Broke in another rifle. (a bit of blood)

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

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[Dogfish]

Quote:
I must do that 3 or 4 times a night. It works and can be very effective if you know your fields of fire, back stops, and yardages. I'll chase down and tree the coons. Possums, when challenged, just freeze. From there it is just a chip shot at 15-20 yards. Coyotes will run if chased, so those get shot from reasonably long range, 75-80 yards, which is the distance from our front porch to the tree line.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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All long arms are mostly unrestricted here. Handguns take the wrath of the anti-gun establishment, with laws varying widely from state to state.

We went out to a local horse pull on Father's Day. My 17-year-old son bought a chance to win a Remington 7MM Rem Mag rifle and actually won it. They checked his stub and handed him the rifle. He walked around with it slung over his shoulder the rest of the day showing everybody at the horse pull what he'd won. Not really a big deal.

 

[sammyh312]

mac, excellent! i loved the Rem. 7mm story. There was a time when all of that was common, and a kid could walk down the road with a .22 and no one ever gave it a second thought. Nowadays, at least four 911 calls. dogfish, great shootin! i keep my beloved 1968 Marlin 39 Mountie loaded for just such occasions, and in fact, the last thing i whacked with it was a possum, and probly twenty coons before that. im liking the looks of those Henry's though, and of over a dozen lever guns i own, none are yet Henry's. gonna have to look into one of those, love the DU logo.

 

[magicpigeon]

(mutters) wish I had a gun the best I have is my trusty sense of aim and a cairn of sharp rocks for the neighbours feral cat...

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Well, you can reduce your predator load if you don't leave pet food out all of the time. We dispatched a skunk a few weeks ago - live trap and then into a garbage can with dry ice in water (nitrogen would be better because they just go out and are less likely to spray where as with dry ice they get very annoyed) until he suffocated.

Found the perfect cure for tailgaters, though. Since we're in the city limits at our California place, we decided to haul the carcass to animal control and have them dispose of it. Nothing says "back off" better than a dead skunk in a box in the back of your truck.

 

[sammyh312]

yakima's right about the pet food. i had so many dogs at one time that i just poured pounds of it out once or twice a day, then one evening i realized in the dark i was reaching down and scratching coons behind the ears. TRUE STORY! they were so used to us, they were running amongst the dogs to eat. when i got chickens though, they had to go. Shot bunches of em and stopped feeding dogs by the pile, and no more coon problems.

 

[Capvin]

I am a gun owner and I am in no way against any of you shooting predators that endanger your chickens. However, for the most part the types of predators that are being killed do not necessarily have to be a danger to your flock. It is not difficult to make your coops and runs fairly predator proof from possum, skunks, bobcats and other similar types. I have no hesitancy in shooting raccoons on sight and rats. I do not shoot possum because they can not get to my chickens and, otherwise, they are beneficial because they eat poisonous snakes. We have been visited by bobcats, bears and fox and I will not shoot them under any circumstance. I feel that I have an obligation to be able to live in peace with certain animals and, at the same time, protect my chickens. I do that by making my coop and run as predator proof as possible and then I surround the whole thing with an electric fence. Several weeks ago I posted a picture of a bobcat that visited and two nights ago I found bear tracks right next to my electric fence. I think that the fence discourages them to the point that they learn not to come around and also I do not leave food out to tempt a potential predator. I just think that it makes more sense to do more to protect our chickens by making their coops more secure and not to rely so much on just shooting them.

 

[galanie]

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You are assuming a lot. They can and will get into anything sometimes. I highly doubt anyone in this thread hangs around outside like Yosemite Sam with their guns at the ready and yet does nothing else to secure their flocks.

 

[Dogfish]

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Except for me.

I do have lots of 2x4 wire, hardware cloth, auto doors, and an electric fence. They will always test you.

Seriously any predator gets eliminated. They are not Disney animals. These are more like the wicked little animals in South Park's "Imagination Land." Complacency leads to losses, sometimes horrific losses. All you have to do is read the first page here to prove that. Luckily I live in a State and area where controlling them is perfectly legal.