Kory: I had the high model Harris Bi-pod for the Coyote I called in and the 204 was afixed with it (the Harris bi-pod) prior to that also when I got the first two Coyotes and the Badger. They were shot from the vehicle though and I was shooting out the window using a Dog-Gone-Good window bag with the Harris bi-pod fold up. This is a wonderful new bag they brought out recently and can be seen at their site. It is an amazingly solid and quick to set up on, shooting platform. They can be see at the Dog-Gone-Good site. I use everything for shooting platforms - I have an Uncle Bucks Bags 30 pound "X" type sand bag, I have many Harris bi-pods, a home made tri-pod that I use a lot for Colony Varmint as well as a set of home-made cross sticks! I often even shoot lying prone over my day pack that has a sand bag filled with light stuff in the outside pocket. This makes a fine rest also. I use slings on rare occassions when calling Coyotes, Fox and such. Quick, steady and quiet are attributes I need in shooting rests.

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

http://www.dog-gone-good.com/

Congrats on the 'lope' sounds like a nice one. Been seeing more coyote around here as well this year, don't know why. We were processing deer yesterday at my buddies place and had to stop long enough to end one sneaky scoundrel's life about 50 yards behind the shed. The 243 put a sudden end to his morning hunt for food. The 204 needs to go in the truck on the weekends now.

Great story. I got back into centerfire after a few years. The reason? The 204 Ruger. I had to have one. It is everything I could want. Got to get up early one morning and call for yotes. 7/16" 5 shot groups are waaaay too good (for me) to waste on paper

Having experience the terminal effects on yotes and badgers, what do you think the max distance will be for the little pill (32gr) on yotes?

Does it really buck the wind that well?

Thanks for your input.

Jim

VG,......one of the days(years) I'm coming to look you up!!! WHAT FUN THAT MUST HAVE BEEN!!!!!! Were you near Cohagen or Miles City? As far as 400 yards with the .204....go for it!! So far the accurracy is amazing and an accurate shot placement beats mass and velocity in my book!!! A man's got to know his limitations though!(Clint Eastwood....Dirty Harry) The 32's seem to be accurrate and plenty enogh "umph" for a good smackdown!!! Saturday PM I put up some of the "Miller Lite" plastic bottles(prarie dog size) at 300 and 400 yards and let a couple different people take turns "dialing up and down" on the Nikon 6.5-20 and the SAVAGE VLP and causing "water explosions" with the 32's!!! They also got to use the 222MAG with 40 Sierras and the 6mm with 87 VMaxs to "bust bottles"!!! Dial it up, pull trigger!!! Can't wait to get to "dogtown" with these three!!!! GHD

Jimno2506: Yikes on that question! Hmmm..... with what I know now and what I have done with my two 204's in the past several months I would not hesitate to try a 400 yard shot on Coyotes with the 204! And this sometimes happens out here on the prairies. They will hang up or just sit down on their haunches and starting making warning (I am not sure what these yips mean when they hang up!) yips to others in the area and that seems to put an end to calling them in closer effectively. Thats when I will take my 220 Swift (or soon maybe the 204 Ruger!) and if the wind is not to bad I will take a well rested shot at them! I have had them "hang up" (sit on their haunches and start yipping) at 90 yards sometimes - this of course is a serious Coyote mistake! Anyway I am trying to recall ever getting a "sitting yipper" to come any closer to us and I do not recall a time this has come to pass! If they are way out there or the wind is blowing hard I forsake the shooting and I try to back away and come after them another day. On those other days I set up closer to the hang up spot and this on occassion works - getting me closer to the "hanging up" type Coyotes.
I forgot to mention this additional close encounter that I had the morning I shot the called pair of Coyotes in. I got in my truck and moved about 4 miles after that call in kill and I parked out in a big basin. I walked about 400 yards to the only rise in the basins bowl. I was about 25 feet higher than the valley floor. The sun was just rising in the east and about 1 1/2 miles away west of me I see a Coyote feeding on something. I had left the Varmint Rifle in the VarmintMobile as I did NOT want to be tempted to shoot in this basin as it is full of Antelope!
I watched this Coyote finish feeding in my spotting scope and it began Hunting towards me. It took 30 minutes but it eventually was within 150 yards of me and I saw it squat to pee like a female dog does. Then it moved on and the last I saw was about 600 yards away and going into the willow wash of the creek bed of that valley. Then in the shadow of the rise I was on about 200 yards out I see a real large Coyote coming right at me nose to the ground. Both of these Coyotes were travelling west to east (into the sun!) but the wind was blowing south to north! So with every step the two Coyotes took they were smelling new air for scent of quarry! Often they would stop and search into the wind for several yards obvioulsy searching for something they had scented. Very efficient I thought to myself. Anyway the Coyote peed on a bush in the style of a male dog and kept coming virtually right at me. The sun kept him from identifying me even though I was sitting in grass only 2" tall and very sparsely populated by low sage. On the Coyote came until it was going to pass within 12 yards of me and as it got immediately north of me and caught my scent it literally fell to the ground and got its feet turned to race away (with the wind) going north bound! It got out about 180 yards and stopped to look back at me. It did not like what it saw even though I was fully camoed and motionless and he began trotting off again. He obviously "rewinded" me as it took another but less promounced belly bounce and this time did not stop running until he was 500 yards out and then just for a moment and then it loped away at an energy saving trot.
This was a beautiful Coyote and I would have liked to have had him in the 204's sights coming right at me. The Nikon 12x binoculars I watched him approach through was sure something I could see the colors of his pelt literally radiating the suns rays.
I fully planned to return and collect this large male after I had my Antelope in the bag but the heat and circumstances cut our safari a bit short. Like I say I know where he Hunts and will get him in November!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

