best cartridge for coyotes opinion

[K22]

I'm so sure that the farms I've hunted now for years, I would shoot their cats if I knew they had them,which I do know. Have you ever raised pheasants and game roosters for money and had stray cats decimate the young chicks,etc,I have and will shoot on sight any cat on my property. THX

I am not cat lover for sure, and I am sure you are correct that they can decimate pheasant chicks and no I have never raised them. Also, I am sure the farms cats I encounter are equal opportunity predators and would take out a pheasant chick if the opportunity arises.

However, as a guest on the farms where I hunt g-hogs, I have to respect the farmer's property and his cats, as nasty as they are, are his property. That was the only point I was trying to make.

 

[K22]

You never know which one is little Susie’s pet, and you don’t want to go down that road.

Of course I would not want to take out Susie's pet, but I am more concerned about Big Bad Farmer Jeff pounding me into a pile of rubble if I would take out one of his cats.

 

[K22]

Do you really think i'm so stupid as to shoot landowners cats whose properties I hunt on?No offense but you must be a democrat ,who think everyone is stupid , I live isolated no neighbors ,and any cat that comes to my predator call on or off my property,is dead meat,unless it's the landowners.

Sorry I apparently offended you, that was not my intent. I am not a democrat or a republican. I do not think you are stupid, and I am not into judging people. I must have misinterpreted your remarks about shooting feral cats. Again, I apologize.

Several of the fields I hunt are remote and it's difficult if not impossible to discern which cats are the landowners or just strays. All are feral however if you defined feral as predatory behavior in the field. I err of the side of caution and pass on shooting them even though I do not like them anymore than you do.

Peace be with you - fellow varmint hunter.

 

[n.c.outlaw2024]

don't know how this thread went from coyotes to shooting homeless/wild cats but it is what it is. at the risk of sounding like rodney king but can't we all get along?

 

[ohlongarmisle]

Sorry I apparently offended you, that was not my intent. I am not a democrat or a republican. I do not think you are stupid, and I am not into judging people. I must have misinterpreted your remarks about shooting feral cats. Again, I apologize.

Several of the fields I hunt are remote and it's difficult if not impossible to discern which cats are the landowners or just strays. All are feral however if you defined feral as predatory behavior in the field. I err of the side of caution and pass on shooting them even though I do not like them anymore than you do.

Peace be with you - fellow varmint hunter.

I have a cat by the way ,neutered male Mr. Tabs, he stays around woodshed ,and chicken coops loves chickens as friends,keeps the mice,red squirrels and chipmunks to a minimum.Never leaves but why would he no close neighbors, and a 2000 acre backyard.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

Another vote for the 25/06. Turns them inside out!!

I made Stew Meat, sized chunks out of, the Shoulder / Neck area, ( Blown Out, meat chunks for, 15 to 20 Yards ! ) on a couple of, Yotes with, a .270 Weatherby Mag., launching 110 gr. JHP Hornady's at, 3,500+ FPS,..
So, I "get, the Picture",.. Yep, the .25-06, would Be,.."Wicked", indeed !
My Main Yote Rifle today, IS a 10 Pound, Braked, 24 inch, 6 XC, slinging 95 grain, Berger Classic Hunter's at, 3,200 FPS or, 103 gr. ELD-X's at, 3,100 FPS.
Accurate to, 750 yds But, Not, as spectacular of, a Bullet Hole EXIT as,.. a .25-06 or .270 Wby !

 

[JerkyFreak]

Why shoot all the expensive cartridges at varmint? You just need to kill tem, not blow them apart.

Ya. I shot a Swift for a few years, for the ones that just hung up out ~400yds. One day I grabbed my 25-06 and sold my Swift!

What is the barrel life like?

 

[AWS]

Barrel life on a coyote gun is irrelevant, a thousand coyotes will cost you more in gas than a barrel and if you shoot prime ones will buy you a new barrel and then some.

 

[Doug Casner]

Whenever Im having a conversation with folks. I dont get pissed when somebody veers off the main topic. Its a conversation. They are both predators Any centerfire from 17 to 25 caliber will work. Hell, Ive shot coyotes with a .270. Dont plan on having a good pelt to sell. I dont care if we go from coyotes to cats its a conversation. Doug

 

[n.c.outlaw2024]

Who said anyone was ticked off with the topic veering off? It is what it is. Folks have their opinions and they are welcome to express them thanks to the freedom of speech. I believe the can't we all get along comment was geared toward calling someone stupid or implying b/c they had a different point of view they must be a demorat.

 

[rickt300]

I used a 22-250 exclusively for coyotes for years. That barrel finally bit the dust and I replaced it with a 243. I shoot 55gr. Ballistic Tips or 58 gr. Vmax's pushed to 3800 fps. And yes I have shot feral cats.

 

[ohlongarmisle]

Why shoot all the expensive cartridges at varmint? You just need to kill tem, not blow them apart.

What is the barrel life like?

I agree at least in my state where 90% are shot within 250 yards,that's where the 17 hornet shines,almost impossible to find a bullet hole till the body starts to cool and blood seeps from it, all damage and plenty is done internally , as I've dissected plenty and it's amazing the destruction the tiny round can inflict. If i need to go out to 400 yards the 204 is ready ,willing and capable.Now if I lived out west or in the plains I'd opt for a different round as have several here.If I can't get within 400 yards of a gh,or coyote where I live it's time to quit.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Hard to say what's best but I like an AR15 for coyotes and a plain old 223 is hard to beat with 50-55 grain frangibles of your choice

 

[Anchorite]

Why shoot all the expensive cartridges at varmint? You just need to kill tem, not blow them apart.

