Thanks for the great advice...except the donkey thing(!?!?). The problem with the .22 is that I need it at night, the coyotes move pretty quick, and I’m on foot with my maglite.
dung.
One more suggestion. If you decide on .223 you can pick up a single shot for less money. You’re not likely to get a follow up shot at night holding a mag lite anyway!
Donkeys, mules, and llamas are death on coyotes.
That reminds me of a funny story about my husband and an armadillo... Well, it probably wasn’t funny to the armadillo.
;)
susie
When ya get him, skin him and leave the hide on the fence near your place. It’s a Sicilian message to all his kin. ;>)
I was raised on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, and it worked pretty good (usually we put the skins on the fence in the creekbed).
In your case a good used shotgun or an inexpensive new one (Remington 870 for about $350) should do the best. Set him up. String up lights some distance from your house, and leave meat. Illuminate your target and take your shot. Max 35 yards. Full choke. Maybe #2, 3 or 4 buckshot. Make his day.
Put a laser sight on the rifle. You’ll be faster to the shot, and you won’t have to bother shouldering the weapon. Trying to sight in a moving animal when the light is poor can cause you to lose track of the critter altogether. Just put the red dot on the coyote and squeeze...
The donkey answer was not a joke. They hate coyotes and will kick the snot out of them. Lots of farmers here in Tennessee have just one or two in with their animals... near me they are with cattle, horses, goats and sheep that I can think of off the top of my head. You won’t have to worry about chasing the coyotes around with your mag light if you have one.
You do know there is suck a thing as a laser sight you can put of the barrel, Like this : http://cgi.ebay.com/LASER-SIGHT-Scope-2x-Switch-2x-Mount-SET-remote-knob_W0QQitemZ360003361577QQihZ023QQcategoryZ106974QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem. They have all kinds of them depends on your budget.
Donkeys are natural enemies of canines and are both big enough and aggressive enough to kill them.
If your land is fenced, turn a donkey loose in there and the coyotes will either stay away or be killed by the donkey...
Of course your family dog will also be seen as a blood enemy.
A friend of mine has a miniature donkey...a little cute one. It killed all three of her neighbors pit bulls in the same fight.
I think the idea is that when the coyote comes sniffing around, the donkey stomps the living $#!+ out of it ... or kicks it into the next county. Somewhere, floating about the internet, is a series of pictures showing a couple of pack mules engaging a mountain lion. The mountain lion didn't do too well.
If you're shooting within the range of your flashlight beam, I'd try to stick with a rimfire. If you have neighbors a half-mile away, a centerfire rifle caliber might have more reach than you (and your neighbors) would like.
I'd do as suggested in #37 above and put a laser sight on that Marlin. At 30 yards or so, the projected red dot will be large enough to see and use to great effect. Those sights are generally cheaper than the optical red dot type and would work well on most rifles or shotguns.
Grab one of those "rabbit in distress" recordings from a sporting goods supplier and bait 'em in to where you can get a clear shot. And be sure to report back here with your results. :-)