Shotguns For Coyote Hunting

[Scot43]

I have shotguns for skeet and trap shooting and a shotgun for sporting clays but none of these serve me as shotguns for coyote hunting. Here's two shotguns that work well for me (Mossberg 500 with Bushnell Red Dot and Legacy Escort auto) along with Heavy-Shot Dead Coyote Loads and Remington mag No.4 buckshot. Anyone else have a specialty shotgun for coyote hunting?

 

[suemarkp]

What choke are you using in the 500, and what is the max range you feel you could reliably take a coyote?

What barrel length are you using?

Just got a 500 myself and that is one application. Got a red dot. Got a Hevishot X-Full choke, but also going to try a cylinder bore with Federal heavyweight BB and Flyte Control wad. Haven't patterned anything yet. I've got an 18" cyl barrel and 28" choke barrel. Considering a 24" for coyote, but perhaps I should just use what I have and go with the 28.

 

[Lone Star]

This is an honest question. Why would you hunt coyotes or any larger animals, inc. deer, with a shotgun where you have a choice? Are you hunting in a densely populated area?

If you need quicker action than you think you can get with a 'scoped rifle, an iron-sighted .243 -.30-06 class seems about right. That's especially true where a wounded rabbit call may produce a cougar or a wild hog or a bear instead of the coyote you're hunting.

And a rifle reaches out better, too. A member of another board (lives in Washington state) used his .303 Lee-Enfield to whack a coyote about 80 yards from his back door one morning. A single shot hit the coyote in the head, killing it instantly. He was using old Remington RN ammo with 180 grain bullets. I guess it shoots to his sights on that No. 1 MK III. I'd prefer the Winchester or Norma ammo with spitzer (pointed) bullets, but he likes that RN Remington bullet, which also works well on deer. I think he's taken a couple of elk with it, although he owns a .338 Winchester for that sort of thing. The .338 is massive overkill for coyotes; the.303 is his grab-it-quick gun if surprise animals appear around his rural home.

 

[au_prospector]

Coyotes in Georgia are smallish and scrawny. I could see where a shotgun would easily drop them. Pretty smart and shy... Do they let you get close enough?

 

[rwehnau]

Brazen ones around here can and have been taken with 12 gauge and turkey loads

 

[Iggy]

I use to use a Winchester model 1897 12 gauge and #4 Buck hangin' out the side window of a Piper Cub.

Aim at his tail as you passed over him. Worked pretty durned good. Landing out there in the pasture so the Gummin't trapper/pilot could collect the ears was sometimes kind of exciting.

 

[Virginian]

I use either my Wingmaster or Model 1100 Magnum and Dead Coyote loads. Modified works best in the 1100 and Improved Modified in the Wingmaster. If you hide good and the wind is right, no problem getting them in range with a remote lure. I hate the little buggers but I still don't want to wound one.
In Ohio I used my 25-06. They learned to stay a good ways away from people, but not quite far enough from me.

 

[Pablito1]

Four or five winters ago I was hunting with a Winchester 1200 loaded with #4 buck. It was just before dark and real cold and snowing. I set up at the mouth of a small canyon and started the call. In just a few seconds here came a coyote to get the rabbit. He was coming so fast I think that he would have ran over the top of me if I hadn't puller the trigger.

Regards, Pablito

 

[336A]

This is an honest question. Why would you hunt coyotes or any larger animals, inc. deer, with a shotgun where you have a choice? Are you hunting in a densely populated area?

I'm not the OP nor am I trying to answer for him. The reason that I use a shotgun instead of a rifle for most of my hunting to include deer is due to the thick vegetation. In the eastern woodlands the forests are pretty thickly vegetatated, it is very unlikely for one to get a unobstructed shot much past 50 yards in the woods here. The piece of property that I hunt looks almost like a jungle this time of year, it is unbelievably thick and stays that way until October. The performance of a slug on game animals has to be seen to be believed, in most cases they drop on the spot.

Due to the thick vegetation, and posted adjoining property, I don't have the luxury off trying to track a deer to far in this type of terrain, especially in thick swampy areas. Another good coyote load if you can find it is a load of BB's, it is devastating. Remington used to make this load in they're Express Long Range line but I haven't seen it in some time.

