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Will a .22 do the job?

26K views 88 replies 59 participants last post by  Ballenxj 
#1 ·
First off, let me say that I am not a hunter, but I have been seeing coyotes in my back yard a lot lately. They are usually about 20-30 yards from the house, and don't even seem to notice my presence, even when I'm yelling at them. I am quite sure I could get a shot at one from this distance. I live in a suburb, with neighbors on both sides, but have about 100 yards of dense woods behind the house. I would like to be as discreet as possible as far as the noise goes because of the neighbors, but want to use enough lead to get the job done. There is a berm before the woodline, so if the round missed or over penetrated, it would hit that, then would have to travel through 100 yards of dense woods, so I am 100% confident that there is no danger to any people.

I have a .22 wichester pump that I was thinking of using, but I have some larger caliber carbines that I could use as well (AR and AK). I would like to use the .22 because of the noise, as I mentioned. I want to kill the coyote, but am not that concerned with a "clean kill" as I have nothing but loathing for these animals, and I'll be damned if they are going to take one of my pets (or anyone elses) if I can do something about it. Will the .22 get the job done?
 
#3 · (Edited)
22lr is too light for that work, IMHO. 22MAG might be OK with a head shot. You're going to want a center fire. I've seen a video of a pellet gun putting down one (American Airgunner, Wednesdays on ODC channel). Some of those higher powered ones in .22 are pretty powerful but generally make the same noise as a .22 rimfire does.

Since it seems that shooting with those houses around you is out of the question, everybody is too close. But your best answer would seem to be just calling the police.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Since it seems that shooting with those houses around you is out of the question, everybody is too close. But your best answer would seem to be just calling the police.
There are no houses in the line of fire. I would have to turn 90* to hit the house on the right, and would have to walk out in the yard and turn about 120* to hit the house on the left. There is a 10-12 ft berm and 100 yards of very dense woods behind the house (you can't see 10 ft into it.) There is no way a .22 would be any threat to any people (not sure how far a .223 can bounce off of soft earth, but I'm guessing not far, but that's another reason I would rather use the .22). If you could see the lay of the land here you would agree with me.

If you feel that the .22 is underpowered though, I will take that under advisement.

The cops/animal control won't do anything. I'd love it if they would just trap it/them and dispose of/re-locate it, but they won't.
 
#8 ·
Trust me more coyotes have been killed with head shots from a .22lr then anything else, just ask any trapper. That's what .22 cb ammo was designed for. I have shot plenty of coyotes that weren't trapped too with a .22 and good quality solids, and things alot bigger too, my preference being Remington Yellowjackets, fast stuff and not the cheapest either. Many mountain lion hunters still use .22's for cats (not my cup of tea) with chest shots to save the skulls. I'd say if noise is a big concern and your inside 40 yards a carefully placed shot would do the job just fine.
 
#10 ·
Be careful about the legalities before you start shooting. If you are in a municipality that has ordinances, don't take the shot. If you are like me, in the country with a few houses together, talk to the neighbors first so you don't startle them. The 22 will do the job at 30 yards. A 22 in the head will penetrate one side and bounce around in the skull (quick kill). I have killed many coyotes with a 22, rifle and handgun. Actually, I can't remember ever killing one with anything else. That is going to change, I am setting up a .243 for coyote hunting this year so I can take some longer shots out at the farm.
 
#11 ·
P.S, Let it be known that I'm with Coach, .243 is my coyote rifle for everyday use as well as my truck and saddle gun (BLR). However i'm not afraid to bop a yote with my peashooter if hard pressed. And lets not beat the legality thing to death, that's pacifist's problem to figure out. Good luck to you sir.
 
#13 ·
Ballenxj; Yep, I've dropped some pretty big critters with a .22 and every one of the huge range bulls that we run through the slaughter house (as well as all the other beeves) get shot with fmj .22 mags out of a Single Six and they rarely need to get shot twice. It's all placement my friend:)
 
#14 ·
I am totally with cowboy and Bruce on that one the lowly .22 gets sold short a lot of the time a well placed .22 lr especially a yellow jacket or a stinger will kill most critters if your close and can put one in there ear (maybe not ideal but you do your job and it will do its)....its all about placement.....don't underestimate how noisy the faster end .22 lrs can be either especially in suburbia so it might pay to mention the mission to your neighbours or even the police if your worried about complications with the powers that be .
 
#15 ·
I have the same Yote problem in my neighborhood, I am thinking hard about getting a bow. Every time I shoot my only neighbor calls me being nosey then shortly after that the Sheriff drives through my Cul-de-sac. My neighbor does not want me to shoot the Coyote's even though she has lost several cat's because of them.
 
#16 ·
We had a big stink here in town a few years back. We have a harbor loaded with fishing boats, so the feral cats are plentiful in that area. For a long time, there was an empty tract of wooded land at the harbor, and the coyotes found the cats and took up residence in the middle of town happy with their free food (cat) and cover.

