Dead Coyote Shotgun Shells

jimhs

New member
I recently bought a new shotgun. New to me that is. It's an ESCORT MAGNUM made by Hatsan Arms in Turkey. It's a pistol grip stocked, semi-auto gun that will hold 5 rounds and will shoot 3" magnums. We hunt coyotes in the timber where I live as well as the sage brush country, but in the timber we like shotguns. What I intended to do was to shoot DEAD COYOTE hevi shot ammo out of it, until I saw the price of that stuff. So I thought I would ask some questions about it first before making up my mind to buy some of those shells. Does anyone here shoot this ammo, and do you think it is worth the price over say just plain 12 gauge shells in No. 4 buckshot? For 5 bucks a round it would have to be a whole lot better to me.

Thanks for any help making up my mind.

Jim
 
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dead coyote is good stuff. just for kicks, lets pretend that new shotgun you just got patterns dead coyote and 4 buck equally well. the dead coyote will add a few yards for good kills on coyotes.

only you can decide if you want to pay the big bucks for it. and if the shotgun wont pattern it well, that makes the decision easier.
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I agree with STS. See what patterns better. If buckshot patterns really good then save your $, if it doesnt or your still curious after the buckshot then buy and try. I shoot dead coyote 3" "T" simply because we can't use buckshot here in MA. It patterns nice out of my 11-87. Please pm me when you mess around with the escort. I'd love to hear what you think about it. Cool looking gun
 
If you can find Federal Heavyweight BB Coyote 3" 1-1/2 oz loads for about the same price try them. The Federal Heavyweight shot is denser than the Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote shot is and there is 12 more pellets per shell.
 
Ditto on the Federal BB. And for what it might be worth, my Mossberg hates the Dead Coyote loads. Won't pattern 'em and won't extract the empty hulls. But it loves the Federal BB loads. Go figure...
 
I've been shooting Dead Coyote shells in my trusty old Escort for years now. I started using T shot until I found a close out deal on the 4 buck. If you shop and get lucky there are some deals out there. The Federal heavyweight is also a great load but much harder to find these days. Good luck

Would I pay 5 bucks a shell......... most likely, I've been using it so long. Think about it, how many coyotes do you kill a year and do the math? Most folks don't think twice about paying 2 bucks for bottled water so 5 bucks a shell not an issue for me, I know it's going to good use
 
Well I've done some searching and a little research and came across a video by Les Johnson and he explains how he partnered up with Hornaday and came up with a pretty good coyote load with them. It's called Heavy Magnum Coyote and is available in 3" Magnum with either BB or 00buck. The average cost is about $13.00 to $15.00 for a box of 10. $1.30 to $1.50 a round is a lot better than $5.00 a round so I decided to try some in BB, but every website I have gone to is out of stock, so I guess it's pretty popular stuff. I requested a couple of these sites to notify me when they get some more in stock and will give it a try. On another note, I have also been trying to find one of those Randy Anderson Bark-A-Lounger chairs that he use to use all the time, but they are as hard to find as the shotgun shells. Anybody know if those are still being made or are available anywhere anymore? Sure would like to try one, but having no luck finding those either. Thanks guys for all the information and help. Really appreciate it.

Jim
 
I have the big game treestand seat, very similar to the bark lounger. Only difference is its readily available. Also you might want to check out cabelas turkey lounger or predator lounger 2.0. Little heavier but I love them.
 
No disrespect to Les Johnson he does kill Coyotes but he is no different than most good hunters. Myself and others have been killing Coyotes longer than these guys and have used a lot of different loads but it all boils down to shooting descent ranges. I think a lot of Coyotes are lost to people watching the videos of 70 yard plus shots. They are the exception. Its all marketing. What they don't tell you is how many are wounded and need follow up shots or are lost. Both "T" shot and #4 Buck are great along with BB in the non toxic version within their effective range. I switched to non toxic shot due to the fact of Hawks and Eagles feeding on the skinned carcasses. I bought several boxes of Hevi-shot years ago on sale for my 20ga. I use them for Ducks and Turkey and have killed numerous incidental Coyotes with them. Most people don't fire that many shots on a Coyote trip so find a good patterning load and stick with it. Get them close. Good luck.
 
jimhs if your shooting 40 and under try the Hornady BB with a mod or improve cylinder choke if over 40 try the new Winchester varmint X bb loads with full choke. The varmint x pattern was almost too tight up close but good at 50. The Hornady are usually always at Sportmans Warehouse the varmint X I had to buy online. The Remington 3 inch 4 buck work well as well.
 
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