Turkey Loads for Coyotes?????

Rusty Black

Rusty Black

New member
I can't find any number4 buckshot in my area...(largest legal shot) in Pa allowed.I was thinking about useing my turkey setup...Mossberg 535 Hastings .640 choke and 4,5, or 6 shot...have any of you guys tried it?My moss has killed big gobblers...out over 50 yards,but what about a coyote at 40 yards?
 
nope. shot size 4, 5 or 6 is not going to kill a coyote out at 40 yards.

you can order #4 buck from many places on the internet. they bring it right to you house.
 
Hmm, I'm pretty new to hunting coyotes with a rifle. Most of my experience has been with a shotgun. Trust me, with the right choke 3 1/2" lead 4s will level a coyote. Just need to burn some rounds and see what your pattern is doing.
 
Originally Posted By: PageHmm, I'm pretty new to hunting coyotes with a rifle. Most of my experience has been with a shotgun. Trust me, with the right choke 3 1/2" lead 4s will level a coyote. Just need to burn some rounds and see what your pattern is doing.

Lead #4 shot will kill a coyote if it is facing you at under 40 yards. But that does not make it a good coyote load.

Even lead #2 shot only works decent if the shot angle is perfect.

Lead BB shot is the smallest I would use on coyotes. If you reload, lead BBB or lead T shot works even better.

Number 4 buck will drop coyotes no matter which way they are headed.
 
i just knew there would be at least one.
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I've killed 14 or 15 coyotes with 12 gauge 3" turkey loads. Most turkey hunters have shot coyotes that come to their hen yelps and/or decoy. In my early years it was #4's, with a few #5's in lead and in the last few years Hevi 13 #6's. Inside and around 25 yards a tight center dense pattern to the head works "mostly." Be ready to add more shot as needed. Stretch the range or shoot them in the chest and they're gonna run, sometimes a damm long way. I lost several in the early years before I realized the limitations of the little shot. I certainly wouldn't use it if anything else is available. Heck I've killed a couple coyotes while squirrel hunting with 1 1/8 ounce of #5's. The coyotes were very close range volunteers and I wouldnt count on that load for much more than those sure gifts from above.
 
GC is right. I've killed many Coyotes with turkey loads. Dropped one at 45yds with Federal #6's last year. He went right down, flopped a minute and done. Killed many while duck hunting creeks with #4 steel. I wasn't targeting them but when they trot in looking for a meal I wont pass up a good frontal shot. I use #4 buck when calling coyotes. Any heavyweight load of #4's will give them a dirt nap.
 
I ve shot a couple out to 45 yards with federal number 5's while turkey hunting with my 10 guage. Pick up some winchester or hornady copper plated BB shot. I've doppped em in their tracks out to 67 yards with lead BB. Just aim for their heads.
 
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We can only legally use buckshot number 4 for our largest shot...Love to shoot bb...but I ordered buckshot number 4 last night..Im sticking with my shot and choke combo....thanks fellers!
 
My brother has downed 3 yotes at 40 to 50 yards with Number 4 shot 3” mags…. I recently did a penetration test at 50 yards on 4 inches of foam with 1/2 inch plywood backer. Remington Nitro 3” with 1 7/8 ounces of 4 lead shot going 1210 had two pellets almost escape the plywood. 4 buck on the same target blew out all holes on the plywood. While 4 buck is way more powerful it can be finicky to pattern but I consider 5 consistent hits out of 27 pellets in an 8 inch vitals circle at fifty yards a pretty reliable unit. My Benelli M2 likes the extended Carlson .700 improved modified for both the 4 buck and the heavy Remington Nitro Turkey loads. Remington has come out with a Nitro magnum in #2 lead shot that I would like to test. I shot steel waterfowl loads at 4 inch foam and 1/2 plywood going 1550 fps… not even close to penetrating out the back of the plywood. I would say waterfowl loads are def for the birds. My suggestions is to put some money into chokes and get the lead 4 buck shooting good. Every gun is different so follow the guideline of your gun and choke tube makers. I have a Carlson buckshot choke .695 and the Carlson .700 Improve modified, which both are decent on four buck. With the .700 doing a little better. Neither are so good beyond 60 yards though.
 
