Shot placement ratio.

[OKRattler]

I was going through pictures of some of the coyotes and bobcats I've killed over the years which most were killed with a .223 and I noticed a high percentage of them were hit in the neck. Which tells me I'm either really consistent or I have had more shots on coyotes that were facing me at the time....maybe both. I've also noticed I hit a pretty decent amount of them behind the shoulder in almost exactly the same spot or really close to it. Except with the 22-250 most have been directly through the shoulder. Smaller calibers such as rimfires have been through the lungs 98% of the time. Whether that's just coincidence or I self consciously shot them there to keep off of the shoulder I don't know.

I don't know that there's any rhyme or reason to it I just thought it was odd that a lot of the bullet placement on different coyotes using different calibers over the years were almost identical with that particular caliber.

98% of the bobcats I've killed were hit in the upper chest close to the neck. I hold high apparently.

One coyote that I can remember hitting dead in the shoulder was the running mate to one I had shot two weeks prior to killing him. I hit the female with a 55gr. BlitzKing in the spine as she was trotting away and took a quick shot at the male but my shot was just over him. Two weeks later I shot him in the shoulder with a Winchester 45gr. JHP. As I stood up to go get him he did too. He obviously wasn't getting anywhere fast so I sat back down and shot him again. Both bullet holes were roughly 1/8" apart when I skinned him. Not that I meant to do that,that's just the way it turned out.

So to wrap this up how many of you have noticed any similarities in where you hit a coyote,are you consistent or do you not pay that any attention? It might be odd that I notice things like that but I do.

 

[CZ527]

I’ve hit them from the nose to the tip of the tail pretty much. I’d say 99% of firsts on stands were shot in the chest. However, most stands down here are doubles or triples, hence the wide dispersion of shot placement. I just don’t like them becoming educated, so I never hesitate to chunk some lead at potential survivors.

 

[hm1996]

I think it's a sub-conscience thing. While I prefer broadside shots (usually place shot tight behind shoulder but depending on angle, I aim for off leg on angling shots), I will take a fore or aft shot if that's all that is offered. I tend to shoot a bit too low on facing targets for the .223 (center of chest) which has resulted in at least a couple that I can remember that were knocked down, only to jump back up and manage to get into very thick grass or an old badger hole. Might have hit a bit off center on those; can't remember that ever happening with the 243 WSSM.

Regards,
hm

 

[OKRattler]

Originally Posted By: CZ527I’ve hit them from the nose to the tip of the tail pretty much. I’d say 99% of firsts on stands were shot in the chest. However, most stands down here are doubles or triples, hence the wide dispersion of shot placement. I just don’t like them becoming educated, so I never hesitate to chunk some lead at potential survivors.

I hear you there I'm the same way. I've hit more running straight away from me with the .223 than I have with the 22-250 but of the ones I have shot with either caliber running straight away required a second shot to put them down pretty much every time. But that's part of shooting a light weight bullet I suppose. Now I have gotten lucky and hit them in the back of the head or in the heart if they were running quartering away from me or left to right. And I say luck because that's all it was. When coyotes are flat out bookin it I'm just trying to hit them to stop them because I can almost always count on having to shoot them again once they kick it into high gear because I'll admit, I ain't good enough to hit them in the kill zone when they're leaving a dust trail behind them.

Comparing my experiences with the 22-250 to the .223 isn't necessarily an even number either though. I've been shooting a .223 of some make and model for 11 years or so. I just got my 22-250 last year so it has some catching up to do.

 

[wjh131]

My stands, man, I try to hit behind the shoulder! But we all know how it goes.

I'd say 90% of first shot coyotes are in the boiler room, with minimal damage. I primarily use a 243 with 58 grain vmax The other 10% made up of shots that are face on and hit low, with a mess of guts or brisket shot with lots of blood. Other shots include a leg hit where the front leg gets removed. I don't mean to do it but it happens. Second and third coyotes on a double/triple stand are probably 90% gut shot as I know I have trouble with lead and I do hurry shots. Other 10% are a complete miss!! Or head or neck shot.

 

[OKRattler]

Originally Posted By: hm1996I think it's a sub-conscience thing. While I prefer broadside shots (usually place shot tight behind shoulder but depending on angle, I aim for off leg on angling shots), I will take a fore or aft shot if that's all that is offered. I tend to shoot a bit too low on facing targets for the .223 (center of chest) which has resulted in at least a couple that I can remember that were knocked down, only to jump back up and manage to get into very thick grass or an old badger hole. Might have hit a bit off center on those; can't remember that ever happening with the 243 WSSM.

