Will a pellet gun scare off a coyote?

[Sheldon]

I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo
rifle.

It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small
dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to
be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.

As always, thanks.



-----------------------------------------------------------------
Learn about rec.guns at http://www.recguns.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------

[Don Bruder]

In article <jp5dc8$hrb$1...@news.albasani.net>,
"Sheldon" <she...@sopris.net> wrote:

# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo
# rifle.
#
# It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small
# dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to
# be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.

I'd not trust a pellet gun unless it's one that fits into the "intended
to be deadly" category.

Pure opinion:
If you're going to shoot at a 'yote, shoot to kill, using a "real" gun
to do the job. As 'yotes are vermin (and depending on exactly where you
are, there might even still be a bounty on 'em, should you care to jump
through whatever hoops are involved in collecting it) and have the
potential to be dangerous, "shooting to scare" is (A) Foolish and (B)
likely to get you slapped with an animal cruelty charge (I'm not saying
this is right, just that with all the bleeding heart idiots on the march
these days, it's likely) should anyone get wind of it.

[Rubaiyat of Omar Bradley]

You should be able to scare off a coyote just by yelling at it and/or waving your arms.

[penultimate]

An "experienced" coyote will be scared "away" by the mere sight of you, wit=
h or without the BB pistol. And, though a pup oblivious to the world and i=
ts hazards might, I doubt that an "experienced" coyote will even knowingly =
appear in range of a BB pistol. But neither adult or pup will not be scare=
d "off" even if pinged by a BB. They will just become more wary and especi=
ally so if shot at. So I suggest you use a real gun and make your first sh=
ot count. Doubtless this will be the easiest one you will get.

As to your coyote bait dog, my point is that the wary coyote probably eats =
better than the unwary coyote, just because it is more experienced. Certai=
nly at night even in suburbia, coyotes come and go as they please. I sugge=
st you are best served by keeping your dog close at hand. =20

[Stanley Schaefer]

On May 18, 5:55=A0am, "Sheldon" <shel...@sopris.net> wrote:
# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare o=
ff
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gam=
mo
# rifle.
#
# It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very sm=
all
# dog, a snack if you will. =A0Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered see=
m to
# be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.
#
# As always, thanks.
#
If a coyote sees lunch handy, and your little doggie qualifies,
there's not a lot that's going to discourage it. I've repeatedly
bounced .22 pellets off squirrel noggins at 5 feet and they just sat
there, have a CO2 pistol with about those ballistics. So unless the
critter has had human encounters to discourage it, a pellet gun just
isn't going to do it, IMO.

Stan

[Steve W.]

Don Bruder wrote:
# In article <jp5dc8$hrb$1...@news.albasani.net>,
# "Sheldon" <she...@sopris.net> wrote:
#
# # I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
# # a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo
# # rifle.
# #

# # It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small

# # dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to
# # be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.
#
# I'd not trust a pellet gun unless it's one that fits into the "intended
# to be deadly" category.
#
# Pure opinion:
# If you're going to shoot at a 'yote, shoot to kill, using a "real" gun
# to do the job. As 'yotes are vermin (and depending on exactly where you
# are, there might even still be a bounty on 'em, should you care to jump
# through whatever hoops are involved in collecting it) and have the
# potential to be dangerous, "shooting to scare" is (A) Foolish and (B)
# likely to get you slapped with an animal cruelty charge (I'm not saying
# this is right, just that with all the bleeding heart idiots on the march
# these days, it's likely) should anyone get wind of it.

You must live near me....
I got screamed at by a City Tourist because I was out hunting 'yotes one
night. She screamed like a banshee for 20 minutes.
I mentioned that her attitude would likely change if her precious
mini-poodle ever became a snack. Only took one week and she found part
of a leg and a piece of the sweater from the snack she left out for the
local population.....

--
Steve W.

[Murff]

On Fri, 18 May 2012 22:28:14 +0000, Steve W. wrote:

# You must live near me....

No, and we don't have coyotes round here. But we do have foxes. And one
evening I got a mouthful of abuse from some city-woman-moved-to-the-
country after I'd just put a couple of .243 rounds into a pair of young
foxes (young ones, with an older one, hit it first time, or go away and
try again in a few weeks' time).

