I need a bang stick (not a gun) for coyotes

They can have the back 55 acres, but I want to keep them scared away from the 5 acres cleared around the house. The way I figure it, coyotes are pretty smart and with all the hunters around here, they know what a shot gun looks and sounds like. If I have something that looks like a shot gun and sounds like a shotgun, they'll stay away from the house (and my chickens I hope!) I don't want a BB gun, there are too many kids, cars and windows around. Besides, I don't want to hit the coyotes, I just want to establish my territory.

Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? These are the Northeastern coyotes, 50-70# just moving into the area. As I said, they have 55 acres of pine woods and a creek to play in.

Blanks, in other words.

But don't count on that scaring the coyotes for very long. As you said, they're smart.

An electric fence might be the only way for you to go.

Redstone

figure that they're smart enough to figure out that


a. it's not really a gun

or

b. I'm a lousy shot.


I don't think a real gun is in the cards. We're in a weird layout here. I live in the original farmhouse, but there are other houses now along the road frontage because the farmer cut off lots and sold them back in the 40's. In other words, I have a lot of land out back for critters and a very large yard, but the neighbors are pretty close by (too close to be shooting a shot gun) besides which I'm on a state highway. Sounds like I'll have to fence the chickens.

Just my opinion, but raccoons are BAD to eat some chickens; in fact they seem to enjoy killing chickens even if they're not hungry.

And if you have any fishers around there (they're all oveer New England), you got REAL troubles.

We only have the one chicken so we take her in to the screen porch at night. But if I had more than one and they stayed out at night, I'd build their run out of Cyclone (chain-link) fence, NOT chicken wire, and bury it at least a foot into the ground or put it on a concrete footer (coons and weaserls are good diggers). And use it for a roof over the chicken run, too (they're good climbers as well).

Redstone

I saw a beautiful coyote trot through the yard the other day and I'd prefer he (or she) keep to the back acreage as I said above. I think the worst critter problem we had was the pair of possums although the rabid skunk was another good one. (The skunk didn't bother anything - it just wouldn't leave. It was when it didn't spray me the 3rd time i almost stepped on it that I finally realized that i was dealing with a very sick animal and called County Health and they came and removed it - with a shot gun! Ah, life in the country!)

just get a shotgun and and aim it at a tree when you shoot it, but if you don't want any guns around then I think Redstone's electrified fence idea would probably be your best bet. Those things give you quite a jolt, too. My grandpa had one on his farm when I was little and I touched it just out of curiosity. It zapped me damn good.

I know it's not a popular opinion but I don't have a problem with shooting varmints. That's something they DO learn about pretty quickly. Even varmints as stupid as pigeons - we used to shoot the pigeons around the farm we lived on when I was a kid and eventually there were no more of them coming around. We didn't kill them all - that would have been impossible - but they learned not to hang out at our place.

However, if you don't want to shoot them (and I can understand and respect that), fencing the chickens may be the only option. Or keep dogs.

There are enough hunters around that they'll recognize a gun.

I did pretty good last fall chasing a fox with a broom. I actually got the hen back with only a few feathers ruffled!

What I'm waiting for is to see what happens when the coyote trots through the play ground at the grammer school 1/8 mile down the road. the school district insisted on building it out here on a large campus complete with (never used) nature trails. The principal there had a fit the last time wild turkeys walked through!