It finally happened! VarmintGuy with one of his new 204's finally got into the Coyotes! And I mean Coyotes in hordes!

I just returned from a combination Antelope/Varmint/Turkey Hunt!

Successful would be an understatemnet!

In one 40 mile stretch of eastern Montana backroad I saw 15 Coyotes - during the daylight! And this drive occurred from 2:00 PM until 3:30 PM on a cloudy afternoon! I had permission to Hunt on this road for only a few miles but I killed two large adult Coyotes in these miles (drive by's!) - both with one shot apiece using the Hornady 32 gr. factory loaded ammo. I have about 3 more boxes of this stuff to use up and by the way it performed on Coyotes, Badger and Prairie Dogs it will work just fine!

I was kept awake all night Thursday night by howling Coyotes (I sleep out on the prairie) and I was really intent on thinning out the Coyotes in that basin as I Hunt both Antelope and Mule Deer as well as Turkeys there.

So Friday morning at 0630 hrs. I slipped out of the VarmintMobiles camper with my Coyote call (Primos Raspy Coaxer) and snuck 200 yards to a slight rise. I set the Remington 700 VLS up on the tall Harris bi-pod and pulled down my camo face mask. I had last heard the Coyotes about 30 minutes before my set-up so I started calling loudly in the still air. It was not 2 minutes until I saw two adult Coyotes crest a ridge and stop on it. They were 325 yards from me. They spotted the VarmintMobile though and held there. My lower toned coaxing would not sway their gaze from the vehicle. I decided to lower the bi-pod legs layed down prone and hold for the Leica lazered range of 325 yards (still on fur) and squeezed off a shot. The Coyote spun several times (5?) and layed down still! The other Coyote ran off 400 more yards and stopped on a ridge looking back. The Raspy Coaxer would not bring it any closer but it stayed there so long I needed to leave and begin my days Antelope scouting. I stood up and walked 30 yards or so before the Coyote continued its retreat! This area really needs a lot of work! Just way, way, way to many Coytoes in it!

3 shots 3 Coyotes for the 204!

The 204 was next brought into play on a large boar Badger. Again a one shot kill to the frontal chest! This shot was only about 125 yards and was instantly fatal!

My partners for the Antelope opener finally arrived and the son had missed 2 Coyotes on his way to our remote meeting spot. We joined up in one vehicle to scout our intended Antelope hunting basin. We were scoping a hill side that had a fence in between us and the base of the hill. A Coyote appeared and began stalking a 20 bird covey of Sharptail Grouse. The Hunt brought them within 170 yards of us. We were camoed up but not especially trying to hide. This was obviously a yearling (stupid) Coyote. The son decided to shoot it even though we were one day from Anteloping! I watched in my 12x Nikon binculars as the young man shot. The 7mm Remington Magnum belched and I saw the bullet strike dead center in the middle of a metal fence post that was maybe 1 3/4" wide! The bullet did not even raise dust on the hill the Coyote was on! The lad was now 0 for 3 shots at Coyotes. I was sure this Coyote would hit overdrive and not stop till he hit the next county!

I was wrong!