 

[herkyguy]

I had a coyote come in on my turkey decoy this past season. I had my Remington 11-87 across my lap and if I had been a second or two quicker, my 3" #5 shot turkey load would have smoked that critter at about 20 yards.

i too hunt thick woods and a shotgun does good work in that environment.

 

[evan price]

Depending on range, you may need some choke, like Mod and #4 buck, but I know for absolute fact that an 18" cyl bore mossberg 500 with #6 was a one shot coyote stopper in my garage.

 

[Frostbite]

No dedicated coyote shotgun. I would feel comfy with any. Even better with sights of any kind. My deer backup weapon will be a scoped shotgun with an 18" cylinder barrel. I would not mind using it against coyote when allowed, loaded with either the slug which will probably be in it or the 00 buckshot which could also be there for some reason.
If I had a dedicated something for coyote, it would most likely be a rifle in .223, which I do not possess.

 

[LeonCarr]

Remington 870 Express 12 Gauge with Factory .687 Extra Full Turkey RemChoke. Using 3 Inch Magnum Federal Premium #4 Buckshot, rolling a yote out to 50 yards is not impossible.

Yes something like a scoped .22-250 would be a more efficient coyote shooter, but if calling, especially at night or in heavy cover, the yotes are gonna be moving fast, sometimes straight at you at close range. The fast handling, multiple projectile shooting shotgun works great for these situations.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[suemarkp]

This is an honest question. Why would you hunt coyotes or any larger animals, inc. deer, with a shotgun where you have a choice? Are you hunting in a densely populated area?

Because I don't have a choice. I'm in a firearm restriction area as far as the game laws go. Not sure if it applies to predator removal, but I can "hunt" a coyote with a small game license and there are no tags and the season is all year long.

So it is only handgun or shotguns at this location. My max shot would be 100yds. Because neighbors are close, I'd like something that drops like a rock after the 100 yds. I'm shooting into a hole and do have a large hill for most of the backstop.

If I can sit and wait for it, or try to call it in, the shots would be much closer. I know where it enters/leaves, but I'd just rather pop it from the deck when it shows up (50 to 90 yds depending on location). This is solely pest removal, I don't care if I recover it.

I'm also thinking about a handgun in 327 federal, but not sure I can hit a coyote at 100yds with it.

 

[Scot43]

What choke are you using in the 500, and what is the max range you feel you could reliably take a coyote?

What barrel length are you using?

Just got a 500 myself and that is one application. Got a red dot. Got a Hevishot X-Full choke, but also going to try a cylinder bore with Federal heavyweight BB and Flyte Control wad. Haven't patterned anything yet. I've got an 18" cyl barrel and 28" choke barrel. Considering a 24" for coyote, but perhaps I should just use what I have and go with the 28.

I have hunting coyotes since the 70's and consider myself a serious coyote hunter with considerable experience. When I first started coyote hunting I would take a rifle only with me to a stand. But, after losing shot opportunities because I didn't have a shotgun along, I decided it only made common sense to take a shotgun along to a stand. Coyotes are unpredictable when responding to a call and some will come charging in or past a stand so fast that a rifle shot is nearly impossible. Looking back on some of my hunts, my failure to have a shotgun along cost me a lot of regret walking back to the truck empty handed.

Most veteran coyote hunters, if not all of them, understand the importance of having a shotgun on stand. I suggest those who do not understand the logic of this to tune into the TV outdoor channel and watch Predator Quest, Predator Instinct, Predator Nation, Dog Soldier TV or FoxPro's Furtakers programming. The reason for having a shotgun along when coyote hunting will be abundantly clear.

Many times when I hunt heavy cover such as river bottom, high CRP grass, etc. I opt for the shotgun, only, and leave the rifle behind. Both my coyote shotguns have Carlson's "Dead Coyote" choke tubes. The Mossberg has the short turkey hunting barrel and the Escort has a 24" barrel. Shorter barrels are the best choice for quick maneuvering and handling. Anything 50 yard or less is a pretty sure thing and I have made 60+ yard shots with the Escort with the Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote "T" loads.

