The Coyote is a powerful bow that is less forgiving than most comparible bows and has to be considered a niche market rather than a broad range bow. The Coyote is a bow that is both hated and loved, some archers can deal with it’s eccentricities and love it’s advantages while others leave it alone. It also suffers from a bad reputation earned when it was first released with inferior limbs. PSE has fixed the limb problems, but the taint hangs on a bit.
Treated right it is both accurate and powerful. It is comfortable and stable in all areas if shot with good form within it’s parameters. The Coyote is also a very good value in terms of power for the price.
The short brace height is problematic for a beginner, and it stacks so badly after 28” that it is virtually unshootable by 30”. While the short brace height accounts for a good deal of the power, it takes an experienced archer to shoot the Coyote consistently.
Review
The Coyote is a special and eccentric bow, perhaps a cult bow. It has a pretty radical following and isn’t a candidate for best selling bow anywhere. PSE hasn’t taken many pains to make it friendly, or forgiving. Still, it has a following and I know at least one archer who is in love with how it feels.
A take down recurve, the Coyote is fairly heavy at a little more than three pounds. The machined aluminum riser is strong and durable, but as previously mentioned, the limbs are problematic.
Coyotes released before 2011 were released with very suspect limbs that tended to crack, and even “explode” without being abused in any way. The hardwood limbs PSE introduced in 2011 solved the problem and the current set up of hardwood with a metal riser is first rate. The lesson here is don’t buy a used Coyote, it is pretty much safest to stick with new and it is not an exceptionally pricey bow.
Power and accuracy make the Coyote an excellent choice for hunting if it fits the archer. It easily encompasses a range of fifty yards, a range few traditional archers are practiced enough to make an ethical shot in. Because the low brace height transfers more energy to the arrow even a 45# Coyote can be trusted to down big game, such as elk.
You can accessorize your Coyote any way you want, it is drilled and threaded to accept most accessories. If it fits you it is also an excellent bow to shoot bare bow, instinctively.
The PSE Coyote is a special bow for a special archer. If you are that archer you can’t do better even up into the rarified realms of custom bows. However, the Coyote is not a forgiving bow and demands to be shot perfectly to achieve results. It is not a bow for a beginning archer, it takes some expertise to handle from the first arrow.
For what it is, the PSE Coyote is very reasonably priced – check it out yourself on Amazon.
PSE Coyote Review – Final Thoughts
The PSE Coyote is a special, powerful and eccentric bow that appeals to a certain audience. It is not suitable for a beginner, or an archer whose draw length exceeds 28”. It is a powerful and accurate bow when used within its parameters, and archers it fits are extremely happy with it. It is priced very reasonably for the speed and power it has and, for the right archer it can be the deal of the century.
