Adrenaline fills your body like a rising tide as time ticks slower with each passing breath. Your body begins to quiver, and the excessive beating of your heart excites your hands to shake without command.
You try to focus, calm down and regain control, but the coyote you waited all day for is staring you down from 250 yards across a field. You have worked hard and have been patient, but now it’s dusk and the sun is practically below the horizon. He begins to trot once more towards you, your call, and your bait, but then suddenly stops. Spooked by something, you know it is now or never. The only question left is will your scope hold out in the darkness or will it provide you with the necessary picture to complete your hunt.
This is why you need to find the best scope for coyote hunting!
*Updated 2018
The 5 Best Scopes for Coyote Hunting
Optic | Reason | Price |
|---|---|---|
For AR-15 and .223 rounds | ||
Best for those on budget | ||
#1 Choice for Coyote Hunting | ||
For shotgun coyote hunts | ||
Night vision for nigh-time hunts |
*Continue reading to see reviews, and pros and cons of each of these scopes
The difference between getting that kill or walking out empty handed will come down to your optics. When hunting any type of animal, especially coyote, the scope you have on your weapon is one of the most, if not THE most important tools. A good scope will allow you to see your target, aim precisely, and get the kill. But a great scope will provide you the pinpoint accuracy to do this at almost anytime of day, regardless of the range.
So, you know you need not just a good scope but a great scope, designed to fit your specific needs/budget considering decent scopes can range between a couple hundred and a couple thousand dollars.
Now what?
You go out and buy one of course. But, this is a much greater task than you might think, and it can easily become overwhelmingly daunting. There are hundreds of scopes with a thousand different specs.
Optics are an ever changing product that continuously adjust with new technology. People have been hunting coyotes regularly since the early 1900s when coyotes made it to the varmint list of “undesirables”. Whether for sport, pelt, population control, or livestock protection, coyote hunting has become a very popular pastime for some.
Coyote hunting itself has changed dramatically over the past century. Today, people will hunt them from helicopters and most states allow the hunting of coyotes at all times of the day/night. But, just as the laws, approaches, techniques, weapons, and locations have changed; so have optics.
Nowadays you can buy a scope for just about any firearm. So, how do you begin deciphering the ever popular and opinion ridden forums, posts, articles, and youtube videos to find the best scope for varmint hunting, while fitting your specific needs?
You don’t.
You let us do it for you. All you have to do is just sit back and choose the coyote special scope of your dreams from our Top 5 list. Well, that and a bit more reading, but ONLY because there are many things to consider in order to find the best predator scope.
First, you have to consider what your specific needs are. You’ll need to focus on a few key factors.
1. Firearm & Caliber
What type of firearm do you have and what caliber round are you shooting? This seems simple but knowing the limitations of your weapon and the range of your round will be paramount to you choosing the best scope. You won’t be putting a red dot scope on your bolt action .22-250 for distance shooting. You’ll want your choice in optics to be extremely pragmatic.
2. Location
The location of your hunt. You can save hundreds of dollars in some cases when you choose a scope based on where you hunt. For example, if you live in the midwest and hunt around farms or more wooded areas, the likelihood of you shooting at a target over 200 yards is fairly slim. Therefore, you would not need a super powerful 20X plus magnification. You could get by with a variable zoom of 3X9 or 4X12 power optic.
3. Time of Day
The time of day you hunt will impact the scope you buy and could also potentially save you money. If you are a day hunter or even an early dawn hunter you will not need crazy adjustable illuminated reticles or nightvision of any sort. Obviously, if the reverse is true then you will need a scope suited to give you the best visibility under low light conditions.
Okay, so we've considered location, time of your hunt, and the pragmatism behind optic selection. Now it is time to consider some optical characteristics.
Magnification
The first is magnification, and this is easy because it has to do directly with your hunting location. If you are going to be seeing and shooting at a coyote consistently under 200 hundred yards then you won’t need anything over a 1.55X zoom variability. If you're shooting consistently at long range, you may consider going with anything 4X12 and up.
Some even prefer the extreme magnification of a 26 power optic. But for us average joes not shooting at 1,000+ yards, that may not be necessary.
The higher the zoom variability the greater chance you have being accurate at long range, and the wider the range of zoom the more versatile your scope becomes. This is because you have the ability to take out targets at a number of yardage variations. That in turn will allow you more versatility when it comes to your location and navigating your plot of land.
Objective
This is the lightgathering lens on the far end of your scope, and when it comes to coyote hunting the bigger the objective lens the better. The larger the lens, the more light it will pull into the sight picture. Therefore, target visibility increases dramatically allowing you to hunt under minimal light.
We recommend an objective lens no less than 40mm but ideally no less than 50mm. Of course it comes down to your needs such as the time of day you hunt and the predator firearm you hunt with.
Be warned, if you are not used to aiming with a scope that has a large objective it can be challenging at first. Typically a larger objective means taller scope rings. This can cause you to lift and hold your head up off the stock in order to see clearly through the scope. There are solutions to this problem including cheek pads or even stocks with adjustable cheek pieces. Just keep that in the back of your mind moving forward.
Reticle
What type of reticle is best for you? There are many options to choose from but again you must consider your needs such as weapon, and bullet drop at distance. Many manufacturers make scopes designed for specific rounds in order to accurately portray bullet drop with their mildots. While this is not a make or break feature, it will certainly aid your accuracy.
We recommend a simple crosshairs reticle such as the fine duplex or the wide duplex. If you know your round and its drop then you don’t need to make fancy calculations on the crosshairs, but if you prefer the challenge of adjusting your shot to windage, elevation, and distance, we recommend the mil dot. Anything else can unnecessarily clutter the sight picture and our best advice is to keep things simple.
Because predators/varmint are mostly nocturnal, we recommend an illuminated reticle for those early morning and late night hunts. Once again, don’t overly complicate. We recommend getting illuminated reticles with more than 1 setting to ensure quality, but then keep it on a lower setting so you don’t have to worry about washing out your target.
Moving on.
Top 5 Coyote Scope Reviews
As stated earlier, we picked the top 5 predator scopes considering a range of firearms, ammunition, needs, and available options. We considered such factors as durability, price, warranty, brand history, ease of use, sight picture, and many other factors.
Here are GGH’s top 5 coyote scopes in no particular order.
Nikon P223 BDC 600 4-12x40 (with Action Turret)
Best 223 Coyote Scope and for AR-15s
This is a Nikon coyote special and quite honestly may be the best 223 scope for coyotes. It is specifically designed with the 223 round in mind and is made for the AR15. See the best AR-15 scopes here.
The Good
- The rapid action turret system makes it easier to dial in on long distance shots
- The BDC 600 reticle has aiming points in the shape of a circle and has hash marks at 100600 yards. This is an excellent example of a caliber specific optic. Allowing you to see true bullet drop at each of those 100 yard increments
- Contains multi coated optics for optimal light refraction
- It is durable and light being made from polymer and aluminum
- Decent range in magnification going from 4-12X making close and far shots easier
- Has a 40mm objective lens allowing this scope to be used under little light
- This scope is easy to operate and easy to sight in
- Easy and responsive scope adjustments with the ability to simply lift and push back down if you want to zero out
- PRICE - If budget is a concern then this scope may be your solution
Not So Good
- Average field of view is a bit narrower
- It is designed with a "one size fits all" mentality
- Isn't the greatest past 300 yards
- BDC reticle can be complicated
Overall this scope is built well for the beginner shooter so long as you familiarize yourself with the BDC reticle. It will be accurate within 300 yards and is easy to use. This is a great scope for your AR15. It can be argued, after all things considered, this is the best scope for coyote hunting with an AR due to the caliber specific mil dots.
Vortex Optics Crossfire II 3-12X56 AO
Best Budget Coyote Scope for the Money
The Vortex Crossfire II is probably the best bang for your buck. This scope has a lot to offer for under 300 dollars. It’s designed with the .22-250 round in mind and packs a punch in performance.
The Good
- Price - this is a great coyote scope for the money
- Lifetime warranty
- Super durable, made from a single block of aircraft grade aluminum
- Large 30mm tube for optimal sight
- Very large 56mm objective lens for maximum visibility in lowlight scenarios
- Long eye relief
- Fogproof, shockproof, and waterproof
- Easy turret adjustments
- Illuminated reticle
Not So Good
- BDC reticle is not the most user friendly reticle on the market
- Smaller overall field of view
- Not the largest zoom variations but it is more than enough for your average predator hunter
This scope is great and arguably under-priced when you look at all its features. It has so much to offer and performs best in lowlight situations which is perfect for your average coyote hunter. For the value, no other scope compares at this price, this bad boy is a steal. This is the best budget coyote scope.
