By Bryce M. Towsley Hunting coyotes takes on many forms: calling, baiting, even running them with hounds. The one constant is that you never know whether the shot will be so close you can smell the last rabbit the coyote ate on its breath, or so far in the distance that it howls with a different accent. Turn the page for some new rifles that can nail a coyote’s hide to the wall in any situation. ENTER OUR COYOTE PHOTO CONTEST AND WIN A NEW SCOPE
This new “entry level” rifle comes with the same barrel and barrel-mounting system that made Savage famous for accuracy. The gun is a bolt-action with a detachable magazine, which makes unloading to get back in the truck and then reloading at the next calling location a whole lot easier. The rifle’s best feature? Its price. A bolt-action with a synthetic stock and a 3-9×40 Bushnell scope included for a suggested retail price of just $379 is about as good as it will ever get. Order your Savage Edge chambered in .243 Winchester and you’ll have the ultimate dual-purpose cartridge–excellent for whitetails and outstanding on coyotes. ($379; savagearms.com)
The cynics said that the bolt-action market was already flooded when Thompson/Center introduced the Icon, but the cynics were wrong. Now, with a new bolt-action called the Venture Predator, T/C is carving out territory in the coyote-hunting market. This camo-covered rifle carries a 1-MOA accuracy guarantee. It has a 22-inch fluted barrel, rubber grip inlays in the synthetic stock, a removable three-round box magazine and an adjustable trigger. It even comes with scope bases installed. You can get it in several cartridges, but there is no better coyote cartridge than the .22-250 Remington. ($599; tcarms.com)
After declaring a multi-decade jihad on coyotes with the AR-15 rifle, I have come to the reluctant conclusion that the .223 Remington often comes up lacking for positive one-shot coyote neutralization. The bigger
bullet of the 6.8 SPC fixes that. Rock River Arms has a 6.8 SPC rifle called, oddly enough, “The Coyote Carbine.” The 16-inch-barrel carbine features an RRA two-stage trigger and is fitted with an oversize trigger guard so you can get a gloved finger in where it belongs. The quick-pointing carbine is 36 inches long, has a flat-topped receiver to mount an optic, weighs 7 pounds and comes with a 3⁄4-MOA accuracy guarantee. ($1,190; rockriverarms.com)
The Alexander Arms 6.5 Grendel Ultralight carbine is a coyote-calling miracle. Weighing just 5 pounds 4 ounces, it’s about the lightest AR-15 on the market. The 16-inch (with an integral muzzle brake), cut-rifling barrel is deeply fluted to reduce weight. The G10 forend is an Alexander Arms exclusive composite of polymer and glass fiber, and might be the lightest tube on the market. The Vltor buttstock weighs less than a whispered rumor, and this rifle is perfect for those long days of coyote hunting when even your bootlaces feel too heavy. The 6.5 Grendel is rapidly gaining a rep for excellence in extracting grouse-eating coyotes from the canine gene pool. ($2,100; alexanderarms.com)
Winchester: The .22-250 might well be the most popular coyote cartridge ever, and my favorite factory load is the Winchester 55-grain Ballistic Silvertip. It will reach out across time zones to snatch a coyote off its feet.
By John B. Snow They’re small, fast, smart and elusive, and the challenge they present is the reason coyotes, foxes and bobcats are so much fun to hunt. Success against such quarry requires you to spot them before they spot you. Still, you’ll often have mere seconds to get off a shot at targets that rarely afford a second chance. A good scope and binocular can make the difference. Nikon Coyote Special
This predator-specific scope is the only one with a reticle geometry that’s calibrated for a coyote-size target. Nikon adapted its proven BDC reticle, with its series of circles on the elevation post beneath the crosshairs, to bracket a coyote-size body at different ranges and provide the appropriate amount of holdover. Its 3-9X magnification works for most hunting situations, and the anti-reflective baffle on the objective lens and the Mossy Oak Brush camo dip help keep the shooter hidden. ($280; nikonhunting.com) ENTER OUR COYOTE PHOTO CONTEST AND WIN A NEW SCOPE
This serious riflescope, with its 6.5-20X range, delivers the ability to reach out for predators at long range. Vortex offers a number of reticle styles to choose from, although the mil-dot version is difficult to beat. Accessories include custom elevation dials, an extended sun shade, an anti-reflective baffle for the objective lens, scope rings with a built-in bubble level and other goodies. The 50mm objective lens helps with visibility when shooting light gets dim. At less than $500, the scope represents a good value as well. ($499; vortexoptics.com)
Calling predators within spitting distance is one of the biggest rushes in hunting, and in areas where shotguns are required, it’s a necessity. Leupold has stepped up with an optic that is ideal for this situation. The company’s 1×14 Prismatic is a lightweight and bombproof optic that is perfect for close-up shots. It offers generous eye relief and an illuminated reticle for low-light conditions. Turrets for elevation and windage let the shooter make 1⁄2-MOA adjustments. ($624; leupold.com)
To pierce the darkness predators prefer, it helps to have a large optic, which is an apt description of this 12×56 binocular from Steiner. The high level of magnification helps resolve detail at greater distances, while the 56mm objectives take an impressive slice out of whatever light is available. The Nighthunter comes coated in a grippy protective armor and is waterproof to help protect it from the elements. It also ships with three eyecup styles for a custom fit. ($1,199; steiner-binoculars.com)
By John Taranto Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool coyote-chasing fool or a curious greenhorn looking for a way to pass the long winter months outdoors, if you want to experience success in predator hunting, you’ve got to have the right gear. Predators are wary by nature, and with the sport’s popularity soaring in recent years, the coyotes, foxes and bobcats you seek are more educated than they’ve ever been. After you’ve rounded up the equipment you see here, turn to page 46 for a crash course on how to put it to work for you in the field. Photo: donjd2
FOXPRO’s new Firestorm call ($420; gofoxpro.com) has no shortage of innovative features. It comes standard with an intuitive remote and 50 calls (with a capacity for 200). Two external jacks allow you to increase your volume by connecting two additional speakers, and a third jack accepts a FOXPRO motion decoy. The coolest feature, though, is FOXBANG, which automatically switches to a preset call at the report of your first shot.
