17HMR seem to be a decent short range varmit rifle. I like my 22lr it's cheaper to shoot and therefore can shoot it a lot more.

If a bullet is smaller doesn't mean it's affected by the wind as much as it's heavier counter part. Consistency is plus with a heavier bullet and a higher BC if the bullet is constructed in such a manner. Mythbusters has arrived I've tested this myself with a lot of different calibers. I'll give two examples

17HMR vs 22lr 100yards. 28 Mph wind. 17HMR drifted 1" the 22lr drifted 9" inches. That's a lot of difference.

22-250 50grs vs 30-06 165 grs 500yards 25mph. 22-250 drifted about 24" and the 30-06 drifted about 48" almost double the distance. (of course didn't have a target that big, estimated where the bullet hit the target bank. )

Now you can say that the setups of the calibers weren't close enough for a comparison but it proves one thing. Time in flight is the key factor in windy situations. A larger bullet with a higher BC will consistently hit in the same place better than a smaller bullet with a lower BC. But if the smaller bullet spends less time getting there it's less effected by the wind. Also have to consider wind bearing surface of the bullet too.

There's a reason that target shooter use heavy bullets with a high BC for consistency but the bottom line is time in flight to a certain range (400yards or less) has advantages in wind for the smaller faster varmit calibers.

So when someone says I shot at a coyote with my 22-250 at 250 yards and the wind blew it off 5 feet. That guy don't have a clue on what he's talking about.

I do believe however about the blade of grass or a twig scenario. It don't take much to deflect a bullet of that size. And all bullets can be affected by hitting objects before reaching the target.