That Coyote kept darting around the sage brush leaping at Sharptails just as they each would take flight. The boy reloaded and fired again. This time the Coyote was killed! I have never seen such a delusional Coyote in my life! He may have had rabies but was in prime condition otherwise!

Go figure!

In four full days afield I saw 35 Coyotes (at least!), heard many many more and saw several Fox!

I was really feeling pumped with the way the 204 was clicking and secretly wanted to take an Antelope with it but decided not to carry it this year.

The 3 days of scouting really paid off as I got onto a really dandy trophy Antelope opening morning just before sunrise and easily harvested him with my Remington 700 Sendero in caliber 270 Winchester. The Leica laser range finder read 345 yards and only a touch of wind in my face.

The Antelope had 14 7/8" very thick horns with long prongs and great curl back. The ivories on his horn tips were the longest I have ever taken. I have killed several Antelope with longer horns but this one was very unique and thick so I decided he was more than good enough.

My two partners got Antelope later in the day and due to the heat we decided to go ahead and drive all night and come home (500 miles back to my house).

Yeah these 204 Ruger calibered Varminters are really growing on me! The flat trajectory, accuracy, wind bucking and lethality are just wonderful attributes out in the wide open country!

I will get back to this country come late December and really thin out the Coyotes then!

I was just astounded though by the numbers of Coyotes seen this year. I have Hunted this country since the late 1960's and have never seen this many Coyotes.

You eastern Montana guys better get after them! The Deer, Antelope, Game Birds and Turkeys are counting on you!

I saw quite a few Turkeys but it was just way to hot to Hunt them (Saturday October 9th's high was 86!). I will be back in that country come mid-November!

The Mule Deer will be target number one come then but the Coyotes and Turkeys will be on the agenda for sure also!

I definitely will have my 204's along on that trip also!

Long live the 204!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

OMG VG I would give me left nut to see coyotes like that. Seems out this way they just get hunted to death and the few that are here are "educated". I have a little CZ 527 varmit in caliber 223 that has coyote killer written all over it.

Oh yeah VG great post buy the way, love the read, BTW you need a CZ!!!!

VarmintGuy-- Thanks for the great report on the multi-animal hunt. Congratulations on bagging that fine antelope and getting a couple of coyotes to boot!!!

I shot a big male coyote dead on in the chest at 150 yards with my Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger using a 32 gr. V-Max handload. The coyote was standing still and looking right at me. He just fell over sideways and didn't twitch. I'm not sure how those 32 gr. V-Max will work on broadside shots. Were any of your shots broadside types? If so, what distances and was there any exit hole damage?

Cummins cowboy: Yeah I have got to get over my hangup with the hang down magazine of many of the CZ's. Its an aesthetics kind of problem I have. Everyone I know raves about them accuracy wise!
I was literally shocked by the numbers of Coyotes I (and we) saw during our various travels and Hunts in this area! The only thing I can think of was a high population of Coyotes made it through last winter and then this spring there was so much prey to be found and conditions were so good for the Coyotes that ALL the litter mates lived resulting in this obvious Coyote boom!
The area we were Hunting is "remote" in a remote part of the state and I think this also needs to be mentioned - many Coyote Hunters I know are foresaking long Coyote Safaris to top Coyote areas because of high fuel and travel costs! This situation I'll bet must be a factor in the high numbers of Coyotes we saw.
Thanks for the kind words also by the way.
Keep after them Coyotes down your way even if they are tough to come by!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Silverfox: The 325 yard called in Coyote shot was the only perfect broadside shot and that resulted in lots of blood on the nearside from the heart/lung shot and a moderate (repairable) smallish exit hole and lots of blood on the far side. This shot produced quickly ending circling by the Coyote - a quick kill though! I tried to visually follow the rapidly retreating partner of the shot Coyote and it quickly got on the far side of the ridge til it reappeared on the next ridge.
Again quick but not instant kill this one.
The first two Coyotes I shot were the classic looking back over the shoulder poses and those shots entered ribs on near side and went into lungs and then into the shoulder on the far side. These two shots were not lasered but were just over 200 yards each and no exit that I noticed on these.
The Badger was shot in the chest head on and no exit on it. Not much bleeding either! I think the chubby Badger had enough body fat or chest muscle that the entrance hole was closed by tissue and weight and no excessive bleeding - this was an instant kill.
Yep I am real happy with the lethality of the 204's. My 204 handloads use the 35 gr. Berger H.P. and they are very lethal on Varmints. I have shot Badger, Porcupine, Skunk, Prairie Dogs and Ground Squirrels with this bullet but no Coyotes as yet. Maybe in November or December I will have used up these factory cartridges and get back to my handloaded Bergers.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Jbhewitt: Good job on that sneaky Coyote! I saw on TV last night that a town in California is under siege by Coyotes and folks are afraid to go out in their yards! Also pets are not allowed outside as the Coyotes make short work of any wandering pet! The local laws or covenants or something is precluding the home owners from trapping or shooting the Coyotes! I would not put up with that situation for long!

