SmallCaliberCentral

I spotted a coyote today from the road so I drove past without slowing then found a parking spot about 500 yards down the road and snuck back. I then had to climb a fence and a big hill and there it was still in the same spot.

I laid down and crawled up over the hill and he started to run off. I howled and stopped him at about 175 yards and he turned back broadside. I managed to squeeze one off and he dropped like a stone and began to thrash around. Finally he rolled over and was laying with his head up then he got up began to trot away, his front leg on the opposite shoulder was sticking straight out. I shot again as he ran off but missed.

I went to the spot where he fell and NOTHING. I guess the downside of a .204 hole is that not much blood can come back out. I never saw him again, never found a blood trail nothing.

I am convinced I didn't make a great shot, I was winded and lying prone Next purchase, a set of Harris bipods! Lesson learned.

Janneuf
A Harris Bipod is the way to go .I have one on my .204. After lots of practice, I was shooting almost as good as a bench at 200 yards . . What bullet/powder combo are you using???

I am shooting 39 grain Sierra Blitz King bullets ahead of 28 grains of Varget I am guessing I am getting about 3700 fps and at 175 yards about 800 FPE. I felt like I made a killing shot, the coyote went right down but didn't stay. What concerned me was the lack of any blood. I scoured the area and couldn't find one drop.

If the bullet came apart inside the coyote, and nothing exited, it WOULD be awfully hard to find any blood, as the hide can move over the entrance hole and seal it when the coyote moves. The hair can soak up a lot of blood, too. Did you find any hair floating around? That can be an indicator, also. It sounds like you messed up his shoulder blade pretty good.

Glenn

I didn't find anything, no hair, no blood, nothing. I was surpised because it thrashed a bit on the ground after I hit it. The shoulder was the opposite one from the entrance. I am still trying to figure out how I could disrupt the opposite shoulder and not hit vitals.

I had just about the same thing happed to me several years back at that time I was still using my 220 swift pushing a 55 grain bullet. I hit this coyote at about 200 yrs square in the chest front shot. That coyote did a back flip laydown and did a few leg kicks and lay still. I got up to go and pick it up when it got up and took off it went up over a rise which was not more then 10 yrds away by the time I got to were it went down when I shot it there was no blood anywhere I look and looked I went were I thought it had gone and I still did not find any blood. I looked for about 30 min when I decided that I must have been seeing things when i findly found it laying under a bush not more then a few feet over the other side of the ridge I kept thinking that the coyote would be out in plane open site and i had look at that bush several times but I never gave it a serious thought until I walk right by it and seen the coyote laying under it I swear that bush was not much bigger that he was. when I took a good look i found just a small blood patch on the front of his chest
Like someone said in a early post the hide can cover up a small hole and the blood will stay in side of the body cavity.
coyotes can be one tough critter
skinner

I've hunted coyotes for many many years, and have seen them get up and run with 10 yards of intestines dragging. Chased one in particular over 1 mile that had been shot twice with a .223 at pbr. caught him in a culvert and still had to head shoot him with .22. They are tough sometimes. I ruin fur, but if they are still alive, I always put another in him, as I don't like long chases anymore.

I agree 100%. I've never had to shoot a coyote more than once but, from now on, I keep shooting until I know it's dead.

how much are coyote pelts worth these days. Back in the 80’s when I was hunting them in high school, I would get $20-40 depending on the quality. But I haven’t hunted them since then.

Hawkeye J,
Nice gun. I have same. My gun's glare got spotted a couple of times (yotes) and now have a neoprene cammo fore end cover...and use Browning's Mirage tape to cover the bolt handle...that stuff is great.

I had a couple of experience one was with a long shot at night at what I believe was a bobcat I fired a cross a draw at night I saw the eyes look back at me from another location then disapear since I shot off a sand bag I was curios in the dark I found a spray of blood and fat about a foot long but no cat. Later on I shot a fox off a boulder and found it split open from breast to pelvis as if a knif had slit it.

A friend of mine who is an interstate trucker was in town for a layover and wanted to get a hunt in. So out we went. On the second stand I called in an average looking, say 35 lb coyote. At 120 yards my buddy hit this dog dead bang...and then it got up! It slinked away 30 yards and started to trot off, so he put another in it...down again...then back up! The third shot was the ticket. Turned out my buddy had loaded up some .223 55 grn FMJ's range loads and they were going RIGHT through that coyote's vitals. At that range you wouldn't think it would make that much difference, but it did. We both felt bad for the darn thing and my partner vowed to never hunt with FMJs again. One tough animal.