About a month later I was shooting over the same farm, but in the morning
and, just as I was giving up and packing away to go home, the same woman
walks into the farm yard and asks the farmer if she can buy some eggs.
She asked why there was a fox tail nailed to one of the chicken sheds...

... and to give her due credit, she did look thoughtful when the farmer
said that it put off other foxes from coming and eating the chickens so
she could have her eggs.

Never had any trouble from her since.

Murff...

[Jim]

On May 18, 7:55=A0am, "Sheldon" <shel...@sopris.net> wrote:
# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare o=
ff
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gam=
mo ...

A pellet gun on a coyote is just harassment and you know it. If you
have to do that try a paintball gun, it would probably hurt more.
Don't mean to sound gruff, but gee whiz.
Jim

[Shall not be infringed]

On Friday, May 18, 2012 7:55:52 AM UTC-4, Sheldon wrote:
# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo
# rifle.
#
# It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small
# dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to

# be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.
#
# As always, thanks.

Do you want your dog to live?

If you need stealth, I'd use a crossbow, not a pellet gun.

[slate_leeper]

On Fri, 18 May 2012 22:28:03 +0000 (UTC), Rubaiyat of Omar Bradley
<cowar...@yahoo.com> wrote:

#You should be able to scare off a coyote just by yelling at it and/or waving your arms.
#

That sure didn't work here. We had a VERY aggressive coyote and his
partner come right up to the fence around the house and dance back and
forth trying to entice our dogs. Yelling, hand clapping, etc were just
totally ignored. This happened several times. In addition to these
two, there were several others hanging around. I finally got a clear
shot at the most aggressive one, and that took care of the problem.
It's now been weeks since I have seen or heard any. (.22 long rifle as
I didn't want to deafen the dogs with the AR).

-dan z-

[Wayne]

And one should never underestimate the intelligence of coyotes. We have
"urban" coyotes that live in town. They don't like to be seen, and run at
about any provocation. Then there are the ones that sit by the side of the
road in national parks and pose for pictures in exchange for snacks. IMHO a
BB gun would work once. Then the coyote will have learned.

[Don Bruder]

In article <jpb28v$93i$1...@news.albasani.net>,
"Wayne" <mygarb...@verizon.net> wrote:

# IMHO a BB gun would work once. Then the coyote will have learned.

Learned what? To wait until the human isn't visible before trying to eat
the dog?

The only way a 'yote learns PROPERLY is when it's taught to "play dead"
permanently.

If you're going to use a gun at all for the teaching, then you need to
be using a load that's intended to be lethal.

Using a BB/Pellet/other non-lethal-load gun to "scare them off" is no
different than live-trapping the mice in your basement and releasing
them somewhere down the street - Sure, you might feel good about
"curing" the problem without bloodshed, but in reality, you've done
exactly nothing except hand it on to somebody else who then has to deal
with it. And you can bet that the person you just dumped the problem on
isn't going to be too thrilled about it.

The only significant difference between live-trapping mice and "shooting
to scare" a coyote is that, at least with mice, you don't end up
(indirectly, granted) killing your neighbor's new calf or foal by not
having the stones to take care of the problem properly to begin with.

[Dickr]

We live in a suburb south of the Twin Cities, and we have wooded "oasis"
of several
acres in back of the house. We have resident deer and last year we had a
fox family.
The fox kits played on our back deck while the parents watched from a
distance. The deer
come very close and feed on bird seed and cracked corn that I spread on
the deck.
We had a coyote a few years ago that came very close to the back deck.
I SHOT them all ... with my camera using an 80-220 mm lens.

Dick in MN

[Martin Eastburn]

I'm on an edge of forest land - in fact I have 2 acres of heavy wood in
the back of the 'lot'. 4 acres of grass / trees / house / shop.

We get most short varmints including coons, armadillos, coyote, deer,
snake and then the flying in types from Cranes to blackbirds. Blue
birds and Cardinals live here most of the year.

The hawks and an Eagle (Mexican) I have to watch out for - and the
Coyote as most of them will take out our house rug rat.

Mom had hers taken off her front porch!

Most everything runs when it sees man. Our dog herds the white egrets
and black birds around the house a time or two.

