Originally Posted By: knockemdownHey Randy,
I'm nowhere near the coyote hunter as you, but I beg to differ with you on your statement. If/when the rare opportunity arises that a coyote "hangs up" waaay out there, there is usually time to 'dial him up'...
Surely, you've had a 'barker' giving you the dickens from across the valley or out on the sage flat? Prolly 400+ yds out? If you are lucky & spot them, they just don't leave so quickly & will even sometimes sit there & survey the situtaion before them, or be hoppin' on their forelegs & barkin' like a junk yard dog...
Anyhoo, I've found time to slip the LRF out to confirm the range, check the dope card, dial the elevation, dope & hold the wind & send one his way. Also have done it by just holding over with the set substensions of the reticle...
Once you've practiced it, it don't take long at all. Should note that I'll usually laser range landmarks on an
'open stand' before calling commences. That way I can guesstimate distance on the fly should a coyote show and "hang up" in relation to one of them. Then a quick dial, or holdover and wait for the meat report
I usually know the dope for my rifle in my head, so don't even need to look at a dope card. Mrad adjustments make that easy, as it is only two numbers.
For instance:
I brought along a 1K capable rifle to Oklahoma while coyote hunting this spring, just for a goof. Here's how I set up for any potential shots...
With a good 100yd scope (turret) zero, I dialed 0.4mils UP to my 200yds zero and left it there for the beginning of every stand. That way, my point blank range is covered out to 250, where you know most coyotes are shot. So any 'normal' shots are point-n-shoot flop jobs.
Farther ranges are as follows
ele._______________ wind(full value)
300 1.0 mil___________0.4
400 1.6 mil___________0.6
500 2.4 mil___________0.8
600 3.2 mil___________1.0
700 4.2 mil___________1.2
(mils make these values easy enough to crunch for in between yardages)
With the FFP reticled scope I had on the gun, those #s work at ANY power range. So I could hold off in the reticle & fire pretty stinkin' fast if I had to, or dial the rest of the way (also pretty quickly)...
I'll readily admit that the opportunity to take a far shot on stand are RARE. But if I ever get the chance, I'm sending one with practiced confidence. And I've only killed coyotes in NY, PA, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah & Idaho, but some of those got dialed & dumped out there a ways on the 1st shot (with credible witnessses).
It takes a heckova lot longer to explain it than to employ it. Lots of guys develop their own systems, so 'my way' ain't the right way for everyone. I just like shooting in general, and messing around with these #s and shooting stuff far away is GOOD fun!
Fred
That's the same system i'm using Fred. I put it in a Butler Creek scope cap cover for reference at a glance, and it's working well for me. Got a buddy that killed 4 on the 1st shot between 470 and 785 with hsi AR-10 243/6.5-20 VX-III this past season. He has all his standard condition dope on his stock and uses an I-Pod Touch with JBM Ballistics program loaded on it and has his ballistics profile for the G7 drag function for the 87 V-Max. He calls the airport couple times a day for air density changes and he's about as close to dead on as i've ever seen with that rig of his. Fun to watch him do it (as spotter and laserer). 3 were with the VH reticle he has in that optic and the 785 yarder was dialed. It was a fast shot too.
I killed 1 at 775 couple years ago with a 140 Ballistic Tip out of a huge custom 270 WSM/8.5-25x VX-III. Had to dial the range with htis rig while the dog stopped momentarily on top of a low ridge quartering to me. Lasered it, referenced the dope on a print out i had in my pocket, tried to get my mother (my spotter...sort of) onto the dog (believe it or not) whilst dialing then reacquired the dog that was still there, and fired. Gun was so heavy it just elevated a bit and then came right back down onto the bipod legs and i watched the dog just fall over dead. Dialing's great when they get out yonder a piece.
I'm nowhere near the coyote hunter as you, but I beg to differ with you on your statement. If/when the rare opportunity arises that a coyote "hangs up" waaay out there, there is usually time to 'dial him up'...
Surely, you've had a 'barker' giving you the dickens from across the valley or out on the sage flat? Prolly 400+ yds out? If you are lucky & spot them, they just don't leave so quickly & will even sometimes sit there & survey the situtaion before them, or be hoppin' on their forelegs & barkin' like a junk yard dog...
Anyhoo, I've found time to slip the LRF out to confirm the range, check the dope card, dial the elevation, dope & hold the wind & send one his way. Also have done it by just holding over with the set substensions of the reticle...
Once you've practiced it, it don't take long at all. Should note that I'll usually laser range landmarks on an
'open stand' before calling commences. That way I can guesstimate distance on the fly should a coyote show and "hang up" in relation to one of them. Then a quick dial, or holdover and wait for the meat report
I usually know the dope for my rifle in my head, so don't even need to look at a dope card. Mrad adjustments make that easy, as it is only two numbers.
For instance:
I brought along a 1K capable rifle to Oklahoma while coyote hunting this spring, just for a goof. Here's how I set up for any potential shots...
With a good 100yd scope (turret) zero, I dialed 0.4mils UP to my 200yds zero and left it there for the beginning of every stand. That way, my point blank range is covered out to 250, where you know most coyotes are shot. So any 'normal' shots are point-n-shoot flop jobs.
Farther ranges are as follows
ele._______________ wind(full value)
300 1.0 mil___________0.4
400 1.6 mil___________0.6
500 2.4 mil___________0.8
600 3.2 mil___________1.0
700 4.2 mil___________1.2
(mils make these values easy enough to crunch for in between yardages)
With the FFP reticled scope I had on the gun, those #s work at ANY power range. So I could hold off in the reticle & fire pretty stinkin' fast if I had to, or dial the rest of the way (also pretty quickly)...
I'll readily admit that the opportunity to take a far shot on stand are RARE. But if I ever get the chance, I'm sending one with practiced confidence. And I've only killed coyotes in NY, PA, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah & Idaho, but some of those got dialed & dumped out there a ways on the 1st shot (with credible witnessses).
It takes a heckova lot longer to explain it than to employ it. Lots of guys develop their own systems, so 'my way' ain't the right way for everyone. I just like shooting in general, and messing around with these #s and shooting stuff far away is GOOD fun!
Fred
That's the same system i'm using Fred. I put it in a Butler Creek scope cap cover for reference at a glance, and it's working well for me. Got a buddy that killed 4 on the 1st shot between 470 and 785 with hsi AR-10 243/6.5-20 VX-III this past season. He has all his standard condition dope on his stock and uses an I-Pod Touch with JBM Ballistics program loaded on it and has his ballistics profile for the G7 drag function for the 87 V-Max. He calls the airport couple times a day for air density changes and he's about as close to dead on as i've ever seen with that rig of his. Fun to watch him do it (as spotter and laserer). 3 were with the VH reticle he has in that optic and the 785 yarder was dialed. It was a fast shot too.
I killed 1 at 775 couple years ago with a 140 Ballistic Tip out of a huge custom 270 WSM/8.5-25x VX-III. Had to dial the range with htis rig while the dog stopped momentarily on top of a low ridge quartering to me. Lasered it, referenced the dope on a print out i had in my pocket, tried to get my mother (my spotter...sort of) onto the dog (believe it or not) whilst dialing then reacquired the dog that was still there, and fired. Gun was so heavy it just elevated a bit and then came right back down onto the bipod legs and i watched the dog just fall over dead. Dialing's great when they get out yonder a piece.
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