What are the rules about shooting predators in your neighbors yard?

[mjuenem]

First thing I would do is talk to your neighbor. Simple as that. It's your neighbor for christ sake, legality aside your relationship with your neighbor is most important. The legal issue is between you and the law. I would think your neighbor (even in agreement) would need a quick call if you were targeting something in his yard. Nobody wants to go out back and have a bullet whiz by their ear.

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

My neighbors wish me to kill predators....24/7, and more are joining that centiment daily as Coyotes move in and "cuddles" the house cat ends up a snack.

With that said, the only legal predator I can kill year round 24/7 is a Coyote...the remainder (coons, skunks, opposums etc) are regulated by game laws that vary by state. The mere site of a coon doesnt equal a nuisance animal, and killing it can be illegal. Even during hunting seasons, many furbearers are still protected from open killing. Im all for taking care of problems, but the fact that people just wantingly kill and post on a public forum about it just makes me shake my head. If you are undertaking the raising of livestock, be it a chicken or a steer, get educated on the protection and care and defense of your animals.

The DNR in your state will absolutley love to throw the book at you......and the local Police will have a field day if you break any firearm laws.....they dont really care that you fired off a shot to protect muffy the wonder chicken.

 

[dainerra]

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I grew up in WV and always knew Fish & Game law to say that you can kill any animal (coon, deer, fox, etc etc) that is harming livestock or garden. Depending on your area you may have to have a "damage permit"

Of course, in the area I grew up the local police are the ones who will tell you to resolve most of your problems by "just shoot it"

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Again, just seeing a predator doesnt negate it being a threat to livestock, which I believe is what the OP stated in their 1st post. No mention was made of an attack to livestock. There are a multitude of threads on this site that would be easy pickins for the law.....heck some include pictures that would drain the bank account in fines and lawyers! I see coons daily, I dont break out the arsenal, its their terrain and I dont mess with them until they cause an issue. We do keep traps set year round, and do what has to be done when needed, so please dont think im some hippy/activist/animal lover anti who doesnt know when its time to pull the trigger. In all honesty, if someone has to ask if its legal to shoot on a neighbors property they probably need some serious education on the matter as well as some instruction on firearms safety. I know if a neighbor just started blasting on my land they would have to deal with me not the law.....

dainerra, its still that way here, but enough city has moved to alot of areas that they assume shooting in a neighborhood is ok, or shooting anything they see is legal. The police are starting to be mixed as one will tell you to SSS while the next breaks out the ticket book. If one feels threatened, then do what you have to do but for gods sake dont post about LOL! I can only imagine the field day LEO's or the DNR could have with 90% of what is posted on this site alone. One member of a animal activist group could spend all day copying info and making reports to the popo....im sure they would live for that!

Ofcourse ive been known to get the local coons plastered LOL. They do not return to the scene of the crime often after a good hangover! If you move to the country then learn to deal with the life that comes with it.

 

[aprophet]

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I think this is written wrong most days it should be shut up, shoot ,shovel

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

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I think this is written wrong most days it should be shut up, shoot ,shovel

I disagree, LOL, they shoot it, shovel it and then brag about it on the internet haha

 

[aprophet]

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this is why anybody getting ready to get rid of a pest need to check their local laws as well as the dnr laws here coons muskrat possum and beaver have an open season as long as it is connected with damage coyotes, nutria and skunk are considered nuisance animals again no seasons and if fox are killing chickens they can be destroyed here with no kill permit needed during trapping season here I knock the local population of furbearers down right now the ones left raising young ones I do not have as many pest to defend against I tried to trap a coupla places out near Va. beach and was denied permission at several farms out that way a lady just got bit by a rabid fox maybe I can get permission this next season

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Luckily here we are about the same regarding truly nuisance animals or destructive animals with the exception of Bears, Deer and ofcourse BOP. We are still regulated on furbearers unless they are indeed causing issues.

The wife saw a Yote cross the road with a cat so I can assume we will be facing them once again. Its funny what a predator like that does to folks who are against hunting and trapping. It seems to have the same affect on those that are against deer hunting when their $10,000 landscape job gets nibbled to dust LOL! If people only knew how much damage a house cat causes......

 

[zazouse]

A good dog will take care of them coons in your yard,let your neighbors worry about the coons in their yard.
A hot wire around your chicken area will also help keep the coons at your neighbors instead of yours.

You can kill every coon you see every possium, fox, bobcat, yote,wolf and bear and more will come to take their place as you have opened up a territory that no longer inhabited, some of the animals ya kill may never cared about your birds but the new one just may.

I have lots of wildlife living here and get photos of coons foxes and many other critters within 400 yard of my birds and not one has taken my birds, there was one coon that manged to get a little to close and one of my dog took care of it.

 

[theFox]

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Most states have laws preventing the discharge of a weapon within so many yards of an occupied dwelling without their permission.

In Maine it is one hundred yards and I have permission from two of my neighbors to shoot on their land if needed.

Be careful, no sense in getting put in the slammer for doing in a raccoon.