Power of the scope

F

fredbeer

New member
What power scope do most folks use (Coyote)? I,m going to be hunting east coast, so I assume 14 power will be more than enough.

Also, what type of reticle do you prefer?
 
I agree, for coyote hunting you very rarely require any power greater than 9. For most calling situations 4X is ideal since the distance is anywhere from 10 yards to 200yds.

Myself, I use a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40mm. It works great, has nice clarity and is reasonably priced.
 
When your looking at different scopes think about field of view first. A wide field of view is usually much more useful for a coyote scope than high powers. Wide field of views makes a scope much faster to pick up game than small field of views. I usually won't use a scope with less than a 40 foot field of view at a hundred yards.

2 by 7's or 3 by 9's are much better suited for a calling gun than higher power scopes. Most scope information will include the field of view at a hundred yards. Start by comparing those figures instead of power figures.
 
Lots of good comments above, I'll just add to it:

My long time favorite was a 2-7x33 Vari-X II. Heavy duplex with crosshairs about the size of fence posts.

I hunted for years and never could figure out why anyone needed anything more powerful than 9x. A p-dog trip or two made me skew the upper limit up to maybe 12 or 14. That, and aging eyes when target shooting. Those 4-12's or 4-14's are looking better all the time.

Purely coyotes in your environment - pick something with as low a starting power as you can find. 2-7, 3-9, 1.5-?, etc...
Think you might do more of the varmint routine some time down the road then pick something out that starts at 4 and tops out at 12 or 14.
 
Just to give you an idea of what I use. Fall and winter coyotes 2.8 to 10 and 3 by 9. Spring and summer ground squirrels 6 by 24 and 8 by 32.

The scopes get changed out in the spring and fall. Gives me a good reason to get to the range and sight in the guns twice a year.
 
I never shot a coyote or cat last year with the power over 6 and that was because I forgot to lower it before I called the coyote in.
 
hello..sleddogg ran a poll i think a year or so ago...if i remember correctly based on the number's of those who participated...the average called coyote was shot @ 50 yard's...this included both eastern & western hunter's...i think i can say that it's been long agreed here that nothing more than a 3x9 is needed...many predator hunter's use less than that...
 
I have 4 X 12's on my three coyote and deer rifles. I leave them on 8 power most of the time. If I am going to shoot at a standing coyote from 300 yards to 400 yards away I crank them up to 12 power. I used 3 X 9's for many years and they worked fine but I like the 4 X 12's for sighting the rifle in and for the longer shots.
 
6-24x. I was out last night at a spot where I could see out 600yrds (not that I can shoot that far). I like the additional magnification for deer hunting, I use the scope as a spotting score to check the rack on the deer.
 
My calling rifles have 2x-7x, 2.5x-8x, or 3x-9x. Most times they are set on 3x, maybe 4 at most. Your field of view is important when calling the Eastern timber, more so than magnification IMHO.
Good luck with your choice! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I have a 4 x 12 40mmAO on my 22-250 and a 6 x 24 40mmAO on my AR-15. Kinda of backwards really since my 22-250 will reach out farther than the .223 but I target shoot with the AR-15 and I can see where I'm hitting at the 200 yd range with out a spotting scope. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 


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