 

[Scot43]

This is an honest question. Why would you hunt coyotes or any larger animals, inc. deer, with a shotgun where you have a choice? Are you hunting in a densely populated area?

If you need quicker action than you think you can get with a 'scoped rifle, an iron-sighted .243 -.30-06 class seems about right. That's especially true where a wounded rabbit call may produce a cougar or a wild hog or a bear instead of the coyote you're hunting.

And a rifle reaches out better, too. A member of another board (lives in Washington state) used his .303 Lee-Enfield to whack a coyote about 80 yards from his back door one morning. A single shot hit the coyote in the head, killing it instantly. He was using old Remington RN ammo with 180 grain bullets. I guess it shoots to his sights on that No. 1 MK III. I'd prefer the Winchester or Norma ammo with spitzer (pointed) bullets, but he likes that RN Remington bullet, which also works well on deer. I think he's taken a couple of elk with it, although he owns a .338 Winchester for that sort of thing. The .338 is massive overkill for coyotes; the.303 is his grab-it-quick gun if surprise animals appear around his rural home.

Lone Star….Read the answer above this one. Should explain the reason for having a shotgun on stand.

 

[buck460XVR]

This is an honest question. Why would you hunt coyotes or any larger animals, inc. deer, with a shotgun where you have a choice? Are you hunting in a densely populated area?

Easy to see you aren't a handgunner or bowhunter, and odds are you've never used a muzzle loader. Sometimes the hunt has priority over the kill. Sometimes there are reasons or restrictions either legal or safety wise that make the decision. My honest question to you is, what does it matter what other folks use as long as it's legal and ethical?

 

[johnnyphaze]

I've tried to keep an eye out for coyotes on all my hunts and the ones i see are usually very elusive. I am unsure that you will get close enough to one to be able to take out with a shotgun.

 

[buck460XVR]

I've tried to keep an eye out for coyotes on all my hunts and the ones i see are usually very elusive. I am unsure that you will get close enough to one to be able to take out with a shotgun.

This is the last one I got. About 12 yards with a load of 5s. Pretty sure I was close enough.

 

[climbnjump]

Originally Posted by Lone Star View Post
This is an honest question. Why would you hunt coyotes or any larger animals, inc. deer, with a shotgun where you have a choice? Are you hunting in a densely populated area?

I think in some states, if you want to hunt coyotes at night you have to use a shotgun.

As someone above mentioned, I also had a coyote run up to my decoy while turkey hunting. A load of #6 in a 3 1/2 inch mag from my 12 gauge did the trick quite nicely at 25 yards.

 

[johnnyphaze]

This is the last one I got. About 12 yards with a load of 5s. Pretty sure I was close enough.

that is amazingly close. the ones i see always run off after they see/hear me in the brush.
i would like to add a coyote kill to the list one day

 

[alsaqr]

My favorite gun for called in coyotes is a scoped Savage model 24F in .22 Hornet over 3" 20 gauge. That combination has taken dozens of coyotes for me. #4 buckshot works well on called in coyotes.

 

[Sunray]

"...I'm in a firearm restriction area..." There's a lot of that here too. No hunting period or calibre restrictions(nothing greater than .270 or .275, by the cartridge name, for small game in some municipalities. Civil servants making decisions about things they know nothing.) in some places. Lot of less informed think the whole of Southern Ontario has calibre restrictions when it's only a few counties and some townships near TO.
Oh, I wouldn't use a shotgun unless I had to. Wiley is smarter than me.

 

[Scot43]

Lone Star….I do shoot coyotes with my varmint rifles. This one fell victim to my "Lucky Rifle"…a CZ 527 ultralite predator in 223. I call it my "lucky rifle" because it seems about every time I take it to a stand I end up shooting a coyote with it. Its a sweet, highly accurate, little rifle. I shot this coyote at about 40 yards after calling it in while it stood looking at a decoy.

 

[TMCCOY]

It's not common to get close enough to a yote for shotgun work around here. If so, it's more of a surprise situation. My go to is a centerfire rifle regardless of caliber