Coyote's skull damage comparison - pellet vs slug

[Max115]

I finally recorded a video comparing the damage of coyote skulls from a pellet and a slug. Both coyotes were shot in the same farm at 70 yards, a year apart.
The first coyote was shot with my 500mm Crown with the AA18gr pellet at 32ft.lb whereas the second coyote was shot with my 600mm Impact with the H&N 23gr slug at 45ft.lb. The shot placement for both was on the left temple.

I never shot any coyotes before so my first coyote was a completely new and exciting experience to me. I didn't know what to expect or whether 32 ft.lb was enough to kill one. Apparently it was enough as I learned the coyote's skull is not very thick. I have since shot two more coyotes using my Impact and the 23gr H&N slugs, an ammo that I trust and prefer for coyote hunt.

Have a watch and see the damage difference in the skull fracture and penetration.

Thanks.

 

[Emu]

Excellent and usefully video !!!!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to produce it and to share it with us !!!

 

[qball]

good video, no surprise that slugs carry more energy. Far more so at longer distances, after 50 yards the different gets exponentially larger.

 

[kyler1945]

whoa that's cool. Thanks for sharing

 

[Max115]

@Emu. Thank you. I am glad you find the video useful!

@qball. Slugs definitely better at longer range than pellets.

@kyler1945. Thank you for watching.

@AirGunShooter. Yup placement shot with enough energy will do the job.

 

[450BM]

Excellent video and awesome shooting!

I’m surprised the skulls are weak, I thought they were tougher than that. Maybe i’m thinking of Wiley Coyote… What part of the country were they shot?

 

[Reg Creep]

Great video and thanks for sharing.

"What part of the country were they shot?"

...This is a key question. What many refer to as a coyote are as small as a fox, (@ 45 lbs). Northeastern Coyote's where I'm at are closer to wolves (75++ lbs).

I'm not saying 35 FPE won't kill a northeastern coyote, cause I don't have a clue. But I'd want more power.

 

[450BM]

Great video and thanks for sharing.

"What part of the country were they shot?"

...This is a key question. What many refer to as a coyote are as small as a fox, (@ 45 lbs). Northeastern Coyote's where I'm at are closer to wolves (75++ lbs).

I'm not saying 35 FPE won't kill a northeastern coyote, cause I don't have a clue. But I'd want more power.

Where in the Northeast? I’m in Northern PA and have seen larger ones but I honestly dont know what they would have weighed. My wife took video of two that came to our back door when my son was a baby. It looked like they were hunting and it was pretty scary. Of course I wasn’t home…

 

[Chuck-in-Ohio]

Great job on the presentation!

 

[Squack]

Shot one once at 35 yards in the head with a .25 50 fpe in December. I heard a bone pop crack and watched the Hades hit between the eye and ear. I listened to him run well over 200 yards and never found him.

 

[Reg Creep]

Where in the Northeast? I’m in Northern PA and have seen larger ones but I honestly dont know what they would have weighed. My wife took video of two that came to our back door when my son was a baby. It looked like they were hunting and it was pretty scary. Of course I wasn’t home…

I'm in upstate NY. Big well fed animals around here.

Wiki suggests eastern Coyotes are 45 - 65 lbs as adults. They look at least that to me.
What's interesting is there was an eastern timber wolf shot just west of the Adirondacks this year. I wonder if they mix at all.


...sorry for the thread drift.

 

[Max115]

@450BM. Thanks for watching. They were definitely smaller compare to the ones in the States. I am North of the border.

@wyfly. More power would be better but still need the proper placement shot to the skull and penetrate to the brain.

@Chuck-in-Ohio. Thank you. I hope my video illustrates the importance of proper placement shot. Obviously slugs would be much better than pellets.

@Squack. Perhaps the hades didn't make it thru the brain.

The last coyote I shot was the biggest of them all. Too bad I didn't weight it. Thank you all for watching.

 

[450BM]

@450BM. Thanks for watching. They were definitely smaller compare to the ones in the States. I am North of the border.

@wyfly. More power would be better but still need the proper placement shot to the skull and penetrate to the brain.

@Chuck-in-Ohio. Thank you. I hope my video illustrates the importance of proper placement shot. Obviously slugs would be much better than pellets.

@Squack. Perhaps the hades didn't make it thru the brain.

The last coyote I shot was the biggest of them all. Too bad I didn't weight it. Thank you all for watching.

The bottom line is that speed kills better. I’m sure the slug was traveling a bit faster than the pellet at 70 yards and the extra hydraulic shock does more temporary and permanent damage.

I’ve subscribed to your YT channel and look forward to watching more of your videos!

 

[450BM]

Shot one once at 35 yards in the head with a .25 50 fpe in December. I heard a bone pop crack and watched the Hades hit between the eye and ear. I listened to him run well over 200 yards and never found him.

Pellet probably deflected away from the brain and with a head shot so little blood there wouldn’t have been a blood trail. I wonder how much stronger the forehead is than the side of the skull?

 

[Max115]

@450BM. Thank you for your support, much appreciated. More rats video will be posted soon.

@AirGunShooter. I guess bigger size coyotes would have a bit thicker skull.

 

[450BM]

Northwestern Pennsylvania here.
Not unusual for coyotes to be 45 lbs or more.

Tioga County here, how about you.

 

[peaceful_ruler]

Shot one once at 35 yards in the head with a .25 50 fpe in December. I heard a bone pop crack and watched the Hades hit between the eye and ear. I listened to him run well over 200 yards and never found him.

Hades expand quickly and at low velocities so they aren’t great at penetrating skulls. This makes them great for birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc, small game but even for possums or skunks they are not a great choice. At least this has been my experience with .22 and pushing them around 900 fps.

Because of their tendency to expand quickly they make quite a “thwack” or “pop” upon impact. They are my favorite choice for starlings/pigeons/birds because they are absolutely devastating out to 60-70 meters.

However, I recently was taking out a nuisance possum in a tree in the back yard with the Hades at 10-15 meters. It took no less than 5 well placed shots to the head to knock that possum off its perch!! Did it eventually kill it? Yes. Did it perform satisfactorily? Not even close…

 

[gendoc]

always a great video from you Alex, and the information on this subject is awesome !!
i take them out using my .30 uragan out to about 75-80 yrds.
during hunting season, i have a gut-pile out back behind my farthest farm equipment barn
which i have a hide in there with a window i can take them out at night.
its a blast !!!
thanks

 

[Max115]

@peaceful_ruler. Good to know that these hades expanded quickly at impact. Definitely perfect for birds and rats, but not ideal for coyote I guess. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Max115]

@gendoc. Thank you very much for watching. Nice to have a 30 cal AG. I only have .22 cal so I need to rely on my placement shots. Blast them away from your hide.