Sticks N’ Limbs’ understated camouflage design has been a popular choice with hunters nationwide for decades. The new snow pattern is a combination of the original snow camo and standard Sticks N’ Limbs, with streaks of “dirty snow” added. This cover suit ($54; bowhunting store.com) will fit over several layers of insulated clothing.
The Johnny Stewart Estrus Whimper (center, $30; hunterspec.com) produces all the sounds made by a female coyote in breeding season. The MAD Closed-Reed Howler (right, $26; flambeau.com) is an easy-to-blow locator call that produces dominant howls. Primos’s Double Jackrabbit (left, $20; primos.com) has two metal reeds for extra-loud calls.
These two handheld electronic calls give you a wide variety of enticing audio and are easy on the wallet. The Flextone Mimic HD (top, $40; flextonegamecalls.com) is loaded with 40 sounds. The Cass Creek AmpliFire ($46; casscreek.com) comes with 10 live-animal recordings.
If you hunt in deep snow, MSR’s Lightning Ascent snowshoes ($270-$300; cascadedesigns.com/msr) will keep you afloat as you make tracks to your next set-up, and the all-white finish keeps them well camouflaged. Primos’s Short Bi-Pod Trigger Stick ($85; primos.com) adjusts from 23 1⁄2 to 32 1⁄2 inches, and is a rock-solid rest for long shots.
The MOJO Puppy Dog (top right, $50; mojooutdoors.com) emits canine puppy sounds and has a motion tail. Montana Decoy’s Miss Hoptober (left, $20; montanadecoy.com) is a photo-realistic cottontail fake. The Edge Quiver Critter now has a white winter cover (bottom right, $11; edgebyexpedite.com).
Put your best foot forward–and keep it toasty for up to five hours–with Yaktrax XTR boot spikes ($60; yaktrax.com) and Little Hotties adhesive toe warmers ($1.50/pair; little hottieswarmers.com). The XTR features stainless-steel spikes and chains that won’t rust, and has special plates that prevent snow build-up on the bottoms of your boots.
Practice shots at various distances with the Caldwell Natural Series Coyote Target ($13; midwayusa.com), which shows the vital organs and bone structure of song dogs. The telescoping MTM Predator Shooting Rest ($50; mtmcase-gard.com) is a lightweight option for the range.
Take the guesswork out of your bullet drop with Cabela’s new Caliber-Specific Scopes ($150; cabelas.com). The reticle of this .223 scope is calibrated for 55-grain bullets and features two hash marks below the crosshairs for dead-on 100-, 200- and 300-yard shots. The Camo 350-Yard Varmint Hunting Light Kit from Primos ($148; primos.com) fits 1-inch tubes and comes with a 6-volt battery and charger, stock-mounted switch and red lens cover.
By: Bob Butz**** An Offer They Can’t Refuse
Be sure to check the regulations in your state, but for the most part, anywhere biologists value the deer herd, baiting for coyotes is perfectly legal. “It’s like that movie: If you build it, they will come,” says Brian Downs, who’s been successfully baiting coyotes for more than a decade. He’s written about it, offers seminars on how to do it and often talks about baiting coyotes on his online talkcast (predatortalkcast.com). In Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner builds a baseball field to draw old ball players to his Iowa farm. Downs makes frozen deer-meat bait piles–baitcicles–and practices what he calls “pressure baiting.”
In a basic setup, you place the bait as close to the coyotes’ bedding area as possible–in the open, but just five steps from cover (A). Downs likes to position himself in an elevated tree stand or a ground blind no less than 75 yards downwind from the bait (B). This keeps him a safe distance away should a cautious coyote choose to circle downwind before committing to the bait.
Downs’ average shot distance is 50 yards, but he knows his .204 Ruger could shoot out to 300 yards without him having to compensate an inch. The rifle is a Thompson/Center Encore Pro Hunter topped with what Downs calls “the workingman’s Swarovski,” a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9×40. With factory ammo (40-grain Hornady V-Max), Downs regularly shoots groups under 3⁄4-inch at 100 yards. He prefers shooting sticks to a bi-pod. The only custom work on his rifle is the trigger, set to break at 1 1⁄2 pounds, because “a trigger that’s crisp and clean will improve your accuracy during the excitement of the shot,” says Downs.
This tactic combines the effectiveness of baiting with the excitement of calling, and is one of my favorites for fast predator action. Photo: eastlaketimes Click here for a list of the Worst Coyote Attacks
From gear to guns to tactics, we’ve got it all in this comprehensive coyote hunting package. Follow these tips for your best season ever.
