You are going on a coyote hunt or getting into coyote hunting & you are wondering what caliber you should buy or use. We have some opinions on this as we have seen hundreds of coyotes shot, but first we must ask what’s your intent… are you hunting for furs, a mount or just for predator managment purposes?
6.5mm Creedmor for Coyote Hunting
If you are hunting for strictly predator managment purposes the .243 Winchester, .6mm, 6.5mm Creedmor & other like calibers that are considered a bit on the HEAVY hitting side for coyote hunting will work great. These calibers will allow you to shoot longer distances more accuratly in the wind. With that said, most of the bullet weights & engery produced by these calibers are not kind to furs, so don’t expect to walk up to a thin skinned coyote & see a clean exit wound. Also keep in mind, recoil managment is tougher with the .6mm/.243 class when compared to some of the more popular coyote hunting calibers.
.22-250 Remington may be the best coyote hunting caliber
If you are like most, you want to keep some of those coyote furs after a coyote hunt. In our humble opinions, it’s hard to beat the flat shooting .22-250 Remington, but the .223 Remington is a close second. These two calibers have quiet possibly killed more coyotes than any other calibers combined. Both these .22 calibers will consistenly get it done out to & even beyond 400 yards. Keep in mind, most coyotes are shot from 50-300 yards while coyote hunting (calling), which is exactly why these calibers are the best when you consider ballistics, shooting ranges, recoil & fur damage.
*A head-to-head balllistic gel test we found on Youtube between the .22-250 Remington vs the .223 Remington: