Kill a racoon? go to jail

[Dayrel]

Killing is killing, dead is dead. Nothing humane about that. When it has to be done just hope its as quick and painless as can be expected and live with that.

Sorry, sounds nice, but I can't agree. Protecting the life and health of your own animals against a predator like a raccoon is absolutely humane.

I'll show far more concern for how the raccoon is treated than the mites, diseases and other living organisms that can afflict my chickens that I'd kill without a second thought. But given no better options, killing the raccoon quickly and with minimal pain is the humane act in this situation.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Sorry, sounds nice, but I can't agree. Protecting the life and health of your own animals against a predator like a raccoon is absolutely humane.

I'll show far more concern for how the raccoon is treated than the mites, diseases and other living organisms that can afflict my chickens that I'd kill without a second thought. But given no better options, killing the raccoon quickly and with minimal pain is the humane act in this situation.

I'm not saying not to protect your chickens. I've killed as many predators as probably anyone here. But I don't need to call it humane because it isn't. You can label it that but no matter how its done that coon wouldn't agree.
Killing is killing. Sometimes and some methods go as planned and its over in an instant and didn't seem painful. Any method could go wrong and turn into an aganizing death. So I not gonna pretend killing a predator is humane because no one can say for sure in that instant and with that methit to feel better about ending a life. it is. You aren't gonna know how its going to go until you're in the act.
And unless you're the one dying how would you know just how humane it was? Humane is just a nice label to put on it

 

[Sublight]

Sorry, sounds nice, but I can't agree. Protecting the life and health of your own animals against a predator like a raccoon is absolutely humane.

I'll show far more concern for how the raccoon is treated than the mites, diseases and other living organisms that can afflict my chickens that I'd kill without a second thought. But given no better options, killing the raccoon quickly and with minimal pain is the humane act in this situation.

I believe that a 36 grain .22 bullet traveling at Mach 1 is as humane as it gets, provided the shot is well placed. (Mach 1 is 767 MPH)
If that isn't good enough a 17 grain bullet from a .17 HMR traveling at Mach 2+ is devastating and humane. However you may have to pick up pieces out of the yard. But its undeniably instant carnage. (.17 HMR bullet travels at 1738 MPH (2250 Feet Per Second))
That is way faster then can be felt.

There is nothing more humane then instant lights out. Not saying its pretty, but it is no doubt instant.

(I squirrel hunt with a .17 and without a head shot, you cant eat the meat. The devastation is uncanny.)

 

[Dayrel]

Sorry, @The Moonshiner. I think we are on the same page, but just interpreting it differently. You are looking at the demise of one animal. I'm looking at preventing suffering and death for other animals.

 

[allosaurusrock]

Back to the beginning subject-- it is very possible that the guy did not have a gun. I know my family absolutely does not, and never will. I also want to protect my birds against raccoons,though. The problem with something as simple cutting the throat or breaking the neck requires that you are in close proximity to the animal, and for all you know it could be carrying an array of diseases, including rabies. So drowning does seem to be the logical choice. Unfortunately, as stated before, in order to drown it, it would need to be caught in the act, and there is no way he could of been able to catch it without setting a trap.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Sorry, @The Moonshiner. I think we are on the same page, but just interpreting it differently. You are looking at the demise of one animal. I'm looking at preventing suffering and death for other animals.

Ya I'm with on the protection of our animals.
Just the whole what is humane, what isnt, what's more humane then the other was my point.
I don't believe the word humane belongs with killing something. Dying is losing a life. Nothing humane about that. And methods don't matter cause they aren't guaranteed the same result.
Like the bullet to the head.
I've dropped a lot of beef cattle like a stone with a 22. But once I shot a dog between the eyes and it only put him in a lot of pain then I had to run him down while he screamed in pain with blood spurting all over the place to hurry up and stop his suffering. Should wouldnt say shooting something was humane that day.

 

[Birdinhand]

drowning is fast, certainly as fast as shooting, at least they way shooting goes sometimes, as in several shots, animal moves around violently. I trapped squirrels in my attack one time and called around to the authorities to see what I should do with them and they said it was illegal to release them and specifically told me to get a bucket, fill it with water and submerse the trap in it for 5 minutes, rinse and repeat.

 

[RollTideChicken]

Just my opinion but there's really no way to humanely kill something. The act of killing is inhumane in itself we just need to tell ourselves we're doing it in a humane way to be ok with it.
Don't get me wrong I've killed many many a creature in my life time.
When it goes quickly and efficiently then you could say it was humane. When it goes sideways sure looks anything but humane no matter the method.
I know many people that would say drowning is the most humane way. I used to trap when I was a kid. Drowning was standard practice. It was said to be humane. Truth was it wasn't so much because of that as it was because you didn't want holes or blood on your pelts.
I've also known of bucketing puppies. That was said to be humane but of course downing puppies isn't humane.
Agree with the other poster people who have almost drown would say it is a terrible thing but there's many people out there that have been shot in the head and lived. They'll tell you there's nothing humane about shooting something.
Look at how animals are slaughtered for market. Electricution, bolt guns even people here who slit chickens throats and let them bleed out. Shelter dogs that get injections. No matter how you end a life someone somewhere is gonna say it's done in a humane way while many others see nothing humane about it and have opinions of other ways they think would be humane.
Killing is killing, dead is dead. Nothing humane about that. When it has to be done just hope its as quick and painless as can be expected and live with that.

Yep I agree killing is killing no matter the method. It just kills me how some folks look at killing a fluffy critter differently than killing something they think is less cute. Personally I prefer bullets to most anything else.

 

[shepherd6567]

I trappped in the past and many sets were designed to drown the captured animal. They were caught in leghold traps so the sooner they were dispatched the less stress they endured. This is recommended in every how to trap book

 

[Chickassan]

I honestly kind of know how that guy feels it stinks to have to kill something no matter the reason it double stinks to have the authorities brought in because you had to do so. Here's my experience. I'm not a killer, I'm a little woman with a handful of chickens but last February i was going out to get my newspaper and i was greeted by a very obviously rabid raccoon on my front steps, nice. I called animal control, they told ME to dispatch it but don't damage the head, cut the head off put it in my freezer and they'd be around for it when they could find time, um no. I went and got hubs Mossberg and removed the raccoon, i hated it made me absolutely sick. Well it gets better, some clueless neighbors saw me shoot a helpless animal in broad daylight and called the law, awesome. I spent two hours explaining myself, having my phone calls verified and having hubs shotgun verified, it was an absolute hoot.