Best Setup for Predator Hunting?

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

Does anyone go for coyote, fox, bobcat, and other varmints worth cash money when skinned? What's your setup?

Getting back to one of your original questions, I sell pelts occasionally. There's an outfit in Pateros, WA that will pay $25 for a whole coyote carcass (more for bobcats). Generally, pays my diesel bill, lol! But here in the PNW after February it's hard to peddle any pelts... in fact this year, February temps ranged unseasonably warm (from 40-60 degrees) and coyotes were already shedding their winter coats by late January. When that happens around here you can't even get the $25 per carcass. Back in the day I used to shoot coyotes in eastern WA and the WA Cattleman's association would pay $20 per right ear (or tails). There's no longer any bounty on them.

The problem I have is the time involved producing quality pelts (i.e., skinning, fleshing, sewing, shampooing, etc.) vs. the amount of money you get per pelt. As a 2x retiree and a PI making a decent hourly wage on the side, it's cost prohibitive to screw around with pelts... especially when I figure the hours (and expense) put into each pelt, vs. the amount paid per pelt.

There's better money getting a contract with local ag businesses (in my region tree farms) to keep "their" predators in check. Especially here in WA where hounds cannot be used for hunting (bears. bobcats, raccoons, cougar, etc.) They want a predator caller that the public never sees or hears... they don't want to see scary dudes in camo with rifles either! In eastern WA it's the sheep farms (especially during lambing season), although I just had a large farm contact me about removing some coyotes that are hanging around their calving operation.

 

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

Does anyone go for coyote, fox, bobcat, and other varmints worth cash money when skinned? What's your setup?

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, lol! I love dusting yodel dogs! A few more pics from the Sportsman Channel episode... I will say that it's a pain in the ass trying to call in eagle eyed, wary song dogs in open country with a 2-3 man film crew trying to set-up and capture everything!

 

[Andrew Wilson]

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, lol! I love dusting yodel dogs! A few more pics from the Sportsman Channel episode... I will say that it's a pain in the ass trying to call in eagle eyed, wary song dogs in open country with a 2-3 man film crew trying to set-up and capture everything!

That is super cool. What kind of yardage are you shooting them at?

 

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

That is super cool. What kind of yardage are you shooting them at?

Just depends where I'm at and time of day... Eastern WA in the snow across wide open spaces I've done some at 600+ yards.. Western WA in the brush, I've hit them right off the end of my barrel... Most generally, it's somewhere between 75 and 350, so nothing super far.
The cougar in one of the pics was taken over by Naches, WA and was shot at 17 paces.. I was using a fawn bleat and it came in running.. kind of spooked me but that's a story for another time...
At night in Western WA it's not uncommon to shoot coyotes, bobcats or raccoons at 50 yards or less..

 

[Mike Schoby]

Does anyone go for coyote, fox, bobcat, and other varmints worth cash money when skinned? What's your setup?

Good way to preface the question - i.e. for money when skinned--As I use completely different rifles when I am just hunting for fun, something else if it is in a competition, and something else entirely when trying to save pelts.

For a pelt rifle, I settled on a 17 Remington in a Remington 700 classic when they first introduced it - that was back in the late 90's I believe. Since then I have shot hundreds of coyotes with it. I discovered that the factory 25 grain bullet going 4000fps worked well most of the times when shot in the ribs, but if you hit a leg bone or shoulder it would fail to penetrate and blow a big hole in the fur and would require a second shot. I started reloading 30 grain bullets at a slightly slower speed (around 3,650) and the combo turned out to be deadly on coyotes and bobcats. a 17 caliber hole in, explosion inside and no exits and wouldn't blow up if a leg bone was hit. Of course wind drift and energy loss is a problem with the 17, but if kept under a couple hundred yards it is deadly.

Conversely I just got a cz in 17 Hornet and I have shot a couple of coyotes now with it. Results have not been impressive.

 

[Charlie Benton]

I do a ton of hog and predator hunting…follow along on IG(@Olsens_outdoors). For years I ran a .223 on an AR-15 platform. Recently switched to a bolt gun and have never looked back! I run a custom 6mmCM bolt gun topped with an AGM Adder V2 Thermal Scope and an ReachIR scanner, TwoVets Tripod, and Foxpro X24. View attachment 1812View attachment 1813View attachment 1814

A couple of those hogs are monsters. What's the biggest you've shot and where was it?

 

[Wade Burns]

Started experimenting with our 22 creedmore this year. So far I’m impressed. Haven’t had any pelt destruction issues. Here is my friends son with his first one ever and taken with the 22 creed.

 

[Andrew Wilson]

Good way to preface the question - i.e. for money when skinned--As I use completely different rifles when I am just hunting for fun, something else if it is in a competition, and something else entirely when trying to save pelts.

For a pelt rifle, I settled on a 17 Remington in a Remington 700 classic when they first introduced it - that was back in the late 90's I believe. Since then I have shot hundreds of coyotes with it. I discovered that the factory 25 grain bullet going 4000fps worked well most of the times when shot in the ribs, but if you hit a leg bone or shoulder it would fail to penetrate and blow a big hole in the fur and would require a second shot. I started reloading 30 grain bullets at a slightly slower speed (around 3,650) and the combo turned out to be deadly on coyotes and bobcats. a 17 caliber hole in, explosion inside and no exits and wouldn't blow up if a leg bone was hit. Of course wind drift and energy loss is a problem with the 17, but if kept under a couple hundred yards it is deadly.

Conversely I just got a cz in 17 Hornet and I have shot a couple of coyotes now with it. Results have not been impressive.

That sounds like a good way to go.