Coon hunt tonight (excuse the whining in post)

[Egghead_Jr]

Just shoot him with a high power break barrel air rifle in .22 or .25 cal. Totally legal for use but be careful. On par with .22 short powder burner. Mine pushes .22 cal 18 grain lead around 900 ft/sec to deliver near 30 ft/lbs of energy. .25 cal will make bigger holes and for short range. Hatsan 95 will give you over 20 ft lbs in .25 cal= short range coon dispatch.

 

[Howard E]

If I've got a snarling coon facing me down, he won't be for long. With belligerent varmints, there is this thing called sudden death syndrome and around here it involves a 12 gauge shotgun. A .410 or 20 gauge shotgun would be equally effective and would not draw as much attention.

Even in populated areas, a single gunshot isn't going to attract much notice, so as long as it is safe to do so, I'd drop him. If you trap him, you have to shoot him anyway, right?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thank you for the air powered suggestions @Egghead_Jr

If I had had the ability to shoot him last night, I would have. He snarled and growled up in the rafters, even I could have hit him. He has really staked a territory in my run (before last night, he ran as quickly as he could out of the run). Scarier, I can't get my birds locked up early enough as he is coming before dark, before they roost, in the middle of the afternoon.

I love nature as much as the next person, love living in my green state, and I'm sorry it has to come to this end, but I'm standing behind my statutory right that "nothing in the wildlife laws is intended to prevent any person from taking any wildlife that is causing damage, is a public nuisance, or poses a public health risk on land that the person owns..."

So the ammo and air shot gun suggestions are much appreciated. My husband and son are mulling over their air soft and gas powered arsenal right now...which thus far has been only a mild annoyance to our thick furred intruder as it is too light. It likely means a trip to the hobby shop, which of course will break their hearts.

Round 3 tonight.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If I've got a snarling coon facing me down, he won't be for long. With belligerent varmints, there is this thing called sudden death syndrome and around here it involves a 12 gauge shotgun. A .410 or 20 gauge shotgun would be equally effective and would not draw as much attention.

Even in populated areas, a single gunshot isn't going to attract much notice, so as long as it is safe to do so, I'd drop him. If you trap him, you have to shoot him anyway, right?

If this were my daddy's land? He'd been gone the second night.

Unfortunately, we have neighbors behind our fence line and I'm not that confident in my shot....so the air powered, very short range, will have to be the answer....unless, hope upon hope, he simply takes the trap and bait.

Thank you for the thought.
LofMc

 

[Howard E]

I understand. BUT.....a center mass shot into a raccoon at reasonably close range using a .410 shotgun with #4 buckshot isn't going anywhere, except to the ditch or the landfill.

Just saying.

 

[Howard E]

I understand. BUT.....a center mass shot into a raccoon at reasonably close range using a .410 shotgun with #4 buckshot isn't going anywhere, except to the ditch or the landfill.

Just saying.

 

[bobbi-j]

I understand. BUT.....a center mass shot into a raccoon at reasonably close range using a .410 shotgun with #4 buckshot isn't going anywhere, except to the ditch or the landfill.

Just saying.

BUT... it's not legal everywhere to fire a gun, no matter how close the critter is, and how "safe" it may be. Another thing to consider is the proximity of the neighbors who may or may not turn a person in. I fully agree that if it's where a person can do so, it should be shot - especially when it's snarling and hissing in one's face.

 

[Howard E]

There are probably very few towns of any size where whacking a racoon would get you into trouble. You could drown a puppy and go to prison for life, but not for whacking a hostile racoon.

We live in a town of pretty good size with some tight gun laws, laws about fireworks and laws about just about every other thing too. Considering the drug thugs fire off a couple boxes of 9 mm every night, the police have more to worry about than a dead (formerly hostile) varmint. But that applies to me.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

BUT... it's not legal everywhere to fire a gun, no matter how close the critter is, and how "safe" it may be. Another thing to consider is the proximity of the neighbors who may or may not turn a person in. I fully agree that if it's where a person can do so, it should be shot - especially when it's snarling and hissing in one's face.

thats where live trapping comes in place just trap it and if you catch the wrong animal let it go... if it turns out to be the coon just take it out to a dirt road or old farm yard and shoot it.

 

[centrarchid]

If so much concern is going into disposition of a trapped coon, then why not simply invest more in keeping the raccoon away from birds. You have more than one raccoon around.