Shot for Coyotes?

[ds92]

Hi all,
If all goes well this season i should be getting some coyotes later this year. I'll use my shotgun because here in CT you cant use anything except for a .22 or smaller or a shotgun.
Anyways, i was just wondering to all 'yote hunters out there what kind of shot they used for coyotes (if they use shotguns at all), or if i would be better off with my henry .22 lr?

It should be for a story for the grandkids because it will be my first time yote hunting...

 

[alsaqr]

#4 buckshot works for me.

 

[sd]

http://www.hevishot.com/products_dead_coyote.html

 

[280PLUS]

What size is "T" shot? We're limited to nothing bigger #2 birdshot here in ct. unless it's private land, so I'm in the same boat. I'm using a youth cut 870 20 ga with 3" x #2 birdshot and I'm setting up at ~25 yds. I bought a Taurus .22mag revolver for backup but it's a POS and I wouldn't trust it out there. I have a Woodsman 4" that needs minor repair so that will be my backup once it's back together. My future plans are to buy a LA rifle in .22mag. Some here feel a .22 LR rifle with hot rounds is fine, if it's close like where I am in you'd rather have a SG. I read one article that said carry both a rifle and a sg. I'm not sure I'm that ambitious.

I know a 12 ga would be better but I just happen to have the small 870 and I like it in the brush. Have I actually shot a coyote with it yet. Nope, I'm new too. I just tried an electronic call yesterday for the first time with no luck. But the season isn't over yet. That's one reason I like coyotes, you can hunt them nearly year round in CT. Most of the hunting is done in deer and pheasant season so the rest of the year you can pretty much be by yourself. I have a good piece of public land right down the road, and they're out there.

 

[koja48]

#2 shot should work at ~25-yards . . . use a tight choke & get a coaxer/squeeker mouth call. Always call softly with the coaxer (or, the device in a dog's chew toy works well) when you first set-up in the event a 'yote is very close; if nothing shows, then crank up the volume. Make sure the distress call you are using mimics a prey critter common to the area; ain't nothing stupid about a coyote. Bird in distress calls can be very effective, too. Good luck, 280.

 

[280PLUS]

Thanks!

I patterned the SG a while ago, I believe it has a modified choke in it. At 50 yds it put most of the pellets of 2 3/4" x #4 turkey rounds on a turkey target, IIRC ~8" pattern, so I figure I'm good at 25 with the 3 inchers and #2 shot. The box claims 1300 fps. When I first went out I was taking a single shot .410 with slugs, then I found the full grown deer carcass all torn apart and suddenly, I was feeling undergunned. LOL...

I'm reading most people don't have much luck calling in ct but I'll give anything a shot. I have an old plastic reindeer from a lawn set that is just about fawn sized and the caller has a fawn distress call. I'll be trying that next spring.

Actually a small gauge slug gun either pump or auto might not be a bad option for CT either. I imagine you could scope it for longer shots.

 

[koja48]

Coyotes are opportunists . . . mimic what they're chasing. I've called in yotes yipping like a hurt pup or mewing like a cat/kitten in locations where folks living in the boonies had been losing pets. I've also bagged a fair number with the long bow, so you can get them in close. A 20-gauge slug would definitely drop a coyote, but with the pattern you described, so should a load of 2's.

 

[ds92]

Ok thanks everybody this is great stuff!

 

[280PLUS]

Bowhunting for them sounds like a challenge. I wonder what the legalities it CT are on that. Step 1. Learn to shoot a bow!

Yup, I believe I also read that in the spring on the order of 4000 fawn are taken by coyotes in CT. So I'm hoping to have some luck with that fawn scenario.

 

[Harley Quinn]

This is the size of buckshot...something close to 22 is my thoughts. So #4 is good.

000 or LG ("triple-aught") 9.1 mm (.36")
00 ("double-aught") 8.4 mm (.33")
0 or SG("one-aught") 8.1 mm (.32")
SSG 7.9 mm (.31")
1 7.6 mm (.30")
2 6.9 mm (.27")
3 6.4 mm (.25")
4 6.1 mm (.24")

Hope this helps.

 

[huntershooter]

Dueces (#2) or BB's from a full choke should be good to 35 yds.

 

[redneck2]

Hevi-Shot in the correct size is supposed to be good to maybe 50 yards on coyotes.

Can you use a .22 mag?? If so, that would an option.

 

[BADUNAME37]

I agree with others. The largest shot, or buckshot. The distance you will have to shoot the coyote will determine which buckshot to use.

If it is pretty far out there, 00 (9 pellets) would probably be best as each pellet in itself is like a single 32 caliber bullet. One pellet hitting just about anywhere is most likely to cause enough bleeding for tracking and will most likely slow it down or stop it dead in a short distance.

Too bad you can't use a centerfire rifle. Can you use a 17?
That would work, however, if you don't have the rifle, there is no sense buying one and hurrying up to get it accurate if you already have a shotgun.

If you can use slugs, that might be good too. Just make sure you know your trajectory and where the POI is for the slugs you will be using. Other manufacturer's slugs may vary on POI compared to the ones you use to sight it in -- so get all the exact same slugs.

The only way to use a 22LR would be if you are, say, 50 feet and less the opportunity presents itself for you to get a head shot. I don't think that will happen, unless these dogs are really tame compared to the ones around my parts (which you barely can get a glimpse of one - that is if you're lucky).

Good luck, and have fun! Sounds like a good challenge!

 

[Jst1mr]

Careful!

I understood that the guys in CT could use no shot larger than #2 birdshot...make sure we are not confusing birdshot with buckshot - that is, #4 buckshot is a whole different animal than #4 birdshot. Guys - don't know if your shotguns have choke tubes or not, but it would help greatly to get a full choke.

 

[MCgunner]

Dove loads ain't too great. Shot one at about 20 yards when I was dove hunting once. Knocked him off his feet and he stumbled off into the woods. If I just had to use a shotgun instead of the more appropriate weapon of a rifle, I'd go with number 3 buck out of my 20 gauge, I think. Should work fine. That thing is pretty accurate at 50 yards with a slug, too.

I guess the game and fish department up there wants to wound a lot of coyotes if they won't let you use buck or slugs. Seems moronic, to me, but then so does hunting coyotes with a shotgun. I've always used a rifle. I never hunted in a neighborhood, though. Do they have fields more'n 10 acres with out a house on 'em up there?

 

[280PLUS]

#2 Birdshot is the largest scatter round allowed. They will let you use slugs but not buckshot. I agree on the wounded coyotes but yes it is difficult to find enough space to get into centerfire rifle or buckshot that might travel too far. I use the SG because that's what I already have, I am leaning toward a LA 22 mag rifle once I get a little $ rounded up for one. I have the hottest 20 ga magnums in #2 birdshot I could find. I understand my range is limited.