Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Minimum size Cartridge for yotes?

Shag: In the past 15 years I have killed Coyotes out just past 300 yards with my 17 MachIV and Berger 25 grain bullets.
I have also killed Coyotes with my newish 17 Remington Fireball but to date my furthest kill with it has been 220 yards.
On one of those 17 MachIV ocassions we were calling Powder River counry Coyotes and they kept hanging up out at 300 to 450 yards that long winters morning.
I tired of that and knocked one down and out with a single Harris Bi-Pod assisted bullet at 320 yards (I had time to laser range that one)!
Once back at the Varmint Mobile I decided to heck with this "program" and traded my custom 17 MachIV for my Remington 40XB-KS in 220 Swift. Then, wouldn't you know it, the next Coyote I called in appeared at less than 20 yards from that Rifles muzzle - the pelt damage was catastrophic!
You can kill Coyotes with rimfire Rifles - I have done it for at least 50 years now.
Your decision making factors should be distance - which you HAVE decided on (out to 300 yards and averaging 100 yards-ish), noise factor, pelt saving requisite or not, and the occassional Bobcat - which you would most likely wish to save the pelt/carcass of.
I would recommend for your usages that the wonderful old 223 Remington with the pelt saving yet VERY lethal Speer 52 grain hollow-point flat base bullets would fill your bill most probably!
These are accurate flat shooting bullets (out to 300 yards anyway) and yet quite fur friendly.
Back to the rimfires for a second - I have killed Coyotes with several kinds of rimfires (both brands, makes and calibers) and they have their place in Coyoting.
One of my best Coyote Hunting spots has a built in need for rimfires (quiet) - and when Hunting there I always use the wonderful 17 HMR cartridge thereabouts, anymore.
Minimums like you inquire about, out "TO" 300 yards, would be ANY centerfire Rifle cartridge with careful shot placement at standing or slow moving Coyotes!
I have killed a number of Coyotes with my 5 Varminters in caliber 204 Ruger by the way!
Out to 300 yards you could just hold on Coyote fur and fire - then go pick up or examine your 204 Ruger killed Varmint Trophy!
And they are pretty fur friendly and somewhat quieter than many in the 243 Winchester, 22-250 Remington, 220 Swift clan.
Best of luck with whichever you choose, if, you are looking for a new Coyote getter caliber.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Shag, just curious what calibers you have in your arsenal? Don't go small. You'll be kickin yourself when you muff the shot because your little bullet got into the wind. Heavier bullets in a .223, 22-250, etc. will shoot out to 300yds. with some wind effect. If you want to be damn sure go with a .243.

My personal choice .243 with a 75gr v-max. The hell with the pelts. Just kill them little bastards!

I'll be looking for a deal on either a 220swift or a 22-250.

On the smaller centerfire end I've a 257Bob that i'll someday get up and running..

I still say pound for pound dogs die much harder than deer.

My favorite is the 35 & 40 gr bergers out of my 204's followed by my T3 lite in 243 win.

A great big +1 on that.

Im a big fan of the 17 calibers and the kinlder gold bullets they seem to be a lethal combination. I have used the 27 and 30 golds in everything from the mach IV with the 27 grain bullet at about 3800 fps to the 17 predator at 4300. We just built a new wildcat that will push the little 17 caliber bullet at 4500 plus and I cant wait to try it on coyotes. Try not to overlook the little 17s they are fast flat and have virtually no recoil.

my 22-250 and 220 dont get out as often now that i have a 17 rem. i was told it was no good on yotes, BS, butt shots, guts, where ever they die right now! i like 25 grain berger MEF, or v-max, i just got some 20's to load, dont know if i'll likem yet or not.

No question about that...

I have killed coyotes with a 22mag at 40 yds with a fmj bullet hit in the head, not the best caliber to use on any coyote. If your talking taking coyotes at 300 yards, I would forget about the .222 Rem. I own one and it is great but I believe your pushing things to far at 300 yards for high percentage kills when the wind is up a little bit

The other thing you may want to consider, is weather or not your going to collect those pelts for selling at a later date. The bigger calibers tend not to be as kind to those pelts you collect..

I have a couple of friends that shoot 17's but they dont' kill yotes much past 150 yards, as their thing is calling them close before dropping the hammer on them. Seldom are shots over 200 yards for yotes in my state anyway.

I got to go with a .243 Winchester or my 25-06 for those far out youndar shots 300 yards or more. They just both do a better job on yotes than the smaller calibers will do. Now that is not to say that you can't kill them dead with the 220 Swift or 22-250 by any means, it gets done every day by some song dog hunter. I also have friends that can knock cherries off a fence post at 200 yards with their fancy AR-.223's and kill coyotes passed 300 yards.

However, when push comes to shove, it is hard to keep up with the fact that a .243, 6mm Rem. and especially the 25-06 (25 caliber) on shots on coyotes 300 yards and further downrange.

i haven't used everything out there on coyotes, but have some pretty strong opinions on what i have used...


i don't care for the .223 cartridge on long range coyotes... (beyond 200 yds) same goes for the .17 rem and the .222...
the .22-250 is IMO, probably the best dedicated coyote cartridge out there... i see coyotes in my head when i think of the .22-250...

if you use a .22-250 on coyotes you'll have a hard time switching to anything else... been there... done that....
i'm not much on remington 700s these days but i'd buy back my old ADL 22-250 in a heartbeat... except the guy that i sold it to all those years ago aint' ever gonna sell it...

i tend to ignore the .204 because i haven't tried it...

with a .243 in my hands i probably never will... boring, hard-headed, old man is what i'm turning out to be...

i am having my first 25-06 barreled up right now... used it some.. like it lots... never owned one before... i'm not so old that i don't get a bit tickled.....

don't take this wrong mw406, but in your pic, you kinda take on a sort of resemblance to the coyote... no offense intended, i mean it right!!!

I like to use my .25-06 deer rifle. Keeps me tuned up with the deer rifle, and flattens the yotes. This one was with the 115 Berger:



Did just get another .204 and am looking forward to trying it on coyotes as well. I hear the 35 gr Bergers are excellent on coyotes.

Regards, Guy

What kind of exit did that 115 gr. Berger leave?

That's a good photo, nice rifle, and a good looking coyote.

The .25-06 & 115 Berger VLD is not a hide-friendly combination... A fair bit of the other side of that coyote was well opened up.

Thanks for the compliments on the rifle & photo - as soon as I saw my first 700 CDL I ordered one. It's been a great rifle for coyotes, rock chucks and mule deer.

Regards, Guy

.50 CAL. I shot a yote with my .223 around 200 yards and it managed to get away.The coyote stood there spinning in circles for at least a minute.I thought it would fall over dead but instead it ran down the mountain side never to be seen again.I bet it's dead now though.

At that distance I'd stay with at least a 17 Rem or a 204 Ruger. A 223 AI would put them down too.

Prolly more fun too...Ya just never know whats gonna show up for dinner...