Coyotes and shotguns

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HoLeChit

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What do you guys use? What have your results been?

took my new 18” SXP out today to pattern it, see what it would do. Tried the Browning Invector Plus Midas full choke, immediately swapped it out for my Carlsons extended extra full choke. Here it is, my old green sling and my trusty shell holder I got off of @okierider when buying a shotgun off him a while back. Funny, I use the extras that came with the shotgun I bought off him as much as I use the shotgun. Maybe more. The leather sling I got in that transaction is my lucky sling.
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first set of targets were with 3” federal grand slam copper coated, buffered, flight control wad 1 3/4oz #4 turkey loads. What a mouthful. Boy I wasn’t ready for the recoil either. A far cry from shooting 1oz game loads or 3” waterfowl loads out of my soft shooting 20ga Beretta A400. Targets were at 25 and 50 yards.
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next was Winchester super X #4s, at 25 and 50 respectively.
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HoLeChit

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then the same super x, only #5s.
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lastly, I tried the same choke with my 26” barrel and the federal grand slams to check and make sure the barrel length wasn’t hindering my patterning. It doesn’t appear to be any different?
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so this shotgun is supposed to be used as my coyote and turkey shotgun. What do you guys look for in a coyote shotgun? Do you use one? It looks like 25yds is plenty of lead on target for a coyote, but 50 doesn’t. Am I wrong? What kind of range should I be seeing? I keep hearing about guys taking coyotes at 65 yards with shotguns, which just sounds ridiculous.
 

Okie4570

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I usually just use #4 or #5 2 3/4" pheasant loads out of my O/U with mod over mod chokes. I've killed more coyotes when pheasant hunting than when calling lol. I've killed a few when calling bobcats though and I use that same gun and loads for cats as well.
 

retrieverman

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I’m working to replicate the “crow” load that @Master Carper posted about, and I intend to try it out on coyotes too. :thumb:
From my initial testing, the recoil is pretty dang stiff, and it should be running about 1530 fps according to the load data (I don’t have a chronograph to confirm it).
 
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dennishoddy

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I was turned off on shotguns vs coyotes many years ago. Unlike others that have had success, my experience was not positive.
My son was pheasant hunting with me when a coyote came up at his feet behind a pond dam. He shot once with #4 pheasant loads at 20 yds and rolled it. One roll and it was back on its feet running so I hit it at 30 yds with #4, making it stumble but not go down. It disappeared running like it was never hit.
Thats my one and only time to shoot a coyote with a shotgun.
 

HoLeChit

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I was turned off on shotguns vs coyotes many years ago. Unlike others that have had success, my experience was not positive.
My son was pheasant hunting with me when a coyote came up at his feet behind a pond dam. He shot once with #4 pheasant loads at 20 yds and rolled it. One roll and it was back on its feet running so I hit it at 30 yds with #4, making it stumble but not go down. It disappeared running like it was never hit.
Thats my one and only time to shoot a coyote with a shotgun.
I don't blame you, that would turn me off to shotguns on yotes really quick. I wish we could use something larger than #4 honestly. I'm at a bit of a loss who we cannot harvest any game in OK with anything larger than #4 shot. I feel that letting people at least use T should would be a good way to keep things humane and ethical.
 

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