Next fall I will most likley be living in the middle of nowhere where I will have access to 800 acers of hunting land 30 minuets

[DakotaMan]

Forgot to mention... you can see coyotes from a LONG ways away in Iowa after the corn is down. Most guys don't shoot at them that far though because they don't shoot accurate rifles or have 3-9x scopes on their deer rifles. Most are shotgun deer hunters who plug a coyote now and then within 100 yards. Get iHunt on your iPhone and an inexpensive speaker and get after them.

[DakotaMan]

Your 30-06 will be a fine varmint rifle with 110g bullets as long as it is accurate. I load them to 3400 fps and no coyote will outrun them. They are deadly accurate at 500 yards and the recoil is light enough that you can shoot hundreds in practice. Put a good long range scope on your rifle if you need to reach out there. Consider a Vortex Viper 6.5-20x if your rifle is accurate. If you can see them, you can flatten them!

My favorite is a 25-06 with 75g or 87g bullets but a .243 with 58g bullets will suite you well too. Both of these rifles are deadly on coyotes at 500 yards and beyond and they double as excellent deer/antelope rifles. They have such low recoil, you can shoot all day and they are plenty FAST and FLAT at 3700-3800 fps.

If you are exclusively shooting varmints a 22-250 is great too but it drops off much faster than the above cartridges beyond 300 yards and it is marginal for deer. The .223 works fine too and is very economical as long as your shots are less than 300 yards. I like the .223 on foxes because they barely make a mark on that light hide.

[Ncarl]

Ontario, Might take you up on that one of these days. Life's busy and crazy now but who knows in a couple years.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

I saw your photo collection and I knew you were already a bird hunter. Guess I should have figured there was a good reason you needed something else to hunt at that place. No birds is the best reason. Maybe you'll have to travel a bit and meet me in another state (or country). A hundred bucks for bird license either here or in Montana.

[Ncarl]

Also, I already waterfowl hunt and have all the non resident licenses necessary for Iowa. It's just the land I will be so close to doesn't hold any birds.

[Ncarl]

Ontario and redfish, I would but the pheasant and quail populations in SW Iowa has been devistated. They are there but are few and far between. It will take years of dry springs and mild winters for the population to recover. I would waterfowl hunt but there is no big water in the area to hold a huntable number of birds. I should add that it's my grandparents farm so I have hunted it many a times but I live so far away right now.

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

I agree with above suggestions (or implied suggestions): reloading setup is cheaper than buying a new rifle.

In the meantime, maybe consider buying a non-resident bird license?

[Safado]

22-250, try to get a fast twist 1:9 or faster so that you can shot the heavier bullets.

[diplomat019]

i bought a 223 savage axis from walmart. 300 with taxes

[Pray- hunt-work]

Why these fine gents are trying to talk you out of buying a new rifle to add to the collection is beyond me. I should warn you, they most certainly aren't your friends.(Kiddin'!!) Pick up a .22-250 and enjoy it. I am not familiar with the axis but have heard that it is well received. Good luck in your yote hunting and congrats on the move!

[Hobob]

30-06 accelerators might be an option for varmints. I don't know much about them but they were used in the 90's for varmints around here when the coyotes moved in. .243 is what i use now in PA.

[jhjimbo]

A situation like you are looking at is why it is time to get into reloading. A custom load to tweak your '06 for a specific purpose. If you could reload you would have the use of the Berger VLD bullets in light weights. Just what the doctor ordered. Some company may load them in '06, worth checking it out. Check with Berger...

[Happy Myles]

A 22-250 is pretty hard to beat, especially since you have an 06 for larger game. I have used many different varmint calibers and always seem to go back to a 22-250.

[Ncarl]

Forgot, I dont reload.

[Ncarl]

Clay, I would be hunting in Iowa. A lot of open ground around there. Potential for very long shots but I'm not that practiced when it comes to rifles and would probably hope for shots 200 yards and in. But I should be able to get a lot more practicing in once I move. Ill be closer to places I can shoot long range. I just have a hard time justifying practicing with ammo the way it is these days. I'm plenty good enough to kill deer I would just like to be better.