Yep its amazing how many Coyotes there are and like I said this by far is the most Coyotes I have seen in this area ever!

3 years ago in December a couple of my Varminting buddies and I went to that area and I think we got 6 Coyotes and saw 10 or 12 total in 4 days of day round (night and day) Hunting! This area is now just way over populated with Coyotes in my estimation!

Is the Kansas Rifle Deer Hunting season on now? I have never been to Kansas but I see the videos of Deer Hunting and Coyote Hunting from their and thats great looking country!

Good for your success on the Deer!

Hold into the wind

VarmintGuy

Groundhog devastation: I was further east than Miles City. I was 77 miles from Miles City at one of my "prairie camps". I have been through Cohagen many times and long ago used to Hunt Antelope near Angela (just south of Cohagen).
Yeah I would love to get together with you and share photos of Ground Hogs and Badgers and various Varmints!
One of these years I have to get with modern technology and trust my equipment like you and others do - in that I need to switch from my long range zero's and simple hold overs (and hold unders!) at various distances and go with the elevation knobs - trusting them is my own private mental block!
I lived through the era when scope adjustments often would not move until a shot or two had been fired through the Rifle and the internals THEN adjusted to the previous commands. Old ways are hard to change for me sometimes!
I would trust the new adjustments though more than I would trust my memory, to re-adjust the elevation knob after each and for each next shot for the various ranges!
But I should try it! Most everyone else seems to use it.
I will let you in on a little secret! The Prairie Dogs were out in force in many places and lots of them! The warm sun seemed to have the summer grass fattened Varmints just lounging around in the heat.
I forgot to mention my response to a previous posting regarding the 204 and wind bucking. The speed factor of the 204's bullets simply gets the bullet there quicker than about anything else and this generality of physics (ballistics) mandates that the bullet will be moved less in the moving air than a slower bullet covering the same linear distance. The slower the bullet the more the wind moves it!
I am unable to quote any trajectory chart wind deflection distance figures for the 204 ver batim but I do know the law of more speed means less wind deflection to be a truthful situation in the Varmint fields!
A quick trip to any ballistics table site will answer any doubts regarding the 32 gr. bullet at 4,200+ FPS not having much wind deflection compared to other cartridges.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Kory: I see! How about this scenario, and I have been trying to remember such a set up in my Coyoting travels - drive near to a ridge line or crest of a cliff or hill. Make your way to the crest so you can see most of the far (intended Hunting) side. Set up your sticks or a tall tri-pod (like the surveyors use) and call into the exposed basin. Now the scenario that I used to be able to find in my old haunts but can't recall seeing much in Montana is having some trees or tall brush behind you to help break up your head and shoulders and any upper body movement you may make. As you may be aware of in the eastern 2/3's of Montana the trees tend to grow in the bottoms and not so much near the crests of hills!
Anyway the crest set up spots may provide enough cover for your standing and the tall tri-pod or bi-pod.
I will think on this some more and hope I can help out some in solving this for you.
I always memorize the locations of nifty "crests" or ridges that over look good Coyote country. I like to drive within about 200 - 400 yards of these crests and get out and walk to the crest quietly and set up. I have on many occassions literally driven to a new or unknown to me crest and then backed up the VarmintMobile til its not visible to the side of the crest I want to Hunt. Sometimes I am successful at these drive up to crests and sometimes not. But thats Varminting!
More later
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

VG,

Not a bad idea. I think I need to get out there are try and see what works and what doesn't. But you're absolutely correct on the tree situations here. It is so dry that trees only grow at the river & creek banks.

Kory

Kory,
Stoney Point has some stand up, collapsable shooting sticks. I know that there is an attachment to make the sitting shooting sticks into a tripod. My suggestion is go to Stoney Points web site and check it out. If you still have questions email them, they are really good about returning emails. I hope that helps.slygunner