You are exactly right, DAA.
I did confirm my 300 yd drop and corresponded it with the ballistic reticle in the scope I had mounted at the time. And low & behold, it was darn near 7" and that fact was duly noted in my memory bank.
The coyotes I shoot at here in NY happen to be quite a bit larger than what you may be used to shooting at out west. I can assure you that holding the crosshairs on the top of the back of a 50lb coyote with said rifle zeroed @ 200 will NOT result in a miss, if you can make the shot. There is a whole lot more vertical ribcage on a 40-50lb dog.
But don't take my word for it, see for yourself below...or ask Sleddog, he's shot plenty more than me.

Notice the bullet hole center punching the ribs ~6" below the top of his back.
290 something yards, if I recall.
I guess us guys back east are "spoiled" with such big targets to shoot at, allbeit harder to come by....
Above just for reference.
I wholehearted agree with you about maximizing whatever caliber you are shooting by practicing with whatever works best for you and your gun/caliber.
The acronym MBPR refers to Maximum Point Blank Range.
In the case of a coyote I'd correlate an MPBR of 3". Therefore the shooter would zero his gun at a distance where the trajectory of the bullet would not rise above, nor fall below an 3" imaginary line on either side of point of aim.