What is the smallest recommended caliber for taking coyotes?
23. A 105 mm round will do!!!
We once had a coyote in No. Va. but it ate a Democrat and died!!!
Depends on the range and the skill of the shooter. At my retirement BOL a few years ago I picked one off at a little under 80 yards with a .223 load that approximates the .22 Magnum rimfire. Maybe it was the one that killed my favorite cat, maybe not. Would not have taken the shot with that load at 150 yards.
Back in Michigan, (prior to my retiring to Ohio), a neighbor claimed he'd killed one in his farmyard with a .38 Special.
My nearest neighbor here in Ohio traps them, so I don't have the need or opportunity to shoot them anymore.
I’ve killed several with head shots with my Savage 17hmr at about fifty yards.
How good a shot are you, and at what range?
Do you intend to harvest the pelt?
.22 LR will do it with a brain shot.
Most fur hunters I have known use .223 or a variant.
“What is the smallest recommended caliber for taking coyotes?”
Governor Perry used a .380 when one attacked his dog in Austin.
A 22 works well and is a time honored way of dispatching them.
This looks good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YPS00lU7rQ
“Thermal Predator Hunting | 45 Coyotes Down with the IR Hunter MKIII” South Dakota
Ultimate Night Vision
1.11M subscribers
Epic thermal predator hunting footage from O’Neill Ops. 45 coyotes down captured through the Trijicon IR Hunter MKIII 35m thermal scope.
Why do we hunt coyotes?
Coyotes are presently the most abundant livestock predators in western North America, causing the majority of sheep, goat, and cattle losses. For example, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, coyotes were responsible for 60.5% of the 224,000 sheep deaths attributed to predation in 2004.The total number of sheep deaths in 2004 comprised 2.22% of the total sheep and lamb population in the United States, which, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA report, totaled 4.66 million and 7.80 million heads respectively as of July 1, 2005. Because coyote populations are typically many times greater and more widely distributed than those of wolves, coyotes cause more overall predation losses. The United States government agents routinely shoot, poison, trap, and kill about 90,000 coyotes each year to protect livestock.
Coyotes typically bite the throat just behind the jaw and below the ear when attacking adult sheep or goats, with death commonly resulting from suffocation. Blood loss is usually a secondary cause of death. Calves and heavily fleeced sheep are killed by attacking the flanks or hindquarters, causing shock and blood loss. When attacking smaller prey, such as young lambs, the kill is made by biting the skull and spinal regions, causing massive tissue and bone damage. Small or young prey may be completely carried off, leaving only blood as evidence of a kill.
In the absence of the harassment of coyotes practiced by rural people, urban coyotes are losing their fear of humans, which is further worsened by people intentionally or unintentionally feeding coyotes. In such situations, some coyotes have begun to act aggressively toward humans, chasing joggers and bicyclists, confronting people walking their dogs, and stalking small children. Non-rabid coyotes in these areas sometimes target small children, mostly under the age of 10, though some adults have been bitten.
5.56mm should do them quite nicely. Heck, 9mm with a good hollowpoint should do.
.223. 22-250. These and a lot more will work just fine.
Get a silencer, so you don’t disturb the neighbors at night, and a night vision scope.
Any of the loadings. 218 Bee works well. 22 Magnum will bring one down.
I have a Ruger Mini-14 (.223). Haven’t converted it to an assault rifle (pistol grip stock) yet. Also have an SKS.