before i got several donkeys, i used to wait while a cow had her calf because the @#$% kiyotes would wait til the calf hit the ground and drag it off.... i still take them out when combining at night and any other chance i get.
If I owned cows and good size farm with property, and the coyotes were going after the young, I 'd be using .223 or 25-06 and some good glass to blast the coyotes from pretty far out. I would not chance getting them with airguns when thousands of $ are at stake. That's just me. Harry
What air rifle would you all recommend if i started going the route of taking them by air rifle?
John,Do you think a vitals shot may be easier to make versus trying for a brain shot?In the hunting videos I have seen coyotes are skittish and their heads never hold still.Thanks,Taso
Nothing comes close to the power of the Air Force Texan in any caliber. Lots of power without having to make any power mods. You can take coyote and deer out to 100yds with vitals shots. You won't need a 2nd shot. I would recommend .357 or .45 cal. but even the .30 Texan is good for long range shots. I just believe that for vitals hots you need more hydrostatic shock, so the more FPE the better, which you can get with the bigger calibers. You can get up to 500fpe with the .45 Texan which is probably a bit overkill for coyote, but you also have a deer rifle at the same time. Evanix big bores have less than half the power, but they got plenty for coyote.If the average distance is 30-40 yds then a 30+FPE .22 or 40+fpe .25 PCP for head shots will work fine. The problem is getting that close to coyotes. You 'd have to use a blind or shoot from a window and lure them in to a bait station so they feed long enough to make a good brain shot. They will be very nervous with a lot of moving around at first, so you would have to feed them for a week to let them get comfortable so that they stay longer and move less to take a head shot. With a big bore it would be easier to make a decent lung/heart shot without having to worry about the head moving.Harry
Yea i agree .357 or above for the yotes. As for distance i would say 50 yards or a little more is what i am thinking. I live out in the open, large grass field surrounded by corn and soybean fields. I have been looking closely at getting the hammer when it comes out. That should take care of any future needs for larger game.
I have killed 32 coyotes since the first of the year here in Michigan, most of them after dark and I can tell you if you are calling them they only stop for 2 or 3 seconds and they are on the move again so you are going to want something you can take body shots with and they are a very tough critter, I use mostly a 6.5 Grendel with 107 gr. bullets and quite often they run aways before going down. If you are shooting them over bait you may have time to take a head shot or a broad side rib shot so something in the .25-30 cal. would be fine.