I need a good gun. Here s the resaon why. I have a cougar spotted in my area along with coyotes I am pretty skinny and have bad aim but I feel I need a gun to protect myself my family and livestock. What would you recommend?
what kinda gun
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Before you buy a gun, take a hunter safety course. There will be folks there who will be able to advise you.
Then once you've got your gun, go to a target range or out into the wilderness to do some target practice. That will get you ready for the cougar.
Good luck.
Then once you've got your gun, go to a target range or out into the wilderness to do some target practice. That will get you ready for the cougar.
Good luck.
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If you are a pretty bad aim, the best weapon for you would be an air horn. That would be the same result as shooting at a cougar and missing.... it would run away. If you miss your first shot with a gun, the cougar won't wait around for you to improve.
Mahonri's right. When I was 11, I took a gun safety course.
I know you can't do that tomorrow, but you can get the air horn.
Mahonri's right. When I was 11, I took a gun safety course.
I know you can't do that tomorrow, but you can get the air horn.
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I have been planning on taking the course and fixing my aim just never the time. I will get an air horn the next time I go to walmart /i wonder if the air horn would keep males dogs away from my yard (one of my dogs went into heat before we could get her in to spay). Thanks for the advice. If anyone else has ideas on couger proofing the property let me know.
First, I agree with the others--Hunter Safety and an air horn.
I don't know about cougar proofing, but there are things you can do to make you and your family safer if you spot one. It's especially important to have a talk with your kids if you have any.
We had what was thought to be a young inexperianced animal around here a few years ago. It jumped a woman while she was walking her dog on a nearby trail--The woman didn't have a clue, but that is another story.
I told my dd who was around 8 at the time to:
1. Don't run!
2. Stand as tall as you can, use your backpack if you have it to make yourself look bigger.
3. Make lots of noise. Don't just scream, yell at the cougar.
4. Back away slowly, but don't look away from the cougar. If it starts toward you stop moving and keep yelling aggresively.
5. It's very unlikely that you will have a problem, but just like it's my job to teach you what to do if somone tries to grab you (also unlikely) it's my job to teach you what to do if you run across a cougar.
I try not to scare my kids, but want them as safe as I can make them and feel that information is their best defense.
I also bought her one of those battery opperated screaching alarms that are made for people who walk alone at night to frighten off two-legged predators. It was smaller than the air horns and had a ring so it could be easily attached to a coat.
Hope this helps and good luck with your cougar problem. They're beautiful animals, but you have to do what you have to do.
I don't know about cougar proofing, but there are things you can do to make you and your family safer if you spot one. It's especially important to have a talk with your kids if you have any.
We had what was thought to be a young inexperianced animal around here a few years ago. It jumped a woman while she was walking her dog on a nearby trail--The woman didn't have a clue, but that is another story.
I told my dd who was around 8 at the time to:
1. Don't run!
2. Stand as tall as you can, use your backpack if you have it to make yourself look bigger.
3. Make lots of noise. Don't just scream, yell at the cougar.
4. Back away slowly, but don't look away from the cougar. If it starts toward you stop moving and keep yelling aggresively.
5. It's very unlikely that you will have a problem, but just like it's my job to teach you what to do if somone tries to grab you (also unlikely) it's my job to teach you what to do if you run across a cougar.
I try not to scare my kids, but want them as safe as I can make them and feel that information is their best defense.
I also bought her one of those battery opperated screaching alarms that are made for people who walk alone at night to frighten off two-legged predators. It was smaller than the air horns and had a ring so it could be easily attached to a coat.
Hope this helps and good luck with your cougar problem. They're beautiful animals, but you have to do what you have to do.
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- #6
Quote:
I will have a couar saftey lesson with my little siblings today. Thank you for the tips.
I will have a couar saftey lesson with my little siblings today. Thank you for the tips.
BTW, I understand a shotgun makes up a little for a bad shot. But by this, I mean with, say a .38 pistol, if you are off to the side a little, you can hit an arm or rib rather than something that will take an animal down.
