guys--as all of you very experienced hunters know, most anything will work--and in a few situations, i've even used the lowly .22 lr and .38 special to "power the crafty canines to the other side."
the job can be done with "most any type of reasonable rig at reasonable ranges"...
as i mentioned before, i'd take the .223 rem--with heavier bullets--over the .204, if only because i've learned firsthand how tenacious coyotes can be--and i'm not really a fan of the .223 rem. for yip dogs either, and i really like--and use--the .204 ruger, but for lesser critters...
nevertheless, my good friend bob s. (he trains many of the gov't trappers, and made his living for a time hunting coyotes), has killed a bargeload of coyotes with an 18 1/2 inch barrel .222 rem. using either 50 gr. rem. metal case bullets, or his own that he made from solid copper wire. his outer limit for that rig was about 500 yards, making nearly all one shot kills even at that range--but he has an extraordinary level of skill and experience, and the only guy that i know of personally--and have hunted with--that has more of same is my old hunting friend pat (scenarshooter).
bob liked that combo because it was light in weight, and easy on fur. so, to be sure it can be nicely done with lesser rigs...
but if someone--possibly a beginner (and of course i'm not implying that the person asking this question is a beginner), asks a question about a potentially useful caliber/rig for hunting these critters, it's usually better to advise a little more steam--rather than less, and also good to advise pills that are easier on skins, unless pelt damage is not an issue.
personally, i prefer the .22-250 rem. with 53 gr. hornady hp bullets--or the swift with the same pill, and have used the bigger cased .22cf on yotes for about 40 years now--and i've found they are about as good as it gets.
however, if i were 18 years old and starting over today, i'd get a .243 win. and drive the 65 gr. v max pill in it "till there ain't no more", which by the way, is a rig i also happen to use on occasion...and there is a hatful of other heavier pills that will also work even better if stretching things out a little farther...
the neat thing i find here on the campfire, is that there is an incredible number of very talented guys out there, and many of them have a great deal of hunting/shooting experience, as is certainly evidenced by folks here in this thread.
(regarding the 52 gr sierra hp--it can be a really accurate pill in many rigs, but if using it on yotes and hide damage is an issue--expect to buy a little more thread...)
