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Female looking to eradicate coyotes

Guitarbanae

Guitarbanae

New member
9
17
HAM Points
52.25
Let me preface this post by saying I am very new to the airgun world. I apologize in advance if I lack the correct terminology when writing or responding. For reference I am a smaller female and I live in an urban area. I have owned a maxxim gen 2 all of 2 weeks. I understand this gun is more suited to smaller pests (like raccoons) which is the reason it was originally purchased.

BUT lately I’m having a much bigger problem than the pesky raccoons.
Coyotes are showing up in my backyard (which has woods between me and the next street over) and are wreaking havoc on the feral cat colony I take care of. I understand that the Maxxim gen 2 is grossly underpowered for the task of dropping a coyote.
I am inside city limits so cannot shoot a real firearm without the cops showing up at my door.

I have been doing a bit of research online and think that getting a higher-powered PCP gun—I’m thinking minimum .30 caliber with heavier grain ammo is the way to go. I’d like to set the scene, so hopefully will get better advice based on my circumstances. I would be shooting (mostly I hope) from inside my house, out of a window that is probably 3 ft from ground level. The coyotes are coming fairly close to my house (and I’m bad at guessing) but would estimate within 15-30ft. I realize that at a closer range, I would probably need less power. However, I would rather have something that is overkill—that allows for a margin of error, since I am still a newb to shooting.

Let me throw out a few things I would like to see ideally in a gun.
Firstly, I am a smaller female so need something manageable (less heavy).
Obviously, being new to this, I need something that is pretty accurate and won’t drift when I take a shot. Preferably a gun that allows for multiple pellets/ammo without having to load between shots. Something that doesn’t make such a loud shot that it startles my neighbors (garden home community). Lastly, I would really like to keep my price range to $800ish or less. Does a gun exist that meets all or most of these criteria?
Also, I have zero knowledge about filling these guns up with air. Do they come pre-loaded? Would I need to find a local shop that can fill them or is there a hand pump/small compressor I can use myself? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give…and for having the patience to read all of that. 🤪
 
Welcome to the club! Im sure you will find some help. You are in a situation, by the sounds of it that might not be good for shooting. A 30 cal is about as powerful as a 22 lr. Would you shoot a 22 lr from your house at a coyote and feel safe about where the bullet goes after passing thrugh the coyote? Perhaps some traps might be a better idea? Anyway just a first thought.
 
Welcome to airgunning.

Check your local hunting laws and local ordinances, first. All it takes is one nosy neighbor to complain, and then you find yourself in a world of trouble. Especially if the coyote runs off wounded to die in someone else's yard. And airguns are not always instantly lethal, so you'll have to exit your house to go after it and dispatch the animal and retrieve the carcass.

The prior poster has an important point, too, what or who would be in your line of fire if you missed?
 
Last edited:
My property slopes uphill before becoming a wooded area. More than likely, if I shot at the closer range that I’m expecting to—I would guess the projectile would probably lodge in the side of the hill.
When I get home later this afternoon I can post a picture to get opinions. I haven’t had any noise complaints shooting the maxxim gen 2 but have no idea how loud a pcp rifle would be in comparison.
It got the kitten last Tuesday night (10/6) and came back the next night looking for another meal. Not finding one, it left and hasn’t returned since. I have concerns about trying to trap a coyote though. I don’t really want to invite it back in the yard if it isn’t already coming back on its own. I’d much rather have the gun on hand and be ready to shoot it if it comes back.
 
Hills are good backstops.

Unless your projectiles are going supersonic with a loud crack[!], a spring-piston rifle will not make much noise. Most of what you hear is transmitted through the stock and your cheekbones, to your inner ear. You can have a friend shoot your current rifle while you stand off to the side to see what I mean. Plus, when shooting from within the house out a window, your house also becomes a giant silencer to some extent. A powerful PCP, however puts a lot of compressed air behind the projectile and can be a lot noisier.
 
Umarex Airguns
No feral cat colony = no coyotes hanging around.

Two "birds" with one stone....(or projectile)

Yes, harsh words. They're coming from a place of having been neighbors to people mistakingly thinking they're doing a good deed by aiding in the feral cat ecological disaster by feeding colonies.

Coyotes are the lesser level here, versus a feral cat colony.

Anything with enough power to responsibly kill a coyote shouldn't be shot in what you're calling an urban area.

Quit feeding the feral cats and the coyotes will go away. So will the cats. Win-win.
 