Martin

[Sheldon]

Thanks for all the advice. The coyotes aroud here are used to humans, so
they come right down and grab your trash, dog food or whatever you leave
out. We also have foxes that don't seem afraid of people. And, FYI, the dog
is always with me on leash. While I have no problem with hunting I just feel
that we invaded their homes, not the other way around, so if I can put off
the critters without killing them that would be great.

AFAIK, we have no coyote hunting season here -- it's all year long -- and no
license is needed. I guess the best thing is to carry my normal carry piece,
a .380, and leave it at that.

Again, thanks for all the good advice. My experience around here has been
that if I wasn't walking a snack on a leash I'd have nothing to worry about,
and most of the pets that are killed are off leash and ambushed by a small
pack. Local coyotes will follow you around, but I've never seen an
agressive one -- so far.

[Gunner Asch]

Excellent!

When things turn bad..you have game on which to feed.

As is a truism, one never hunts close to the house if one ever expects
to need food at a bad time in the future.

Love to see some of your photos btw.

Gunner

[Rubaiyat of Omar Bradley]

On Monday, May 21, 2012 2:45:58 AM UTC-6, Martin Eastburn wrote:
# We get most short varmints including coons, armadillos, coyote, deer,
# snake and then the flying in types from Cranes to blackbirds. Blue
# birds and Cardinals live here most of the year.
#
# The hawks and an Eagle (Mexican) I have to watch out for

Common Cranes, several types of Blackbirds, most types of Bluebirds, and pretty much all of the Hawks and eagles are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. You have no business shooting them.

[ilbe...@gmail.com]

This post reminds me of the time i shot a BB gun at a cows arse from
20' and the cow didnt even flinch. I think taking a pellet gun to a
coyote would seem to the Coyote as a Dragonfly who got off
course...lol...

[Gunner Asch]

On Mon, 21 May 2012 08:45:59 +0000 (UTC), "Sheldon" <she...@sopris.net>
wrote:

#Thanks for all the advice. The coyotes aroud here are used to humans, so
#they come right down and grab your trash, dog food or whatever you leave
#out. We also have foxes that don't seem afraid of people. And, FYI, the dog
#is always with me on leash. While I have no problem with hunting I just feel
#that we invaded their homes, not the other way around, so if I can put off
#the critters without killing them that would be great.
#
#AFAIK, we have no coyote hunting season here -- it's all year long -- and no
#license is needed. I guess the best thing is to carry my normal carry piece,
#a .380, and leave it at that.

The best thing when walking the leashed lunch..is something with a bit
more power and range, like a .357 with 125gr Jhps. They work well on
just about anything of that size range. Including people.
#
#Again, thanks for all the good advice. My experience around here has been
#that if I wasn't walking a snack on a leash I'd have nothing to worry about,
#and most of the pets that are killed are off leash and ambushed by a small
#pack. Local coyotes will follow you around, but I've never seen an
#agressive one -- so far.

I dont recall ever reading about a healthy human adult being attacked by
a coyote pack. I have however..seen dogs on those long leashes with the
leash wound up inside on a spring dispenser, being snagged by hawks and
coyotes. Once a hawk hits the dog..even if it cant fly away with
it..the dog is dead once the talons go in.

I was called to a reststop on Californias I-5 one sunny afternoon by
dispatch, and found an elderly lady in hysterics holding the wrapped
body of her little dog. She had been looking around as the dog was
crapping in the dog area..and had extended the leash out to its full 20
foot range..so FiFi would have privacy..sigh..and a redtail had come
down and snagged the dog and started to fly off..only to find out it was
on a leash. Witnesses said it was like the old lady was fishing in the
sky..the hawk pulling and the old lady tugging and screaming.

Sad case..but not all that uncommon.

Some folks claim that hanging some flagging from the leash helps keep
the hawks away..others claim it marks the target..shrug

Gunner, who has two owls living in the palm tree in the front yard and
kittens..with no fatalities in 5 yrs so far.

[Wayne]

"Don Bruder" <dak...@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:jpb9p4$ptg$1...@news.albasani.net...
# In article <jpb28v$93i$1...@news.albasani.net>,
# "Wayne" <mygarb...@verizon.net> wrote:
#
# # IMHO a BB gun would work once. Then the coyote will have learned.
#
# Learned what? To wait until the human isn't visible before trying to eat
# the dog?
#
Well, yes. That's exactly what I meant.

