# Hunting with a shotgun



## specialpatrolgroup (Jan 16, 2009)

Was reading an interesting article in field and stream. Guy cuts off the legs of a hollow deer decoy and puts it in a snow bank, then hids his speaker in the decoy and plays deer distress calls and cubs feeding, sounds like a cool idea, ive never tried a deer decoy but I dont see why it wouldnt work. He also sets his blind up 40 yards away and uses a shotgun with a full choke and buckshot, it says that that combo is devistating on coyotes at that range. I have never thought of trying my shogun does anyone do this, what choke\shot size do you prefer. Might be fun if I go hunting with someone to take my shotgun see if I cant get one to come in close, if not let the other guy take em with a rifle.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

I haven't rolled too many yotes with the shotgun, but the majority of my fox in the last 10 years have come with the shotty. Typically, when I would hunt, either calling or doing post/drive style hunts, one guy would always have a shotgun along. If I was posting the end of a crp strip and we had walker pushing it, usually I would post with a rifle and shotty. Much easier to hit a running fox with the shotgun at close range than with a rifle/scope combo.

There are a lot of tungsten shotgun loads out there that stretch the effective range of a shotgun. Plenty of great buckshot loads too. It takes a while to find a combo that is really dialed in for those 50+ yard shots, but 60 is the new 40 for shotgunning varmints. I usually shoot a winchester sx2 with my factory full choke and 3.5" winchester or remington 00 buck. For fox, 3" lead BB is a great load too. I've shot a few with the hevishot dead coyote, but I haven't shot anything other than skunks with the federal or winchester tungsten offerings.


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## JuvyPimp (Mar 1, 2005)

In my opinion you are risking to much to be shooting at coyotes at 40+ with the shotgun. Yes they can be killed but it seems its usually a 50/50 type of deal once you get to the 50+ range on whether you get the coyote or not. Either way you will be crippling coyotes instead of killing them at those ranges. I typically kill around a third to half of my coyotes in a season with the shotgun. Just have to find the right load that your comfortable with and is effective. Lead and steel to 40 yards work fine. Steel BB's is what I use. It patterns awesome for me and I usually have them dead on the first shot. Im comfortable with it and know my leads. But again I try not to use the shotgun past 40 yards.

Ive seen both heavy shot and buck shot not kill coyotes past 40-50 yards.


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## airforcehobit (Aug 6, 2008)

12ga 3in 4 buck (49 .24 pellets) federal flight control. dead coyote choke in a 18in mossberg. It is like a gear puller. you dont always need it but when you do its dam handy to have around. early season and night hunts i use it a bunch but ND is so open i use a piggy back red dot up here.


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## airforcehobit (Aug 6, 2008)

piggy back red dot on an AR not my shotgun


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## ELCOYOTE (Jan 26, 2012)

Have always used an AR-15 cal 223 to hunt coyote. Now have been asked to hunt coyote on a government controlled small game cooperative hunting site that allows no rifles and requires steel shot only. Have a 2 3/4 12 guage auto with scope and been pattern testing steel BB at full and modified and improved cylinder choke settings....and am very disappointed in the holes in the pattern at even 20 yds. I even question that BBs will kill and break bones on a coyote. I have too much respect for the coyote to just cripple them and watch them run away.

I have also looked at patterns shooting 00 buck (only nine pellets). My son tells me that he has shot two coyote with 00 buck at 20 yards full choke and they jumped back up and ran away. My analysis to date is maybe to go with the 00 buck and shoot three shots in rapid succession in hope that some of the 27 pellets will find the coyote's head. Would greatly appreciate any suggestions other than go buy/borrow a 3 or 3 1/2 chamber shotgun for this one hunt.


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## the professor (Oct 13, 2006)

ELCOYOTE said:


> Have always used an AR-15 cal 223 to hunt coyote. Now have been asked to hunt coyote on a government controlled small game cooperative hunting site that allows no rifles and requires steel shot only. Have a 2 3/4 12 guage auto with scope and been pattern testing steel BB at full and modified and improved cylinder choke settings....and am very disappointed in the holes in the pattern at even 20 yds. I even question that BBs will kill and break bones on a coyote. I have too much respect for the coyote to just cripple them and watch them run away.
> 
> I have also looked at patterns shooting 00 buck (only nine pellets). My son tells me that he has shot two coyote with 00 buck at 20 yards full choke and they jumped back up and ran away. My analysis to date is maybe to go with the 00 buck and shoot three shots in rapid succession in hope that some of the 27 pellets will find the coyote's head. Would greatly appreciate any suggestions other than go buy/borrow a 3 or 3 1/2 chamber shotgun for this one hunt.


Try some of the tungsten non toxic predator/varmint loads. Keep trying different loads with your chokes until you find a setup that patterns well. I've used a shotgun for fox/coyote hunting for 17 years and have had horrible patterns with certain loads, and ridiculous lights out patterns with other loads. Hornady superformance 2 3/4" 00 buck out of my 20" improved cylinder 870 tactical patterns better than 3.5" winchester 00 buck through my 870 supermag with factory full choke. Dead Coyote loads through my SX2 and patternmaster will put 7 pellets in a 15" circle consistently at 50 yards.


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## lesser (Nov 13, 2008)

Juvy
You might want to keep practicing because your 40 - 50 yard theory is far from accurate if you can shoot.


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## Bernie P. (Sep 25, 2008)

I use a shotgun a lot.In my case it's the Mberg 835.I patterned it at 50yds using a few different 4 buck and BB loads.I tried Imp,Mod,Full and Ulti mag chokes all from Mberg.With 4 buck the Mod choke was best.The BB loads shot best with the Ulti choke.Both shot well enough to kill coyotes out to 50 yds no problem.The 3" Federal loads in both buck and BB beat out all other loads/brands I tried.Both have worked well on coyotes but I prefer 4 buck for the greater penetration on them.


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