Leupold VX6 3-18x50 (30mm) Side Focus CDS
Best Scope for Coyote Hunting with 22-250
This Leupold rifle scope is arguably the best scope for coyote hunting with .22-250 rounds. This is a higher medium priced scope that performs like a high-end scope.
The Good
- FireDot Duplex Illuminated Reticle, which is one of Leupold's best illuminating and reticle systems consisting of the duplex crosshairs and a center point red dot
- Huge zoom ratio
- Amazing low light performance
- Coated lenses for optimal light transmission
- Extremely durable
- Shockproof, waterproof, fogproof
- Large eyebox making raising and targeting easier
- Motion Sensor technology allowing for easy turn on of the reticle illumination
- Lenses are produced without any environmentally damaging by-products
Not So Good
- Expensive - not the right scope if you are after something cheap or on a budget
You can’t talk about scopes without talking about Leupold. They consistently produce incredible products. This scope gives a constant large and clear field of view throughout zooming so all targets close and far are easily seen and sighted. Although a little pricey, this scope is by far the best power scope for coyote hunting. It has so much to offer and almost no pitfalls. This is our number 1 recommended rifle scope for predator hunting.
Not to mention you may feel like a sniper when you go to shoot with this scope. Don’t be afraid when you have the urge to bunker down in a ghillie suit for hours surrounded by bushes only to finally take out your prey at 500 yards... or scare the life out of your partner when they get home from work by jumping out of the bushes. Either way this scope will always provide a winning attitude.
Leupold Prismatic Hunting 1x14 Illuminated Double Circle DOT
Best Scope for Coyote Hunting with a Shotgun
This awesome little Leupold is specially designed for shotguns and is a coyote special scope. Considering shotguns are a common predator firearm it’s only fitting at least 1 in our top 5 apply to them. This is a great red dot sight with double circle for supremely quick target acquisition.
The Good
- Great target clarity and easy target acquisition
- Durable and built by a reliable company
- Easy both eye open shooting with clear sights, unlike traditional red dots which can be blurry
- Great light transmission for low light hunting
- Lockable fast focus eyepiece
- Removable illumination module allows you to not only never be battery dependant but also not lose out on reticle efficiency
Not So Good
- Price. It is a tad expensive for a scope going on a shotgun, but if you have the money it is well worth it
- Short eye relief so it cannot be mounted too far forward
Being a shotgun scope it has some disadvantages by default, but ONLY when being compared to a rifle scope and that’s like comparing apples and oranges. That said, this shotgun scope is top of the line. It does exactly what it was designed to do, remember pragmatism is key. This durable optic is sure to please any shotgun hunter and will be especially appealing to those who hunt predators.
SightMark Photon 6.5X50S Digital Night Vision
Best Night Vision Coyote Scope
Oh yeah, night vision baby. We did it. Making our top 5 list of best coyote hunting scopes is the SightMark night vision scope, because who doesn’t love hunting coyotes after the sun has set. (Please check your state regulations to ensure the legality of a night time hunt)
The Good
- NIGHT VISION ... enough said
- High resolution picture
- Digital reticles with multiple style choices so you can find your favorite one
- Can be used during the day and night
- Good magnification for increased range
- Shockproof, weatherproof
- Resistant to bright light exposure
- User friendly interface
- Video output options to record
Not So Good
- Price. However, I almost would put it as a positive because although it's relatively quite a chunk of change it is still a NIGHT VISION scope
- I wouldn't use past 150 yards and 150 might be pushing it, at least for a clear picture of the target
- Going to take some time to set up and become comfortable with
Most predators, specifically coyotes, are nocturnal in nature meaning they sleep during the day and are awake at night making this an incredible scope for varmint hunting. State law allowing, hunters are encouraged to hunt at night. That is where this beautiful scope comes into play. It gives hunters an edge and wonderful tool for hunting coyotes even when our eyes can no longer spot them bringing an added level of intrigue to the hunt.
There are hundreds of types of scopes to choose from but we have narrowed it down to our top 5 while taking different calibers/styles of weapons into account. Before you buy you should do a little research and figure out what is going to be best for you. After all, it’s your choice. This list is one in a million, but we prefer to think it’s the best one!
With the right information, choosing the best scope for coyote hunting shouldn't be too difficult. Hopefully now you will be more equipped to make an informed decision when purchasing your next predator optic. That pesky Coyote you waited all day for won't stand a chance now that you can see the fog of his breath through your sights.
Thanks for reading, and happy hunting!