[Martin Eastburn]

Actually you buy a duck or goose stamp and it is all the egrets
you want. I get 20-40 in a flock when they come. Just not much
into shooting them and dressing them out. They are big birds.

The real bluebirds Blue and orange and the cardinals winter around
here.

Martin

[slate_leeper]

On Mon, 21 May 2012 23:48:12 +0000 (UTC), Gunner Asch
<gunne...@gmail.com> wrote:

#I dont recall ever reading about a healthy human adult being attacked by
#a coyote pack.


One of the cable networks ran a series called "Invaders" which was
about various plant and animal species which have far exceeded their
original ranges. One of the episodes was on the coyote, which now
extends from northern Alaska down through Central America and is
spreading south into South America.

One of the things they said is that coyotes everywhere, not just in
some areas, are becoming more aggressive. A lady was attacked in broad
daylight in a park in the city of Chicago. Coyotes scaled a 10-feet
brick wall to enter a yard and get a dog (caught on video). Other
examples were given.

In my neighborhood, three attacked a neighbor when he walked down to
the street to get his mail. He said he was able to beat them off by
grabbing a stick. (He must be one of the 45% in my voting district who
does NOT have a CCW license.)

-dan z-

[Gunner Asch]

Interesting information. Thanks!

I live in the California high desert and while we have coyotes in great
numbers...they tend to be generally shy. I see them in my neighborhood
on occasion (rabbits are down this year..less to eat) but they tend to
hit the trash cans more often than house pets. I have outside cats and
have had no issues in better than 15 yrs with coyotes.

Before that..I was raising malamutes..and they loved to catch and kill
coyotes when they got into the yard. They protected their cats <G>

Gunner

[David R. Birch]

On 5/22/2012 3:15 PM, Gunner Asch wrote:
# Interesting information. Thanks!
#
# I live in the California high desert and while we have coyotes in great
# numbers...they tend to be generally shy. I see them in my neighborhood
# on occasion (rabbits are down this year..less to eat) but they tend to
# hit the trash cans more often than house pets. I have outside cats and
# have had no issues in better than 15 yrs with coyotes.
#
# Before that..I was raising malamutes..and they loved to catch and kill
# coyotes when they got into the yard. They protected their cats<G>
#
# Gunner

In 1990, I went elk hunting in Idaho. I was sitting on a stump one
morning, with a 3' log on my right. I saw a fluffy tail above the log
and when the critter got to the end of the log from another stump, he
jumped on the stump, looked to his right, looked to his left, saw me
about 4-5 yards way and did a genuine double take. Coyote. I could have
popped him at point blank range, but I didn't want to spook any elk
moving on the well traveled trail I was watching.

When I got back to camp (elkless), one of the other hunters told me he
would have taken the coyote for the hide bounty. He put the offal from
his hunts on a pile about 100 yards from his house, perfect view from
his bedroom window. When coyotes came to hunt, he'd collect another
bounty and throw the carcass on the pile. They didn't seem to figure out
what was happening.

David

[gorgo...@gmail.com]

Perhaps the western coyote has not much history of attacking humans but
that's not the case here in Nova Scotia since the dam things showed up here
in the mid 1980's. Just Google "Taylor Mitchell coyote" and you'll read o
f how 2 of the bastards attacked and killed a young lady in Cape Breton Hig
hlands National Park while she was alone hiking on one of the most popular
(and travelled) hiking trails in the park! There have been several other at
tacks too and it's clear the coyotes here are getting more aggressive. In
fact, it's recently been confirmed that they are not pure coyotes due to in
breeding with wolves and/or dogs. They call them coywolves.

I am keen to know if a stiff sting from a good CO2 pistol will deter the ba
stards. In Canada one has to essentially get a permission slip from the Pr
ime Minister to get a "real" handgun but a CO2 pistol below 600 fps require
s no permit. I find it hard to believe a CO2 pistol won't make em yelp and
head for the hills. I do a lot of photography and want to be able to take
my little dog with me without worrying about some yote slurping him down.
Oh yes, and please no replies or admonishments from any bleeding heart ani
mal lovers who are concerned I might injure some dam coyote and cause him a
gony. I don't give a dam about them and I only wish they limp off and die
in agony of blood poison.

[Peter Franks]

Hear, hear.

