My state allows hunting coyote at night with either a handgun (any caliber) or a long gun (not bigger than 22 caliber rimfire). I suspect that a 22 WMR is enough gun, but what is your opinion on a 22 LR or other rimfires?

The Winchester Supreme 22Mag HP is more accurate in my guns, and has more shock value (on water bottles) than the Hornady or Remington polytip rounds.

I'd opt for more power and a quicker kill.

As little use as I have for yodel dogs, I still wouldn't use a .22 LR. I got more respect for the critter than that.

Unless you can hit them in that little spot on the head, count on it usually running off wounded after a .22 hit. I've done it, but I've also flubbled it.
Any reason you can't use a shotgun and large shot?

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Science plus Art

A 22RF is not enough to reliably kill a coyote. Can it be done, yes......but not consistently. These are pretty tough animals and you need something to anchor them or else they'll just run off and die, or linger wounded for a while. When we used to hunt them in upper NY state we used 12 guage shotguns, and mostly night hunted (legal there). The shotgun was due to the thick woods in upper NY. In AZ we use any good 22 centerfire or up, with 243 being a good caliber. Much more open, and longer shots here. If you're limited to RF calibers where you hunt then stick with the magnum. If not, I'd suggest a small centerfire rifle round or shotgun, depending on the terrain. Or any good centerfire revolver that you can shoot well.....

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Tom
"Panem et Circenses"

A .22 LR is perfectly capable of killing a coyote. Night hunting you aren't shooting at long ranges if you are jack lighting or using night vision. I know everyone wants to be over gunned and thinks you have to blow a critter in half to do them in rather than just being a fair marksman and hitting the vitals. Use a hollow point, doesn't even have to be a hyper velocity. If you have a .22 mag then it adds a little range.

.22 mag is a minimum for these (very) tough critters. I've seen em run with a solid hit with a .223.
If legal for night hunting like here in Michigan go to a good heavy loaded 12ga. "Dead Coyote" brand seems to be a favorite with (T shot if you can find it and it's not cheap) a full choke. This will give you more killing power with only slightly less range than the .22 mag.

I wouldn't use anything less than a .22 Magnum on coyotes, especially here in the northeast. I have hit them with everything from .22 Hornet to .32-20 and shotgun slugs, and some of these things are tough hombres.

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Vaya con Dios

My state doesn't allow hunting with centerfire rifles at night, but you can use a shotgun with shot size BB or smaller. For night hunting coyote, you can use any caliber handgun (44 mag if you like), but 22 rimfire is the max for rifle.

Are these sickly scrawny creatures that are full of disease and worms that are coming in too close and may have rabies? I would think at fifty to a hundred yards with a Stinger or a Velociter you could send one to another world. Glowing yellow eyes that are fat on your barn cats or chickens and are quick to scoot out, maybe follow that shotgun advice or pick them off with a .223 at a distance before they get in close. They seem to be pretty predictable in my limited experience. It shouldn't be hard to just wait for him when he gets hungry. So I guess it depends on your situation.

YEP, 22RF works just fine on em.

I've known several guys who preferred the 22 mag for coyotes, some farmers have had good luck with the LR using Velocitors or similar hot loads. Hunting conditions have a lot to do with it. Around farms or when calling ranges tend to be short in the midwest. Hunting over large open fields a centerfire 223 or 22-250 would be a better choice. At night I preferred a 12 gauge loaded with #4 buckshot, usually anchors them quite well as they come in to a call. Have to consider the conditions you are hunting under.

a .22 won't kill all the 4 legged animals, but it will kill coyote.....
as with shooting anything, a paper target to a human, bullet placement is the MOST important thing.....

Semper Fi

I *might* use a 22 WMR, but not a 22LR. The last feral tom cat I hit in the vitals (through its upper triceps into the heart/lung area) at less than 20 yards with a CCI 40 gr subsonic HP (normally an excellent small game round) made it 40 yards before dropping.

Given the limitations stated in the original post I'd opt for a centerfire handgun.

A .22 rimfire would not make a quick kill and the yote would suffer IMO.

I wouldn't unless i had to, but if you can make the head shot take it. and carolina and Ga definately need some people out hunting them, no matter where they die or how

.22 mag would be the very minimum , at very close range. these things are tougher than you think. even though their varmits they deserve to be dispatched humanely. just me.

There are a lot of good reasons to not have a wounded coyote loose in your neighborhood.

Given the lawful choices you have, I would opt for a shotgun - if you are using a spotlight, he will probably not stand still long enough for a head shot.

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6/23/2022

We have soooo many coyotes that I tend to shoot at them with whatever I have handy. I killed one earlier this Spring with a LR round in a Ruger BearCat. So yes the LR will do the job; just not always.

Coyotes ARE tough. I've wondered if the .223 is enough gun at times and I had one run off after getting hit by my 6mm-06. Gotta hit them where they live.

A .22 rmfr is "iffy" in my book. If that was all you had.............maybe.

I would use my Colt Python, even with +P .38 spcl, it is a better choice IMHO

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JIM
NRA Pistol Instr

yes if you hit him 50 times real fast.but i would not use the 22.unless thats all you have.good luck

Certainly a skilled shooter/hunter could kill coyotes with reasonable consistency, but if I wasn't allowed to use a 12 gauge with #4 buck, I'd be forced to use the .22 mag. All the usual advise about how and where and when to place the bullet apply regardless what one is using (FORCED to use.) Hunting after dark should decrease the length of the average shot, but no shot is too close for poor accuracy. Place the correct bullet in the correct place and you'll bag your prey.

