chicken predator ID

[jen judkins]

Interesting Article, grey…no doubt written with the tender sensitivities of horse lovers around the world, myself being one of them, in mind. No horse’s death is pretty. I’ve put down several…luckily with a vet nearby with a lethal injection. Horses are just so different from other animals…to me at least and a whole different set of ethical rules apply in my own mind. That said, I stand by what I said. If my horse were down on the trail with a broken limb and was panicked in pain, I would go for the jugular with my trail knife. Nothing could be worse for a horse than to flail in agony for hours waiting for a vet to find us in the woods. Yeah, it would probably be traumatic for the horse (who is already traumatized and ready for death) and maybe more so for me, but that is the stewardship you speak of.

I actually saw a horse that bled to death once. A woman was galloping down the trail and her horse flipped a branch up in the air skewering himself in the neck. I was riding with the park ranger when the call came in and was there in moments. The horse was dead when we arrived. The woman was hysterical, understandably, and covered in blood, but her riding partner told us she could not believe how fast the horse died. He went down, groaned and was gone. I suppose the branch could have snapped his spine as well, hastening his demise, not really sure.

[Carl Russell]

I tried to get him in a trap, but he was just too sly…… kept stealing the bait…… and visiting the flocks at random times throughout the day……. so I began to get used to the “fox in the bushes” alarm call…… and when I heard it this morning I went to the upstairs balcony window…… and who should be poking his nose out of the bushes……. at about 150 feet with a 4x scope on a .22, cross-hairs just behind the jaw, in front of his right shoulder (semi broad-side facing me), I let fly…….. This was the result……. Blood drops right where he stood, and, interestingly, a piece of his liver (on the spruce branch in the center of the frame) in a large drop at the exit wound ……. He couldn’t have gone far, but he did run off, and so far has escaped our discovery…

I would have preferred a head-shot, and an instant kill, but at this distance I had to go with certain contact, rather than a near miss.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

@Countymouse 35731 wrote:

Wow Carl, possibly 3 raccoon in 3 days. And I thought I had raccoon problems… Sounds like yours are much worse. What are they getting into? Chickens? Feed?

Now there were three…… 2:30 am I heard a coon in the turkeys……. I was thinking that some of the excavation to get the bait from the fox-leg-hold I had set seemed to be more coon-like that foxish……

At that time of night I where a head-lamp and use .410 6 shot. He climbed a tree when he heard me coming (A good move with a dog chasing you……), and then he turned to check me out. All I could see was the eye reflecting back. I sighted on the bright eye, and injected a round of BB”s into his skull……

Now we can make 3 matching coon-skin hats.

Thinking about the coon climbing the tree helps me to understand all the work our old lab-cross did for us. Many nights he would charge out barking madly for a few minutes, then return to his bed, only to charge out again 15-30 minutes later….. I have a feeling these coons have been working the outskirts of this homestead for several years now, and without Jake here they are trying to take advantage.

A good guard dog will save a lot of work, and keep the issues of killing predators at a minimum.

Carl

[Andy Carson]

I have no doubt my dog helps a lot too. Are you planning on getting another dog sometime soon, Carl?

[Robert MoonShadow]

Yeah, Carl – gotta love havin’ an intelligent & active dog to help out, huh? My hound spend a lot of the night chasing off coon & deer, Tugboat goes after the deer and the skunks, and the border collie cross keeps getting the mice that I feed to the chickens…a good airedale would probably replace all three, but I really dig me dogs, so I’m stickin’ with me partners, even if Tugboat does carry an excessive aroma around…at least she loves layin’ in the river, so that helps.

[Carl Russell]

@Countymouse 35835 wrote:

I have no doubt my dog helps a lot too. Are you planning on getting another dog sometime soon, Carl?

Yep. A few weeks ago we picked up a 4 month old male English Shepherd. We have a 2yo female who had the chance to learn from old Jake, but she’s a bit wimpy. she does a pretty good job helping out with herding etc., but just isn’t brave enough to do much protecting…… she’s loves being under our bed at night….

Ringo comes from great stock from a farm in TN. His dad is pretty serious, sleeps all day, unless he’s needed for herding, and then prowls all night chasing coyotes, etc….

Carl

[Andy Carson]

Nice looking pup, Carl. It will be interesting to hear when and on what he starts to make an impact. Just out of curiosity, did your Jake tend kill critters or focus more on chasing them away? Mine only actually kills groundhogs by himself, and tends to chase and bail or tree (if possible) everything else.

[Carl Russell]

@Countymouse 35847 wrote:

Nice looking pup, Carl. It will be interesting to hear when and on what he starts to make an impact. Just out of curiosity, did your Jake tend kill critters or focus more on chasing them away? Mine only actually kills groundhogs by himself, and tends to chase and bail or tree (if possible) everything else.

Jake did not kill as a rule, mostly chased or treed, but I did see that he killed some snowshoe hares that would come into the yard.

Ringo (the new pup) is starting to growl and bark when he is suspicious about noises in the woods, but he is already chasing squirrels…. the kids said he had a big-ass vole the other day…..apparently his dad is quite a killer.

Carl

[jen judkins]

Well, I was able to use my new spear today. Another racoon. Daisy (our young Pyr) was barking madly, even though she did not have a direct line of sight on the animal from where she was kenneled. I was very pleased with her acute sense of the predator.

Anyway, it took a few moments to find the right position and leverage to make my first jab…but I struck home. Its possible I missed the heart, but clearly I severed the aorta. The blank look of unconsciousness was evident in a few seconds, even though the creature moved about for a several minutes. I was pleased with the technique. I have to admit to ‘channeling’ Carl’s calm, assertive attitude. I never knew racoons growled so….intimidating little buggers when you corner them.

[Andy Carson]

Good for you Jen! What bait did you use? That is such an open area, I woudl have had to think and ponder positions as well. When I’ve used my spear, the animals where in what they thought were protected positions (In a gap between hay bales, or under a bench) where they felt safe. they stayed put there baring teeth but not really even growling much. It allowed me to “attack” from a suprize angle and aim really well. In the open like this, I wonder if the coon shifted back and forth to face you as you move about so as to not give you a broadside. I would have possibly been tempted to thrust caudally from an entry point near the base of the neck on the left side, probably with a slight downward angle so that I can put my weight behind the thrust and really drive it though the ribs and out the other side into the ground. It would be really hard to know what the best angle would be without being in the situation, though. What entry point/angle worked for you?

[jen judkins]

I used the rocks and the spear to coax the coon on its back, then jabbed the spear through the left breast angling somewhat to the right. Then gave alittle twist. I thought about going through the neck, and believe that would have worked as well. I definately have some experience to yet attain, to be sure of the best approach.

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