.243 is an awesome coyote and deer caliber, but overkill for fox and bobcats. I need a caliber that will not tear up a fox (I call in way more fox here than yotes), but able to take out a big male coyote. I settled for an M4 .223 Rem, even though it can tear up a fox pretty good
. Short, light as a feather, accurate, cheap readily available ammo, and can mount a light to easily.
Sometimes a rifle is not practical for some stands, for that I choose a 12ga with full choke and #4 buck.