Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote

[DSheetz]

So then I've decided on a bullet that I want to use for what I intend to use it for . As I reload and use a bolt action most of the time I do things to my brass that most people don't . I studied what the B R guys do and thinking that I want to get the most out of my rifle I would do a lot of the things they do as it couldn't hurt with accuracy . I buy new brass cut the primmer pockets to a standard depth and diameter , de burr the flash holes inside the case and check the length of them size weigh them and sort them out if they vary by much in weight and load them . I will seat the bullets to a depth that gives me some freedom from the lands and start my load development with a lower then max load by a few thousands of a grain and load 5 rounds at that then a few rounds at half a grain more till I get near max and go shoot them checking my pressure as I go by inspecting the spent brass after each shot as well as seeing how accurate they are grouping . When I've found a charge weight that groups well I will refine that charge by a 10th of a grain till I get a group that is tighter then the rest . now I go to figuring the seating depth that my rifle likes the best from touching the lands to .060 off the lands to see what it likes I have some that like .120 off the lands but my 223's usually like .062 as does my 30-06 . My 223 Winchester likes the Sierra bullets but not any hornady bullets I've tried or barns ,burgers but will do well with some of the nosler bullets . Now that I've fire formed the brass to my chamber by firing them at least 3 times I will set my dies to do more then just neck size the brass and will push the shoulders back by .002 and then trim them all to the same length . I'm a fan of the lee precision case trimmers made for the case that I'm shooting they don't cost a lot and are easy to use and get the same length every time . I believe in de-burring the mouth of the case so that I don't have any burrs inside or out side of the case and don't cut any copper from the bullet . I weigh every charge , every bullet and each piece of brass , depending on the chambering the amount of case weight variance that I allow changes .

 

[DSheetz]

When I get a bullet and load that my rifle and I like then I do some experimenting with that loading to see if they preform the way I want them to . I happen to have access to coyote that are then used at different distances and then shot to see what my loads do and if I find them to fit my needs . That is how I settled on the 55 grain Sierra Boat Tail Hollow Points for me . Over the years I have had the need to change powders and rework that part of the process but the bullets , brass and primers have remained the same now for many years . We will all find a bullet , a loading , a rifle cartridge , a rifle style ect. that we find to our liking more then others then we get into our comfort zone and that is a good thing you will do better if you are comfortable with your equipment and then feel confident that it will do what you expect it to in your situation . Stay warm , dry and out of the wind if you can .

 

[Reemty J]

10-20 mph wind today, saw 4 coyotes watched one female go into a shallow draw off a canal, I watched for 1/2 an hour and knew she was still there as the white tails does and fawns that were laying above her kept looking at her. Took me a while to drive above her as she was well over a mile away, helps to have Docktor optics, 30 x 80mm binoculars, the detail they show at 1-3 miles is amazing. Took me a while to walk west in the canal, I was above her, wind was from the southwest, I got to a point where I could look over those whities and scanned the flattened bromegrass and rose bushes looking for her with no luck. I knew she was here though. Moved forward a little and a handful of whities laying right below the canal got up and trotted to the other bunch. Then she sat up and I could see her, estimated range 300, belly crawled onto the canal bank and turned scope up to 18, by then she was standing broadside looking around trying to figure out why those deer were moving. I was shooting basically into the wind, put it behind her shoulder and let go, broke her off side front leg and away she went...did not know where I was, ran at me a while before she turned and headed away. She stopped once and slipped on some ice so I was aware I broke her front leg, as I assumed I missed her. I ranged her at 455 but she was going away as I lay prone watching her in the scope, I barked a few times and she finally stopped, I guessed other side of 500 yards, by now she was almost full value on wind and it was between 10-20 so I held what i guessed was 24" into the wind and used my 500 yard hash mark, at the shot I heard the whop and down she went.....I walked to her and had to shoot her once more, ranged the last shot 560 yards, I hit her back leg just below body level so she had a front and back leg broke opposite sides.......went back and ranged 1stshot ....380 not 300 so hence breaking front leg below body level. This 39 grain SBK bullet makes this 204 a 500 yard coyote gun....I have shot 48 coyotes since spring, 42 of them this winter...any time you enter the body cavity, lungs or behind the diaphragm they are dead right now.........I have read about the 35 grain Berger as a great fur bullet and I will compare that with the 39 SBK in the next thread...........

