be something along the lines of 3-9x?

The more I read about scope options, the less important magnification seems and the more important the reticle seems...

 

[bhk]

If you plan on calling in the coyotes in the east, avoid any high powered scope. I use a 3.5 x10 Leupold on my bolt action .223 and a 1.5 x 5 Leupold on another coyote gun. I keep both set on the lowest power. Even the 3.5 setting on the first scope is way too much for a coyote coming up from behind you FAST at 10 yards. The 1.5 setting on the other scope is much better. As another poster indicated, you can always dail up for a long shot, but it is impossible to do the reverse.

 

[rcmodel]

the less important magnification seems

You got it figured out.

3x-9x-40 is 3 power on low setting, 9 power on high setting.
40mm is the objective or front lens dia.
A variable scope can be set & used on any power between the lowest & highest power.

To give an example of how much power you need?
Divide the distance by the power.
400 yards / 3x = 133 yards apparent distance.
400 yards / 9X = 44 yards apparent distance.

You can probably hit a coyote with a rock at 44 yards!

Carried further:
50 yards / 3X = 16 1/2 yards.
50 yards / 9X = 5 1/2 yards.

Carried further still:
Field of view, or how wide an area you can see through the typical 3-9x40mm scope.
3X = 40 feet at 100 yards.
9X = 14 feet at 100 yards.

3X = 10 feet at 25 yards.
9X = 3.5 feet at 25 yards.

Just try finding a running coyote in that 3' 6" field of view!

rc

 

[Kernel]

Vern, thanks for the tip on those Leupold Yosemite 6X30! I've been looking for a pair of good, affordable, waterproof, & light weight binos. I love my trusty Nikon 7x50 Naturalists, but they're built like a tank and seem to be getting heavier every year. IMO, for most hunting situations, a good 6 power (or 7 power) is best.