coyote hunting

[mk9]

What do you use if you're keeping the hides? I'm thinking of a .204 Ruger
Where would one go in NorCal?
How would one learn to call?

[chickenhawk]

i use a 17 fireball and it is real easy on the hides..i think a 204 would put a pretty nice size hole in the hide

[222thedeuce]

to tear up hides. I personally prefer the .222 Remington but that is my choice. I can tell you the one coyote I say that dad shot with a .204 when I skinned her out I was able to insert my closed fist into her chest cavity with ease. The 22 cal 50 gr V max's do a good job and are heavy enough to penetrate before expanding. I would recommend staying with the mid to heavier weight bullets for a little better penetration before expansion. We are still insearch of the "perfect" hide bullet for every time. Chad

[kevin.rodwell@bigpond.com]

to tear up hides. I personally prefer the .222 Remington but that is my choice. I can tell you the one coyote I say that dad shot with a .204 when I skinned her out I was able to insert my closed fist into her chest cavity with ease. The 22 cal 50 gr V max's do a good job and are heavy enough to penetrate before expanding. I would recommend staying with the mid to heavier weight bullets for a little better penetration before expansion. We are still insearch of the "perfect" hide bullet for every time. Chad

G/day fellas,when I was fox shooting for money for the skins I was using Speer .45gn SPs in my REM788 .222 using 19.5 gns of AR2207(H4198,Re7,IMR4198,W680)which was a mid range load and it performed quite well out to approximately 150-200yds which was where I encountered most of the foxes in the spotlight.I always tried to either head shoot or chest shoot them as this was where minimal damage to the skin occured but if you hit them anywhere else it would tear huge holes in the pelt and would turn a potential $40-$60 skin into a $15-$20 skin.Hope this helps,regards:)

[Catfish]

I had bad luck with the .204. I hit 4 in 1 day, knocked 1 down 3 times, and ran over 1 with my truck after I shot it and never got a 1. I was shooting the 32 gn. Sierra bullets so I went home and called Sierra. They said their bullets were for thin skinned varmints and not tough enough for coyotes. Excellant groundhog bullet and the most accurate in my CZ. Sierra .204 bullets have a .009 thick jacket and Hornadys have a .014 thick jacket. I have since built a .22-6mm and blow big hole in them and don`t worry about it, but from what I read the .35 Berger seems to be the bullet of choice for coyotes in the .204.

[Darrel in Minn]

Remington Accutips on coyotes. If you are saving the fur I would stay away from plastic tipped bullets. I have been hearing good things on the Berger HP's. There are an abundance of calling tapes out there. I personally like the ones from ELK and Predator Quest. Darrel

[John in CA.]

I too am a fan of the 222 for coyotes, and many bullets will work. The 204 should work also, but I have seen (and heard from many others) that it has to be loaded just right to not damage pelts. Other calibers may be more forgiving.

If you live north of Sacramento, I would invest in gasoline to drive up 395 or the northeastern area, and skim the Nevada border. The valley is mostly private, though you may ask a few ranchers and get lucky.

Welcome to GGVG.