Asking honestly here, have you ever actually shot a coyote with a .17 HMR? I've seen many pics and vids of yotes taken w/ .17 hmr. And Bobcats taken w/ .17 HMR.
Last yote I shot double-lung with the .223 Rem 35gr NTX loading fr Hornady at like 15yds when he stopped... he ran too! (Miraculously) About... maybe 25yds away? Maybe 35yds total? He escaped in like an "L" shape escape route.
My point being, as long as it's like a situation of calling the yote in nice and close (like 35yd and under), I highly doubt there'd be much difference tween .17 HMR hit and .223 Rem hit. I know .17 HMR can go thru 3/8" thick mild steel tubing, 1 wall of it anyway, at 100yds. (Also in this pic is a Muley Scapula, also set out at 100yds, and you can see he projectile which I recovered from that steel tubing somebody left out there.)