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Hunt coyotes with a .22?

jazzman111
While sighting in my .22 out on the range the other day, I found that it is so accurate, I was consistently hitting clay skeet targets on the bank 100 yards out. That made me wonder if it would be a suitable gun to hunt coyotes with. I'm assuming I would only go for a head shot and use the hottest load hollow points I can find. Comments?
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • iwannausername
    A 22 mag will let you bust clays at 200 yards all day, and has better constructed bullets (more like a down loaded 223 or similar...)
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  • gunnut505
    A 22lr doesn't reliably kill coyotes; try the 22mag or a nice 17HMR if you want cleaner kills.
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  • Blade Slinger
    Good advice, bigger is better in this case.



    quote:Originally posted by gunnut505
    A 22lr doesn't reliably kill coyotes; try the 22mag or a nice 17HMR if you want cleaner kills.
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  • LesWVa
    quote:A 22lr doesn't reliably kill coyotes; try the 22mag or a nice 17HMR if you want cleaner kills.

    Need to tell that to the WV DNR. For if you hunt Coyotes at night here. You must use a .22 rifle or smaller and if using a shotgun the shot must be #4 or smaller buckshot.
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  • spryor
    quote:Originally posted by gunnut505
    A 22lr doesn't reliably kill coyotes; try the 22mag or a nice 17HMR if you want cleaner kills.
    Agreed.
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  • Colonel Plink
    My granddad put it thus:

    "You wanna hunt coyotes, you hit 'em with something that'll knock their ass down"

    In my opinion, rimfires lack the punch. I've heard other guys talk about how effective the 17HMR is on coyotes and how little damage it does to the pelt, but I personally wouldn't use it on them.
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  • select-fire
    quote:Originally posted by LesWVa
    quote:A 22lr doesn't reliably kill coyotes; try the 22mag or a nice 17HMR if you want cleaner kills.

    Need to tell that to the WV DNR. For if you hunt Coyotes at night here. You must use a .22 rifle or smaller and if using a shotgun the shot must be #4 or smaller buckshot.





    SC requires .22 cal rimfire for night hunting. However a .22mag and .22 LR is like day and night. I shot a wild dog the other day with a .22 Mag. It left a large exit hole.
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  • jazzman111
    Funny you should mention a .223. I have a posting elsewhere asking for advice on how to get more consistent groupings from my Ruger Ranch rifle Mini-14. I'm told I should take it to a qualified gunsmith for accurizing, with is what I guess I'll need to do before using it on coyotes. My Weatherby Mark XXII is a tack driver but, as I suspected, it doesn't "reliably kill coyotes." Thanks for your replies.
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  • Captplaid
    7mm or .270. They don't get too far away.

    In Illinois you have to use rimfires only during shotgun season for deer. Basically, when the DNR stops you and you have a rifle, they have eliminated the excuse "I'm coyote hunting."

    The night season for coyotes and outside shotgun season for dear, you can use whatever round and no limit on the clip.
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  • zipperzap
    Used to hunt them all the time with .22 LR HP (scoped) and .22 WRF (unscoped)
    all the time - probably bagged close to a hundred until I got my first 7mm -
    never noticed much of a difference - dead was dead. A shot placement issue
    again. I never used the .22's on anything larger than coyotes and big jacks.
    Moved on to Javalinas with the 7mm.[:D]
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