I can't imagine shooting a 30cal in this scenario is a good idea in a suburban area?!
If you are shooting from a window I would have something set up with a 100% safe backdrop and shoot only into that area. (Look up EDgun Leishy on YT) Dirt/hill, wood beams, etc work well.
If you are seeing them 15-30ft away then a .30 is way overkill, a high powered .22/.25 would be plenty to the brain for a drop on the spot kill...you do NOT want them running off after being hit.

Honestly the new Barra 270Z in .25 on a bench off a bag for stability would be good with a simple 3x9 scope + small compressor.
But as @Franklink stated, I'd look into why they are on the property in the first place and deal with that first.
 
Hello and welcome to HAM.

@Franklink has the most ethical and common sense answer to the problem imo.

Intentionally wounding an animal in the hopes that it never comes back in order to protect a feral cat colony?… No, advice like that could potentially put you behind bars depending on where you live.

You need to know and fully understand what the laws are regarding your particular situation. Start with your local wildlife department.
 
Last edited:
Franklink said:
No feral cat colony = no coyotes hanging around.

Two "birds" with one stone....(or projectile)

Yes, harsh words. They're coming from a place of having been neighbors to people mistakingly thinking they're doing a good deed by aiding in the feral cat ecological disaster by feeding colonies.

Coyotes are the lesser level here, versus a feral cat colony.

Anything with enough power to responsibly kill a coyote shouldn't be shot in what you're calling an urban area.

Quit feeding the feral cats and the coyotes will go away. So will the cats. Win-win.
Click to expand...
My thoughts also . The Coyotes have my support here! All right I'll say what maybe no one else will say. If you are feeding animals of one sort in the "wild" ,you're feeding ANY other animals that find free meals and will continue to return ! Eventually those animals may be undesirable ( raccoons ,skunks , bear ,whatever). In my area there is and has been a problem with this same scenario, a "kind soul" leaving food out for cats. People have complained to local authorities about it now because Coyote and Black bears have now joined in on the open food bar along with the previously mentioned cast of characters! Some folks have had close encounters with critters and their pets. This situation does not have a good outcome . I'll stop there.
'
 
Umarex Airguns
Guitarbanae said:
Let me preface this post by saying I am very new to the airgun world. I apologize in advance if I lack the correct terminology when writing or responding. For reference I am a smaller female and I live in an urban area. I have owned a maxxim gen 2 all of 2 weeks. I understand this gun is more suited to smaller pests (like raccoons) which is the reason it was originally purchased.

BUT lately I’m having a much bigger problem than the pesky raccoons.
Coyotes are showing up in my backyard (which has woods between me and the next street over) and are wreaking havoc on the feral cat colony I take care of. I understand that the Maxxim gen 2 is grossly underpowered for the task of dropping a coyote.
I am inside city limits so cannot shoot a real firearm without the cops showing up at my door.

I have been doing a bit of research online and think that getting a higher-powered PCP gun—I’m thinking minimum .30 caliber with heavier grain ammo is the way to go. I’d like to set the scene, so hopefully will get better advice based on my circumstances. I would be shooting (mostly I hope) from inside my house, out of a window that is probably 3 ft from ground level. The coyotes are coming fairly close to my house (and I’m bad at guessing) but would estimate within 15-30ft. I realize that at a closer range, I would probably need less power. However, I would rather have something that is overkill—that allows for a margin of error, since I am still a newb to shooting.

Let me throw out a few things I would like to see ideally in a gun.
Firstly, I am a smaller female so need something manageable (less heavy).
Obviously, being new to this, I need something that is pretty accurate and won’t drift when I take a shot. Preferably a gun that allows for multiple pellets/ammo without having to load between shots. Something that doesn’t make such a loud shot that it startles my neighbors (garden home community). Lastly, I would really like to keep my price range to $800ish or less. Does a gun exist that meets all or most of these criteria?
Also, I have zero knowledge about filling these guns up with air. Do they come pre-loaded? Would I need to find a local shop that can fill them or is there a hand pump/small compressor I can use myself? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give…and for having the patience to read all of that. 🤪
Click to expand...
I have serious misgivings about this whole thing, but airgunners help airgunners even if we do not completely agree with their goals/objectives.

So:

As a Hunter.-
I've hunted Coyotes with airguns.
Close up and personal, using a distressed hare electronic call.
ALL of them with an Eun-Jin 357/9 mm airgun.
Slow and steady does the job very well. A 100 grain bullet at 650 fps is excellent for close up shots, like you describe. In GENERAL, for the kind of shooting you describe,
Regardless of caliber, great shot placement is ABSOLUTELY essential.