The city solved the problem by starting a campaign to "save" the cats. Once the food source was gone, so were the coyotes.

A silencer on your 22 comes to mind but don't break the law. Myself, if it were lawful to shoot them, I'd get with the neighbors and let them know it was coyote night at my house. I'd probably use a 12 gauge shotgun and some number 4 buckshot.
 
#18 · (Edited)
If it's 20-30 yards from the house and ignoring you then a 22 LR will kill him cleanly with a careful head/brain shot. I would use a solid jacketed bullet and stay away from the hollow points. Be sure the direction you are shooting is clear and safe.

My 22 rifle is an old bolt action Marlin with a 2x7 Redfield scope and I don't have issues with body shots on woodchucks lying flat at twice that distance.

Another option is contact your state trapping association and find a local trapper and see if he is interested in trapping them for the fur. Might not work if you have a lot of loose dogs running around.
 
#29 ·
Other comments notwithstanding, any rimfire 22 LR is inadequate for humane dispatching of anything larger than a smaller mammal. Many boast of succesful headshots etc. but that in itself should tell you something. I find your lack of concern regarding clean kills rather retarded but each unto his own. Cheers.
I have to laugh at this reply. A coyote would grab your infant by the head and drag it away and you're worried about humane dispatching. Maybe a call to the SPCA would take care of them huh?
 
#21 · (Edited)
Another option is contact your state trapping association and find a local trapper and see if he is interested in trapping them for the fur. Might not work if you have a lot of loose dogs running around.
No one is going to be interested in their fur. These things aren't like the ones you see on hunting shows with beautiful full shiny coats. They look nasty. If I can I'll try to snap a picture of one (if I can't shoot it) and post it. They are dirty, with matted fur and a very menacing look about them. In regards to the comments about clean kills, I am not doing this for sport, and I am not worried about them suffering. Dead is dead. I don't want to sound callous, but these things are like rats to me, and I'm not going to see something like this with my cat if I can get rid of them myself. Try and put yourself in my shoes and picture your cat or small dog in this thing's mouth.



I appreciate your concerns about the legalities, but let me worry about that please.

From what I have read here and other places, I am questioning whether or not the .22lr will do what I want it to. I'm not 100% confident in my ability to hit one in the brain (they are usually moving/walking). I am considering getting a crossbow to deal with these things. But if I get a shot with that .22 that I can't pass up, or if the scenario is right to take a shot with the .223, I'll take it.

I AM 100% confident that it would be a safe shot as far as people are concerned. I would never take a shot that I wasn't absolutely sure was going in a safe direction. I was in my backyard with a .357 snub one day when one walked through (it was the first time I saw one). I could have taken a shot, but I hadn't thought it through as far as what was behind, so I didn't take the shot. Now that I've scouted it out, I believe 100% that it would put no one in danger.

Thanks for your response so far, and TIA to anyone with more good advice.
 
#22 ·
I believe the .22 would handle the job if you can hit the target. I would use my heavy barreled 10/22 because I can hit a dime with it @ 50 yrds. That would also give me a quick follow up if need be. A second shot most likely won't happen, most yotes know when the SHTF.......
 
#23 ·
I too believe the 22lr will do the job at those ranges. As far as the humane comments, I'm not one of those that believe that a 300 win mag is needed for a minimum deer caliber. We will shoot a person in war with a .223 but when it comes to a deer it's "in-humane". The 22lr is fine, you sound like a perfectly ethical person.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Will a .22LR kill a coyote at 30 yards?.........YES with a Brain Shot, which is hard to do many times, shot not offered etc.

I myself have liked what the .22mag can do in respect to coyotes at 30 to even 50 yards. A body shot behind the front shoulder to that coyotes "vitals" with a Federal 50 grain bullet will be successful in killing that song dog. The 40 grain bullets work very well on other varmints/predators like *****, fox, oposums etc.

If you want to cover more yardage, then you need a .222 Remington caliber or the .223 caliber simply put.
 
#25 ·
I remember years ago about making a simple silencer for a 22 rifle by attaching a baby bottle nipple to the end of the barrel. The sound produced is purported to be reduced to a thump. I would imagine that it would last for a couple of shots at most before the hole became too large. Be advised that I haven't tried this but it I have known others who have. It might be worth a try if it solves your problem.
 
#30 ·
armed pacifist said:
I have a .22 wichester pump that I was thinking of using,
Spend some time at the range and see how quickly you can get off an aimed second shot. If it is more than two seconds, consider the purchase of a semi-auto. If you practice at 50 yards and can get two shots on a four inch target in two seconds, go for it.

I shot a sheep (at the request of the herder) with a .22lr and put him down with one shot (very controlled conditions). - - Directly answering your first question, YES it will do the job, but leaves little room for error, thus the potential need for a second shot. :)
 
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