Let me give you an example. Let's say a rooster has just flogged my 3yo. I grab my pistol and go out and find Mr. Roo. At 15 feet away (not much), I have to hit him in the perfect place to kill him. If my aim is not true, there will be a cacophony of feathers and squawking, and possibly a rooster running off. If I hit a weird place, and there are so many weird places to hit, I could end up having an injured roo that lingers for days, or recovers, or just gets mad and flogs the daylights out of me (though not likely, but maybe a cougar?).
Now, if I used a shotgun, chances are enough shots would hit him that he'd go down. However, there is more chance of hitting things that are around the rooster. This would include hens, dogs, power lines, gas lines, houses and windows, loved ones, BBQ's, cars, the mailman, and mailbox.
A cougar is hopefully going to be more than 15 feet away. This is why it is important to take a class and discuss this with people who do this day in and day out. They will tell you what gun they feel you are capable of using, and what will take down a cougar at a certain distance. Perhaps the shotgun can't shoot far enough.
The beauty of the airhorn is it can be kept near the door, another one can be kept near the coop, or wherever, and the younger siblings can use it to scare away predators also.
Come to think of it, this solves one of my problems. I can't hear the kids when they're in the back 1/3, and they can't hear me, so the airhorn could act as a summons for help if needed. (....... getting dressed for WalMart.......)
Let me give you an example. Let's say a rooster has just flogged my 3yo. I grab my pistol and go out and find Mr. Roo. At 15 feet away (not much), I have to hit him in the perfect place to kill him. If my aim is not true, there will be a cacophony of feathers and squawking, and possibly a rooster running off. If I hit a weird place, and there are so many weird places to hit, I could end up having an injured roo that lingers for days, or recovers, or just gets mad and flogs the daylights out of me (though not likely, but maybe a cougar?).
Now, if I used a shotgun, chances are enough shots would hit him that he'd go down. However, there is more chance of hitting things that are around the rooster. This would include hens, dogs, power lines, gas lines, houses and windows, loved ones, BBQ's, cars, the mailman, and mailbox.
A cougar is hopefully going to be more than 15 feet away. This is why it is important to take a class and discuss this with people who do this day in and day out. They will tell you what gun they feel you are capable of using, and what will take down a cougar at a certain distance. Perhaps the shotgun can't shoot far enough.
The beauty of the airhorn is it can be kept near the door, another one can be kept near the coop, or wherever, and the younger siblings can use it to scare away predators also.
Come to think of it, this solves one of my problems. I can't hear the kids when they're in the back 1/3, and they can't hear me, so the airhorn could act as a summons for help if needed. (....... getting dressed for WalMart.......)
A shotgun that has the omph to take down a cougar isn't going to be easy to handle. Besides, you still need to have good aim, because you'll need a tighter pattern to actually kill it, from my understanding.
But, you'd better make sure that it's not totally illegal to take down a cougar. You may not legally be able to shoot one because it's eating your livestock. You will probably also need a hunting license... Same for the coyotes.
But, you'd better make sure that it's not totally illegal to take down a cougar. You may not legally be able to shoot one because it's eating your livestock. You will probably also need a hunting license... Same for the coyotes.
Quote:
I've done that! What I have now though is a decent 2-way radio. I think it was about $40 on sale a few years ago. We have coyotes, cougar, and occasionaly a bear run thru our property. The kids like to play down by the creek in the summer and I can't see or hear them down there so they take the dog and the radio. It works pretty well for us, though I have to mitigate more sibling squables then I would without the radio
I've done that! What I have now though is a decent 2-way radio. I think it was about $40 on sale a few years ago. We have coyotes, cougar, and occasionaly a bear run thru our property. The kids like to play down by the creek in the summer and I can't see or hear them down there so they take the dog and the radio. It works pretty well for us, though I have to mitigate more sibling squables then I would without the radio
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