Shot placement on a coyote

K

kel

New member
We can use any caliber for coyotes down here but bobcat and fox have to be rimfire only. I've been using my .22 mag for night hunting just to cover all 3 animals. And although fox and bobcat season is closed, I still prefer the .22 mag at night as it doesn't attract so much attention.

My question is this. If you have a coyote facing you from 100 yards or less where do you put the shot for the best chance you don't have to go on a long hike tracking a wounded dog? Neck, chest? I'm not that familiar with a coyotes anatomy.
 
I dunno 'bout that. A head on facing you coyote at night shot with a .22 Magnum from field shooting positions at 100 yards? Makes me wonder, if all things are equal and shot placement is good, I'd still think the odds of a tracking job is excellent in that situation.

Let me explain my thinking... Unlike on a broadside shot where you get a bilateral lung shot to do damage to two lungs, here you only get one. The little slow bullet (compared to a centerfire) also has to slip around the skeletal structure or break some bone to reach the chest wall from head on. Bone breaking is a real consideration in this scenario. A centerfire can wreck havoc on the complete interior chest because of velocity. The rimfire doesn't have that explosive velocity that breaks bones and fragments and jellfies the insides as with a higher velocity centerfire. It's been a long time since I've shot one with a .22 Magnum, but I'm not sure I remember even broadside coyotes being "DRT" with most running at least some distance before giving up. From memory I think I used the Winchester 40 gr. hollowpoint back in the day. Maybe I'm just getting old and playing it safe, but I'd say the head on shot will require tracking. With all that said, the center chest is better than the headshot IMHO. Way too much can go wrong there.

I don't know if I caught it or not, is the shotgun an option? That'd be my preference with a good load and choke combo.
 
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Shotgun is #2 shot or smaller for bobcat and fox, at least that's last years law. The .22 magnum is my gun of choice since you can have a bobcat or fox come in also. I can see and ID out to about 65-70 yards at night now. My new light setup should get me to 100 yards easily. I'm going to limit shooting any further than that with the .22 mag. A shotgun with #2 or smaller shot is going to bring that distance way closer. So a shotgun is an option, but not a great one.
 
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I believe Georgia has tried to make it so a hunter that's in the tree stand or blind while they are deer hunting can't just pick off a fox or bobcat as they made the rules for those 2 to be with small game firearms and ammo only.
 
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I still think 100yds or less a center shot in the chest to hit the heart would be the best shot.

Just my opinion also is that over 100yds, the 22mag is not a viable coyote hunting caliber.
 
I've shot 2 coyotes in the Throat area. Both coyotes were shot with a .223 cal.

Top pic that CV32 has shown.
Shot one coyote as it ran all out directly at me. Put a bullet in it's front [lower neck] area. Where the windpipe joins the lungs. That coyote was stone dead after it rolled to a stop.


2nd coyote I hit him [mid neck], as it angled running past me. Bullet hit that coyote in the windpipe & Carotid Artery. Coyote was stone dead when it stopped rolling.
 
Aim for the middle, to just above middle, of the chest for the straight on shots, which are about half of the shots I get. If you hit too low, you just get brisket meat. Too high, and you get a head shot, which is fine for a centerfire but don't get it done with a rimfire (personal experience). I live in Georgia too, so I feel your pain.
 
I use #4 buckshot or Dead Coyote T-shot loads. I took a bobcat with a T-load and Dead Coyote choke at 67 yards. T-shot is .20cal pellets. But it will ball up a coyote just fine. I would be a little more concerned about a .22 mag, but it all is in the shot placement. Just be ready for a quick back up shot if he doesn't go down right away.
 
I've never tried to shoot a coyote with a .22 Mag, but if you "must", I also recommend just above mid-chest as possibly your best choice.
(Years ago, in a pinch, I tried shooting a few w/.22LR, but I'll never recommend that.)
Since you state that fox/bobcats are not in season, if it was me, I'd opt to bump up to a centerfire.

Also...again, since fox/bobcats aren't on the menu right now...why not use a 12 guage?
Unless the law states that you must use #2 or smaller for COYOTES, pick BB, #4B, or Dead Coyote...& try to get your coyotes in closer than that 100 yd range.
It sounds to me like, even though you're not hunting those other species right now, you're still letting them affect your coyote hunting.
Feel free to tell me to go jump in a creek, as I certainly am not trying to stir up any trouble. That's not my style.
I'm just giving my opinion.
 
I would love to be able to tell you definatively one way or the other how the Mag would do in this situation, but the truth of the matter is that I have never shot a coyote with a Mag.

