I am fortune to live in the country and have a fabulous view of the central Iowa farmland from the back deck of our home. I have seen many deer the last few weeks and on one occasion a quick glimpse of a coyote in the early morning hours. Yesterday was no exception, as I saw 2 pairs of deer (doe and fawn each time) in a span of 10 minutes. As I continued watching for wildlife, a movement in the taller grass caught my attention. I always keep binoculars on the kitchen counter next to the sliding door and was able to focus on a coyote working her way through the sandbur infested CRP ground. The wife was getting ready for work and I called to her to come watch the critter while I went for the gun. I came back and was told it had disappeared behind the trees at the corner of the yard. I crouched down low and could see under the lower branches that it was working its way along the fenceline where I had mowed a path earlier in the week. I opened the slidimg door and crawled around the lounge chair to where I could place my gun on the top railing of the deck. The AO was set on 200 yards and I backed off from 32 power to 18 and picked up the coyote right away. She had stopped and had turned her head slightly to the right and was looking straight at me. I slipped my finger behind the trigger of the CZ 527 Varmint and engaged the set mode and fired.BINGO!! I really, really could not believe what happened next. She just fell over. I kept the scope on her for at least 5 to 10 seconds. She never moved. I was using a load that I picked up off the 204um: 39 Sierra BK ahead of 27.7 gr of H4895. It made a small entrance hole in the back part of the rib cage about 3" down from the top of the back. There was no exit and NO blood. She weighed 25 pounds and the range was 221 yards. Here are a few pics.
This is a picture from the deck looking southwest. The area where the coyote was first spotted is in the center of the picture, just to the right of the cornfield.
The shot was taken directly between these two trees and just under the overhanging branches and above the wooden fence.
Here is the way she fell.
This shows the mowed fenceline and, to the left, the CRP ground she was crossing (also, yours truly with quarry in hand)
.
Hold 'em & Squeeze 'em
! I have had a couple in the field lately but the pelts just aren't good enough here to shoot them yet. That 39 grain Sierra bullet is looking better all the time for coyotes. I may just have to give them a try this winter. Nice shooting SR.