Coyote....would you have taken a shot?
 

Couldn't believe it...middle of the day, walking around one of my ponds, and we both startled each other. Initially just 20' away, then he made some distance, but didn't run. I had my Ruger LC9S in my pocket, and he was a good 60-70' away, then a bit further and my chances of a clean kill were not good....so I didn't. Now I'm second guessing myself...

Next time ....mebbe I will. What would you do?

too far away

Ranch rifle handy and that would be a dead 'yote

Not unless he's killin yer chickens

20' with a compact 9mm pistol is probably about the max you could have hoped for. Are coyotes an issue around your parts? We have them here and except for occasionally running off with someone's toy dog, they don't bother anyone.

Not chickens....but I do protect "my own favorite" wildlife without hesitation. Like Tobra said...a rifle or revolver and he'd be dead. But the idea of a "non-lethal" shot....nope...won't do that either.

Until a year ago, I lived on 18 acres, butt up on another 1,000 or so acres of wild lands, about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, I had plenty of coyotes in the hood, as long as they left my dog(s) alone I didn't bother them. IF they jumped the 8' fence and went after the dog(s), I'd 30:30 Marlin them.

True story, when the coyotes first bothered us, (read, attacked my dog(s). I called animal control and they said "we don't regulate wild animals" call the sheriff's dept. about firing a rifle within city limits, the Sheriff's Dept, said "if you use it, call us and let us know, so we know what is going on if your neighbors call", they also said call Fish and Game, who asked "what rifles I had, I said a 22 and a 30:30, they said use the 30:30", they didn't want any wounded animals.

I have to say, in CA, I expected a much different response.

We both were startled....he was drinking out of the pond...then scampered to the longer distances. This is on my semi-rural property...my own little bambi farm, with lots of smaller critters too. Naw...they're not an issue there...first one I've seen there (ever), 'cause they will be shot...on sight, if I get a decent chance. I protect and provide a habitat for all kinds of wildlife...dogs & cats nearby too.

Backyard.



https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/C...0020064-XL.jpg


There's this thing called the food chain...

We had coyote problems but they seem to have gone away, I'm in the city so a lot of pets were disappearing and the community was in an uproar... I suspect animal control cleared them out but kept it on the down low so as to not invoke the wrath of the animal right folks.

Edit to add: After reading Hugh maybe not animal control... but something changed... and I'm in a high density town so using a firearm is illegal and downright irresponsible/dangerous for the neighbors.

Rural vs Urban

Predator around my home is not going to get much chance to misbehave

I see them trotting down the middle of the street when I leave for work early in the AM. We've also had a family of deer hanging out at the local park and wandering through the neighborhood at dusk.

Hugh, my LEO tennant has killed two...in the woods behind his city house, and they will GLADLY dispatch them without hesitation too. I saw one at my semi-urban house's back fence about three years ago....another oasis in the middle of people and pets now. I told both of my neighbors that if they heard a shot....well, I don't know nuthin'. Illegal to shoot "in the city".... technically, mebbe so, but so what? The beautiful deer, red fox, and geese in the pond are my buddies...

I "Think" you are agreeing with me, I was in the wild lands then, now I'm in a townhouse in suburbia, I see a coyote here sometimes, but would never consider dispatching it.

Yeah, dicey shot with that little pistol. Even in a full sized pistol, the round it fires would be extremely marginal on coyotes, even with a very good hit at close range. They are tougher than they look. You did the right thing.

I would have taken s shot just to remind the coyote who was boss.

Marlin .357 hp? ...or .30-30?

Bravo for quick thinking. I would have taken the shot & regretted it later.

They are just part of the environment in our neck of the woods. Along with the vultures, they keep things cleaned up. This calf died of natural causes. We had called the vet but the poor thing died before he got there. The mother could do little to keep the scavengers away. They do a great job of "processing" the vermin/feral hogs we drop in the field.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1541621754.jpg

Either or would be just fine.

I've shot more coyotes than I can remember, with a pretty good mix of firearms. I have not shot many at all with the .357 mag (maybe five or six) because I hardly ever carry one in the field. In my early days, I always used the Speer 158 grain soft point or hollow point. I'm pretty sure a few of those guys must have fallen to one or the other of those. I never remember having any sort of difficulty, and this would have been out of a 7 1/2" Virginian Dragoon single action. Your Marlin will speed them along on their way much faster, so they should be even more effective.

LOL, chickens.
Anyone who's watched TV on a Saturday morning knows that coyotes only eat road runners.