Lost One Today

john007

New member
Got to the end of the logging road today and walked into the wooods about 35 yards with a small field to my back along with the sun. Got some turkeys to gobble while walking in but as soon as daylight hit every thing shut up. Sood next to a tree for about 15 minutes when I saw three deer running along a path below me. I watched the direction they came from and saw another one go by. A minute later I saw it . A coyote was walking along the side of the ridge. I made a couple of soft squeals with my diaphram call and he came a trottin along.He stopped below me at what I figured to be 40 yards or less. I let him have it. He jumped 3 feet in the air and fell over the bank. I saw it roll. I racked another shell and went to looking .I got my brother skeet987 to help and we looked for about 35 minutes but it could not be found. That really su**ks. I had debated before I went out to day to load my no.#2 but I stuck with #4.Maybe a little more umphh could have put it down right there. I went back and stepped off 47 steps from where I shot to where I was squatting. What a bad morning.
 
A big MISS
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lmao
 
Yep, #4's at 40 yards... just don't get better than that - as an example of how ineffective turkey loads can be on coyotes much past 25 yards or so. It's been said here many times in the past.
 
That #4 turkey shot really doesn't penetrate to the boiler room. I shot one last year twice with #4s. Had fur flying everywhere. He was hurting but never found it. Shoot'em anyway.
 
I've never lost a yote hit with #4 turkey loads out here. Of course all shots have been under 40 yards in thick stuff..and the yotes run smaller out this way.
 
I've had just the opposite results MT, just plain bad terminal performance with the turkey loads. And, the farthest I've shot one with the turkey loads has been around 35 yards. I used Federal Premium and Winchester XX 3" Magnums #4's through a tight patterning Remington 870 with a good turkey choke and the end result was pretty dismal on about a dozen coyotes. A step up to BB's and No. Four Buck was a huge positive difference for me.
 
I had thought about taking No.2 for the turkey season.I had figured that would have given me a little more bang with out losing pellet count but for some reason I changed my mind. I could have taken BB`s or 4B ,but if I had a hung up gobbler I may have been wishing for NO.4 shot.Probably should have used the 2`s
 
Even if it were legal here during turkey season I wouldn’t shoot coyotes while I’m hunting gobblers. But if you choose to do so then trying to mix your shells to cover both kinds of game is a waste of time IMHO. Gobblers and coyotes are different and need different loads unless the coyote is close, say less than 25 yards, and less than 20 yards is better yet with a turkey load IMHO. You are turkey hunting, choose the best load for turkeys and let any coyotes walk if they are past 20 yards – you aren’t that mad at coyotes that you feel the need to blast at them regardless, are you?
 
No I `m not mad at coyotes, but since we can`t hunt coyotes in the woods after small game season,this is like the only chance a person could really have to hunt woods. If the gobblers are henned up, take a couple of calls with you and at least you may have something to anticipate. We have to be out of the woods by 1:00 pm so instead of going home early make good use of your time .
 
Gotta go with GC on this one. Even 3 1/2" 12 ga. Hevishot turkey loads won't reliably bring down a yote outside of about 20 yards, in my bitter experience.

Hevishot Dead Coyote load #T's are another matter. Just gotta keep up with which ammo is in which pocket.
 
I know I had #4 Buck in my Turkey vest but when I saw the yote he was sniffing around the side the ridge. I was trying to judge the distance. I shot thinking 35 yards .It was a pretty steep drop over the path and I knocked him over it. I don`t think I could squeak him any closer. My bad.
 
Interesting thread.

Back in 2000, when the coyote season was new in New Jersey, #4 bird shot was all that was permitted for hunting coyotes.

I had a spinner shot with #4 that I never found....very frustrating.

A few years later the state permitted #2 shot. Now we can use BB and T shot.
 
Originally Posted By: 4949shooterInteresting thread.

Back in 2000, when the coyote season was new in New Jersey, #4 bird shot was all that was permitted for hunting coyotes.

I had a spinner shot with #4 that I never found....very frustrating.

A few years later the state permitted #2 shot. Now we can use BB and T shot.

In Georgia, we're limited to #2 or smaller for bobcats and foxes, but (thankfully) not for coyotes. Also only rimfires for cats and foxes. I suspect that the people who came up with this inane law have never shot a bobcat.
 
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