Sorry, I have no practical experience with shooting yotes. Only seen
one while out hunting other quarry (jack rabbits).

Also sorry to hear about your condition of stripped rights in the Great
White North.

Have you considered paintball guns? Seems to me that would give much
more 'incentive' than a pellet gun, at the expense of bulk though.

[news]

It depends on how aggressive the critter is.

I had a couple who would come right up to my fence and dance around
trying to get at my dogs. Me standing on the porch 50 feet away and
yelling and clapping my hands did not deter them at all.

I finally shot the most aggressive one - with a Ruger 10/22 so I
wouldn't deafen the dogs. No coyotes for about a month after that, and
none so close since.

I sincerely doubt my pellet rifle would have done the trick, since the
light pellet would have much less impact and the sound is minimal. I
think the varmints would have ignored it just as they ignored me.

-dan z-

[TimR]

Canines seemm to be able to tolerate some sting.

I was watching the neighbor throw darts in his garage, and saw an errant dart stick
into the dog's flank skin (it was a bull terrier).

The dog did not seem to notice, just sat there grinning and breathing in and out.

I'm more careful with my own dog, but she doesn't seem to notice the vet's injections.

[Oregonian Haruspex]

On 2012-05-18 22:28:06 +0000, penultimate said:

# An "experienced" coyote will be scared "away" by the mere sight of you, wit=
# h or without the BB pistol. And, though a pup oblivious to the world and i=
# ts hazards might, I doubt that an "experienced" coyote will even knowingly =
# appear in range of a BB pistol. But neither adult or pup will not be scare=
# d "off" even if pinged by a BB. They will just become more wary and especi=
# ally so if shot at. So I suggest you use a real gun and make your first sh=
# ot count. Doubtless this will be the easiest one you will get.
#
# As to your coyote bait dog, my point is that the wary coyote probably eats =
# better than the unwary coyote, just because it is more experienced. Certai=
# nly at night even in suburbia, coyotes come and go as they please. I sugge=
# st you are best served by keeping your dog close at hand. =20

Here in Portland, last night the coyotes were howling madly. There are
a couple of snacks-to-be that live across the ravine from me, who bark
24/7 and so far my prayers for a coyote to intervene have gone
unanswered.

It may be the OP lives in a city and is unable to discharge a firearm
without calling down a SWAT team.

[rfr...@gmail.com]

On Friday, May 18, 2012 6:55:52 AM UTC-5, Sheldon wrote:
# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
#
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo
#

# rifle.
#
#

#
# It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small
#
# dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to
#
# be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.

Yes, a pellet gun will kill even a wolf. Authorities found a dead wolf which had been
gut-shot near the north shore of Lake Superior, MN, recently.
Apparently the shot happened to hit an artery near the stomach.

[jesse...@gmail.com]

On Friday, 18 May 2012 04:55:52 UTC-7, Sheldon wrote:
# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo

# rifle.

#
# It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small
# dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to
# be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.

Disagree that pellet guns dont do any

[scase...@gmail.com]

Disagree. Coyotes here have become used to humans. They are out in broad day light.

[Gunner Asch]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2015 12:16:57 +0000 (UTC), scase...@gmail.com wrote:

#Disagree. Coyotes here have become used to humans. They are out in broad day light.

Scare off coyotes? Use a reasonable caliber/ velocity and shoot them
in the head then drag them to the side of the road or into the nearest
dumpster

That being said...coyotes are only a problem if you own cats/small
dogs or leave garbage easy for them to reach.

Gunner

[Kevin Bottorff]

Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:maj8q4$puj$1...@news.albasani.net:

# On Sat, 31 Jan 2015 12:16:57 +0000 (UTC), scase...@gmail.com wrote:
#

# #Disagree. Coyotes here have become used to humans. They are out in
# broad day light.
#
# Scare off coyotes? Use a reasonable caliber/ velocity and shoot them
# in the head then drag them to the side of the road or into the nearest
# dumpster
#
# That being said...coyotes are only a problem if you own cats/small
# dogs or leave garbage easy for them to reach.

that is quite not true here, they are mostly Kidogs here and they will act
just like wolves at times. You need to kill every one here. they are not
native and very harmfull to native wildlife, to say nothing of the domestic
stuff. KB

[Gunner Asch]