What is the barrel life like?

In the Swift? Like anything else, it's a function of how well you take care of it.
Mine was a 700 that I even re-barreled with an old Hart barrel from a PPC after the first throat washed out. I ran 4064, H380, and H414, all with 50-53 grain bullets. I didn't torch the brass, but at the time WW was all I could get, and it wasn't great.

The 25-06 is head and shoulders better than the Swift for those dogs that just hang up and won't commit to coming in on a call.

 

[STS]

I'm retired and I live in Montana. Add those two together and you can get a lot of dead coyotes. I've hunted them for 55 years, and have used at least 15 different cartridges during that time. There is no single "best" cartridge for coyotes. There is simply too much variation in terrain, and distance, from one part of the country to another for that to be possible. There are some general things that I have learned over the years that are true that might be of benefit in answering this question.
Bullet weight is important! I built a wildcat similar to the 20 Practical about 10 years ago when fur was still worth a little money. Everyone raved about the 35gr. Berger as being a great bullet on fur. In my experience it was a piss poor coyote combo. Very inconsistent performance with one shot performing perfectly, with it being almost impossible to find the hole, to the next shot yielding a surface blow up with a hole the size of a soft ball and a running coyote. I haven't used for coyotes since then.
The .223 will work well within its range limitations. If you live in an area where the majority of the shots are less than 300 it will do the job with the right bullet. I've seen far too many failures from the .223 at distances past that.
By far the most coyotes I've shot has been with a .22-250. Well over 1k. The 50 grain bullets work well out to 400 yards or a little better and the larger bullets will extend that range a bit further. The bigger case capacity .22's are a great choice if you hunt in the part of the country where shots can get very long. And that isn't limited to "the west." I hunt in central Kansas every year and there can be some long shots there.
I put in quite a few days in northern Montana near the Canadian border calling coyotes, and my choice for the often long shots there is a .22 Creedmoor. It's a stellar performer in that terrain. I like the 69gr. Lapua Scenar bullet for it extreme accuracy at ranges out to 600 to 700 yards. The longer, higher BC bullets don't start to shine at most coyote hunting ranges.
The bottom line to all of this is shoot what you like, but figure out the limitations of the cartridge you've chosen and compare that to the distances you will likely be shooting.
A prime Nebraska Sand Hills coyote shot with a .22-250 and one of my 52gr. hand swaged bullets at about 250 yards.

 

[varmit_hunter]

I used to just use my 22 250 and 22 250AI. But few yrs ago. I bought a 204 ruger. And loading a Berger 35gr hp. I am still using it. Works very well on hogs to.

 

[sandwarrior]

yes you are correct. suburbs.

Then D: none of the above. I would say a good .22 pellet gun. Mine produces 950 fps with a 25 gr. pellet. No noise, no neighbor interference, that is enough power to kill a coyote within 50 yds.

 

[Charlie-NY]

I have taken exactly one coyote, and that was while I was hunting speed goats. I used a 7STW and a 162gr A-Max bullet at full tilt. I must say, that was a very effective coyote combo.

I think it would be hard to beat a 6mm Creed for a dedicated coyote rifle.

 

[CJ6]

I had my first 6mm-284 built specifically for coyotes (stand hunts). I still think it's one of the best out there, fast and flat. Just not good for pelts.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I'm retired and I live in Montana. Add those two together and you can get a lot of dead coyotes. I've hunted them for 55 years, and have used at least 15 different cartridges during that time. There is no single "best" cartridge for coyotes. There is simply too much variation in terrain, and distance, from one part of the country to another for that to be possible. There are some general things that I have learned over the years that are true that might be of benefit in answering this question.
Bullet weight is important! I built a wildcat similar to the 20 Practical about 10 years ago when fur was still worth a little money. Everyone raved about the 35gr. Berger as being a great bullet on fur. In my experience it was a piss poor coyote combo. Very inconsistent performance with one shot performing perfectly, with it being almost impossible to find the hole, to the next shot yielding a surface blow up with a hole the size of a soft ball and a running coyote. I haven't used for coyotes since then.
The .223 will work well within its range limitations. If you live in an area where the majority of the shots are less than 300 it will do the job with the right bullet. I've seen far too many failures from the .223 at distances past that.
By far the most coyotes I've shot has been with a .22-250. Well over 1k. The 50 grain bullets work well out to 400 yards or a little better and the larger bullets will extend that range a bit further. The bigger case capacity .22's are a great choice if you hunt in the part of the country where shots can get very long. And that isn't limited to "the west." I hunt in central Kansas every year and there can be some long shots there.
I put in quite a few days in northern Montana near the Canadian border calling coyotes, and my choice for the often long shots there is a .22 Creedmoor. It's a stellar performer in that terrain. I like the 69gr. Lapua Scenar bullet for it extreme accuracy at ranges out to 600 to 700 yards. The longer, higher BC bullets don't start to shine at most coyote hunting ranges.
The bottom line to all of this is shoot what you like, but figure out the limitations of the cartridge you've chosen and compare that to the distances you will likely be shooting. View attachment 1588134
A prime Nebraska Sand Hills coyote shot with a .22-250 and one of my 52gr. hand swaged bullets at about 250 yards.

Wow! 1000 yotes is crazy. I'm jealous.