 

[Reemty J]

35 grain Berger. —- 39 grain SBK
3900 FPS. —- 3850 fps
BC. .176. — .287
Drop in inches
100yds +.7. — +.8
200yds. 0.0. — 0.0
300 yds. -5.2. — -4.2
400yds. -16.86. — -14.21
500yds. -37.90. - -27.65
Wind drift @ 10 mph
100yds. 1.3. — .8
200yds. 5.23. — 3.25
300yds. 12.4. — 7.62
400yds. 23.71. —- 14.21
500yds. 40.42. — 23.44
Energy in foot lbs.
100yds 855. —1033
200yds 612. — 828
300yds 430. — 660
400yds 294. — 520
500yds 196. — 405
and the energy is what kills coyotes right now...if you are 300 or less I am sure the 35 Berger is great but drift and energy transfer favor the 39SBK beyond 300 yards, just perfect for out here in Mondamtana!

 

[Reemty J]

So you can see the advantages of using a high for caliber BC bullet when you plan on killing coyotes from 0-500 yards? Before I bought my CZ 204 Varmint, I researched all the possible bullets to use and I started buying 39 Sierra Blitz Kings, they are extremely accurate and with a charge of 29.6 grains of A2520 they carry the most energy and least wind drift of any .204 bullet I am aware of, they will put a coyote down hard with authority well beyond 400 yards. I have shot a lot between 280 and 380 and with a body shot they drop right now. As long as it is not a straight away shot and you can get the bullet inside them it rarely exits...if you hit the scapula bone or spine they will go up and exit the back. Coyotes I have shot in the head or neck have very small exit holes that are easily sewed up. I believe it kills better than any of the 22-250's I had as it normally gives all its energy to the coyote and I believe it is because of this bullet! My 22-250's exited 50 % of the time so some energy was lost to the ground.

 

[74honker]

Obviously in the right hands, as yours are Reemty, that 204 combo is a coyote killing machine! I've always been a Sierra fan and the proof is in the puddin here too. I run the 55g SBK's in my 223.

 

[ButterBean]

35 grain Berger. —- 39 grain SBK
3900 FPS. —- 3850 fps
BC. .176. — .287
Drop in inches
100yds +.7. — +.8
200yds. 0.0. — 0.0
300 yds. -5.2. — -4.2
400yds. -16.86. — -14.21
500yds. -37.90. - -27.65
Wind drift @ 10 mph
100yds. 1.3. — .8
200yds. 5.23. — 3.25
300yds. 12.4. — 7.62
400yds. 23.71. —- 14.21
500yds. 40.42. — 23.44
Energy in foot lbs.
100yds 855. —1033
200yds 612. — 828
300yds 430. — 660
400yds 294. — 520
500yds 196. — 405
and the energy is what kills coyotes right now...if you are 300 or less I am sure the 35 Berger is great but drift and energy transfer favor the 39SBK beyond 300 yards, just perfect for out here in Mondamtana!

 

[Reemty J]

If I hit all the standing or laying down coyotes I have shot at this winter I would easily have another 10-15 coyotes, you know we all mess up.

 

[Reemty J]

The photo Butterbean posted is the 39 grain SBK on the left and the 35 grain Berger on the right

 

[DSheetz]

I always liked it when my bullets expended all their energy in the coyote also . When you find what works for you go with it . I like so many others had to learn for my self that there wasn't any pied piper sound and no perfect bullet for all jobs . Some of us learn that and some of us just keep looking . It sounds like to me you have found what you like and what works for you . You have figured out the stalking well and that is no easy feat . It doesn't matter where you go all coyote will have somethings in common just as all sheep or cows will even if they are in a different country heck I think that dingoes and black backed jackals will have some similarities with coyote as they are wild canines . Reemty you have found the high BC bullet with the expanding abilities that will do what you need them to do in the windy conditions that you hunt in . A job well done is in order for you . We had winds up to 40 MPH here today .