Driving a long, heavy pellet at relatively low speed also reduces the POTENTIAL sound signature of the gun, and not only reduces the amplitude, it also reduces the frequency. Low frequency sounds travel less far.
Mods become TRULY big, but they do the job.

Coyotes are slim creatures with thin skins. They rely on smarts to survive, so they are not "armored" or "buffalo tough". A single well placed shot will get the critter down within the nearest 50-ish yards (they will run and hide ASAP, if you don't jump after them, they will expire where they hid). You may need a tracking dog to find it.

If you are shooting from above, you need to study the anatomy of the head and neck areas.
IME, 25 ft-lbs will penetrate a Coyote's skull from the top.
So, for the SPECIFIC scenario you laid down, 100 ft-lbs is more than enough, with a wise choice of projectile.

As a professional gunsmith.-
There is precious little in the form factor/weight and caliber combination that we arrive at, AaMoF, there is only ONE I can find that suits the budget.
Read these 5 entries by my friend Tom Gaylord:

Understand what the gun is all about.

And, do contact the guys from Pit-Bull Airguns:
CONTACT | pitbull

Explain to them that you want a VERY silent, 100 ft-lbs tuned Bulldog. As light and short as they can make it.
You do NOT need a large scope, try putting on a cheap LPVO scope (1-4X) OR a red dot sight that has rifle-capable reticles.
Shooting at 30 ft distance from the second story of a building is like shooting at 2 yards, so you WILL need to test the Point Of Impact of your rig, or you will overshoot badly the target, which BTW, is not the WHOLE skull, it is one very precise point in the skull or the junction of the head and neck.

I would start the conversation with the PitBull buys with something like this:
https://www.pitbullairguns.com/product-page/mega-pitbull-357

And get it tuned DOWN to the power level needed.
They should also be able to test which projectiles work best. Though at the distances you are talking about, there is not much to argue.

I would start with the Predator PolyMag, as it will offer you reasonable expansion once the bone has been penetrated.
The Nosler is another one that might work.
I would stay inside the 140 grs. of projectile weight and look for frangible projectiles that, once passed through the critter will split into smithereens when hitting the pavement or any other hard object.

Now, there is a STRONG preference among hunters towards shooting Coyotes in the heart/lung area and a strong tendency to condemn head shots, but these two tendencies need to be viewed in the context of "horizontal" shots.
Your case is more of a "Vertical" shot. So, be careful, draw an "X" between eyes and ears (left eye/right ear and vice versa) and shoot there.
Practice, and practice a LOT. You will be capable of attempting a coyote ONLY when you can land 5 shots out of 5 within 1" of the aiming point. At your stated distance.
The 9 mm with 100 ft-lbs at 10 yards will do its job if you do yours.

Now, my misgivings:
Let's face it, this is not hunting, this is executing an animal.
AND, to be "politically incorrect", I have more objections towards feral cats than towards coyotes.
Feral cats eradicate bird populations before actually doing some rodent hunting.
Feral cats can, and do, transmit Toxoplasmosis to domestic cats which in turn infect humans; and there is evidence that the disease affects human brains in ways that we didn't realize before, making humans more risk prone. In ALL aspects of their life.
Think about it like receiving a brain concussion via chemistry.
All that we know about how Professional Football players are affected by concussions, applies to people that have been infected with toxoplasmosis.

I personally have "skewed" the cat/fox population ratio in my neck of the woods because foxes are less destructive of the bird populations. AND, with the starling invasion, birds need some help.

Anyway, the decision is yours. I just don't want you to hit a coyote in a slightly off place with a small projectile that will condemn the animal to a long and painful agony.

Keep well and shoot straight!




HM
 
Guitarbanae said:
Let me preface this post by saying I am very new to the airgun world. I apologize in advance if I lack the correct terminology when writing or responding. For reference I am a smaller female and I live in an urban area. I have owned a maxxim gen 2 all of 2 weeks. I understand this gun is more suited to smaller pests (like raccoons) which is the reason it was originally purchased.

BUT lately I’m having a much bigger problem than the pesky raccoons.
Coyotes are showing up in my backyard (which has woods between me and the next street over) and are wreaking havoc on the feral cat colony I take care of. I understand that the Maxxim gen 2 is grossly underpowered for the task of dropping a coyote.
I am inside city limits so cannot shoot a real firearm without the cops showing up at my door.

