I'm really looking forward to a good freeze and the coyote hunting this fall and winter. I would like your opinion on my rifle choise. I don't own a lot of rifles and everything I have is 30 cal. except for my trusted 264 win mag. I shoot 130 gr. accubonds or 140 partisions in it. This is the rifle I am thinking of using for coyotes. With these heavy bullets do you think I will be tearing up hides too much? I keep my velocity close to 3000 fps. at the muzzle.

If you are worried about hides then you should consider .22 caliber and under (.223, 22-250, 204, .17, .22 mag. etc.). The alternative is to get really good with a needle and thread.

Your western coyotes have some darn nice fur on them and they will be worth good money this year. Good luck.

It will work, but you'll be stitching holes. I use a .223, and that can sometimes make holes, but most of the time not. If I hit one in the shoulder very close range it will rip 'em pretty good.

Do you have someone lined up to buy pelts? I haven't been able to sell a 'yote pelt in years. No one around here will give you anything for them. Not really worth my time to skin them and put them up.

Sometimes I'll bring a big game rifle, .30 cal or larger, just because I can, and don't really care if the pelts are ruined or not.

My son tells me pelts should reach $45 this year for a good one. I guess we'll see. As far as the caliber I'm using, I know I'll get an exit but was hoping the accubond would hold together well enough to not make such a mess.
last year we had the mange in the yotes so bad we were doing them a favor by killing them. It didn't matter what you used on them because we never skinned a single one. I have had good luck with the 264 on fox out to 350 yds. Just hope it works as well on the coyotes. I just hope that by keeping the speed down a little, the bullet won't expand so much and make a big mess.

A good trapped pelt or one with a tiny hole may fetch $45, but good luck getting that with big sewn holes.

I'll say what many are thinking - any pics of a fox shot with a .264? Hard to imagine there was much left of the exit side.

Good luck.

Well no photos of the fox. The exit was about the size of a 50 cent piece. I didn't think that was too bad. I've seen 308 just rip them to shreds and 22-250's do the same. Also seen them shot with a 204 and just keep on running. Guess we'll find out this winter.
I got a pretty nice digital camera now so I will post some pics if I'm lucky enough to get some yotes. You're right on the trapped pelts but Colorado has seen fit to outlaw them.

My grandson shot one last winter with my 338 win. Big dog stuck in deep snow and couldn't run very fast. If you think the calibers mentioned make a messs you oughta see one shot in the backside with a 338 and a 210 grain TSX at 70 yards. There wasn't enough left to make a hat with. A Tail and some eyeballs is about all.

quote:

Originally posted by mikem0553:
I'm really looking forward to a good freeze and the coyote hunting this fall and winter. I would like your opinion on my rifle choise. I don't own a lot of rifles and everything I have is 30 cal. except for my trusted 264 win mag. I shoot 130 gr. accubonds or 140 partisions in it. This is the rifle I am thinking of using for coyotes. With these heavy bullets do you think I will be tearing up hides too much? I keep my velocity close to 3000 fps. at the muzzle.

Are you planning on keeping the hide? If so, I would get a way smaller caliber. I shot my first coyote this afternoon. I have a 22-250 with 55 grain VMAX bullets. It massive damage. Perhaps I could use different bullets but I would use a .223 or smaller if you want to keep hides. My bullets are traveling at about 4200 FPS.

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My bullets are traveling at about 4200 FPS.

I would like to keep the hides. I just tried some Sierra hp 85 gr. bullets through the 264. Not going to work. I really don't know what is happening to them. I have described the problem on the small caliber thread and hope to get some idea of whats wrong with the Sierras.
I thought that going to a lighter bullet may be the answer but that option is out for me as I see it. The only other choice I can see for using the 264 is use my regular load which uses a controlled expansion bullet and hope that it doesn't make too big a hole coming out.

If I was to break down and get a dedicated coyote rifle what combination would you all recomend? It looks like there's a lot of 223 and 243 fans here. I don't think I would reload for a 223 because I can buy the rounds so cheap and I don't want to get set up with new shell holders, small rifle primers ect. Maybe a 22-250 using a tougher bullet than the vmax would be the answer. I don't know. Give me some ideas.

My son used a 60gr Vmax out of his 223wssm @ 3,700fps for a few years. We had some serious splash wounds and some we could not tell they had been shot. He switched to a 60gr Btip last year. So far, no splash wounds, but the Btip can be rough on fur also.

If your not going to save fur, I like a 243 for the bullet weight. I hunt the Eastern Plains of Colorado and the wind can be a problem, and by March, the coyotes can get a bit spooky and hang up at longer ranges. The 243 works very well under wind/long range conditions.

