Coyote Hunting

Coyote are somewhat a target of opportunity for me. I don't really have an interest in their pelts, and I certainly don't want to eat them. However, they are cut down the deer and rabbit populations, and they are unwanted in urban areas.

In Missouri, they are in season almost all year round, the exception being April and the beginning of May. There appear to be no restrictions on firearms (aside from the magazine capacity of shotguns). Electronic calls appear to be allowed, and hunting at night appears to be allowed (but not with spot lights or night vision equipment).

Firearms

Eventually, I plan to have rifles in both .22 Magnum Rimfire and .204 Ruger, which are both ideal for coyote. In the mean time, I will need to use what I have. At the moment, my Browning A-Bolt in .223 WSSM is the best choice. After that has been rebarreled, My Bushmaster M4 in .223 Remington will be the next best option. I have played around with 40gr Varminters and 55gr BlitzKings in .223 Remington, either of which should work great. Since I have several hundred of the BlitzKings, I should probably work with those.

Oh, I need to get a sling for my M4.

James is wanting to try hunting coyote. Of the firearms available to him, I have been encouraging him to prepare his Remington 700 in .30-06 for this task. I have loaded up some 110 grain varmint cartridges for him.

Calls

I need to research electronic calls.

I thought I wanted the Primos Power Dogg. It looks like a sensibly built package for a reasonable price. However, I asked about it at Cabela's, and the guy I talked to was very disapproving of it. He recommended the FoxPro FX3. He said it could be heard on the far side of their store on a busy (ie, noisey) day.

Unfortunately, the MSRP on the FoxPro FX3 is $399.95. I guess I will be using bait until I can pay for an electronic call. (Update: the FX3 appears to be discontinued. They want me to buy the $600 Fury instead.)

Locations

In theory, I should hunt coyote any place that I hunt rabbits or deer.

Blue Springs Creek, White/Whiteside, and Logan all appear to be okay for coyote.

I suspect that Mark Twain National Forest is okay for coyote hunting, although I would be a little concerned about the populations. I did see one the last time I was at the Potosi unit.

Restrictions apply at Busch, where coyotes can only be hunted using shotgun, and coyote hunting is closed from Oct 1 through Dec 14. Howell Island also allows coyote hunting with shotgun only. Of course, getting there is frequently a problem, and I don't plan to hunt deer there.

July 10, 2010

I am really tempted to just head to Bourbon and set up at the edge of one of the fields. I have bait and a rifle. If I do, I should wash with scent-free soap and shampoo.

Or I could just go to the range and sight in the new scope on my Marlin.

Update: Ha! I did both. I never saw a coyote, though. Maybe I need to scout out some coyote sign. My bait may not have been optimally effective, since it was still mostly frozen. Also, I forgot to bring a sling, and next time I need to bring fly netting for my face. Also, I was way too close to the road, which was a lot busier than I had expected.

Need to buy:

firearms - hunting - gunwalker