Can you use a .22 for coyote/fox hunting?

[castnblastkev]

I want to start getting into predator hunting and was wondering if a .22 LR is enough to cleanly and ethically harvest a coyote/fox...i know that i can use a shotgun but id like to use the .22 for more distance

[jecole360]

The .22 lris a terrible choice if you are planning on taking long shots. You'll just wound the coyote or fox and they'll run off. The only time I would recommend a .22 is for a very close "head" shot. Stick with your shotgun with a full choke and something like 00 buckshot or #4 buckshot or T shot. Get some Hevi shot "dead coyote" shells.

[castnblastkev]

ok thanks

[coyote#68]

foxes are smaller and easier to kill than coyotes and a 22 high velocity hollow point will kill them out to 65 or 75 yards with a well placed shot.The shot gun will get near that range with dead coyote T shot but it is expensive,#4 buckshot is a cheaper choice and works pretty good out to 50 or 60 yards if your gun shots them well.If you have different chokes try them all a tighter choke doesnt always mean a tighter pattern with bigger shot.good luck!!

[tyleryeags]

this topic has been dicused many times and .22 dont do the job for coyotes or foxes they might if there close but if its far away you could hit them and they just run away so use the shotgun

[bigalc]

In cattle slaughter housesthere are thousands of cattle cleanly and ethically slaughtered every day with a .22LR. So yes, a .22LR will certainly kill any fox or coyote to ever walk the earth. The key is how far away you try to take them. With a scope and high velocity hollow points you might be able to take them as far away as 75-100 yards, but you need to shoot from a rest and place your shot exactly in the heart/lung area.

I hunt deer with a shotgun and buckshot every year, and have killed approx 50 over the last 20+ years this way. I have also patterned multiple guns with buckshot on paper to try and find the best combination to extend my range. So far the best I have found will only consistently put an acceptable number of pellets in the target out to about 65-70 yards. Since a deer is at least twice as big as a coyote, I would probably limit my shots to no more than 50-55 yards or so. (If youuse rifle sights or a scope on your shotgun you might extend this a little more, but not much)

If it were me I would use the .22, and put a good scope on it. With the money I saved by not buying Hevi-shot, I would buy a lot of .22 ammo and practice until I could hit a deck of playing cards with every shot from actual hunting positions.
Good Luck!