Missing

Ryanjac23

Member
On average, what do you feel your miss ratio is on coyotes? Obviously a million variables but on 10 coyotes you shoot at, how many do you kill?

Went out yesterday for the first real set of stands for the year. Made 5 stands, called in coyotes on 2 of them and clean missed them both. 100 yard-ish shots, picture perfect and I just missed…checked today and the gun is dead on.

Just curious as to what you guys see. Looking back at past years I’m roughly 65%-70% on shots taken.
 
At night(thermal) my best run 21 straight kills. During the day stalking and shooting bedded coyote, I get mad if I miss. I do still miss once in a while. So I guess I'm well above 80% probably 90%.
 
It depends but most years 90 to 95%. I really don't seem to miss too often. Having coyotes just get away without having fired a shot is a different story. That happens more often than a miss. I'm good for a few misses a season though. Normally happens early on. Most often on longer range coyotes. I think the best I've done was something like 50 something consecutive shots without missing or losing a coyote. I shot a total of 63 predators that year and didn't miss or lose any that I can remember.

I may have missed 1 badger but I can't remember if that was the same year or not. After a while it all seems to run together. I definitely shot good that season is all I can say for sure. In this sport you gotta have a pretty short memory. If you miss and get frustrated you'll just keep missing until you get over it, it seems like. If you miss you might as well kick a rock back to your truck, cuss to yourself and be done thinking about it before you head down the road to try it again. If you can't just head back to the house and call it a day.
 
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I’m 5 for 5 so far this season. My biggest problem is I’ve called in 2 doubles on the same night and only managed to get 1 both times. I guess 1 is better than none but I hope to figure these doubles out eventually.
 
If you miss and get frustrated you'll just keep missing until you get over it, it seems like. If you miss you might as well kick a rock back to your truck, cuss to yourself and be done thinking about it before you head down the road to try it again.
This is sound advice!

Last year was a season from hell for me and my shooting was atrocious! I finished the season with 13 dead coyotes and flat out missed/wounded 11 others! Yeah… pushing a 50% average isn’t an easy pill to swallow! Nor is it even close to normal for me. I got so deep into my own head that it was getting to where I expected to miss! Lots of trigger time and focus has me headed in the right direction again.

Historically, I would say I am an 85%+ shooter on coyotes. My season so far is below my historical average but far better than last year. 5 dead coyotes, 1 clean miss and 1 unrecovered. I know it died, I just couldn’t locate it.
 
IDK about historically, but would guess over 80-85% hits but I can honestly, with 100% certainty say that this past year I didn't miss a single coyote! The fact that I have been unable to get out in a little over a year probably contributed to that batting average.
I also can say that 99% of my misses could be attributed to one of two things. Either hurrying the first shot or two after a couple of months of not calling at all OR overconfidence after a long string with no misses. Either way, it boils down to concentration for me.
 
At night I hunt with a rifle only and this year had a streak of 29 kills w/o a miss', then missed one. I knew it would happen but it 'stung' anyhow. Since that miss I have missed 1 other (it was running at me about 30yds away and I saw the hair fly off its left shoulder), killed 21, and hit 2 that I did not recover-they also 'stung'.
Years past I was at 75-80% but this summer I bought a Tikka .22 that mirrors my Ruger American .243 in dimensions and 'feel'. I installed an Arca plate to the Tikka and have shot several hundred rounds off my stool and tripod at 'steel'. I shoot a couple clips a few times each week and I believe that has made the difference along with a statement "Infidel" told me--I now changed the seat ht. of my stool so I can get my rt. elbow on my knee. The lower sitting is harder on my back and knees BUT the steadiness/accuracy is worth it.
 
I now changed the seat ht. of my stool so I can get my rt. elbow on my knee. The lower sitting is harder on my back and knees BUT the steadiness/accuracy is worth it.
Yeop, almost as good as a bench rest.
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I would estimate I've killed about 90% of the coyotes I've shot at in the last 5 years. I've only had one miss this year and I think that coyote was about 350 yards and getting ready to leave so I rushed the shot. If I get a standing coyote within 200 yards I don't miss often. I can think of a few easy shots at 50 or 100 yards that I've just missed. I can think of a couple easy shots last year that I just missed.
 
So far this year I am at 10 kills and 1 not recovered. In the last 5 years probably at 90%.
I do practice alot, but still miss. It seems to be the close easy ones inside 100 yrds broad side that get me.🤷‍♂️
 
Typically, I am at 90%+. My best streak was 33-34 straight

However, when I first got after coyotes in the very early 1990's, I used my Ruger M77 Sporter in 22 Hornet. This is about a 6lb rifle, and the factory trigger pull was about 6lb as well, making it very difficult to shoot accurately, especially on a coyote.

I got permission to hunt coyotes on a private duck hunting club one afternoon. I went out at about 2pm, made 5-6 stands, called in at least one coyote on each stand, and missed every one of them!
I was stoked that I called in so many coyotes!

So, I get back to the owners house, and he come out and asks "how'd you do?", and me, being pumped about how many I called in, tell him my story. He then asks "how many did you get?" with a big smile on his face.

When I told him I missed them all, the smile turned into a scowl and he started swearing at me- "I don't need you out here educating these F&&& things, I need them killed. If you can't do it, I don't need you out here, I don't want you here".

Wow, he was pi##ed!.

I stayed away for 2 years, getting my skills in place, especially the shooting skills. When I stopped by again, he remembered me and was very hesitant to let me out, but he did, and I came back to the house with the 3 coyotes I called in. For the next 15 years, before he sold it to Colorado DOW, it was my honey hole.
 
I don't know what my ratio is. Maybe 75% to 80% hit ratio.

One thing I know for sure, is I hit WAY more when I am hand calling because they are coming right towards me.

When I miss, it is usually because I am using an electronic call - many times they come from an odd direction forcing me to make the shot from a less than ideal position.
 
Typically, I am at 90%+. My best streak was 33-34 straight

However, when I first got after coyotes in the very early 1990's, I used my Ruger M77 Sporter in 22 Hornet. This is about a 6lb rifle, and the factory trigger pull was about 6lb as well, making it very difficult to shoot accurately, especially on a coyote.

I got permission to hunt coyotes on a private duck hunting club one afternoon. I went out at about 2pm, made 5-6 stands, called in at least one coyote on each stand, and missed every one of them!
I was stoked that I called in so many coyotes!

So, I get back to the owners house, and he come out and asks "how'd you do?", and me, being pumped about how many I called in, tell him my story. He then asks "how many did you get?" with a big smile on his face.

When I told him I missed them all, the smile turned into a scowl and he started swearing at me- "I don't need you out here educating these F&&& things, I need them killed. If you can't do it, I don't need you out here, I don't want you here".

Wow, he was pi##ed!.

I stayed away for 2 years, getting my skills in place, especially the shooting skills. When I stopped by again, he remembered me and was very hesitant to let me out, but he did, and I came back to the house with the 3 coyotes I called in. For the next 15 years, before he sold it to Colorado DOW, it was my honey hole.

Your guy sounded like an A hole. Maybe shoot him instead?
 
Your guy sounded like an A hole. Maybe shoot him instead?
Hahaha, actually he is a pretty nice guy.

He was just pi$$ed that I did not do what I told him I was going to do. He wanted them killed, not educated, and I educated 5-7 that afternoon.

This property is 710 acres, and that might give you an idea of how good the coyote hunting was on there.
 
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