Well i persoanly like a rifle better than a shotgun for almost anything, but when it comes to coyotes its hard to go wrong with a shotgun, or22 mag. or 17 HMR as long as shots are keptat a reasonable range and the hunter is a good shot. If i were you id buy a savage combination gun in 17 HMR/ 20 or 12 ? guage shotun barrel below, that way you can choose the barrel more suited for the individual situation.