I have been doing a bit of research online and think that getting a higher-powered PCP gun—I’m thinking minimum .30 caliber with heavier grain ammo is the way to go. I’d like to set the scene, so hopefully will get better advice based on my circumstances. I would be shooting (mostly I hope) from inside my house, out of a window that is probably 3 ft from ground level. The coyotes are coming fairly close to my house (and I’m bad at guessing) but would estimate within 15-30ft. I realize that at a closer range, I would probably need less power. However, I would rather have something that is overkill—that allows for a margin of error, since I am still a newb to shooting.

Let me throw out a few things I would like to see ideally in a gun.
Firstly, I am a smaller female so need something manageable (less heavy).
Obviously, being new to this, I need something that is pretty accurate and won’t drift when I take a shot. Preferably a gun that allows for multiple pellets/ammo without having to load between shots. Something that doesn’t make such a loud shot that it startles my neighbors (garden home community). Lastly, I would really like to keep my price range to $800ish or less. Does a gun exist that meets all or most of these criteria?
Also, I have zero knowledge about filling these guns up with air. Do they come pre-loaded? Would I need to find a local shop that can fill them or is there a hand pump/small compressor I can use myself? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give…and for having the patience to read all of that. 🤪
Click to expand...
I think the biggest questions are can you stretch the price range and are you planning to shoot from a table or rest on the window ledge?

Don't know where you are located, but if outside most city limits here is what will work the best.

For $800 I would go with a 22LR suppressed. 10/22 - Dead Air Mask - Subsonic no one will know you pulled the trigger. You could do that for $800.

deadairsilencers.com

Mask

The Dead Air Mask was designed with one goal in mind: make the best rimfire suppressor available. The Mask is the best option for .22LR, 22 MAG, 17 HMR & 5.7x28.
deadairsilencers.com deadairsilencers.com


There are rifles you can tune up to kill the coyotes but you need a range and knowledge. Not quick but a life long skill. If you don't want to tune or learn how here are my top picks.

Avenge XL in .30

Air Venturi Avenge-XL PCP Air Rifle, .30 Caliber | Pre-charged pneumatic Air Rifle | Airgun Depot

Check out this great deal on the Air Venturi Avenge-XL PCP Air Rifle, .30 Caliber. Need advice? Let our airgun specialists help you today!
www.airgundepot.com www.airgundepot.com

Maybe a Gauntlet
Umarex Gauntlet 2 SL Hunting Combo | Pre-charged pneumatic Air Rifle | Airgun Depot

As you can see the rifle is your budget. So if you can go to say $1200 you can put something together. The XL will defiantly take care of the problems right out of the box shooting 55gr pellets.
 
I would protect cats against coyotes anytime.
I realize that some of the responders do not care about a feral cat colony, but some of us love cats.

If it were me I would just cause them enough pain so they do not come back.
Low powered airgun shooting a pellet/BB in their butt should work :)

If I wanted to kill them I would use one of my bows.
Airguns are for the lazy ones who cannot shoot bows :)
 
Hector J Medina G said:
I have serious misgivings about this whole thing, but airgunners help airgunners even if we do not completely agree with their goals/objectives.

So:

As a Hunter.-
I've hunted Coyotes with airguns.
Close up and personal, using a distressed hare electronic call.
ALL of them with an Eun-Jin 357/9 mm airgun.
Slow and steady does the job very well. A 100 grain bullet at 650 fps is excellent for close up shots, like you describe. In GENERAL, for the kind of shooting you describe,
Regardless of caliber, great shot placement is ABSOLUTELY essential.

Driving a long, heavy pellet at relatively low speed also reduces the POTENTIAL sound signature of the gun, and not only reduces the amplitude, it also reduces the frequency. Low frequency sounds travel less far.
Mods become TRULY big, but they do the job.

Coyotes are slim creatures with thin skins. They rely on smarts to survive, so they are not "armored" or "buffalo tough". A single well placed shot will get the critter down within the nearest 50-ish yards (they will run and hide ASAP, if you don't jump after them, they will expire where they hid). You may need a tracking dog to find it.

If you are shooting from above, you need to study the anatomy of the head and neck areas.
IME, 25 ft-lbs will penetrate a Coyote's skull from the top.
So, for the SPECIFIC scenario you laid down, 100 ft-lbs is more than enough, with a wise choice of projectile.

As a professional gunsmith.-
There is precious little in the form factor/weight and caliber combination that we arrive at, AaMoF, there is only ONE I can find that suits the budget.
Read these 5 entries by my friend Tom Gaylord:

Understand what the gun is all about.

