# Sluggin' Coyotes



## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

I wrote this for the Chukar Foundation's newsletter a few months ago and another thread reminded me to post it up. I apologize as I should have done it a few months ago, anyways here it is:

My dog was just out of sight over a small rise on a connecting ridge top when the GPS beeped with the point signal. As I topped the rise, I looked over and saw him pointing into a small brushy draw to the left of the ridge. It didn’t look like a Chukar area but I go where he points so I made haste up the slope with my shotgun ready. I closed the distance to 60 yards of the brushy hillside draw, but instead of a covey bursting into the air, a coyote came trotting out the other side and up the opposite hill. I quickly sat down with my gun pointed his way. My dog continued to point and the coyote was intently watching the dog with no idea of me being present. I sat there in frustration looking at that coyote who presented a really nice broadside shot at about 80 yards. All the while I am holding a weapon with an effective range of about 40 yards. All I could do was watch until he decided my dog was not a meal and trotted off into the sunset.

I have had several such instances with coyotes while out bird hunting. Usually the coyote is more interested in the dog than in the human, so they are close but seldom within bird shot range. I have thought about carrying a handgun with me while on the Chukar hills but this would add more weight than I want for those one or two times a season a coyote comes into range. Also, it is my experience that a 100 yard capable handgun would be fairly bulky and require much skill on the part of the hunter. With the handgun out of the equation I searched for another solution. After some research and a suggestion from a friend who lives back east I decided to give shotgun slugs a try. 

Being a native Utahn I have no experience with shotgun slugs. They are not mandatory for deer hunting in Utah so we generally don’t have a reason to use them. I do see shotgun slugs on the shelves of Utah sporting goods stores so I figure there must be some kind of demand. Regardless, I was determined to see if these would give me a light weight coyote blasting option while on the Chukar hills. This summer I bought a few boxes and went to the range. 

First let me explain a few things about slugs before I relay my shooting experiences. They usually come in a box of five and are around a dollar a piece. You will generally find two types of slugs on retailer shelves: Saboted slugs and Foster style (Rifled slugs). Saboted slugs are the most accurate but these are designed to be fired in a rifled slug barrel so these are not useful to a bird hunter. The Foster style or rifled slug are the most prevalent and these slugs are made to be shot in smoothbore shotguns with various chokes. Most get the best accuracy with a more open choke like improved cylinder or light modified, but they are designed to work in all modern smoothbore shotgun barrels. The ‘rifling’ on the slug is actually not there to make the projectile spin but rather to ensure the slug will work in a variety of chokes as the slug can swage itself through a tighter choke without damaging the barrel. Please ensure that your shotgun is capable of shooting slugs before trying them.

I tried two types of rifled slugs in my 20 gauge semi auto Franchi. Winchester Super X rifled slugs and Remington Slugger rifles slugs. These slugs do kick so be prepared for that but keep in mind that Remington makes a 12 gauge reduced recoil rifled slug for delicate guns or delicate shoulders. I placed a target at 50 yards and another at 100 yards and shot from a bench. At 50 yards they shot 6 inches low but I had a 4 inch group with both brands of slugs. At 100 yards I was hitting 16 inches low and it grouped in a 12 inch circle. Good enough to give me a decent chance at a coyote if I remember to do the proper hold over. Slugs are not going to be accurate much past 100 to 125 yards so I didn’t shoot any farther than that, plus a typical bead sight is not the most accurate of sights. Both brands shot very similar for me but as with any gun, some ammo brands shoot more accurate than others. It was fun to experiment with slugs and I had a good day at the range for the $20 worth of slugs I bought. 

I am looking forward to this season for many reasons and that includes a chance at a coyote, and the $50 bounty the state puts on one. I figure for a fun range session, a little money, carrying 2 slug shells, and a quick reload on the hill I will have a chance at a coyote out to 100 yards. I know I am not the only one who sees the occasional coyote while hunting so I was hoping to get the word out to my fellow bird hunters to give this a try. I hope by the end of the season this little trick will result in a few coyotes hitting the dirt, and a few Chukar foundation members collecting a $50 bounty.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

That's a pretty good idea. Did you get a chance at a coyote this past season? If so how did it work out?


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

Postscript: I will add to this that last weekend I saw my first Coyote of the year while out on the chukar hills. He was running up an opposite hillside and unfortunately was out there quite far, I figured 175 to 200 yards. I quickly grabbed my slug I keep in my vest and threw it in my chamber. I barked to stop him and as he turned back looking at me I took aim holding what I figured was 5 feet over him. I took the shot and saw my slug impact about 1 to 2 feet low! He took off like a bat out'a hell and that was that. I may have missed but I was pleased that I at least had a shot opportunity that I otherwise would not have had. Maybe next time I will find one within 100 yards, that's really where slugs shine. 

Keep in mind that if you are yelling at your dog or whistling or chatting it up with a buddy while you hunt the chances of seeing a coyote get really slim. I hunt quite a lot by myself and even when I hunt with friends we are usually fairly quiet. I let the beep collar do my yelling for me. Even being quiet I usually only see one or two coyotes a season while hiking. I also figure it's always a good idea to carry a varmint rifle in the truck, I have found that this ensures that you will see absolutely no coyotes while out driving around. The one time you leave it at home you will see several--guaranteed!


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

Airborne said:


> Postscript: I will add to this that last weekend I saw my first Coyote of the year while out on the chukar hills. He was running up an opposite hillside and unfortunately was out there quite far, I figured 175 to 200 yards. I quickly grabbed my slug I keep in my vest and threw it in my chamber. I barked to stop him and as he turned back looking at me I took aim holding what I figured was 5 feet over him. I took the shot and saw my slug impact about 1 to 2 feet low! He took off like a bat out'a hell and that was that. I may have missed but I was pleased that I at least had a shot opportunity that I otherwise would not have had. Maybe next time I will find one within 100 yards, that's really where slugs shine.
> 
> Keep in mind that if you are yelling at your dog or whistling or chatting it up with a buddy while you hunt the chances of seeing a coyote get really slim. I hunt quite a lot by myself and even when I hunt with friends we are usually fairly quiet. I let the beep collar do my yelling for me. Even being quiet I usually only see one or two coyotes a season while hiking. I also figure it's always a good idea to carry a varmint rifle in the truck, I have found that this ensures that you will see absolutely no coyotes while out driving around. The one time you leave it at home you will see several--guaranteed!


Lol, fact!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Shotgun slugs are a blast. Here's more sluggin stuff:

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/18-firearms-reloading/2418-12-gauge-deer-slugs-2.html

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/18-firearms-reloading/25036-870-trigger-job.html

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/18-firearms-reloading/24632-slug-gun-deer.html

.


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