Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints predator calling-shotgun set up

Heck, here I am just using my ol' Win 1300 ranger, a 22" VR barrel, factory full and extra full tubes (depending) and 2 3/4" and 3" #4 buck (again depending). Has worked for me out to 50 yards on fox and coon, haven't had the pleasure on yote yet.

You obviously live in a target rich environment and can do good work to boot......This discussion however, somehow morphed into a 3" versus 3.5" discussion. You post pics of lots of dead coyotes because you moderate a predator hunting site and as such feel compelled to photo every coyote carcass.

Myself on the other hand have only ever taken maybe three shots of dead coyotes. Not because I haven't killed a truck load but rather because a coyote, is a coyote, is a coyote. Much like turkeys, if you've seen one in a picture, you've seen them all......

All that being said, I respect your opinion and enjoyed the pics but I like meat with my potatoes. I'd love to see how you're 3.5" patterns versus my 3".....All that extra Ft-lb's of energy delivered via extra pellets means nothing if they don't strike fur! Impress me and maybe I'll go buy another 3.5"....grin!!



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Nice pics Gary. What shotgun, barrel length, and choke tube are you using? Copper plated buckshot or non plated? What's your max effective range? Sorry about all the questions. I just bought a new shotgun and want to get the most out of it. If it doesn't do what I want then I'll buy another one.

Let's discuss this quote. I'm assuming by this quote you are referring to the shot string. Meaning a static paper plate does not tell you how long your shot string is. This correlates directly to how well your load kills moving coyotes/waterfowl, agreed?

All shotguns have a shot strings, period! It's widely accepted that the shorter they are, the better a pattern kills. Again, this is especially true on the moving targets that you elude to above. The 3.5" btw, is known for extremely long shot strings....

Even a stroke victim knows when you fire a shotgun at something, not all pellets arrive on target at the same time! This blows your ft lb's of energy quotes out of the water so I won't even continue here....

I still say capturing patterns on paper is the best way to test ammo & choke combos.....Just so happens plates are cheap, plentiful and happen to approximate the size of a coyotes chest area.

Shot string discussions aside, I would love to see your patterns, 'cause your set-up is obviously working..............Question is, would 3" #4 buck have worked better on all those coyotes you posted.... (grin)?



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How would 3" have worked better? Would it have killed them more dead? LOL Wouldn't the more ft lbs of energy it has mean the shot has more kinetic energy on impact? I'm liking this post. I'm learnin how to set my shotgun up better for what I use it for. Keep all the advise comin guys.

XV and Jeremy,
It's all good. My way is neither the only way or the golden way. Kudos to all who get out and hunt. The wind is dying down here this morning, so I'm going to get out of here for a few hours myself.

I'll try to hit on some of these points. I know how it goes with a thread. Most guys don't care if it shifts topic a little for a while, but then let's head it back toward what rig everyone uses. Some guys are sick of me by now. Jeremy, I'll show you mine down at the end of this post. Then I need to bow out of this one since I don't own this thread.

Have you ever seen those threads with the smileys lined up with signs that say,"This post needs pics?" XV, your pattern photo was almost mandatory there.

Why photo every coyote? I hunt for points. One club I belong to takes the the tail as proof of kill and the other club demands a photo. You'll see a hunt card on many of those coyotes. I used them here because I'm the new guy and you don't know me. It's hard to guess where a guy fits in, whether he's brand new and is puking out stuff he read on the web, shot 2 and thinks he's the expert, or has been hunting a long time and still hasn't shot much. I took out the guesswork. I know several guys who have hunted for 10-15 years and consider themselves experts. But their body counts are under 20. Lots of posts does not equal lots of experience either. That's not the kind of mentor that a new hunter needs. Hence the photos. Sorry. Running or modding other forums, I'd like to see them from a new poster too. At DH, my own coyote blog, there are a couple of collages of full seasons, a ridiculous number of dead coyotes and a lot well known hunt partners who I was privileged to join up with for a day or two. Sorry again. In the future, I'll keep the photos to myself unless they're really really good ones.


A lot of guys will take exception to anything I write just because they can. They shot 8.. or 28. 'Nuff said. Works for them. They know better. Seriously, I'm over the 700 mark on the coyotes over a lot of years. My game started to improve in about '95. Not as many as Rio7, but an honest 30-50 every season and a few around the 100 mark. With the club that takes tails, I'm sneaking up on the award for 500. That's a landmark for most guys in this sport. There are states where 28 is a big number, but around here, that could be a very good three-day hunt.

On to patterns. I have a different idea on patterns. Please take a minute and consider it. A guy who is a perfect natural shot, and busts 24 most times at trap or skeep, can shoot almost any well pointed gun and kill stuff. I'm not telling him anything he doesn't already know. I bow down to your skill. I'm neither natural nor perfect. I like some pattern, maybe more open than other guys. I shoot a full in everything and shun the DC, coyote, turkey, extra-full, and super-full. Keeping count, way less than half of those coyotes I've shot are standing still. Some are trotting, but others are on full alert and full speed. They hop, zig, zag, and turn inside out reversing course. I figure I'm going to get a look for only a second, rarely two. The ground is never level, my swing never perfect. That's why maybe a tight pattern and longer ranges aren't the best in thick cover. Full choke is middle ground in the type of predator hunting I'm facing, small holes in thick desert scrub and coyotes blowing through for a look and never hanging out for very long. Some guys here drop down to modified.


