Scope power for coyote rifle?

[NMCoyoteHunter01]

What’s you favorite scope power when calling coyotes?

 

[tuffcrk14]

I’ve used 3x9, 3.5x10, 4x12, and 4x16. I personally like my 3.5x10 because it has a 50mm objective and collects light the best for night hunting and low light conditions. It feels like a good middle ground for me. I’ve felt more confident with it than the others because I can cycle from 10x down to 3.5x a lot quicker than 16x to 4x in a pinch


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[ChrisA]

I've killed more called coyotes with a 1.5-6x Bausch&Lomb 4200 elite than any other scope.

Chris

 

[Cheesehead_Gunner]

I prefer my 4x12. Sometimes they can be at a far distance in my area.

 

[MHWASH]

I prefer a 2-10 power range. One thing that helps greatly is going with a 30mm tube. You gain a bunch of field of view over the 1”.

 

[RUM61]

I prefer a 2-10 power range. One thing that helps greatly is going with a 30mm tube. You gain a bunch of field of view over the 1”.

I agree with that power range, gives you plenty of reach and FOV at the same time. Strange as it is, a buddy who use to hunt tournaments out here likes a fixed 6x for his calling and loves his 17 Rem.

 

[Dr. Zeus]

2x10 vortex razor lh

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[Northpark]

1-6x for me on my AR. I leave it in 1x red dot mode while calling and can turn it up to 6x for shots out to 300 yards. I’ve shot a lot of dogs on 1x but that’s because I usually call and play clean up/watch the backdoor while my buddy is the main shooter.

 

[bigmtnhntr88]

I like my 4-12x40. leave it on 4x in case something comes in close and dial it up if they hang up further out.

 

[TheGDog]

Some things that will govern what you want in your scope for coyotes?

[Terrain/Habitat - Thicker and less visibility?]
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For thicker, I'd say ya want more FOV, ya start really liking a low-end power that let's you snap on target quick as hell. 2x or 3x. Unless the targets start getting smaller than yote, then you'll better appreciate having a low-end of like 4x.


[Light Gathering - Larger objective vs thicker tube diameter vs higher bottom-end magnification]
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Remember... the closer and closer it gets to the end of legal shooting time... the more and more you'll start having to turn-down the magnification just so you can still decently see thru the scope good enough as light is almost gone.

So in those instances I kinda appreciated the scopes where 4x is the bottom... that way even when the amount of light is forcing you to drop it all the way down to bottom-most magnification level... that's still decent enough to try to make like a 100yd shot with barely any light left on something like a yote.

If budget constraints means you can't yet afford to try a 30mm scope tube (or bigger), you can sorta get by with that cheaper glass that has a larger objective lens. So if you have to stay with 1" tube, maybe try a 50mm objective, just to give yourself those extra minutes of light at Dawn/Dusk. That is... IF your scouting and experiences end up showing you that these times of day are your bread and butter for that area.


[Multi-Use on Small Varmints too?]
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Yotes are small enough though that even at like 25yds w/ a 4x it's doable and they won't be completely filling up the FOV in your scope. Not like a MuleDeer can at those same distances where you raise up and you're like "Ahh Sh*t!" because all you see is fur. So probably a scope that starts on a 4x would be a good safe bet. And when no yotes come in, if you find yourself sometimes enjoying taking other critters like Ground Squirrels... especially 100yds+ you'll really start to appreciate having more magnification up on top than just the 9x for those very small targets. So like a 4-12 or 4-14 or 4-16. Also those higher powers can help when the terrain is very OpenCountry Desert Mountains and your rifle could pull double-duty for MuleDeer, since in those habitats it can be almost impossible to figure out how you're gonna stalk closer at all.


[Conclusion]
I'd just say really put some time into thinking realistically about how/where/when(light) you're going to be using the rifle, at the places you go to. And think about the habitat at those places, which kinds of situations does that habitat present you with? Are you sitting in Ambush in close-qaurters? Or... are you using eCaller and motion decoy at limits of their effective Remote Control distance away from you? Let that guide your scope choice. Also... have you practiced getting on target when needed with both eyes open? As per norm you should always have your scope put back on its lowest power setting to begin with just in case you happen to get a rushed Jump shot opportunity present itself. But sometimes if it's a bigger target like a deer... at like less than 25yds... if it's a 4x starting scope... you might find you'll need to keep both eyes open for a few milliseconds more until you've confirmed that the crosshair looked to be in the right area in the "Wall-o-fur" that is your scopes FOV right then, with almost no distinguishable visible landmarks on their body to give you a point of reference to know where your crosshairs is on the animal.

But.. if the vast majority of the time you believe you're likely going to be in the tight and thick ambush sits? Then maybe consider 3x or even less for the low end number.

If your terrain is more open at all, or you're pretty sure you'll also add smaller critters into the mix, go with 4x on the low end.

 

[Stubborn_bowhunter]

I have a 3-9x40 Leupold on my predator rifle.

 

[flyfisher117]

I ran a 4-16 for a long time. Now I am running a 3-15. Soon I will swap to a 5-25 and move the 3-15 to a gas gun.

 

[jhopkins]

I like something with a 1.5x or 2x on the low end.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

My choice:

 

[wood.rat.88]

What’s you favorite scope power when calling coyotes?

I have a Leupold 2-12 VX5 HD in my opinion the perfect scope!

 

[WCB]

4-16x on my .17 Hornet and my bolt .223. My AR (.223) currently has a 3-10x but thinking about switching that to a 4-16x.

Personally, I keep mine mid range on magnification. I don't have problems finding stuff in the scope at close range on higher magnifications. Also, hunt mostly in the Dakotas so open country. When dogs do hang up at 300-400 it is nice being able to zoom up on them even more so if they are facing directly at you.

 

[DCT1983]

There’s a new Athlon with FFP thats 2-12 that I really want to put on my coyote gun. Right now I run I have a Nikon 4-16 that I leave on 4 all the time because our shoes are typically pretty close. Especially now that we can hunt at night for 2 months.

 

[Dieselfitter]

2-12 power is my favorite

 

[ChrisAU]

There’s a new Athlon with FFP thats 2-12 that I really want to put on my coyote gun. Right now I run I have a Nikon 4-16 that I leave on 4 all the time because our shoes are typically pretty close. Especially now that we can hunt at night for 2 months.

I have one of those, and I'm looking for more. I love it.

 

[DCT1983]

I have one of those, and I'm looking for more. I love it.

That is good to know. I am really wanting to get one soon.