Coyote Hunting Guns, Setup No. 1

Baby it's cold outside, and that means it's time to hunt coyotes in all their furry, howling glory. Let's get January's Coyote Gun setups going with a neato-keeno AR-styled pick from DPMS.

Y’all asked for it! January’s “Hunting Guns Blog” is hereby devoted to coyote rigs, Let's go!

DPMS Prairie Panther Kings Snow Shadow

I don’t have more than a smidgen of snow here in Wisconsin (and strictly because I’ve type those words, we’ll probably be inundated with a blizzard any minute now), but a bunch of you have plenty of white stuff on the ground. Since everything stands out on a white background, it’s essential that you blend in as much as possible. That includes your gun, which makes the Prairie Panther Kings Snow Shadow from DPMS an awesome pick for snowbound ’yotes.

To be sure, there are about a bazillion AR-15 variants out there to choose from, and this is just one, but DPMS has a solid reputation for reliable firearms. This particular model comes with a 20-inch heavy contour barrel that gets a target crown, flattop receiver (essential for optics use), two-stage trigger, and a Magpul Winter trigger guard, which allows ample room for a gloved hand. Other pluses include a ceramic overcoat on the Snow Shadow pattern (good for durability), skeletonized stock, and a carbon fiber free-floating handguard tube. These last two features help reduce weight, keeping this Panther at a walk-the-countryside 7.1 pounds (sans scope). In the original .223, buyers can order with two bolt-carrier options, one in chrome, the other in titanium.

MSRP: Current listing on the DPMS website is $1,249, really quite reasonable for today’s out-of-the-box AR-types.

Harris Rota-Pod
Love to hunt howlers with an AR-15-type rifle? Got one with a Picatinny rail on its underside? Then you need Harris’ RBA—Rotating Bipod Adaptor, also known by the company as the Rota-Pod. Finally, you can use one of Harris’ wonderful ’pods and be able to move when your quarry does. Simply latch on the adaptor to your rifle’s underbelly Picatinny rail via the adaptor’s quick-detach button (no screws!), slap on any Harris bipod, and then, from sitting, prone, or whatever position you’re in, you can set up in the general direction you want to aim, while still having the flexibility to swing on a coyote sneaking in from a weird angle without picking up and moving your entire rifle setup, a big movement that could give your position away.