I have been hunting coyotes over 30 years in the Midwest…had a few rifles in all them years,, my favorite rifle that has killed a few dogs is my Tikka compact 22-250, Leopold Scope,, hand loads,, even at 67 I can still smack at 250-300 off my shooting sticks. I have shot my 223 auto during the rut, but, heavy, best day ever,, 3 dogs in chasing,, no dogs left.. just wasn’t there day. I agree with a lot of this info,, how I hunted determined my set up.. cold cold weather is a great deal to get them up and moving,, when they are burning up the calories, they are coming to calls, hanging around live stock etc. I always want my rifle to be lite, easy to handle,,, you never know when one or two will decide to check out a mouse in a 400 yard bean field,, eat a dam mouse,, and then move on on your call,, split up,, then the fun begins,,, enough rambling from an old dog killer,,,I will tell you one more thing,,, I have killed more dogs with a hand call than E/caller,, yes,, ecallers have there place,,, but I can carry 3-5 hand calls,, different pitch levels,, and travel fast with out dragging around the plastic box…. I buy my calls, like a need another one, from custom call makers,, I want to sound different than Johnny Walmart !! Good Luck hunting an animal that has more survival skills than a wild Turkey,,, I wish you a lot of thrills!!!
Charlie112