Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints #2 lead for predators

Has any body used a magnum 12 gage load of #2 lead on coyotes bobcats and such at say 50yds or less. A friend wanted mr to go predator hunting and i have a few boxes of 12ga 3" 1&7/8 oz. #2 shot that patterns well.
I am not interested pelt damage since most of our yotes are mangey.

I’ve shot a bunch of coyotes with copper plated lead #2’s and like them better than BB’s but not as good as #4 Buck or the T shot dead coyote load. If I had some 1 7/8 oz 2’s I would use them. In a properly chocked 12 gauge you will turn them inside out at 50 yards. Can’t comment on the bobcats.

I have used it, lead #2's. I like it fine for 35-ish yards. It is a great fox loading but big furred out coyotes max it out at longer ranges. It's all about the pattern and penetration. Coyotes at hard angles, quartering away or dead away at over 40 yards are troublesome for lead #2's. Be prepared to shoot again if you knock one down and it acts as if it might get up, apply more lead and quickly.

I am also going to try and get bobcat as well , I could have killed some during deer season but i was unwilling to stir up the woods at the time . I would rather hunt one than it be a target of opportunity

Smaller shot works well, keep the velocity up for the penetration. 12ga, I shoot a 1 1/4 oz load at 1400 fps, #2's, buffered in an extra full choke. This load with long shot in a RP wad patterns really great and kills well.

Pattern your shotgun, try various screw in chokes, kicks butt kicker and carlson's various chokes work very very well.

Bob cats are easier to kill than coyotes.

#2 lead shot is my favorite for coyotes, BB is second and #4 buckshot a distant third. My use of a shotgun is in wooded/brushy area where seeing more than 40 yards is rare. This is where I try to use up my old goose loads but I seem to end up with more rounds than I shoot as others give me a box here and there.

The 2s will do a good job on bobcats, as someone else mentioned they are easier to kill than coyotes. I almost prefer shooting cats with a shotgun as the holes are a lot easier to stitch up making for a nicer looking pelt. That gives me a higher price for the pelt which helps pay for a tank of gas.

Well fellas weather permitting i will be testing load combinations this week, I have a older pattern master and a Rem choke X-full turkey choke. As for ammo I have on hand fiochee 2 3/4 #4 buck, Rio 2 3/4 00 buck , rem 3"nitro mag #2 shot that intend to test at 40yds on a circle the dia of a 5 gal bucket. i will have some results in a few days My shot gun is a Rem 870 turkey special 21 inch barrel.

As others have said, #2 lead is plenty for coyotes out to 40-45 yards on broadside shots. On fox and bobcat it’ll be very very good to 50 or so as they are much thinner skinned and quite easy to kill. Get them in close and it will role them with authority!

Good luck on your hunt. Youre about to get addicted to calling varmints. And remember you can NEVER beat a coyotes nose. Never. If they get down wind of you you’ll never see them again.

When we were restricted to #2 for coyotes I used it quite a bit with full and turkey chokes out of my Ruger Red Label, Win. XX 17/8 copper plated and was not happy. I rolled quite a few and needed a second shot, also lost some, and no where near 50 yds. I guess it depends on the coyote size, most males here seem to be 38-45 pounds , the females in the mid 30's,with thick fur and bones. I carry a fish scale with me and weigh most, never broke 50 pounds yet. I settled on 3" BB and Dead Coyote in the shotgun. Look at a "2 and a BB side by side and see . I've always thought, and maybe wrong, but that penatration was more a matter of weight than velocity, and that more velocity gives more recoil. I mostly carry my Drilling now so if they don't get real close I use the rifle.
Just my opinion from my limited experience. Here most Bobcats are under 30 pounds, and fox 12-15 pounds . I don't hunt fox. I only shot one coyote with #4 buck so really can't say.

When we were restricted to #2 for coyotes I used it quite a bit with full and turkey chokes out of my Ruger Red Label, Win. XX 17/8 copper plated and was not happy. I rolled quite a few and needed a second shot, also lost some, and no where near 50 yds. I guess it depends on the coyote size, most males here seem to be 38-45 pounds , the females in the mid 30's,with thick fur and bones. I carry a fish scale with me and weigh most, never broke 50 pounds yet. I settled on 3" BB and Dead Coyote in the shotgun. Look at a "2 and a BB side by side and see . I've always thought, and maybe wrong, but that penatration was more a matter of weight than velocity, and that more velocity gives more recoil. I mostly carry my Drilling now so if they don't get real close I use the rifle.
Just my opinion from my limited experience. Here most Bobcats are under 30 pounds, and fox 12-15 pounds . I don't hunt fox. I only shot one coyote with #4 buck so really can't say.

