4.5x14 too much?
 

is a 4.5x14-44 power scope too much magnification for coyote hunting? i'm not sure how close these buggers will come in. my other option is a 3.5-10x44. opinions?

Scopes are mostly a matter of preference. That said, if you havent tried scopes of various powers before, I like to have a nice low power on there,because you never know when that shot ends up being alot closer than you thought. Nothing worse than having to much power on the scope at low setting to be able to see your target thats in much closer than you thought.

Unless your going to be shooting at dimes from 600 yards your not really going to need 14,16,18 power on your scope I.M.H.O.
For hunting purposes I have found that I like 3 for my low magnification. I would try to stay in the area of 3- 4 or 4.5 for your low. I have a 3-9X50mm on my Weatherby and 9X is plenty of magnification for hunting purposes even when you need to reach way out there..Again that was my opinion, do with it what you will ,but thats what works for me.

Safe shooting

mpol777: Just a friendly suggestion: Go to varminthunters.com and ask those guys the same question. I believe they'll tell you that the answer is dependent on your hunting terrain. I have a friend who uses a Leupold of the power that you mention and I don't feel that it's too much, even for deer hunting...just in case you want to pop a coyote at 400 yds or so.

I use a 4.5 to 14 Leupold with Mil Dots and I think this is the closest I have found to an all around scope. I used a 6.5 to 20 Leupold for quite a while, and while it was a good quality scope I found the limited eye relief, limited field of view, and the heat mirage to be more than I cared to deal with.
Have a nice evening, Rabon...

scope
 

Ask yourself:
Do I hunt in the open fields or in the bush?
That should narrow down your choices.
Personally, I use a 3.5 x 10 x 50 to hunt coy dogs, whitetail,
blackbear, prarie poodles and anything else I see fit.
Loopie 3.5 x 10's are pretty much all around scopes.
nuff' said.

Exactly! Most "dogs" are taken around here with a shotgun, good walking boots & a great dog. Very close range & no scopes. However, those same guys always have "perimeter men" at the surrounding road sides with some .22 center fire flavored rifle of sorts, scanning the open fields. Some of those guys think 14 power is too little.

Terrain my man, terrain.:)