#that is quite not true here, they are mostly Kidogs here and they will act
#just like wolves at times. You need to kill every one here. they are not
#native and very harmfull to native wildlife, to say nothing of the domestic
#stuff. KB

Kidogs? Im not familiar with that term

[Don Bruder]

In article <mamqc6$eu9$1...@news.albasani.net>,
Gunner Asch <gunne...@gmail.com> wrote:

# #that is quite not true here, they are mostly Kidogs here and they will act
# #just like wolves at times. You need to kill every one here. they are not
# #native and very harmfull to native wildlife, to say nothing of the domestic
# #stuff. KB
#
# Kidogs? Im not familiar with that term

I expect his "Kidog" is just an odd spelling/pronunciation of what I'd
call a coydog - coyote/dog cross. Damn things are a menace, however you
spell 'em. Great as bullet-catchers. Worse than useless for any other
purpose.

(Cue the "But if you raise 'em right, they're so smart and loyal and
cuddly and..." fuzzy-bunny crowd in 3...2...1... Sorry guys, but
they're on the "if you've got a safe shot, fire at will" list anywhere
I've been that has 'em. Open season, no bag limit. And rightly so.)

--
Security provided by Mssrs Smith and/or Wesson. Brought to you by the letter Q

[Kevin Bottorff]

#
# I expect his "Kidog" is just an odd spelling/pronunciation of what I'd
# call a coydog - coyote/dog cross. Damn things are a menace, however
# you spell 'em. Great as bullet-catchers. Worse than useless for any
# other purpose.
#
# (Cue the "But if you raise 'em right, they're so smart and loyal and
# cuddly and..." fuzzy-bunny crowd in 3...2...1... Sorry guys, but
# they're on the "if you've got a safe shot, fire at will" list anywhere
# I've been that has 'em. Open season, no bag limit. And rightly so.)
#

yea, here thats what we call the cross of coyote and dogs. yep they define
varmit and need to be dispatched with any and all means. KB

[rfr...@gmail.com]

How to scare off a coyote? OPEN THE GARAGE DOOR WHILE THEY'RE MARKING THE APPROACH
SLAB! My daughter lives in central WI, very wilderness area. She has 2 dogs, fenced,
and runs a mile or so on the driveway frequently. Yesterday AM, she found coyote poop &
pee outside the door. !

[gerg...@hotmail.com]

On Friday, May 18, 2012 at 7:55:52 AM UTC-4, Sheldon wrote:
# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo
# rifle.
# It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small
# dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to
# be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.

# As always, thanks.


We had a couple packs denning up in our area and they were getting very aggressive.
They stalked people, pets and raided chicken coops. Yelling and waving hands didn't
always work, they would just stare at you. One day a few were in my driveway just
hanging around, I got my old pump bb gun out of the garage, pumped it twice and
stepped out. They just stared at me like "What are you gonna do" and I drilled one
right in the hindquarters, he jumped up in the air, yipped and took off running, the
other two looked confused but didn't run, I pumped once quickly and nailed another
in the ribs, they all ran. They haven't been seen on my property since. I loaned
my gun to a neighbor who was still having problems with them and he did the same
thing. Little has been seen of the coyotes since and when they see people they run
away fast. They learned quick. Some animal rights people might not like that but
a low power pump BB gun isn't going to penetrate a coyote hide. Believe me, I know
what it's like to be hit by one, I'm old enough to remember the days before nerf,
when kids had BB gun wars, rule was you weren't supposed to pump more than twice
but even one or two pumps stung like hell. This isn't a solution for every situation
because you can't carry a BB gun around publicly, you could get in trouble for
"harassment" if people see you popping a coyote plus cops will start shooting if they
even suspect you have a gun but if you're on your property and the coyotes are being
a nuisance then it's between you and them.

I think this is a good way of dealing with coyotes, it's not going to seriously
injure them (please don't aim for the head though) or kill but it will teach them
to be afraid of people which is what they need, it's not good for them or us for
them to not have that fear. If a coyote seriously hurts or kills someone they will
be hunted down and destroyed, a little sting from a BB is nothing compared to that.

Keep in mind I'm using an old style pump BB gun, I know there are more powerful BB
guns, some could kill, I do NOT recommend using one of those, only a BB gun you can
control the force of the shot, a one or two pumps isn't going to kill or seriously
injure, just cause some pain. Ask around, you probably know someone that's got an
old one stored in the attic or garage or you could buy a used one off someone.