All depends on your turkey load. Lead no, TSS yes. I’ve killed hogs at 40yds with one shot kills. And it dang sure stones coyotes at that distance. With that said, TSS is some awfully expensive coyote ammo, lol.
 
But it was, lol. HTL loads were and then we discovered TSS. It wasn’t mainstream or mass produced like it is now, but it was available. The HTL loads would put down coyotes and hogs as well. Working loads and patterning works in shotguns as well as rifles if people would do it. My main home defense weapon is my turkey gun. Just hoping that it’s not considered too much use of force, lol.
 
Semantics maybe. I referenced Hevi 13 in my original post. But TSS wasn't a common thing then available over the counter as it is nowadays. The denser than lead Hevi 13 was a bump up from plain lead loads and now TSS is a considerable bump up from the older Hevi 13 and Wingmaster HD shotshells I progressed to from lead. BTW, my old Benelli M1 with a Kick's GT .660" consistently puts 180+ of those Hevi 13 #6 in 10" at 40 yards. The Indian Creek is even tighter shooting but is such a hunk of pipe on the end of the barrel that I prefer the Kick's choke. During turkey season I have killed coyotes and a couple of hogs with that H13 load. Shoot them in the head with a swarm of that and they are in trouble. Vanillia flavored old school lead turkey loads were a lot less effective. TSS is a whole nuther thing.
 
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Hevi13 #7’s were the ticket out of my little 20ga. Federal Heavyweight #7’s also patterned about as good as the Hevi13’s. Believe it or not I still have some Hevi’s and use them sometimes for my GA birds. We’d heard they were gonna quit making both loads so we looked into TSS and started rolling our own. Luckily for me, my choke was set up for the Hevi13’s and TSS shot exactly the same.
 
I killed one coyote in Kansas while turkey hunting. I saw him go into the woods edge and went to making a dying sound with my turkey diaphragm call. Few seconds later he came running in. A 2oz load or #6 had him spinning and another finished him.

Killed my first coyote way back while squirrel hunting back on the 80’s with #4 squirrel shot.

I have taken several cats and and coyotes with #4 buckshot and more than a few hogs. I don’t call with a shotgun much though.
 
EMI or Hevi-Shot did not tell the truth about most of the ammo that they made. I am pretty sure when Hevi-13 shot first came out it was close to being 13g/cc shot and then it turned into 12g/cc shot.

When EMI started selling Hevi-Metal loads they said it was Steel shot mixed with smaller Hevi-Shot. At that time everybody thought "Hevi-Shot" was 12g/cc shot that was 10% denser than lead. The smaller pellets in the Hevi-Metal loads was a tungsten blend that was not as dense as the "Hevi-Shot" that had always been 12g/cc shot.

EMI could not have sold Hevi-Metal loads as cheap as they did if it was 12g/cc shot that was mixed in with the steel shot in the Hevi-Metal loads.

So without telling their customers EMI turned "Hevi-Shot" into a brand name when before that 12g/cc shot was the name for 12g/cc shot.

HM-Back-Panel by https://www.flickr.com/photos/156463377@N08/, on Flickr

In the above advertisement EMI called the shot that was in the Hevi-Metal loads "Hevi-Shot". Up until that time nobody knew that there was shot being made called "Hevi-Shot" that was not 12g/cc shot. So EMI was letting people think that there was 12g/cc shot pellets in the Hevi-Metal ammo when there wasn't any

It looks to me like if you want EMI ammo that is 12g/cc shot it will cost about $6.00 to $10.00 per shell. The EMI "Hevi-Metal Longer Range" ammo is just steel shot with some Bismuth shot mixed in with the steel shot.
 
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