speaking of guns....

[PurpleChicken]

I’m not a fan of a pellet rifle as a non-lethal deterrent. A small lead pellet
will kill a small animal if hit in the right spot. More likely it will hurt the
animal and subject it to a lingering death.

A 22 caliber rifle is easy to handle and shoot and is strong enough to take
down a small to medium animal.

A paintball gun, with a good sniper barrel, is effective only at deterring domesticated
dogs or small cats. It won’t hurt them. Range and accuracy is very limited.

Personally I’d prefer to have at least a 22 if I was in your situation, maybe something
a little bigger.

 

[beckysuzp]

okay, just my personal opinion and experience. I have *almost* no experience with guns, even after having 2 hunting ex-husbands and plenty of hunting family. My gun of choice is a 410 - bigger than a bb gun but smaller than a 20 ga (what I've been told is a woman's normal hunting gun). BTW I'm almost 6' and not slim and a 12 ga is more than I want to handle, and if a 20 ga can take out a deer, it's probably more gun than I need. I've shot one possum out of my garbage can quite a few years ago with the-husband-at-the-time's 410 meant for rabbit hunting, took me 3 shots but i got the darn thing. With a little practice I could see a 410 taking care of possum, raccoons, and fox but would probably need to be a pretty good shot to take out a coyote in one shot. Anyways, this is the gun I just talked to the bf about getting when we move onto our farm this summer. A pellet gun would be a deterent and probably handy to have on hand, but taking into consideration what someone said about rabid animals - better safe than sorry.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
All good thoughts. I am very conflicted at the thought of having a "real" gun in the house, for several reasons (including the shooting deaths of several members of my extended family, years ago). OTOH, I am not squeamish about killing an animal when it's really necessary -- and I have humanely euthanized many animals, including my own pets, over the years.

One of the reasons I was thinking about the shotgun/rock salt alternative was that it would be easy to change from non-lethal to lethal simply by reloading as necessary -- and also, not much aiming skill is needed. But, again, I have nothing against the thought of the pellet gun or other alternatives. I obviously have a lot to learn before I make a decision!

 

[rooster-red]

For personal protection from predators of the two legged kind I have these.

A Smith & Wesson model 629 classic .44 magnum loaded with hollw points
and a Colt .45 Combat Commander loaded with the afore mentioned hydroshoks.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Just a thought:

http://www.actionstunguns.com/taser.htm?gclid=CPmXm-rShJQCFQEnGgodMHheXA

My father carried one of these before retiring. They work well.

I'd buy one but my wife would find a reason to use it on me.

 

[ratlummountain]

i just recently fired some guns for the first time ever, i have to tell you it was actually a ton of fun. it was at a firing range under the guidance of instructors, and i plan on learning a lot more about guns in general & safety and how to fire them.
i would suggest you look into it? there are actually lots of classes specifically for women, i was kind of surprised about this.
i plan on getting a .22 rifle, and hopefully it will lead a very boring life and never be fired unless at the practice range.
i'm not interested in shooting up rocky racoon or yogi the bear, but should i need it ... i think i'll be glad it's there.

otherwise i think a paintball gun might be appropriate.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
GOOD idea. I just looked it up after you mentioned it, and there's a gun club not far from my new property. I actually think skeet shooting might be a lot of fun.

Thanks guys! I think ratlummountain is right -- I really should take some classes before deciding what's right for me. OTOH, I'd still love to hear any more input y'all have on what makes good deterrents. Thanks for all the ideas!

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
GOOD idea. I just looked it up after you mentioned it, and there's a gun club not far from my new property. I actually think skeet shooting might be a lot of fun.

Thanks guys! I think ratlummountain is right -- I really should take some classes before deciding what's right for me. OTOH, I'd still love to hear any more input y'all have on what makes good deterrents. Thanks for all the ideas!

Excellent advise.

 

[Whistling Badger]

I think Calamityjen and ratlummountain are on the money.

A couple other sources would be a hunter safety class (contact your state game and fish department--it will have info on firearm safety as well as legallities involved with toasting the occasional predator) and the local chapter of the much-maligned NRA. I don't agree with them on everything and I'm not a memeber, but I hear they put on a might good gun safety/marksmanship class.

Good luck.
Tom

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I checked both the TWRA (TN Wildlife Resources Agency) and NRA sites, and they don't appear to be offering any classes in my area. However, I did send an email to the prez of the local gun club, so perhaps he'll be able to give me further info.

Thanks again for all the ideas!