 

[DSheetz]

Every thing that a person could hope for to kill coyote any place in the Americas has been posted right here in this site by all the contributions made to it . The only thing lacking is you taking the time to think it over and adapt it to your needs at the time you should be as adaptable as the coyote .

 

[DSheetz]

As a kid I was taken from Wyoming to Southern Indiana the grass's and all things grow taller there you have a lot of timber where I was there and un-till you get used to it it's claustrophobic for most people from the open country of here . Here we have a lot of open areas with short grass's some well watered areas will have bushes and sparse trees . in some areas we have buck brush , sage brush and trees that are pine , aspen or cotton wood . Along creeks or rivers we have differing types of trees box elder , willow and buffalo berry , juniper grow in the acidic soils that don't get as much moisture but normally in draws where snow will collect . So any way we get to see things here out at distances where in a lot of places you wouldn't , we do have places with draws and stuff that you can't . But having spent time back east in the brush and timber I learned to sit and look into the timber and brush or grown up fields and find the animals that already knew I was there and were just frozen watching me . Their eyes starring or their ears moving to hear better and in different directions with cats it's a non stop movement of the tail like some peoples feet when they set . Here I've watched them lay to observe you for up to an hour . You can start out looking things over to see what is there and after a while you will see some thing that just showed up and is just a little bit out of place but doesn't pop out . Maybe it's a fox, cat , coyote , deer or antelope just watching your way but it's there now and wasn't before . Even in the stuff back east you will learn to see them if you take the time to observe the world around you it doesn't just happen for most people , unless you grew up doing it , you have to be patient teach your self to observe not just look see the small details , get that feeling of something changed what was it . The world we live in isn't the same world that they live in we have taught ourselves to ignore sounds , sights and smells that mean something and so have to relearn to use them again . It took years to get this way and it doesn't come back in just one or two days . You can start with small animals close to home , rabbits , birds , squirrels ect. just by watching for small movements on the ground , in the trees or any place that may or may not be grown up , by setting on your porch just being observant as you would if you were working in a factory or as any worker in a dangerous setting . The key is to learn to turn it on when needed and off when not .

 

[Reemty J]

well said Master.....learn to slow down, pull yourself out of mans world, and enjoy the gifts in nature HE gave us!!!

 

[DSheetz]

So the reasons that the military is referenced so often is . They have had the most studies done on them , they have done the most studying on hunting , awareness and being observant , living in high stress for extended periods of time , learning to turn on and off heightened awareness . They have learned how to and have churned out a lot of extremely well trained professionals given them habits , traits and knowledge that they carry for life and apply to every aspect of the daily life they now live . In recent years they have learned , through , studies that they also need to deprogram some of the programing they did to people before they turn them out with the rest of the population . We all know the guys or gals that do just that and we may not know what their back ground was but it shows today in the way they conduct themselves in life . After 9/11 people that had no first hand experience learned of the heightened alert levels that are given as color codes for differing levels and so then we also have the same color codes of awareness used for the human awareness levels . Your working in a factory and notice a change in the sounds . You then go into a different level of awareness wondering if you should go into the flight mode or you know that some piece of equipment just finished it's cycle and now it's time for you to do this or that and then restart it . You are driving down a heavily traveled highway and see a car wander into your lane and react to avoid it but you also have to check that you aren't going to cause more trouble by your actions at the same time ( level red awareness turned on in a fraction of a second ) then comes the bodies reaction to that sudden change the shakes the light headedness the seeing of lights and colors that we didn't notice before the sense of smell the hearing ect. . That is the awareness level we as hunters seek to achieve with out the side effects and the let down at the end of the day you get , may be not to that degree but we want to be able to actually observe what is around us by being a better fit in to our environment .