coyote problem

[desimulacra]

All good advice
I'll put my 2 cents in and say the Ruger 10/22 is a fine rifle, maybe the best 22 , but a bit light for a coyote. I use a low power scoped Ruger Mini 14 chambered in .223 with a thin expanding tip, works very well and I can get quick accurate shots in. I have killed running squirrels with it. Works well with a spotlight at night too.
The dog is probably best but my experience is you really need to put the birds up at night and very securely. Use a pen/coop that is off the ground and completely enclosed.

[muldoon]

If your looking to get a .22, I would agree that the 1022 is a fine little rifle.  If your aiming a little cheaper, I also like the Marlin 60, which is tube fed semi 22lr.  Now would be a good time to get either as Obama has hinted at bringing back the ban and including alot if not all semi auto rifles. 

If it was me, I would not hunt coyote with a 22 either, for reasons already said above.  I think a .243 is a nice rifle and has a wide range.  I used to hunt whitetail with 243 for years, its very effective without kicking like a mule, or being loud enough to wake the dead, and the ammo does not cost a fortune so it gets my vote as a varmint chaser.   

From a cost perspective, combination of protecting, penning, dogs, and trapping probably sounds like the best bet.