Coyotes coming close to house

[jaxs]

I use a 22-250, and they will sometimes run a good distance after being shot.

You should stop using FMJ target rounds because varmint bullets are more fatal to varmints plus safer for non-targeted animals and humans in the vicinity. If a coyote run's away after being hit with those,he will do it minus some body parts.

 

[Jstpssng]

Maine Wolf Coalition, among others, although they have backed off from "reintroduction.". There's been a hue and cry to bring them in for years.

 

[atsah]

Maine Wolf Coalition, among others, although they have backed off from "reintroduction.". There's been a hue and cry to bring them in for years.

For what?

 

[atsah]

That must have been a well-placed shot. I use a 22-250, and they will sometimes run a good distance after being shot.

22-250 with the right ammo, heart, lungs or head and they drop were they are standing.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Pretty much any front torso hit from a varmint bullet out of a 22-250 will turn them off like a switch. Same thing goes with a 243. Until you really get way out there. Sometimes even a mid to close range shot with a 223 and they don't turn off immediately. You can see the difference after hitting a bunch of them with each caliber. I will still use a 223 if I know the setup is for close range, or if I'm near a farmhouse, etc (noise), but I prefer either the 22-250, or the 243 if it's windy.

I like the Hornady Vmax bullets myself. They come in 250 count bulk boxes, and I use the 50 gr for 223 and 22-250, and the 87 gr for the 243. I also use these same loads and rigs for prairie dog shooting (reason I like the 250 ct boxes). I did pole axe one with my 6.5-284 one year out on the prairie dog fields. I had just made a shot on a prairie dog at 1K, and left the rifle sitting on the rest to get a drink. Came back and saw something moving around, looked through my scope and there was a 'yote out there scarfing up the dead bean bears. I just had to jack in another round and nudge the rifle over a hair, and "bang". Dead 'yote. Pretty funny.

 

[atsah]

223 with a 55gr nosler ballistic tip Federal and they drop like a rock..

 

[gsganzer]

That must have been a well-placed shot. I use a 22-250, and they will sometimes run a good distance after being shot.

I agree, a .22LR is on the light side, but it's what I had quick access to. I have a Ruger 10/22 that I put a Shilen match barrel on. It's crazy accurate, topped with a Nikon Prostaff II rimfire scope. The coyote was about 55 yards away facing me, hit him center chest (heart shot) and he went 20 yards and balled up. The bobcat I shot a few weeks ago was a head shot at 35 yards with the same rifle.

I just ordered a thermal scope for shooting hogs and coyotes at my deer lease. I'll be able to mount that on the Ruger 10/22, .223 AR-15, 6.5 Creedmoor bolt gun or a .308 AR-10, all of them have Picatinny rails.

 

[DKCDKC]

My house backs up to a stream and a lightly wooded hill 200-300 yards away. Coyotes sometime wander along that hill where I can see them. Got a pretty Rem 700 30-06 with a decent scope originally for hunting bigger game. I can sit on my deck and look over early or late and pop them when they don't know I'm anywhere around. I have some young guys who love hunting coyotes and have invested thousands in the digital sound stuff, night vision, custom rifles with silencers, etc. They've gotten over 40 over the past year within a few miles of my place. They do the real damage. I just pop a few that are stupid enough to come closer to the homeplace.

 

[BoylermanCT]

As to bobcats do they prey on cats and smaller dogs like coyotes do or do they stick to chickens, ducks and such. I reckon they are fierce but they are not really big, much smaller than coyotes...are they not?

They are not all small.

This one was from a week ago.

 

[drssg]

You should stop using FMJ target rounds because varmint bullets are more fatal to varmints plus safer for non-targeted animals and humans in the vicinity. If a coyote run's away after being hit with those,he will do it minus some body parts.

I don’t know what to tell you. I use hollow point ammo. I’ve only shot three in the 17 years I’ve lived here. The first one dropped in place. The other two ran off, and I found them in the woods.

I never checked the carcass to determine the shot location, but there were no obviously missing body parts. I’m not an expert shot. I just try to hit the dang thing.