All my dedicated coyote/varmint rifles have at least a 3X9 on them. A couple have 4X12's, and 3 are 5X15's. I like plenty of magnification, especially if I'm hunting the open areas. If I'm in heavy cover, it's a simple thing to turn the scope down as low as it'll go. I've never understood why some hunters want to shy away from the higher power scopes. Just because a scope is say, a 5X15, doesn't mean that you have to set it on 15 power and leave it. I rarely crank one up all the way, but I have on long shots, or when I wanted to get a better look at something.
For me personally, I don’t want a baseball bat mounted on a rifle ruining the balance. I take far more offhand quick shots at under 100 yards varmint hunting than I do long shots from prone or a rest. And I carry a binocular for looking at things.
A 3X9 scope isn't going to be much larger than a lower power one. Same way with a 4X12X40. I have missed coyotes that came running in so close that I could not find them in the scope because I had the power turned up too high........BUT, on the flip side, I've made shots with the higher power that I would not have made if the scope had been set on the lowest power, because I was able to see better and pick a hole to shoot through in heavy cover.
It's a matter of personal choice, and I figure that you can't hit what you can't see, so I just like the extra magnification that I get on the higher powered scope. Say what you want to, but a coyote at 200 yards is a lot bigger target with a 12 or 15 power scope, than he is with a 3 or 4 power one. At least it is for me.
