Scope Power for Coyotes

H

Hawks Feather

New member
If using a .223 Remington round, what scope power would you use for coyote. Shots would usually be about 75-100 yards with a max of 200 yards. I have several (scopes) and am looking for suggestions of what to use. I have both fixed and variable power.

Thanks,

Hawk
 
ur in ohio thats where im at but i hunt in ky i would just get a 3-9-40 on the 3-9 i set it at 6

tahts what i ahve on my 17hmr


but on my .223 i have a 6-24-50 itrs a great scope 2 but i wouldnt pay the extar money of shots are gonna be mostly 75-100 yards

on my 6-24 i keep it on 11
my 2 cents
 
Last edited:
Quote:
Anything in the 4X-6X range, either fixed or variable, will work fine for what you described.


Agreed. I'm using a 4-10X Nikon, but I find it's on 5X or 6X about 90% of the time I'm hunting.
 
My main 'yote guns have either 3x9 or 4x12 and they always start out on the lowest setting. If a dog gets hung up 200 or 300 yards out, I almost always have time to crank up the power. But, if the reverse happens and you have one blind side you at 50 feet and you have your scope cranked up to 9x or higher, you're in trouble!
 
I use a 4.5x - 12x Leupold on my calling rifle. Very rarely do I ever move it off of the lowest setting. Go low for a calling rifle, but it's nice to be able to zoom in for 200-300 yard shots when you need to.

Tony
 
I have a 4x12 on my 222 and keep it on 4 all the time. I intend to put something like a 1.5x5 on it eventually. I believe I missed a close yote because of my scope. Of course it was not me and my heart pounding out of my chest.

Heck, I'm thinking of going to open sites since most of my shots are under 50 yards anyway.
 
222er,
i will probably be the black sheep of this post before it is all said and done. i have used several different scopes on my yote gun. (savage 110 in .223) over the years. the first scope i had on the gun was an old marlin fixed power 4x32 that i pulled off of a 30-30. that was quite a few years ago. i got the hankerin' for something bigger for those long shots and put a big barreled scope on the gun. i started missing more coyotes with that big variable scope. i was always cranking it up or down trying to get it just right for the situation.....crank it up to nine power....out pops a dog at 40 yards.....turn the thing back down and sure enough there is a dog sitting on a hump at 300.....go figure. needless to say, i have that ole' 4x32 on my gun and she is not coming off. it works great for close in as it has only the standard two line reticle. i put the x on the dog and whomp down he goes (most of the time). i hunt in eastern kansas so most of my shots are under 100 yards. you are going to get a variety of responses to this post. some will say bigger is better and some will say go low. there is a wide realm of hunters on this site. some are just coyote hunters like me. i don't punch paper.... some are into the hobby of experimenting w/bullets/reloads/scopes......etc...... that is the beauty of the sport. my recommendation would be to go w/the lowest power you feel comfortable out to 100 yards. my second yote gun is a rem. 597 in .22 magnum. i have "no" scope on it. i have a red dot .22 cal light sight on it w/no magnification. 100 yards and i, just put the red dot on the dog and whomp......fur.......
i am not an expert so take what i say w/a grain of salt. i am sure you will get a great deal of knowledge here from all these great guys.
 
If I had a dedicated Yote rifle in 223, I would go with a fixed 6X. Plenty of scope from 15-250yds. If you hunt various types of varmints and preds (Feral cats, yotes, fox, skunk, racoons) a 3-9X, 3-10X, or 4-12X will do just fine. I currently have a 4-12X, but I am getting a 3-10X for it. Only reason is because the 3-10X has a illuminated recticle for my night hunting needs.
 
Last edited:
I'm at the other end of the spectrum. I use 4X12s and I keep them set on 9 or 10. Then again most of my shooting is over 100 yards and over 200 is common. IMHO, choosing a scope or setting is a blend of how you hunt, were you hunt, and perhaps most important, what you are comfortable with.
 
If it is just for 'yotes, you can get away with a lower top-end magnification. If you are going to be shooting prairie dogs or chucks with the same rifle, you might opt for a higher top end. As for the low end, if you hunt in cover with close shots and intermittent visibility, you want a lower bottome end. Weaver makes a 3x10 Grand Slam V10 variable that should be low enough for close running 'yotes amid bushes, and high enough to pop a prairie dog out past 300 yards.

My Rem. Model 7 .243 'yote rifle wears a Leupold 2x7, but the top end is a bit weak for some of the longer range (past 300 yds) mountain rockchuck shooting I want to try. When I scrape up the $$ I'm going to get the Weaver V10 on it.
 
I have three dedicated fur hunting guns, one calling gun has been wearing an old weaver K3 for about 40 yrs, my latest addition also a calling gun in .223 is wearing a 1 x 3 variable, and my spot and shoot gun a .243 has a 2.5 x 10 variable. When I'm shooting across farmer browns wheat field I want to make damn sure it isn't his german shepard and when I'm calling in the sage or forest I want fast handling and a huge field of view, much like a brush country deer gun.

AWS
 
Personally I love the topic of scopes more than any other. I set off on my amateur coyote hunting career convinced that the larger the number on the power the better and if they made the rings mounting a telescope would be answer. I kept the 6x18 scope that came on the rifle I bought and thought everything would be good. After a few trip I finally saw my first animal, only problem was that he was at 40yds and running towards me. Flat out could not find the animal in the scope throught the sage brush. I did eventually see him on his way out once he busted us but again with the narrow FOV I did not have much of a chance at him. After that I began rethinking the scope I was using. I started seeing more and more animals and the one characteristic I began noticing was that they were all within 75yds and I was having trouble finding them in the scope if they were moving. I finally made the decision to go with a 2x7 Leopold for a test run and have been happy with the results ever since due to the extra distance in FOV. I continue to see the yotes at close distance and can set up my stand with the setting on 3x or 4x knowing that I can pull the rifle up quickly with the animal in my crosshairs and can bump it to 7x quickly if needed. I may end up switching to a 3x9 because I rarely am at 2 power in a stand and having the extra power to 9x would be nice for target shooting. Bottom line is that I feel if I need anything more than 7x with a .223 then I probably don't need to take the shot and I can be alot more accurate if I can pull the scope up quick and work on the shot rather than spending my time adjusting and trying to find my target.
 
I'm new to coyote hunting, and I ordered a Howa 1500 SS sporter in .223...

And because of the great price- I bought a Nikon Monarch Ucc 5.5x16.5x44 AO $325 shipped!

I live in the N- California woods, and have some great open areas across small canyons, and powerline clearings, so the high power will come in handy... plus I can shoot ground squirls with a buddy of mine in Nevada.

BUT- much of the time I will be in the "thick" where 30-75yrd shots will be the norm. I'm hoping that the 5.5 power will be low enough.

If not, I've got a Mini-14 with open sights and a 2.5x10 scope, that I can use for the close up hunting... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I use 4.5-14x50 Leupolds, you can not have to much magnification for that dog that hangs up at 250 or beyond. As long as you remember to turn it down before you start your calling sequence. You should always have time to turn it up if an animal hangs up but you will be fumbling with it trying to turn it down and more than likely miss a shot if one suprises you at close range. Also, you get what you pay for in optics. It does no good to have a expensive rifle if your going to put junk on it. Put your money where it counts.
 
Back
Top