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I wan't prepared to have to kill anything. I thought with enough different kinds of locks and solid buried fencing, plus covered run, we could co-habitate with the coons. Not gonna happen? I've never shot anything in my life, don't even have a gun. Funny thing is, I WAS thinking of getting a small hand gun for my own protection. I probably watch too much Cold Case Files and crime TV, but since I lost my mastiff I feel a little insecure. I was planning on taking hand gun classes so I don't accidentally kill myself or anyone else, but maybe instead of the hand gun I should just get a . . . what? I think a shotgun would knock me on my butt. What else is there to dispatch coons? Sorry, I'm really stupid in this area and will have to do this myself.
I would recommend a .22LR. By far the most versatile varmint gun for coons, possums, etc.
Something else to consider is if you can't even shoot a coon what will happen when one of your chickens needs to be put down? Where there is livestock there is dead stock and sometimes they need help getting that way in a timely fashion. It's just part of being a responsible owner. Maybe the coons would be a good way for you to practice in case a situation ever arises where you have to shoot more than just varmint.
It would also be good practice before you go looking for a CCW permit and gun. There's a pretty scary statistic out there that says something along the lines of the fact that MOST people who carry a gun end up having it used against them, rather than using it for their own protection. This is because when it comes time to pull the trigger they cannot do it. If you cannot shoot a coon, what makes you think you will pull the trigger on a human? I'd say definitely get some varmint control and hunting under your belt first. You need to know that you
can kill before you walk around armed to do so.
Aside from that the .22LR will give you some range so the first few times you don't have to be up close and personal looking into the animal's eyes as you shoot it, which will allow you a little emotional leeway as you get used to the idea. Mine is a Mossberg 702 plinkster. It's light, dead accurate and consistent. And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg either. Think I paid about $100 for it. Alternatively, if you want something even smaller, my 9yo DD has a youth model .22LR, the Cricket I think it's called, that is everything my mossberg is in a smaller package. Great little gun, just a little less range on it.
And now I'll sit quietly and listen cause I'm interested in what Opa would recommend, too.
Thanks for your advice Olive. I know this will be a difficult learning experience for me. Please believe that I know all about being a responsible owner. I have sadly put too many dogs and cats down in my life because it was their time and the right thing to do because I loved them. I knew someone was going to ask how I would handle having to put a chicken out of its misery if I had to. After reading the different posts about this subject, I think the easiest thing for me would be to cover its head and then chop it off. It will be hard, but I can do it if the chicken is suffering.
You also asked how I thought I could kill a person if I had to, if I can't kill a coon. I hope this won't make me sound like a sociopath, but I like animals a lot more than I like most people I've met (except the great people on BYC of course!). What would make it easier (for me) to shoot a person than an animal is that people can rationalize and make a decision to harm, abuse or kill. Animals on the other hand never kill just for the fun of it and abuse is something we humans have the corner on. I have always known I could shoot a person with not much remorse if they were threatening me, my family and friends or my dogs. If I didn't think I could use a gun on someone, I wouldn't buy it.
Thanks also for the advice on the type of gun. What you use sounds like it would work for me and the price is definitely right.
