Predator & Prey

Take the Guesswork Out of Bullet Drop

- Gardy J. Krahn

Scott Huber turned and shot me a disgusted look. While he had just made an incredible shot at a trotting coyote at 250 yards, its mate had escaped a volley of follow up shots. Scott, an animal damage control agent in South Dakota, knew full well that an educated coyote can be tough to fool a second time, and it was his job to rid the ranch we were hunting of these livestock depredating canines.

Something had been bugging me all morning, so I asked, “Why do you hunt with a fixed-power scope?” Scott’s .22-250 Remington included an ordinary 6x rifle scope that reminded me of bygone days at my family’s northern Minnesota deer camp. It seemed to me that someone who hunts coyotes for a living would take advantage of the newest technology – like the 4-12x variable with a bullet drop compensating reticle atop my rifle.

His answer was so simple, it made perfect sense: “Keep it simple, stupid.” A 6x rifle scope was perfect for the wide range of shooting he does at both close and long range, and he hunts so much with this rifle/scope setup that he can quickly and accurately judge the distance to a coyote by how large it appears in the scope. He also had his scope set up to take full advantage of the .22-250 Remington’s long-range capabilities by sighting in so he could hold on center mass out to beyond 300 yards.

Seasoned predator hunters know things can and often do happen quickly when critters show up unannounced; they have to shoot at any conceivable range at every possible angle and make quick decisions. That’s why a fixed-power scope makes sense, and why when using a variable-power scope, it’s a good idea to keep it set at its lowest magnification when calling. If a critter shows up at close range, it will allow the widest field of view; if a critter hangs up at long range, there will be plenty of time to turn up the magnification.