Shooting Radius of a coyote?

mikegranger

mikegranger

Well-known member
I've never actually measured the kill zone of a coyote. Anyone happen to know the height of an average sized coyote from the backbone down to the brisket, not including fur?
 
Mike...that's a HECK of a question for a Wildlife Biologist to be asking... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Wait a minute...let me runout in the back yard a put the tape on one... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Seriously, why are you wondering? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
You got to be kidding /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif....right? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif


Go out back and pull one out of the pile /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
I've been told it's about 4" diameter. I have never actually measured one though. I guess the outcome could differ from one coyote to another. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
That's a good practical question. I have a friend, a long time wolfer and pro photographer who measured and photographed some skinned coyotes specifically to answer that question about 20 years ago. I just phoned him and was surprised at how small his measurements turned out, smaller than I remembered. He measured many, especially every time he killed a big one, and he never measured one more than 7 inches of kill zone, top to bottom at the deepest point in the chest. He was measuring from the top of the backbone to inside the sternum. He said that small coyotes would measure 4 inches or even a little less. Those are Interior of British Columbia coyotes. My personal impression is that they averaged a little bigger than coyotes in Southren California, couldn't compare them with anywhwere else.
 
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Okanagan, you get the prize. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif That's exactly why I was asking the question. Max Point Blank range setting on a particular load is determined by shooting radius of the target. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Since I skin all of my coyotes at the nearest fence post, haven't had an opportunity to measure. I think it's around 4 inches but being the "scientist" that I am, want to know exactly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
See my edited correction to my earlier post. I should not have posted from memory until I talked to the guy who measured coyotes, but didn't think I would get hold of him for a day or two. He never measured one over 7 inches of kill zone and small ones went four inches.

Hard objective measurements sure can surprise us with reality.
 
7 inch kill zone seems pretty big for a coyote to me. Most of the Missouri and south western coyotes I've killed were pretty small without the fur on them. Most seemed around 4".
 
I've measured some at 7-8" (probably a 5-6" vital area). I've always run my rigs such that the highest trajectory above line of sight (max. ordinate) was no more than 2" high and 2" low at what i refer to as the CMPBR (conservative max. PBR). Not much vital zone really, but a lot i guess relative to a fox.
 
I figure 9" & round off to 10" on long shots. Large ones top of shoulder to the ground = 24". I also figure[rounding-off], 30" front of chest to end of rump. Puts me in the ballpark, for visualizing lead on runners.

If all else fails, fire for effect mode /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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