mcseal2
WKR
- Joined
- May 8, 2014
- Messages
- 2,676
Got a couple more today. The first one I got while working this morning. I was hauling a round bale on my flatbed to carry extra for Dad, he had 2 more bales on the tractor. I spotted a coyote in some tall grass that thought he was hidden. The new custom 243 was riding along this morning with the handload I worked up over the last few days I wanted to try. The coyote was only 135yds out so the 85gr Speer SPBT was still moving pretty good when it hit him, muzzle velocity is 3333fps. The entrance was right behind the shoulder and small, the exit was mid-rib on the offside and about 3". This may not be a fur friendly load, but it sure hammers them.
When we got work done I patterned my 870. I don't turkey hunt anymore so I thought I'd make that my coyote shotgun. The original barrel threw every buckshot pattern I tried about a foot and a half high at 40yds. I bought a 20" smoothbore barrel with rifle sights on it and a Carlsons coyote choke tube. It took some sight adjustment to the left, but now Federal Premium 3" #4 buck loads are hitting where the sights are at 50yds. Patterns would be a bit iffy at 50yds. 45yds they are plenty tight, and 40 they are wicked. I had 3 different 3" #4 buck loads to try, this was the slowest but best patterning for me.
That done I headed out to call a coyote. It was pretty windy so I tried a tactic I saw on a video this week from TBR outdoors. I set the FoxPro, Mojo Critter, and squirted some Coyote Juice out where the wind would carry the sound/scent into the timber. Then I backed off to the side about 60yds and set myself up, so that anything coming into the call from directly downwind wouldn't smell me. I heard a coyote howl nearby while setting up my last set about 4:15pm, just a single yote. I howled back with the FoxPro female howls and waited. No response, no coyote. I tried some Lucky Bird distress calls on low volume and still nothing. After a period of silence I tried some more female howls, then a male challenge howl. I gave it a couple more minutes of silence and then hit the Robin Distress. About 5 minutes later a big coyote popped out of the timber at 300yds. I stayed quiet until he stopped, then hit the Luscious Lips coaxer on the FoxPro. He trotted in along the timber until directly downwind of the call, then started coming straight toward it. He stopped to check things out at 150yds and I was on him at that point, I went ahead and shot him. He was only about 80yds from the call and decoy, but with me sitting off to the side the shot was a bit longer. I used my DPMS Prairie Panther with the RAM 55gr V max load it shoots at 2962fps. That rifle is really picky but shoots that well. It did very little damage hitting the chest of the big male.
When we got work done I patterned my 870. I don't turkey hunt anymore so I thought I'd make that my coyote shotgun. The original barrel threw every buckshot pattern I tried about a foot and a half high at 40yds. I bought a 20" smoothbore barrel with rifle sights on it and a Carlsons coyote choke tube. It took some sight adjustment to the left, but now Federal Premium 3" #4 buck loads are hitting where the sights are at 50yds. Patterns would be a bit iffy at 50yds. 45yds they are plenty tight, and 40 they are wicked. I had 3 different 3" #4 buck loads to try, this was the slowest but best patterning for me.
That done I headed out to call a coyote. It was pretty windy so I tried a tactic I saw on a video this week from TBR outdoors. I set the FoxPro, Mojo Critter, and squirted some Coyote Juice out where the wind would carry the sound/scent into the timber. Then I backed off to the side about 60yds and set myself up, so that anything coming into the call from directly downwind wouldn't smell me. I heard a coyote howl nearby while setting up my last set about 4:15pm, just a single yote. I howled back with the FoxPro female howls and waited. No response, no coyote. I tried some Lucky Bird distress calls on low volume and still nothing. After a period of silence I tried some more female howls, then a male challenge howl. I gave it a couple more minutes of silence and then hit the Robin Distress. About 5 minutes later a big coyote popped out of the timber at 300yds. I stayed quiet until he stopped, then hit the Luscious Lips coaxer on the FoxPro. He trotted in along the timber until directly downwind of the call, then started coming straight toward it. He stopped to check things out at 150yds and I was on him at that point, I went ahead and shot him. He was only about 80yds from the call and decoy, but with me sitting off to the side the shot was a bit longer. I used my DPMS Prairie Panther with the RAM 55gr V max load it shoots at 2962fps. That rifle is really picky but shoots that well. It did very little damage hitting the chest of the big male.