Wow, alot of different opinions here. Obviously a .22 mag minimal is best, and going after them with a 22 RF is marginal and iffy unless you are a damn good shot. However, that said, there is another variable here no even mentioned: distance!!! At anything under 50 yards a hyper velocity in a rifle: stinger or aguilla super max will kill them with a head shot. In a handgun it's still marginal. Now, if you use the segmeted hypers which use to be called quick shots, then a nice lung shot will bring them down. So four variables: distance, under fifty yds; handgun vs rifle, rifle is preferred; ammo, use the hypers. Head shots for the HP's and lung shots for the segmenteds. Then really give me a 22 mag over all of them so I can breath easier.

I would not hunt them with a .22 LR because there is too much a chance of wounding the animal and even Coyotes don't deserve that. I would think a .17 Magnum would do a better job. A .22 hornet or .218 Bee would probably be better than a .22 magnum too.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

You left off the other variable. The hunters thoughts on hunting ethics. That one seems to vary widely based on who's doing it. Someone above mentioned there are so many of them, someone's got to start shooting them.

I used to work with a guy who's mother still owns the family homestead. All was well until he started noticing the little white tennis balls out in the yard. A local group of 'yotes was dining on the barn cats. Then he discovered his favorite kitty had become supper (he surmised, he couldn't find it when he went calling for it.) So he did the normal country thing, he got mad.

So based on his sorrow and loss, he started shooting. It didn't matter much to him which end of the 'yote he hit, just so he drew blood. If it died a lingering death, he just didn't care. The dead part was what he was seeking. It did several things. After a few nights of shooting, it seriously reduced the number of them in the area. And the few that were left learned his mothers farm was a dangerous place to try to steal a kittyburger for a snack.

I felt the same way about rats in my illspent youth. A bullet in the rat, regardless of where was a good thing. You folks are all rich and can obviously afford a $1 a shot from a centerfire rifle, or nearly as much from a shotgun. 50 years ago ammo was expensive! Even if a 22 cost just over a penny each, I couldn't afford to waste them (I know others could, they'd get a semi auto and prove how fast they could empty a magazine.) But my shooting conditions were far worse. If my dad bought a box or 50 22s for 75 cents, it was a penny and a half a shot. If I could show him a respectable pile of dead rats, he'd buy me another because I was working at it. If I showed him a few dead rats, I was just wasting ammo and plinking, so I had to buy my own ammo. That was the incentive for fairly quick kills. Find and pile the critters up. Had nothing to do with clean quick kills. But if he wasn't seeing any rats by the grainery or corn crib, I must have been doing something right.

Different standards for different folks.

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Dick Burg

I have killed coyotes with a .22 LR in both a handgun and a rifle. It has always taken more than one hit. On one occasion I was attacked by a rabid coyote. The only weapon I had was a 9 shot Hi-Standard Sentinel which I quickly emptied into him. I hit him 7 times including two in the face and three in the torso (one of which would have hit the heart if it had penetrated deeply enough.) The 7 hits slowed him down enough that I could finish him off by whacking him with a tree branch.

I have also seen lung shot coyotes run off after being hit with a .30-30, one or more JHP from a .357, 6 OO pellets from a 12 ga, and a JSP from a .223. (These examples were different coyotes on different occasions.) Some of these tricksters were found the next day 100's of yards from where they were shot. I have also seen large dogs take similar levels of punishment.

On other occasions I have seen many one shot kills with center fire rifles and a .44 mag handgun.

Coyotes are survivors and they can typically be expected to hold on to life tenaciously. They can also be difficult to hit in a vital area because they will often take off running in high gear as soon as they spot you.

I think a rifle cartridge larger than .22 WMR would be your best choice.

I agree.....

I've killed a lot of things bigger than a yote with a 22... A good 22 mag is the favorite down here for hogs during WMA small game seasons.

And for those talking about ethics and this issue... Think on this. It might not be good for you... But your skill set might not be what mine is. And vice versa... If he feels capable go at it. I have and will again.

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One gun is never enough...

I'm not against it if you are CLOSE and a better than GOOD shot. I don't mind killing, but wounding is not my cup of tea. Just another opinion............Sprefix

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Go big or stay home

Personally I would not use a rimfire for coyotes.
I shoot every one I see, but I still respect them as a living animal and I use enough gun.
I have a couple of lifesize coyote mounts as well as a coyote rug and a head mount.

I have killed them with a 257 WBY Mag in Colorado, and several in Texas, two here on my place with a 223, and at my deer lease, several with a 308,several with a 9,3x74R double rifle, 3 with a 30/30 Heym over and under rifle, and a couple with a 450 No2 double rifle.

Is this based on personal experience? Just curious.....

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Peace Thru Superior Firepower

While there is little doubt that a .22 will kill a Coyote, I personally would use something heavier. I do not think it is fair to the animal by using a 22. I am a Hunter and I like a clean kill and do not like to see an animal "suffer" by shooting it with a smaller bullet.

Chief38

I've killed a couple of dozen coyotes in the last few years, most of them with a .22 LR. Most dropped within a few steps of where I shot it, a few have run as far as 20 yards. One ran a little farther but I think it was my bad in shot placement.

I either use CCI Stinger or PMC Zapper hyper velocity ammo with shots typically from 50 to 60 yards, and I've taken a couple at around 75 yards. I absolutely think a .22 LR is adequate for taking coyotes with an accurate rifle and good optics using quality ammo.

I've taken four with a M1 carbine using jacketed soft points and two more using a .357 magnum lever gun. Other than giving me a little more range option, neither of these seemed to provide any more or less of a kill than the ones I've taken with a .22 LR.

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- Change it back -

I suspect the caliber limitation is supposedly to prevent taking deer.