Every coyote I have ever shot that was facing me was hit right between the scapulas and all folded up like a lawn chair with that instant "rigor mortis" thing they do except for one. Ofcourse they were all shot with centerfires (.223, 6x45 and .308) to which isn't exactly apples to apples.

I don't have many pics of coyotes because I got into the wonderful world of digital cameras just at the tail end of last season.

This coyote was hit facing me between the scapulas with a 53gr V-Max Hornady Superformance @ 80yds and dropped like a stone.
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This coyote was hit facing me with a slight angle with a 55gr TSX, you can just make out the exit in the off shoulder and it required a follow up shot as it was spinning (shot that is far back). I don't think I caught enough meat or bone for the first projectile to function properly.

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Chupa
 
Some of ya’ll are straying from the question at hand. There is no doubt with a center fire. Center chest it's all over with a center fire. It's the low velocity rim fire magnum at 100 yards that would cause me concern. I've shot some with a .22 Magnum and also a few with a .22 Hornet. There isn't a huge difference in velocity of the older factory loads between those two cartridges. But the impact difference on coyotes was quite noticeable to me. The .223 even much more so and the .22-250 is in another league. Then you get into the big boomers for coyotes like the .243/6mm, .25-06, ect. which is way off topic but they are flat out true hammers. And its apples to orangutans to compare a rim fire 40 gr. at 1,900 fps to a center fire 55 gr. at 3,200 fps. Pertinent to this discussion is the 1,900 fps… that isn’t much to begin with and at 100 yards is less so. I think you’ll be tracking some coyotes. But I could easily be wrong, go shoot some and report back your findings.
 
Originally Posted By: GCSome of ya’ll are straying from the question at hand. There is no doubt with a center fire. Center chest it's all over with a center fire. It's the low velocity rim fire magnum at 100 yards that would cause me concern. I've shot some with a .22 Magnum and also a few with a .22 Hornet. There isn't a huge difference in velocity of the older factory loads between those two cartridges. But the impact difference on coyotes was quite noticeable to me. The .223 even much more so and the .22-250 is in another league. Then you get into the big boomers for coyotes like the .243/6mm, .25-06, ect. which is way off topic but they are flat out true hammers. And its apples to orangutans to compare a rim fire 40 gr. at 1,900 fps to a center fire 55 gr. at 3,200 fps. Pertinent to this discussion is the 1,900 fps… that isn’t much to begin with and at 100 yards is less so. I think you’ll be tracking some coyotes. But I could easily be wrong, go shoot some and report back your findings.


LOL! GC, when I decided to post in this thread, my original intent was to re-enforce what you had said and I think I may have bird walked a bit.......and then forgot
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. I too think that the depth or length of travel to vital organs may be elongated on a frontal shot. Couple that with the lower velocities and smallish projectiles does sound less than favorable or ideal.

My original intent was to illustrate that even with a sturdy'sh centerfire projectile nothing is written in stone as in the case of my spinner above, much less with a rimfire. Although don't confuse what I'm saying either! I'm not saying that the MAG isn't a viable coyote chambering, just that shot selection may be a little more critical.

You didn't actually expect me to be coherent did you?
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Chupa
 
All of my frontal shot yotes have succumbed to either a 22-250 shooting 50GR VMAX, or, 7MM REM MAG and 154GR SSTs. I have never shot one with a .22MAG. I HAVE shot one in the face with a .22LR at 30 yards. That one just became disoriented until I could put a few more(semi-auto) into his head and finish him. I have had 2 'yotes haul butt for a fair distances even after the perfect face on chest shot with the 22-250. The hydrolic shock from the 22-250 is much greater than the .22MAG. I would feel uncomfortable in relying on the .22MAG putting them down with a frontal shot-consistentally. Just my 2cts worth.
 
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Frontal shots. I shot one other coyote head on. I was useing a .30cal M1 carbine, 110gr FMJ. I got to within 75' or so away. Coyote was bedded down facing me. Coyote quickly seen me, sat up facing me & ready to run.

I took quick aim & shot him right between the eyes useing 110gr FMJ. Coyote rolled over backwards. Then quickly got to his feet & staggered then ran in a small circle. Rifle jammed[stinken M-1]. Bro then shot that coyote with his long barrel .357 super mag in the heart area. Coyote flopped down stone dead.

Took a look at where he was shot between the eyes. Bullet penetrated under the flesh/skin, careened off of the skull under the skin. Et exited taking out the coyote's R-eye. 110gr FMJ, never penetrated it's skull.
 
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