Regards,
hm

I think you're right. I have lost coyotes which naturally I think everyone does every once in a while and I know a large majority of them were hits to the liver. One of my buddies has had horrible luck with the .223 even on shots like you are talking about and I think he's doing the same thing. I've put coyotes in front of him and he's hitting them,they're just not dyin,right away anyway. He told me once "I'm hitting them in the chest. They ought to be dying." All I can figure is he's either pulling slightly left or right and hitting towards the joints of the shoulders or he's hitting too low. I've read a lot of debates on a .223 being a reliable coyote killer. I've been lucky enough that I've never had many problems but hitting them high like I do has a lot to do with it I'm sure.

I've killed coyotes with 40,45,50,52 and 55 grain bullets of several different brands and bullet types and have seen several others shot with a 60 grain bullet out of a .223. I haven't kept notes on how many or anything like that but I have a very good memory and I can honestly say I've seen more runners and coyotes that needed shot again after taking solid hits with Winchester 45gr. JHP's and Federal American Eagle 50 gr. Varmint Tipped bullets than any other. More pass throughs with 55 grain SP's and 55 grain Blitzking than any other,more running dead with Hornady 55 grain V-Max and bullets that have just seemed to drop everything they hit consistently are the Hornady 52gr. BTHP and Sierra Varminter 60 grain HP which have also been the most fur friendly that I've seen.

By running dead I mean I've shot several coyotes standing broadside with the 55gr. V-Max and gone into running shot mode only to see them pile up in the scope before I took up the slack in the trigger on my second shot. But I'm also lung shooting them more times than not with those so I can see why that's been so common with that particular bullet.

 

[OKRattler]

Originally Posted By: wjh131My stands, man, I try to hit behind the shoulder! But we all know how it goes.

I'd say 90% of first shot coyotes are in the boiler room, with minimal damage. I primarily use a 243 with 58 grain vmax The other 10% made up of shots that are face on and hit low, with a mess of guts or brisket shot with lots of blood. Other shots include a leg hit where the front leg gets removed. I don't mean to do it but it happens. Second and third coyotes on a double/triple stand are probably 90% gut shot as I know I have trouble with lead and I do hurry shots. Other 10% are a complete miss!! Or head or neck shot.

One of my buddies shoots the same bullet in his .243 and I know exactly what you mean. When they hit a bone it's....well....It looks like they got hit with a grenade launcher.lol

 

[hm1996]

Percentage wise, really haven't lost all that many but primarily most were frontal shots w/223. Probably caused by being a bit off center, but most were knocked off their feet, were too close to cover for 2nd shot and managed to get in a hole or.........?

The 55 gr. NBT works very well in the .223. The 87 gr. Hornady BTHP is bullet of choice in the .243 WSSM and does the deed with almost as much authority as a 130 gr. NBT in the .308.

Have also shot a number of coyotes with Nosler 100 gr. solid base SP bullets (obsolete but picked up a bunch of overruns). The 100 gr. was favorite bullet for culling whitetail and hogs but performed admirably on the coyotes as well.

Regards,
hm

 

[hm1996]

Quote:I have lost coyotes which naturally I think everyone does every once in a while and I know a large majority of them were hits to the liver............

........All I can figure is he's either pulling slightly left or right and hitting towards the joints of the shoulders or he's hitting too low. I've read a lot of debates on a .223 being a reliable coyote killer. I've been lucky enough that I've never had many problems but hitting them high like I do has a lot to do with it I'm sure.


You're probably right. Might want to show these to your buddy.

Regards,
hm

 

[OKRattler]

I'll have to show those pictures to him so he'll focus more on hitting them there. That one he shot last year even surprised me when it took off. He knocked it down with a 55 grain Softpoint. He had a single shot and he was all sorts of goofed up when it jumped up and took off. He was scrambling to put another bullet in his gun and I was standing up lobbing bullets all around that coyote so that turned up the excitement I'm sure. He's a good shot he really is it's just something about those coyotes that get him so hyped up and focused on not missing he forgets where he's supposed to be shooting them. He missed a bobcat twice a few years back and was just about sick over it. That last coyote was my fault that it got wounded. I had it coming in and there was a milo field to our left bordered by sagebrush and that coyote was heading towards the milo. I told him to shoot,he didn't he just started woofing for the coyote to stop and it was just one of those coyotes that wasn't gonna stop. It kept trotting towards the milo and I was telling him to shoot,kill it and this and that and he gut shot that coyote. I put to much pressure on him,combined with the moving target and everything it was just a no win situation.

Me on the other hand am used to it. I also hunt with a guy that gets all hyped up when it comes to huntin anything. I just don't get addled easily so I sometimes wonder if he doesn't do it on purpose to see if it'll get me to miss. Some guys just get that coyote fever and that adrenaline is too much to handle. It's powerful stuff but a big part of it is being able to control your emotions I found out a long time ago. It's not like shooting at prairie dogs they don't stick around forever and wait on you to pick the perfect shot. It's kind of one of those things where the shot that presents itself might be the only shot you're gonna get. Experience and having coyote after coyote present those shots is the only way to get better.