I am just starting to hunt coyotes on my Grandparents ranch in SW South Dakota. What gun/calibur/scope would you recomend?

Please remember that I am limited to what ever money I can scrape together durring the summer, about 1,000 dollars.

Also what would you recomend for calls? I already have a howler and a coaxer. Do I need a longer distance distress call?

Thanks_-_-_-_-YoungHunter21_-_-_-_-

A .223 Remington will do just fine, take a look at the CZ 527, you should be able to find one for under $500. Then put a Leupold 2-7 on it for another $179, it's all the magnification you need for calling.

Go over to Predator Masters for good info on calling in your region.

Well YoungHunter you've opned a topic that will probably net you a wide variety of opinions!



Personally, I started calling when I was about 10 years old, and am 36 now. I think you'd do well NOT to get caught up in buying lots of gadgets and "callers". Hand calls sound better in my opinion and are way cheaper. It does require some effort but the reward is bragging about how you fooled them, not a machine. I typically use a rabbit call or fawn bleet the most. The howler is getting used a lot and where I've been calling lately it seems the yotes have all but shut up!

Buy a good call or two and practice with them. When you get a coyote on the way in slowly tuck the call in your jacket and switch to a squeaker if you think it'll need coaxing. I have often just used my lips to sqeak. ( suck air in through tight lips I guess would best decribe it) I have called that sound "blowing them a kiss" for years and it's usually the kiss of death!

On a budget I'd say get a used .223 or .22-250 as they are common and you'll probably be able to get a good used one if you shop a bit. Ammo is cheaper for the .223 than most others and it will kill them pleanty good when they are called in. The .22-250 is a great choice for the wide open areas but will cost more to feed. Again shop carefully for used if you go that route as varmint rifles can have pretty worn barrels and still look "good" on the outside.If you can afford it buy new.

Scopes can run from fairly reasonable to quite expensive. If you go too cheap here you'll be greatly dissapointed. A good scope will help make you a marksman, a poor one will cause frustration. I just got a scope from http://www.samplelist.com for a good price on closeout.

If it were me starting out, with what I know now I'd buy a used rifle and new Leupold scope. Probably in the 4.5-14x or 6.5-20x. I'd buy clothes that were way better than what I had starting out, pick out a good .223 in a bolt rifle, get the scope mentioned above, a few different calls, and save the rest for gas $$$.

Above all else enjoy yourself. This can be a lot of fun and some years even profitable.

I personally think the 223 is a bit light for song dogs out west where the shots tend to be on long side. I would much rather see him get the 22.250. As far as a scope i would look for a used leupold 3to9. They go for around 150$ used, and will work very well. As far as calls go, the sky is the limit. I would buy a couple rabiit calls, 1 raspy, 1 higher pitched, an e.l.k. power howler, and a critter getter pee wee for making pup in distress sounds. Start looking over at predator masters and the gogo varmint go board and read as much as you possibly can, there also some great videos out there that talk about technique and show alot of great footage of coyotes being taken. Good luck!

Listen to BigNate. You can turn this into an arms race and spend ALL the money you want to and there will still be folks telling you you're under-equiped. I think the .223 will work nicely. You won't be so tempted to "poke and hope" at a coyote. Also, with the .223, because of the absense of recoil, if you want more magnification, you can use a simmons or a tasco or a bushnell. (that's gonna bring screams) And pick up a better glass later.

A nice set up would be a Rem 700 ADL in 223 Rem from Wally-world with a Weaver V-10 2-10x50mm on top. If you want better glass, I'd watch e-bay for a good deal on a Leupold. They have a lifetime warranty so there's no need to buy a new one(unless it's a very good deal).

CZ, Savage, or a HOWA are good choices IMO, and I will have to agree about weaver scopes, though you dont need a "Varmit scope" if you find a nice weaver 3X9 40mm cheaper.
A 223 is fine for yotes and great if you are not a reloader.

I haven't been back to this in a while but will bring it back up.

If you read what I said, you noticed I said the .223 is good when they are called up. I have a couple pictures of meat hanging off the end of by barrel, on my boot, and on the branch next to me from a 'yotes head! It was no more than a couple feet from me when I pulled the trigger. Most of my called in coyotes are shot well within 100 yards. I even took one with a Contender in .223 at about 150 yards. I believe the .223 is a pretty good choice.

That beings said....I do like and have used the .22-250 a lot. I use it when in areas where long shots are the norm. Shots at 200 to 350 are doable with practice as no gun makes up for skill. I have also used a .257 Roberts with 75gr hp's with good success and have sold most every coyote untill I moved down here. My .223 is a Mini-14 and although mine shoots better than everyone who posts here has indicated, it still is limited in accuracy for really long shots.

My point isn't to finalize which is "best" but to let a new varminter know that if he finds a good deal on either one, neither would be a bad choice.
Actually, the only "bad" choice would be not to go because he didn't have the "right" rifle! Come to think of it, I've used dang near every gun I own at one time or another, not always easy on the fur!