Jennifer Pearsall - Gun Digest Presents 10 Best Coyote Guns

Baby its COLD outside, and that means its time to hunt coyotes in all their furry, howling glory. Lets get Coyote Gun setups going with a neato-keeno AR-styled pick from DPMS.

I dont have more than a smidgen of snow here in Wisconsin (and strictly because Ive type those words, well probably be inundated with a blizzard any minute now), but a bunch of you have plenty of white stuff on the ground. Since everything stands out on a white background, its essential that you blend in as much as possible. That includes your gun, which makes the Prairie Panther Kings Snow Shadow from DPMS an awesome pick for snowbound yotes

To be sure, there are about a bazillion AR-15 variants out there to choose from, and this is just one, but DPMS has a solid reputation for reliable firearms. This particular model comes with a 20-inch heavy contour barrel that gets a target crown, flattop receiver (essential for optics use), two-stage trigger, and a Magpul Winter trigger guard, which allows ample room for a gloved hand. Other pluses include a ceramic overcoat on the Snow Shadow pattern (good for durability), skeletonized stock, and a carbon fiber free-floating handguard tube. These last two features help reduce weight, keeping this Panther at a walk-the-countryside 7.1 pounds (sans scope). In the original .223, buyers can order with two bolt-carrier options, one in chrome, the other in titanium.

MSRP: Current listing on the DPMS website is $1,249, really quite reasonable for todays out-of-the-box AR-types.

Love to hunt howlers with an AR-15-type rifle? Got one with a Picatinny rail on its underside? Then you need Harris RBARotating Bipod Adaptor, also known by the company as the Rota-Pod. Finally, you can use one of Harris wonderful pods and be able to move when your quarry does. Simply latch on the adaptor to your rifles underbelly Picatinny rail via the adaptors quick-detach button (no screws!), slap on any Harris bipod, and then, from sitting, prone, or whatever position youre in, you can set up in the general direction you want to aim, while still having the flexibility to swing on a coyote sneaking in from a weird angle without picking up and moving your entire rifle setup, a big movement that could give your position away.

Coyotes and zombies are in for a lot of trouble, with a super-slick thumbhole stocked killer from Savage.

As practical as they are, most thumbhole stocks are usually far from pretty. Theyve come a long way in recent years, though, and while theyll never attain pretty status, they do get points for looking funky cool, as in Savages Model 25 Lightweight Varminter-T.

I love the linear design of this riflejust looks like its made to put your eye naturally in line with a big-objective scope and let you easily shoot with a bipod from a sitting position. It also comes with Savages tunable Accu-Trigger and a vented fore-end, which will make your paper-punching sight-in work a ton of fun (and allow this gun to take you right into spring and summer prairie dogs). While Id prefer this gun had a matte finish to the metal work, the satin finish shouldnt wink in the sun like a sequined shirt and put howlers on high alert, especially if youre using natural brush as a hide. Nor should the satin finish of the naturally colored laminate stock. With a detachable box magazine, an extra front sling swivel stud for bipod attachment, and four varmint-appropriate rounds to choose from.17 and .22 Hornet, .204 Ruger, and .223 Remingtonthis 24-inch barreled, 8.25-pound rifle is a sound choice for coyotes wandering through short-grass, wood-edged meadows and agriculture plots that hold this quarrys dinner of mice and rabbits.

MSRP: This is one game-specific rifle that wont break the bank. The Savage website lists the Model 25 Lightweight Varminter-T at $732 to $754 depending on caliber.

Gotta love a company that can have a little fun with their own products. The Z in Hornadys new Z-Max bullet stands for zombie, as in this is the one bullet, perhaps the mother of all bullets, that can possibly out the always dead, back-from-the-dead, can-you-kill-the-walking-dead? glowing-red-eyed evil of many a horror films. According to Hornady, Zombiegeddon is right around the corner, but until it gets here, you can use the Zombie-Max bullets on your varmint handloads and get a feel for the devastating effect they have on live creatures.Hornady Z-Max bullets

All joking and creative marketing aside (though if this stuff doesnt leap off retailers shelves based on the packaging alone, then I dont know a thing about selling), this green-tipped bullet design is said to deliver phenomenally flat trajectories. You may also be able to keep your loads reduced, saving your barrels from premature burnout and your coyote hides from large exit holes, because Hornady claims these bullets also provide wonderful expansion at lower velocities. There are plenty of .17, .20, and .22-caliber bullets available, as well as a couple 6mm and 7.62 offerings, and Hornady also offers completely assembled ammunition with Z-Max bullets. This line was introduced just before Christmas, so get out there and load upI want to know what you think!

While there are ample factory rifles thatll do a coyote in, sometimes a custom bullet-slinger can make the hunt that much more special. Lets look at the very special rifles from Cooper Rifles of Montana.

If youre a dedicated coyote hunter, than a custom rig is probably right up your alley. There are as many makers of custom rifles out there as anything else, but one I found that had more than a smattering of offers just for varmints was Cooper Rifles of Montana. This company has a dizzying array of models and optionsheck, there were six alone that had Varmint in the model name, to wit, The LVT(Light Varmint/Target), The Varminter, The Montana Varminter, The Varmint Extreme, The Varminter Laminate, and The Jackson Varminter. Then there are The Jackson Hunter, The Phoenix, and The Excalibur models, wearing some of the wildest synthetic stocks Ive ever seen but that are still coyote-subtle.

The company has also introduced three new laminate stock choices thatll put many other laminates to shame. (Id totally jazz on the Buble Bee yellow laminate for early spring use anywhere, or for year-round use in the south, where foliage is lush and colorful nearly all the time).

Cooper makes five different actions lengths in single-shot or repeating bolt-actions, all in a dizzying variety of cartridges. Keep it simple with something like a .22-250 or 6mm BR, go retro with a .221 Fireball, or get really creative with a.218 Mashburn Bee or .20 Var Targ. Oh, and while were talking about custom, since this is what these guns are, the question with this maker is what cant you option. Checker the bolt, inlay your sling swivel studs, case-color your scope rings (just gorgeous!), tell them what rate of twist you want on your barrel, provide your own hunk of wood for the stock or ask for Exhibition Claro, and much, much more. And yet the prices were anything but astronomical for a maker who promises his rimfires group -inch at 50 yards and a -inch at 100 yards for centerfires (with match-grade ammo).For example, the Jacskon Hunter in .25-06 can be ordered for just $1,795, and you can have it made with a custom length of pull for just $110 more. I could also flute the barrel for $185, and add my own personal touch of a custom serial number for $75. For much, much more information than I can put in this blog, check out the Cooper website at www.cooperfirearms.com.