Predator Hunting

You need a Great Pyrenees. They will take down and kill coyotes. Not much they won't back down from. But typically a coyote won't get close enough. I've had four of them - three being working dogs.
My vet told me of a pack hunting his barn dog-Labrador. Five or six of them circling his dog when he started shooting them. When he'd killed a few of them, the rest finally took off.

This is the vet who chastised me for using a 22 to dispatch sick animals around the yard like raccoons and opossums. He was vehement that I should be using centerfire.

His grand-daughter was the Indiana High school marksmanship champion and got a scholarship to a college with a shooting program. Between her shooting skills and his being a veterinarian, I take his word for it, next time, I'll likely use something like a 223 or M1 Carbine to dispatch animals that shouldn't be around during the day or awake in winter.
 
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Bannon88

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2004
1,967
0
50
Columbia, IL
I own a large chunk of property on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River bottom. We hunt coyotes from the hills as they cross the open areas. I have used all kinds of calibers over the years, but usually find my .243 handles everything very well. I usually hunt during the morning. There are train tracks along the bottom, after the trains pass I fire up the caller. The coyotes typically respond right away or not at all.
 
Jan 3, 2005
11,745
71
On Kennith's private island
.243 is a good caliber. Any caliber will do really, they all kill.

That said, I’ve found the small, fast, calibers are smokin these dogs. .204, .22 nosler, 224 Valkyrie, 6.5 Grendal, etc.... I moved from a 6.5 creedmore to a .224 Valkyrie on an AR platform. I like it much better. Shooting a .22 caliber bullet over 3,000fps and very rarely is there an exit hole. Tremendous internal carnage on these animals.
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
85 grain ballistic tip out of my 25-06. Like you hit them with a sledgehammer. Being here in the mid-west that's about a perfect caliber. Groundhogs and yotes, then a long-range deer gun in the fall. Plus my A-bolt is one of the few left-handed guns I've seen.

When the wife and I first started dating I'd meet her at this local bar and at some point we'd go out to the access road by the interstate. Form there I had the gun in the bed of the truck and we'd just drive along and shine a field. Not very legal but really effective. And, well..... being out in the middle of nowhere sometimes we'd put the hunt on hold for a little while.
 

bri

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
6,178
152
US
I have been circled by coyotes at campsite a couple of times. Usually one shot scares them away.