Sorry about the duplicate post

Regarding No. Four Buck, from a properly choked shotgun it has been the gold standard coyote load for a very long time. With the introduction of denser than lead tungsten and TSS, lead No. Four Buck lost ground as the best of the best. With that said, it is still as good as it ever was and by far the best bang for your buck vs. the cost of TSS loads.

old Gerry Blair used a 10 gauge with copper plated BB`s i have the same shotgun and both #2 `s and BB`s i like the BB`s better coyotes in Minnesota can be bigger. does anyone remember what old Gerry Blair called his Ithaca 10 gauge ? Moosedick . i have the same shotgun believe me its a hell of a killer !

Pick up a patternmaster choke tube that fits your favorite shotgun.....either the long range or extended range model. I prefer the non ported ones.

The way they are designed, the bigger the shot, the tighter the pattern. Goose hunters, with large steel shot, swear by them. For coyotes, out in the open desert country, I use #4 buck out of a SP-10. When you call in multiple dogs, your 2nd and 3rd shots are going to be at coyotes asses. You'll need the extra penetration of #4 buck. 1st shot, smaller pellets would be more likely to work, with a closer coyote facing you, or broadside.

Andy3

PS. I remember reading Gerry Blair, in Trapper and Predator Calling magazines, in the early 80's......I was a BIG fan of his, and applied what he wrote to NM coyotes. Loved his style of writing!

I have a Remington 11/87 with an extra full rem choke that patterns the Remington 3" #4 buck in a 20" circle at 40 yards with 00 and 000 buck going in a 14" circle at 40 yards.

My #4 buck shot remington load is good on coyotes to 60 yards that I have shot.

Gerry Blair's 10ga was called Moose Dick....Ithaca 10g gas operated semi auto, I used two of them, 32" full chokes with a 60 yard shot being a done deal on coyotes.

As the yardage increased, so the need of multiple shots on coyotes, which is very common with BB and #4 buck. Over time, I figured that it took 4 solid hits with #4 buck to put a coyote down for keeps. Speed on BB is a big plus, drop your pay load, increase your speed for penetration, compensate with extra choke.

Coyotes are tough animal to kill and keep down, as they have a will to live like no other.

For shot gun lovers that want the most out of their shotguns, consider reloading and watching, Bubba Round Tree shot gun reloading on You Tube.

Wade is the modern P.O. Ackley of reloading shot gun shells for long range on deer and predators.

Check out Wade's patterns at some extended distance, and I substitute my own #4 buckshot in Wades loads for 0 and 00 buckshot loads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=688KkPzDXrU

Gerry named his 10ga “Moose Dick”, as I recall.

Gerry named his 10ga “Moose Dick”, as I recall.
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He also said, that breakfast for coyote callers, was snot-cicles and coffee!

He also called in coyotes, while he was wearing a Santa Claus suit, to prove sitting still was more important than camo.

I hate that he is gone....

Andy3

I've killed many, many predators with shotguns. #4 buck is not and never was a " great" coyote load simply because of pellet count. You will have holes in your Pattern . Smaller pellets will ALWAYS pattern better.

#2 lead is about as small as I go for coyotes and it's a 40 yard load at best. As you go up in size your penetration and kill improves but your pattern suffers. I have used #2 hevishot for many years. It patterns great and kills great. A 1 ⅝ oz load at 1450 fps is good in my guns to 75 yards.

The new TSS is better yet. The good stuff is very expensive though.

#2 would be great for bobcats and fox if your shotgun patterns it well. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it for coyotes but would probably limit the range to say 35 and in. If you’re thinking 50 or more with lead shot, I’d want plated BB at least, #4 buck would be better but that’s less pellets so it’s important to know your patterns at different ranges.

TSS changes all this, can use #4-#2 shot at further range because it typically patterns very well at further ranges and is much denser than lead to penetrate thick fur. $$$$$$

Leady- how did your #2 's do?