Dispatched momma coon and three kits, but feeling bad about it.

[crossedwires]

interesting how the topic has heated up a little.

you will always get extremes of oppinion at both ends of the spectrum and both side have valid points and are entitled to them. myself personaly i am a good shot (very good) but there are times when a situation presents itself to me and i have a predetor in my sites that i know i probaly have a less than 50/50 chance of a clean kill, i also know on those occasions that if i dont take the shot i have willingly let a predetor go. so what do i do in those situations? well actualy as long as there isnt a chance of human injury i take the shot. if i get a instant kill i am grateful and relieved, if i just injure then if i am honest my first thoughts are i hope its hurt enough that it cant come back and cause damage. yes at those times i should feel sorry for the animal but like i said i am being totaly honest, so no i dont feel any remorse when i do it. when hunting i never take the shot unless in my own mind i am absolutely certain it will be a instant kill shot. but hunting is a totaly different ball game to predetor control.
yes i get alot of stick for my approach and no i couldnt care less what anyone thinks about it. for me its survial i run a farm on very tight margins i cant afford predation losses nor will i not pull the trigger just incase i hurt a poor predating creature. yes i fully agree they do whats natural to them but so do i

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i dont think anyone is wrong in expressing an oppinion, like i said in an earlier post to me she did good. but those that are dissagreeing also have the right to say so

 

[littlethorn]

I don't think anyone should beat themselves up too much about having to shoot a predator. Hunting and protecting your property are two completely different things. No one asks for pests to come over and potentially injure or kill their animals.

While I have never had a predator get into my coop (/knock on wood), I have had a coon attack the animals around my pond. I don't think anyone who has seen the damage they can do would suggest you should not protect your animals.

 

[NonnasBabies]

You go girl!! Ignore anyone that thinks other wise. They wern't there. Period. Opinions are like (what) everyone has one!! You might want to try to get in a little target shooting practice for your peace of mind but trust me you can be one of the best shots and still miss!! I've been a cop for over 10 years and shoot all the time and I can't tell you how many we've missed or ran off after they were shot in the dark!!

As for your NYREDS didn't your momma teach you if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all??? It blows my mind on this message board that there is ALWAYS somebody that has to make a negative comment!!

Missi

 

[Ibicella]

You're a good person, with a good heart. Killing things doesn't come easy to hearts like that. Killing ain't supposed to feel good.

But when you own chickens, part of being a good and responsible chicken owner is keeping these defenseless birds safe. That was your promise to them when you got them, and you kept your promise. Chicken owning is a one way ticket into the circle of life! The raccoons would have made a feast of your birds by tearing them apart alive soon enough once those kits got older and started needing more food.

So don't beat yourself up. You didn't do anything wrong. You stepped up to the plate and protected defenseless beings by eliminating a problem before they lost their lives.

 

[xxleandraxx]

Are you allowed to just shot them or is this a licence thing you have to have??? please don't think im judging or anything cause im not goood on you but def would be the same with your guilt...im asking cause here in england we re not allowed to just get rid of the foxes that easily??? not allowed to leave snares im sure we re not even allowed to trap and i ve lost a few girls from foxes now

Don't feel bad easier said than done i know but your looking after your own

anyone would do it x

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Without any doubt about it, YOU DID THE RIGHT THING!!!!!!! I've had to do the very same thing only I shot a female and two babies. They would have eventually killed your chickens and caused all kinds of trouble. You did the right thing. I know if was hard on you but you did what you had to do. It NEEDED to be done.

Joni

 

[tcltoughmom]

Well they are reaching thru the fence wire thats 2 x 4 and grabbing the chickens and sucking the blood out or eating its inners and leaving the shaggy limp body- I even have wire on top and tarps on the lots. I have even burried some of the fence around the bottom, turned it out and covered it about a foot out. but he had pulled at it in one corner at the top and broken it open, had to nail it down. He was big, he had been eating good while I was away to see pregnant daughter in Ga, still no baby yet, got a can of dog food in trap tonight. Hopefully he was the only one. Chickens are wormed, cleaned out the barn shaped utility building, but its pouring down hard here, gonna be a big muddy mess. Maybe when it dryes up some I will go get a ton of sand to put inside lots. Did gravel, and rubber mats, still muddy. Have watering pans up on tires out of the mud. If anyone has any good ideas-- send them my way, Teresa in WV

 

[nonseq]

Quote:
We have fencing with smaller openings around the lower part of our run. It is wired to the 2 x 4 fencing. That is to prevent animals from reaching in and killing my chickens. We also have fencing flat on the ground around the perimeter of the run, and that is wired to the run's fencing as well.

I have seen raccoon prints on my coop, but nothing seems to get in my run or coop. They are both solid.

 

[scbatz33]

I do not understand the insinuation that if I have a raccoon problem then I have not done everything I can do to "secure" my animals.

I have had birds and other animals for years and have never had a raccoon or other predator problem - EVER. I have lived out in rural areas for years and I have NEVER lost an animal to any kind of predator.

We moved out to where we are about 3 months ago. I only started having raccoon problems in the last couple weeks. We live way out in the sticks and have a creek that runs right behind my barn. Clearly the raccoons have used it for a watering hole and have discovered the chickens.

I DO NOT FREE RANGE my birds. My birds are locked up EVERY NIGHT. I have enforced and RE-ENFORCED every wall, roof, door and now floor in my pens. I use wood and wire, stone and grating. I have plugged holes and cracks and every single thing under the sun in protection of my birds.

Yet, despite my efforts, those little masked !%#^$(&% keep getting in. My feed is in metal cans and covered, my birds are as safe as I can make them outside of building a completely new barn. I can't afford to build a new barn.

They have recently taken to burrowing under the floor. They have climbed sheer flat 10" walls, they have ripped boards off the outside of the barn. I actually have seen claw marks on the outside wooden walls of my barn where they have tried to get in. They have climbed trees and into lofts with no steps or ladders.

These things are insidious. They kill just to kill and they are not worth the air they breathe. They are not endangered, they pose nothing but a threat to the safety of my birds, kittens and other livestock. They carry disease and wreak havoc where ever they go. They are big furry rats and I have no use for them.

And yes, we shoot them. We don't give them a chance to come back for a second visit when we trap them. They are a menace.

They have killed and maimed my animals and I'm so sorry if it offends anyone that we kill them. I applaud the OP and I hope she kills every last one that dares to cross her property line. Anyone who is foolish to think they are "just passing through" and won't take a second to stop for a free meal is naive. They are pests, they are predators and to give them an inch of "freedom" to exist near livestock is childish thinking. There is no harmony for chickens, duck, geese, etc and raccoons.

Further, it is ludicrous to say sturdy fences and buildings is enough to protect your livestock once these little rodents realize you have anything they can eat. They open doors, pick locks, unscrew lids, and learn how to avoid traps. That kind of "I'm better than you" thinking is insulting and I pray you NEVER have to deal with the kind of predatory slaughter that some of us have been unfortunate enough to have been dealing with.

 

[Tylt33]

Quote:
+1