SmallCaliberCentral

Thats cool Glen, how long ago was that first dog for you?

Back in August.

I apologize for my questioning of your shot selection.

Bottom line; if you can hold just the right amount low and hit a coyote right between the eyes at 90 yards, in a filed hunting situation-you're a better shot than me.

janneuf,
How is the yote population in KY? I am in the Army and have driven through just about every state there is but only hunted OR, WA, NV, ID and PA. PA dogs are hard as heck to find even though there are plenty around. Is most of your hunting on private land or public?

Public land out here is few and far between.

There are tons of coyotes in Kentucky. Most of the hunting is on private ladns but permission is easy to obtain. Most of the landowners are cattle farmers who view coyotes as a threat. I deer hunted this weekend and in addition to be covered up with deer I heard coyotes yipping all around me.

It amazes me how many people first coyote was taken with a head shot. Mine was too. Forty six yards when I pulled up he wasn't looking at me but away, when I found him in the scope he was giving me the look put his head down low in front of his chest. Looking through his eye brows so to speak. I wanted to shoot him in the chest but my thinking was shoot !shoot now! or he will be gone... He died.

congrats on the yote!! great shot. I always go for the head under 100 40 gr nosler works great for that, I guess if your not a confident shooter maybe you should go for the LARGER target on the dog but I have no trouble with my lil ruger 204, "brain the !@#$%'ers" I say.

I got two on the 28th of Nov. out in eastern Oregon. One was a head shot at about 200 (which is what I am zeroed at) cuz I think he spotted me and was lookin right at me about to bolt. The other was broad side at about 120. First one was with a 40gr. Berger, 2nd one was a 39gr. BK Flattened'em both.

I got my first coyote with the 204 Ruger yesterday. It was standing broadside at 140 yards and I hit it on the midline, four inches behind the right shoulder with a 35 grain Berger hollow point. The bullet passed completely through the rib cage, both lungs and took a big bite out of the back of the heart. It also left a 1 1/8 inch exit hole in both the carcass and the hide after fracturing a rib on the left side. This is a bit more fur damage than I was hoping for with that small bullet. The coyote was an adult female that weighed 34 pounds. It ran 39 yards after being hit.
I am going to stick with this bullet for the immediate future but if this kind of pelt damage persists I am going to try the Berger 30 grain hollow point. Has anyone had much experience with the 30 grainer on coyotes?

Thats the first i heard of major pelt damage from a 35 gr berger.
I loaded up a bunch of these for yotes ..just havn't connected yet
Let us know if it happens again..and again and again ... LOL

I can make that kind of a mess with the 22-250. Anyway the hole is sewn up and the hide is drying on the stretcher. Hopefully the nimble little fingers of the fur buyer won't find it.

There's a guy from Alberta over on Saubier.com who swears by the Berger 30s for coyotes. He's NOT using a .204, but a bigger case (can't remember which one must be CRS kicking in). He claims some kills at 400 yards, but his yards and MY yards might be different lengths
I think I'd give the 35s another chance, though, one shot doesn't give much data.

Maybe they were Canadian yards, like the dollar, 20 percent shorter. I sure wish the dollars would even up some so I can finally make my big sojourn down to Cabelas and load up on some of those 204 bullets that we can't get up here.

Singleshot, Why can't you just order them? You can do a lot better cost wise than Cabels's. Midsouth or Midway have better prices on bullets.

WP: Most of the large suppliers won't ship reloading components to Canada any more. Something to do with Homeland Security. I guess a lot of planes must be getting hijacked with 204 Rugers. Strangely enough, bullets and brass still get through from Ebay sellers. Our moronic gun laws up here have put a lot of gun shops out of business. Those that are left are bogged down in red tape and increased costs to obtain and store products and the prices reflect that. I can get the Hornady and Sierra bullets with no trouble but Bergers are hard to find and I have yet to see any of the soft point bullets. I can still drive to the States and bring back a pretty good load of components but I would have to be going down there for other reasons because of fuel costs. As you reiterated, the best prices I have found online are from Midway but they are a long way from here.
Without intending to put this thread further off track, all I can say is that you American shooters should be bowing three times a day towards the grave of the guy who included the Second Ammendment in your Constitution.