No cigar...missed a coyote chasing a deer tonight

[Tripplebeards]

About 4:17 PM I had a nice big deer come running full throttle about 130 yards away in the brush and topped my ridge line. I knew something had been chasing it. At 4:30 a coyote came running straight down the hill about 120 to 130 yards away. I had all of about two seconds to react before it was going to be out of sight. I had my Ruger 77/44 on a dead rest and squeeze the trigger right when the crosshairs touched the front shoulder. That coyote was moving way too fast for my 1575 ft./s bullet and I’m sure it probably hit a foot or more in back of that dog. I went to go look for blood and didn’t see any. I followed the tracks and saw that it ran 20 yards in back of my shack through thick brush and down the trail in my foot prints crossing the road. Hopefully I scared him to the next county and he won’t come back. I can never hit coyotes on the run... Except for the very first one I ever shot at. It was 297 yards running directly away from me so that was easy enough to aim up the tail pipe. But if they’re running broadside and I don’t have a shotgun I can’t hit one to save my life. I normally try And make some lip squeals to stop them but that coyote would’ve been out of sight by the time it reacted to my sound. Oh well, I guess it got lucky.

[Camper64]

I'm sure the adrenaline was running and it was still fun.

[Minerat]

On a crossing or side shot, shoot when the nose is half way between the trailing side of the scope and cross hairs. If you miss give it more lead by shooting when the nose is closer to the side of the scope. OR follow the dog with the muzzle of the rifle like shooting ducks. Just a suggestion that you may already know about, so I'm not trying to insult your shooting ability, just gently explaining the method I use. At least you got a shot.

[Tripplebeards]

On a crossing or side shot, shoot when the nose is half way between the trailing side of the scope and cross hairs. If you miss give it more lead by shooting when the nose is closer to the side of the scope. OR follow the dog with the muzzle of the rifle like shooting ducks. Just a suggestion that you may already know about, so I'm not trying to insult your shooting ability, just gently explaining the method I use. At least you got a shot.


That works great for me for shotguns but I can never tag one on a full throttle run broadside. When they’re running to me or directly away from me I can normally hit them every time. But trying to lead them with a rifle on a sideways run I never can get it right. I need to get my butt back out to Arizona and start practicing and running dogs.

[WILCO]

You still get points in my book!

Congratulations on the thrill.

[M-Tecs]

if the yote was moving at 30 mph at 90 degrees to you the required lead would be 11 feet with a MV of 1575.

[Texas by God]

I feel your pain. I can’t hit running coyotes either at distance. Last month I missed two that were running across our middle field. I was shooting my wife’s .250 Savage bolt action with the 87gr/3000 FPS combo. I was running that bolt and got off 3 misses before they cleared the 30 acre field. I missed a TROTTING one last year with a .243...
Hold still, Varmint- while I plugs ya!

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve missed a lot of yotes on full tilt runs and trots with my 243 and a 3650 FPS load with 70 grain ballistic tips so I don’t know why I expected different results with a load that shoots 2/3’s slower.lol

But they are always DRT when I get them stopped and then pull the trigger.

[Thumbcocker]

There's a reason they are still here with so many trying to get rid of them.

[dverna]

Around here, most hunt them with dogs and shotguns loaded with buckshot. The protocol here is shoot them on sight.

I have quite a few around my place but rarely see them when I have a gun handy. One application where an AR might be nice to have.

Good try!

[OldBearHair]

I never could make contact with a running coyote shooting 180 grain bullets, but when I reloaded to 130 grain spire points to over 3000 fps, just swing from behind past the nose about a foot with the horizontal down mid body level pull the trigger as the rifle keeps swinging and some of them paid off.
I think the best way to kill more coyotes is to always have your gun with you when you are out and about. Kind of like when my Dad would tell me when we were fishing a brushy creek, son you can't catch any fish if you don't have your hook in the water. I would be tangled up in a tree or bush.

[Texas by God]

I wish that coyotes killed pigs. Pigs are the reason both of my trucks have a rifle in them unless they're going to the mechanic. I hear coyotes almost every night but they haven't killed any of my calves in 30 years so I'm not mad at them, I just dont want them to lure out my yard dogs and kill them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[white eagle]

Trip
wish I could see a few coyote my stretching boards are getting lonely
do any good on the Holiday Hunt
A bust for me never saw another deer since the gun season

[Tripplebeards]

I just got home from the last day. The only deer I saw was that buck yesterday being flushed out by the coyote. Saw nothing today. The Amish were having a hay day. I heard 10 shots in different directions about a mile or two up the road. They were doing drives. I was all excited to see what my 16 to 1 pure & pewter devastator cast hollowpoint was going to do to a deer loaded at 1575 ft./s. Guess I have to wait a whole year again to find out. When I got out of the woods I talk to my neighbor. I knew he casted bullets in years past. I bet I talked to him for a half an hour on cast bullets and reloading. I have a box of spear 300 grain unloaded jacketed bullets I’m gonna run to him next time I’m over there hunting for his 50 Alaskan. I had a 50 AE mark 19 desert eagle 20 years ago and got rid of it after I shot a deer and it ran like it wasn’t hit and dropped about a football field later with a double lung shot.

All I can see it sure was a different year for deer. Last year during gun hunting I think the absolute minimum I saw each day was six and the most up to 16. Even during the muzzleloader season and I never shot one because I was horn shopping. So the first day I went out during the holiday hunt last year I had a group of six come by and I shot three. That was the post I did with my hard our way how are points it never opened up. I was really hoping to shoot one with a soft cast 7.5 BH to see how big of a hole it would put in it I’m pretty bummed but can’t complain since I ended up with a buck and a doe gun season in one doe during muzzle loader season this year.

[Winger Ed.]

Oh well,,,,,,, even Babe Ruth didn't hit a home run every time.

[Tripplebeards]

Thanks Ed,lol

[popper]

10 mph=15'/sec; 20mph=30'/sec; 40mph = missed em. 600 ft/2000 fps = 0.3 sec.
0.3s*15'=4.5'. About a yote's length @ 200 yds for typical 30 cal cast load and a trotting yote. Distance est. on the fly is even worse. Actually about the same for hogs.
Real close is hard cause you are really rotating the barrel fast and tend to stop (or overshoot the sight) to shoot. Crossing clay problem.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

Had a coyote cross the phone right of way into the cut over I was hunting two days after Christmas. Being chased by dogs, but not moving to fast. Did not get a shot until it turned about half way across the cut over and came down the hill towards me. Broadside shot at about 30 yards with a 243. Made it about 10 yards. Male, not to large, but good to have removed from the farm.
CF