I have nothing against coyotes though, they may get a bad rap but they do a
lot of good, they help keep rodent, raccoon, rabbit and deer populations under
control and kill invasives like nutria and also feral cats (which is good for
songbirds).

BTW Why would it be "harassing" wildlife popping a coyote with a low power
BB yet you can kill them as vermin?=20

[TheSnipe]

Ha ! ... I have rabbits around my backyard that have figured out that
being in a particular neighbor's yard makes it fine to just sit and
stare at me while I'm on my side of the fence waving my arms and
wonking at them... They will just sit and stare or maybe stretch they
back legs and walk to a near by hedge/fence line and pop under it in
no particular rush.

They also seem to know that if they are on my side of the fence in my
veggie garden they are likely to keel over from hi-velocity pneumatic
lead poisoning... They start bouncing all over the place if I come
out headed to the garden.

They even seem to understand that being in a different neighbor's yard
is just like being in my yard...that neighbor and I have the same
resolution to "bunny in the veggies" situations.

If rabbits can figure this much out and have these sorts of behaviors
- 'Yotes most certainly can get to the state of being nothing but
annoyed at "stupid humans" waving their arms and not leveling a
weapons system at them...

[TimR]

I knew somebody who accidentally killed his goat.

He thought he'd just sting it with a bb gun to keep it from climbing on top of his car.

Apparently they are thin skinned, it penetrated the lung and killed it.

[Martin Eastburn]

Odd.

We have a Gray swamp rabbit - looks like a massive on the profile. Stay
away when approached. It is a wild one. Then Two (pray both males)
Browns that are let loose from neighbor and Jack Rabbits and Cotton
Tails. This on a 6 acre home site. Great grass to feed on and that is
it. Lots of open land behind me and lesser amounts around. This is the
edge of a small town but in the county.

The Jacks and Cottons and the Gray run. They hang in place until they
figure who is moving on them. Dog and man in yard... which way to run.

The Browns which are grown in a hatch and bred like they are - might
think you are about to feed them and just watch for food or flight.

Martin

[R.L. Horn]

On Sat, 11 Jul 2015 09:20:22 +0000 (UTC), TimR <timot...@aol.com>
wrote:

# I knew somebody who accidentally killed his goat.
#
# He thought he'd just sting it with a bb gun to keep it from climbing
# on top of his car.
#
# Apparently they are thin skinned, it penetrated the lung and killed it.

BB or pellet? Steel BBs will really penetrate if you push them hard
enough. You can get pellets with embedded steel shot for just that
purpose.

[R.L. Horn]

On Sat, 11 Jul 2015 09:20:24 +0000 (UTC), Martin Eastburn
<lion...@consolidated.net> wrote:

# We have a Gray swamp rabbit - looks like a massive on the profile.
# Stay away when approached. It is a wild one.

They're nothing to fool with. Just ask Jimmy Carter. :)

[RussF]

On Friday, May 18, 2012 at 6:55:52 AM UTC-5, Sheldon wrote:
# I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
# a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo
# rifle.
#
# It's summer again, and the coyotes are coming out -- and I have a very small
# dog, a snack if you will. Anyway, all the coyotes I've encountered seem to
# be pretty timid, so I'm wondering if a pellet would be enough.

I heard of an urban dweller Who felt he was plagued with both squirrels and coyotes.
He found it therapeutic to shoot 1 squirrel per day out of a tree close to his house.
He always left it lying where it fell. And every morning he;'d find just the squirrel's
tail left under the tree. Those, he disposed of respectfully.

And he's had no encounters with coyotes.

[Peter Franks]

On 7/18/2015 7:25 PM, RussF wrote:
# I heard of an urban dweller Who felt he was plagued with both squirrels and coyotes.
# He found it therapeutic to shoot 1 squirrel per day out of a tree close to his house.
# He always left it lying where it fell. And every morning he;'d find just the squirrel's
# tail left under the tree. Those, he disposed of respectfully.

How do you dispose of a tail respectfully? Hold your hand over your
heart as you kick it down the storm drain?