I've been using a 75gr Vmax in my 243 for the past 3 years, and so far, fur damage has been minimal. After seeing the destruction the Vmax caused in my son's rifle, I expected to see even more with the 243, but that hasn't happened, yet.

If you want to stay with the 264, try a 'harder' bullet, like the Barnes TSX, the Nosler Etip or the Hornaday GMX. I've shot a number of coyotes with the Baarnes TSX out of my 243 and 270, with a small hole in and a small hole out.

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Originally posted by rcamulia:

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My bullets are traveling at about 4200 FPS.

????????

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Originally posted by DPollard:

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Originally posted by rcamulia:

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My bullets are traveling at about 4200 FPS.

????????

I was just thinking you might have a .22-250 with a 34" barrel to get than kind of velocity with the 55 grain bullet.

I agree that if you shoot the 264 WM that you may want to shoot a monometal bullet. I shoot the .243 WSSM and find that the best shot presentations to save the pelts are frontal or Texas Heart Shots with the 70 gr BT

I shot one with the .223 and a 52 gr Sierra Match King and would recommend that combo for pelt saving. Couldn't even find the entrance and no exit.

I'll try a harder bullet if the 130 accubonds make too big a mess. Maybe I should just shoot what I got and say the heck with skinning the buggers. RC- That T870 powder I got from you is great. Thats all I use in the 264.

quote:

Originally posted by mikem0553:
I'll try a harder bullet if the 130 accubonds make too big a mess. Maybe I should just shoot what I got and say the heck with skinning the buggers. RC- That T870 powder I got from you is great. Thats all I use in the 264.

Glad to hear it worked out! I've got another jug partially used if you want to have one of your guys pick it up the next time down!

Damn it guys, Its all your fault. No one liked the idea of me using my 264 win mag for coyotes so I just went out and bought a 6X 284. Shilene (sp) 26 in heavy barrel on rem 700 action, H&S stock. Came with brass 200 rds. dies and a vx3 leupold 3.5 x 14 scope with mil. dot reticle.
I may still blow up a few yotes but now have a new toy to do it with.

Our coyote season is under way now but so is deer,bear/bow with ML opening this Saturday.I'll gladly shoot one if the opportunity presents itself but for now I'm focused on the deer.Not a bad situation to be in!

I just killed my first coyote in WY, used a .270 Weatherby with 150-grain Nosler Partitions, which I think would have been similar to your .264. It wasn't pretty, if you wanted to save the hide anyway! Killed the coyote quite effectively, but sheesh, what a mess! Saved some fawns in the process though!

So - is there an actual season for coyotes?

I am planning a family trip to the USA this time next year and the chance to shoot a coyote would be great - if it coincides with the right timing.

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Originally posted by muzza:
So - is there an actual season for coyotes?

I am planning a family trip to the USA this time next year and the chance to shoot a coyote would be great - if it coincides with the right timing.

I can't speak for all States but here in Montana there is no closed season and no license required.

If you are coming this time of year your trip will coincide with many big-game hunting seasons also.

Most states have very generous coyote seasons and regs but you'll have to check whats what where your going to be.

In Colorado, coyote season is all year long, with no bag limits.

Thanks for the ideas guys - much appreciated

If you are using the .264 and don't want to worry about pelt damage then Use the barnes 110gr solid bullet. .264 hole going in and .264 coming out. Expensive bullets to be using on varmints but it will keep you from doing a lot of stitching. Or if you could find some FMJ bullets around that would work as well.

We shoot a heck of a lot of coyotes here in Idaho in the desert behind my house, not unusual to get up to 12 a day with a call and working at it you might get more..

My favorite coyote combo is the 30-06 or 300 H&H with either North Fork cup points or flat nose solids..Those bullets kill very well and leave a pencil size hole. The RN solids don't kill as well btw.

If anybody wants free Coyote help let me know, my Daughter and I will drive out and shoot all we can and you can have the pelts if you want them. We drove to SD a few months ago and shot pd's for the first time and we're already talking about the next trip but we haven't decided what or where. I am a class 3 manufacturer so everything we have is suppressed. Night vision and thermal sights are also available if needed.

If you hit bone then about any caliber from the 22 HOrnet to the 220 Swift will tear up a coyote or Bobcat pretty bad..I recall loading my 222 with solids at about 3000 FPS..The first thing I shot with it was Bobcat in a trap and it ripped him in half lengthwise and that was when a Bobcat fetched $600 if you sent him to a buddy in Colorado to mix in with his Lynx pelts!

Soooo I loaded them down to 2400 FPS and even the foxes ran off and we're near impossible to find..

I never did figure out what the best round for coyotes, fortunatly the pelts are hardly worth the trouble of skinning them out today, and I hate skinning coyotes anyway, but an airhose makes it a lot easier.