And, do contact the guys from Pit-Bull Airguns:
CONTACT | pitbull

Explain to them that you want a VERY silent, 100 ft-lbs tuned Bulldog. As light and short as they can make it.
You do NOT need a large scope, try putting on a cheap LPVO scope (1-4X) OR a red dot sight that has rifle-capable reticles.
Shooting at 30 ft distance from the second story of a building is like shooting at 2 yards, so you WILL need to test the Point Of Impact of your rig, or you will overshoot badly the target, which BTW, is not the WHOLE skull, it is one very precise point in the skull or the junction of the head and neck.

I would start the conversation with the PitBull buys with something like this:
https://www.pitbullairguns.com/product-page/mega-pitbull-357

And get it tuned DOWN to the power level needed.
They should also be able to test which projectiles work best. Though at the distances you are talking about, there is not much to argue.

I would start with the Predator PolyMag, as it will offer you reasonable expansion once the bone has been penetrated.
The Nosler is another one that might work.
I would stay inside the 140 grs. of projectile weight and look for frangible projectiles that, once passed through the critter will split into smithereens when hitting the pavement or any other hard object.

Now, there is a STRONG preference among hunters towards shooting Coyotes in the heart/lung area and a strong tendency to condemn head shots, but these two tendencies need to be viewed in the context of "horizontal" shots.
Your case is more of a "Vertical" shot. So, be careful, draw an "X" between eyes and ears (left eye/right ear and vice versa) and shoot there.
Practice, and practice a LOT. You will be capable of attempting a coyote ONLY when you can land 5 shots out of 5 within 1" of the aiming point. At your stated distance.
The 9 mm with 100 ft-lbs at 10 yards will do its job if you do yours.

Now, my misgivings:
Let's face it, this is not hunting, this is executing an animal.
AND, to be "politically incorrect", I have more objections towards feral cats than towards coyotes.
Feral cats eradicate bird populations before actually doing some rodent hunting.
Feral cats can, and do, transmit Toxoplasmosis to domestic cats which in turn infect humans; and there is evidence that the disease affects human brains in ways that we didn't realize before, making humans more risk prone. In ALL aspects of their life.
Think about it like receiving a brain concussion via chemistry.
All that we know about how Professional Football players are affected by concussions, applies to people that have been infected with toxoplasmosis.

I personally have "skewed" the cat/fox population ratio in my neck of the woods because foxes are less destructive of the bird populations. AND, with the starling invasion, birds need some help.

Anyway, the decision is yours. I just don't want you to hit a coyote in a slightly off place with a small projectile that will condemn the animal to a long and painful agony.

Keep well and shoot straight!




HM
Click to expand...
 
I appreciate everyone’s input. Let me clarify one thing that might have been overlooked. I’m shooting from a window 3 ft off the ground—while resting the barrel on a towel on the window ledge. This shouldn’t be a “vertical” shot. Directly behind me is a fairly steep sloped hill. See the attached pictures of my surroundings. Also, I also posted a video on YouTube of me walking the property for perspective.

My boyfriend knows my backyard pretty well (and often has to mow that hill lol), he doesn’t think the ammo would do anything but lodge in the hill behind the coyote. I would almost have to shoot at an upwards angle for it to go up the hill.

I love the cats…and they are very friendly towards me. Many here have echoed the same fatherly advice I’ve already gotten, “stop feeding them and they will go away”.
But I’m not going to do that. They have been fed regularly for 4 years. I’m not going to stop feeding them in hopes that they go away, along with the coyotes. That being said, it absolutely was my fault that raccoons started showing up, because food was being left out. I have since modified that behavior. All food and water is brought in before sunset now, and I have seen only the occasional raccoon show up and leave finding nothing. So that did help.

Unfortunately, the coyote did show up again last night. I am determined to get rid of this thing. You have to understand, from my perspective, this is like an intruder that has invaded my space and taken something from me—not just an animal but my peace of mind. I’m stressed out and cannot even get decent sleep knowing this thing is roaming my property. “He got to go!”

Here is the video link:

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The chance of you getting a shot at a coyote the way you are talking about is slim to none. You can't call them in without someone hearing it, so the only other way is to sit next to the window and wait. Trapping is no good you could catch someones dog or one of the cats. You said you are a small woman, packing up and getting rid of a grown coyote is not going to be an easy task without help or being seen. Best thing, keep feeding the cats if that's what you want to do and let nature do what nature does.
 

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