[Gunner Asch]

On Sun, 19 Jul 2015 18:01:04 +0000 (UTC), Peter Franks
<peter....@cox.net> wrote:

#On 7/18/2015 7:25 PM, RussF wrote:
## I heard of an urban dweller Who felt he was plagued with both squirrels and coyotes.
## He found it therapeutic to shoot 1 squirrel per day out of a tree close to his house.
## He always left it lying where it fell. And every morning he;'d find just the squirrel's
## tail left under the tree. Those, he disposed of respectfully.
#
#How do you dispose of a tail respectfully? Hold your hand over your
#heart as you kick it down the storm drain?

ROFLMAO!!!

[Tom]

On 7/18/2015 9:25 PM, RussF wrote:
#

# I heard of an urban dweller Who felt he was plagued with both squirrels and coyotes.
# He found it therapeutic to shoot 1 squirrel per day out of a tree close to his house.
# He always left it lying where it fell. And every morning he;'d find just the squirrel's
# tail left under the tree. Those, he disposed of respectfully.
#
# And he's had no encounters with coyotes.
#

I had a squirrel encounter a couple of weeks ago which ended with a dead
squirrel. Not wanting to walk the 70 yards to dispose of it I left it
where it dropped.
The next morning I saw a feral hog trying to rip it apart to eat
whatever it could of the squirrel. So I shot the hog.

It got donated to a neighbor who makes nice hams and ribs.
Cycle of nature or something like that.

We will be eating that hog soon, with all due respect.

Tom in TX

[Petey]

Peter Franks wrote:

# On 7/18/2015 7:25 PM, RussF wrote:
# # I heard of an urban dweller Who felt he was plagued with both squirrels
# # and coyotes. He found it therapeutic to shoot 1 squirrel per day out of
# # a tree close to his house. He always left it lying where it fell. And
# # every morning he;'d find just the squirrel's
# # tail left under the tree. Those, he disposed of respectfully.
#
# How do you dispose of a tail respectfully? Hold your hand over your
# heart as you kick it down the storm drain?

I believe one of the fishing lure companies (Mepps, comes to mind) will (or
used to) buy them for their dry fly lures. Beats just disposing of them, I
think.

[thezo...@gmail.com]

On Friday, May 18, 2012 at 9:32:49 PM UTC-4, Jim wrote:
# On May 18, 7:55=3DA0am, "Sheldon" <shel...@sopris.net> wrote:
# # I have a lot of guns, but I'm wondering if just a pellet gun will scare off
# # a coyote. And I'm talking a pistol that shoots at about 450fps, not a Gammo ...
#
# A pellet gun on a coyote is just harassment and you know it. If you
# have to do that try a paintball gun, it would probably hurt more.
# Don't mean to sound gruff, but gee whiz.

Thanks for the idea about the paintball gun. I'm also looking for something
to discourage potential coyotes from the region of my little dog, without actually
carrying a deadly weapon . . . a paintball that hit its target would mark the coyote
for later identification if, for example, one wants to go find someone more capable
of taking follow-up action against that particular individual (which I've read is
the most effective thing to do, eliminate the specific animals going after the, uh,
livestock). Right now all I carry is a walking stick, which is pretty limited for
defensive capability. The paintball idea has potential. Something to think about.
Thanks.

[clarkm...@gmail.com]

#
# Thanks for the idea about the paintball gun. I'm also looking for something
# to discourage potential coyotes from the region of my little dog, without actually
# carrying a deadly weapon . . . a paintball that hit its target would mark the coyote
# for later identification if, for example, one wants to go find someone more capable
# of taking follow-up action against that particular individual (which I've read is
# the most effective thing to do, eliminate the specific animals going after the, uh,
# livestock). Right now all I carry is a walking stick, which is pretty limited for
# defensive capability. The paintball idea has potential. Something to think about.
# Thanks.

I have lived on an island without coyotes for the last 16 years, but prior to that, 14
straight years of defending my hens from coyotes. They only effective way I found was an
electric fence. Shooting coyotes is not easy.

My brother lives 900 miles East of me and Seattle, and tells me he never sees a coyote
until he gets up in a small plane and starts shooting them. There is one every square mile
from the air.

I have been watching youtube videos of trappers. It seems Lynx, marten, and muskrat are
easy to trap, but coyotes are smart.

[redalp...@gmail.com]

Not really