Coyote-Hunting Equipment

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tad Brown, the product-development manager for Outland Sports, which makes Lohman's and M.A.D. calls and Featherflex decoys, has hunted coyotes his entire life.

QUESTION: Tad, what types of camouflage, rifle, scope and binoculars do you use when you hunt coyotes?

ANSWER: I wear Mossy Oak camouflage. The style I choose depends on the region of the country in which I hunt. In Texas, I like to wear Shadow Grass. It mixes in well with the yucca and cacti and that type of terrain. In the Midwest, I like to use BreakUp. I shoot a Remington rifle, a shotgun or a CVA black-powder rifle. I use a Leupolds 3-9X riflescope on my rifle, and a Burris shotgun scope on my shotgun. I use Kmart Tasco brand binoculars.

QUESTION: How important are binoculars when you hunt coyotes?

ANSWER: In the Midwest, where I do most of my predator hunting, the animals usually are in close proximity, and my binoculars aren't that important to my success. But in open country, binoculars are very important to my success.

QUESTION: Why do you use both a shotgun and a rifle, and when do you use what?

ANSWER: I started using shotgun when fur prices were high, and I was concerned about fur damage.

QUESTION: A shotgun doesn't damage the fur?

ANSWER: No, a shotgun won't damage the fur unless the coyote is very close to you. At normal shooting distances, you can shoot a coyote with a shotgun and kill it very quickly without fur damage. Even having a small amount of holes won't affect the hide at all. But a high-powered rifle will blow a pretty big hole in a coyote. I try to use small, hollow-point bullets and shoot them through the coyote's ribs. Usually the bullet will explode and never exit. But if it does, it exits in little pieces. Plus, you have no fur damage; you'll just have a small-caliber hole going in.

QUESTION: What caliber do you shoot when you hunt coyotes?

ANSWER: I shoot a .22 to .250 and a 6mm.

QUESTION: What bullets do you use?

ANSWER: I like the Hornaday V-Max right now. It's a great bullet for shooting coyotes.

QUESTION: What kind of shotgun shells do you shoot?

ANSWER: I shoot Winchester BBs and No. 4 buckshot. I'll use a shotgun in close proximity, like in brush when the action is fast. Usually if a coyote is just passing by or coming from behind you, you can use a shotgun to kill the coyote a lot easier than you can with a rifle.

QUESTION: So when you hunt coyotes in thick cover, more than likely you'll use a shotgun. When you hunt wide-open country, you'll probably shoot a rifle.

ANSWER: Right. When there's a chance my shot will be out of my effective shotgun range, I'll go with a rifle.

For a copy of Tad Brown's "10 Secrets to Taking More Coyotes," write Tad Brown, 4500 Doniphan Drive, Neosho, MO 64850; attention Kim Thurman.

TOMORROW: COYOTE HUNTING SECRETS

Check back each day this week for more about Hunting Coyotes, A Year-Round Sport...

Day 1 - How To Call Coyotes
Day 2 - How To Make A Coyote Setup
Day 3 - Timing And Changing Coyote Calls
Day 4 - Coyote-Hunting Equipment
Day 5 - Coyote Hunting Secrets

John's Journal