Bobcats

[CluckerFamily]

The electric fence is a great idea. You won't be able to kill all the predators. And an electric fence will help when you lower your guard.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

I have electric wires around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and good heavy duty netting covering my pens all due to losses from predators in the past. I have dealt with bobcats in the past. One killed 14 of my birds in one night. I had some younger birds in my chick/grow-out coop. I forgot to shut the pop door. It dug under the fence. I put out leg traps inside the pen and shut the rest of the birds in the coop. The bobcat didn't come back the next night but did the following night and I had caught it and eliminated it. Since I have put electric wires around that coop and pens too. I have been seeing another one but it hasn't made any attempts. It probably knows the electric wires are there. Good luck...
View attachment 2494110
Here is the bobcat I have been seeing recently. This is the same coop the other bobcat killed the birds at.
View attachment 2494111

did not notice how small there feet are, what type of foot hold you using?

sorry don't got many bobcats here way more lynx where i trap.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

A person must make reasonable attempt to keep predators out. They can't willy nilly kill predators they've basically invited to eat their livestock. If reasonable measures have been taken and the nuisance animal is actively taking/ in the act of taking your birds you can shoot it out of season. This does not apply to birds of prey of course.

Situations you can't shoot predators would be if you are free ranging, have no or completely inadequate run deterrent or leave your coop door open. Fish and Game sees these scenarios as invitation to predators for easy meals and would be tantamount to baiting and shooting out of season.

The take away here is taking reasonable measures to deter predators and protect livestock. The idea being you are protecting both the predator and your livestock. Some predators are extremely persistent, usually during times of low natural feed. It's those that can be killed when actively taking livestock.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

The take away here is taking reasonable measures to deter predators and protect livestock.

The reasonable measure are trapping/shooting it.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

If an animal is on my property, and clearly has/going to kill my animals then it does not last long, my animals will win in a battle like that: I make sure of it.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Reasonable measures are trying to put a hot line or two around your coop first. Not shooting any animal that comes near it. Usually one try at a hot wire is enough to deter a predator. Just my .2 cents. I'm not against killing an animal, but if you live in a wooded area you are pretty much in their living room. At least an attempt, in my opinion, of coexisting should be made before indiscriminate extermination.

 

[Mtnboomer]

A person must make reasonable attempt to keep predators out. They can't willy nilly kill predators they've basically invited to eat their livestock. If reasonable measures have been taken and the nuisance animal is actively taking/ in the act of taking your birds you can shoot it out of season. This does not apply to birds of prey of course.

Situations you can't shoot predators would be if you are free ranging, have no or completely inadequate run deterrent or leave your coop door open. Fish and Game sees these scenarios as invitation to predators for easy meals and would be tantamount to baiting and shooting out of season.

The take away here is taking reasonable measures to deter predators and protect livestock. The idea being you are protecting both the predator and your livestock. Some predators are extremely persistent, usually during times of low natural feed. It's those that can be killed when actively taking livestock.

"When actively taking livestock" is a key phrase. One that happens to be in your yard and you shoot it as a preemptive measure may not constitute legal.
Shooting a black bear in VA is like shooting a burglar. It better be in your house or have you or other persons in immediate danger or its against the law.

We have bears each season attempt to get in our coop. So far none have succeeded. I called DGIF to ask if I can shoot the bear and was told that they would need to investigate, determine there is a nuisance bear present, then offer me bean bag shells or they would come and dart it if practical. They did not mention it would be ok for me to dispatch the animal.
Laws are different every where you go. Check your local ordinance first before planning your coarse if action.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Reasonable measures are trying to put a hot line or two around your coop first. Not shooting any animal that comes near it. Usually one try at a hot wire is enough to deter a predator. Just my .2 cents. I'm not against killing an animal, but if you live in a wooded area you are pretty much in their living room. At least an attempt, in my opinion, of coexisting should be made before indiscriminate extermination.

Some ppl, like myself, don't want to spend a weekend re-fencing my pen when I can spend 5 min fixing my problem and all the neighbors problem too.
Just my 2 cents

 

[Tre3hugger]

Some ppl, like myself, don't want to spend a weekend re-fencing my pen when I can spend 5 min fixing my problem and all the neighbors problem too.
Just my 2 cents

What if the predator comes at night? What if a neighbors house is in the background of the shot? What if the predator is protected or endangered? It seems quite lazy to disregard these contingencies because you don't want to improve your predator deterrence. Also, adding a few posts and one hot line around a perimeter wouldn't take a whole weekend in 90% of backyard setups. More like an hour or two. Minimal effort, your animals are safer, more wild animals get to keep being wild...Where's the downside? Who loses? The gun happy people who don't get to shoot their toys that day.

 

[WindingRoad]

If an animal is on my property, and clearly has/going to kill my animals then it does not last long, my animals will win in a battle like that: I make sure of it.

The problem with that is a pound of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Predator proof your set up or spend the rest of your days and nights shooting etc.

A lot more effort that just a weekend.