Home/Coyote & Predator Hunting/Shooting Fundamentals for Predators

Shooting Fundamentals for Predators

Shot CraftLevel 1 — Beginner

Prerequisites

Rifle Setup and Zero

Unlocks

Archery Shot ExecutionNight Hunting — Light and ThermalRunning Shot TechniqueShotgun Role and SelectionSuppressor Use

What It Is

The mechanics of making a clean first shot on a coyote from a field position — using shooting sticks, bipod, or prone with a daypack — including pre-stand preparation (ranging landmarks), shot placement for clean kills, and maintaining scope discipline through trigger pull. Every expert treats these as non-negotiables regardless of the calling system used.

Correct Execution

  • Pre-ranges three to five landmarks (fence posts, brush clumps, rock formations) before sitting down, so distances are known when a coyote appears
  • Rifle is settled into shooting sticks or bipod before the first call is made, not scrambled for when a coyote appears
  • Eye stays in scope through and after trigger pull — never lifts to look with naked eye
  • Shot placement: broadside = behind the front shoulder at mid-body (lung/heart); facing = throat-to-chest junction; quartering away = exit point aims for offside shoulder
  • Prone with a daypack as barricade when shooting sticks unavailable

Progression Levels

Diagnostic Tree

Coaching Cues

  • "Range three things before you sit down. Fence post, brush pile, rock. When a coyote walks through, you know exactly where it is." — pre-ranging, all experts
  • "Sticks in the ground, gun in the sticks, before the first call. Everything else is scrambling." — position setup, Les Johnson
  • "Behind the leg, not the middle. Behind the leg." — shot placement, Les Johnson
  • "Watch the reticle break. Stay in the glass." — scope discipline, Les Johnson

Common Errors

  1. No pre-ranging: Coyote appears at an unknown distance and the shooter guesses holdover → pre-range three to five landmarks on walk-in; when the coyote stops near one, distance is known.
  2. Eye-pull at trigger break: Shooter misses the impact and can't adjust → practice staying in scope for three full seconds post-shot; call the hit or miss from scope image.
  3. Shooting sticks left home in favor of bipod: Sticks work from all field positions; bipod locks you prone → carry shooting sticks as primary; bipod is a secondary option for prone-only situations.
  4. Center-body hold on broadside coyotes: Results in gut shots and runners → hold on the crease behind the front leg.

Sources

  • Les Johnson — 2012-01-13 Basic Gear, 2019-03-12 Running Shot, 2017-03-11 Wind Heat Late Season: shooting sticks philosophy, eye-in-scope discipline, shot placement
  • Randy Anderson — 2024-01-25, 2025-06-06: bipod use, shot placement confirmation, pre-ranging
  • Tony Tebbe / O'Neill Ops — The KILLBOX podcast: pre-ranging landmarks, shooting rest discipline
  • Al Morris — 2022-08-12 Ep 231: shooting suppressed for multi-coyote follow-up