I agree 100% on patterns for other reasons too though. It's always nice if the gun hits where it's pointed. I hate shooting one where there's a calculation every time. High right, high left, whatever. The damn shotgun needs to hit the bead. I've got one snake-barreled bitch that points the barrel one way, the rib another, and the point of impact a third. XV, you should have the ultimate confidence in your shotgun with a pattern that good.

The energy out the front doesn't compare to the energy out the back! I'm laughing a bit because anyone who's shooting 3", takes my advice, and tries some of those Winchester XB12L4 is in for a surprise. They will more than likely swap back to the 3" after a round or two, especially in warm weather clothing. In a pump or O/U, they knock you back a ways.

Jeremy, don't hate me.
Beretta 686 Onyx O/U 3.5 full,full
Browning Cynergy O/U 3.5 full,full
Beretta Extrema 2 KO 3.5 full
Benelli SBE 2 3.5 full
Remington SP 10 guage full
Mossburg 935 pistol grip w/eotech or aimpoint full

I've got dozens of chokes. Patterning gets expensive after a while. One round of bird shot, maybe a BB, one #4, add a Dead Coyote - 8$ At least I don't have to drive to find a range.

There are a ton of ways to kill a coyote. If the 3" works for you, keep after them. It kicks less. It costs less.

I still the need the posts, but if they're all like this, I might as well write a book. Now back to the 2-line drive-by howdies.

Gary I don't hate you. Envy would prolly be the better word to use. LOL That's quite the arsenal. All I have is a Benelli SBE2, Beretta TX4 Storm, 2 Mossbergs in a 835 Ulti-mag and a 930 tactical/slug, and an old tried and true Remmy 870.

The 3" killed better quote was said with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, hence the "grin" that was added! If you want to set your shotgun up for coyotes what most coyote callers do is first pick your gun, then buy several different types and brands of ammo. Next buy several different chokes, then shoot every load through each choke until you find the best combo. Don't forget to clean the wad material from the chokes often as you pattern. Lastly, you trip the left overs in the classified for a loss and carry on with confidence.

It's usually expensive and many guys will not set aside the time or money to do it. Usually these are also the guys that once killed a coyote at 80yds with a "magic pellet" then come on the net and tell everyone they have an 80 yd coyote scattergun..... Fact is, 60 yrd reliable shotgun/load combos do not grow on trees and you damn sure wont get there with more "open patterns" be it with 3" or 3.5".......

MOCG, has done a lot of work with shotgun patterns and can likely save you some time and money by recommending some starting points with constrictions for your gun and the shot size you want to shoot......Shoot him a PM! Nice guy, and willing to help!!


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My comment back was said with a grin too XV. I even threw in a lil smarta** giggle. LOL I really appreciate all the help I'm gettin from all you guys on here. Like you said it's expensive to find out what's best so I'm just tryin to save a few bucks. Hopefully all yalls info will help me do that. Safe huntin everybody!!!!

60 yard is a long shot, do your homework to ensure success.

Pattern your shotgun, know your point of impact vs your aim.

Don't have a plug in your shotgun unless it is required by law.

Start your pattens off with full, then extra full, then turkey chokes on any shot you decide to shoot.

I hunted a lot with an Ithaca 10ga auto-32" full choke, 60 yds was a good shot with it, 80 yards was IFFY at best, 2 1/2 oz of BB's, or 54 pellets of #4 buck.

HEAVY PAY LOADS = slow velocity

SBEII. PATTERNMASTER and #4 buck

I use a SBE with heavy shot typically buckshot, and a semi- auto rifle

I use an 870 with a barrel set-up just for predator hunting. Kinda old technology today with the invent of newer lights, but I'm still using a Lightforce Pro light system with quick release gun mounts. Using lead, I prefer #4 buck, and I use whatever combination for the best pattern. My barrel was modified by a guy who builds custom turkey guns with custom chokes. It'll pattern well with most #4 buck loads. Best performance for coyote, however, has been with Dead Coyote Ts using a Dead Coyote choke. Regardless how well #4 buck patterns in my gun, the T gives me a denser pattern with higher pellet counts, and it hits very hard at longer ranges. I saw a review/test that showed T pellets shot from a Dead Coyote load retaining enough energy to penetrate vitals on a coyote, downrange, to a distance of around 100 yards. Of course, I don't think anyone can hold any sort of pattern that distance, so a hit would be pure luck. But inside that distance, you can effectively dump coyotes with Dead Coyote as far as you can hold a pattern, which is pretty darn far in my experience.

When on the cheap, I fall back on #4 buck, but when I want to let it rip, I grab the Dead Coyote.

Best

I have used my 870 with PatternMaster choke and Dead Coyote or Rem HD bb's

My last two shotgun yotes have fallen to my Browning Citori with Terror .675 choke and Rem HD bb's and Federal Heavyweight BB's

This one came into a foxpro coyote and rabbit sound less than a minute after turning it on. Wingmaster supermag 28 inch barrel,jellyhead .665 and 3.5 inch dead coyote.

Might have to forget my earlier post about using my express this gun just feels right after shooting clays all summer and birds all fall.

benelli m2, 26", patternmaster long range ported, #4 buck 3" Remington loads...