"Larry L" wrote in message
...

"rb608" wrote

OTOH, if you're a human encroachment into rural terrain; I'd say you
might want to cut the little critters some slack until they become
repeat & habitual or dangerous offenders. They're pretty much like
any other pest - don't feed 'em & they'll go elsewhere.


That is the approach we've decided on. My kid saw the family on the
deck when the babies were young, in July, and this is the 'next' time ...
not really a problem. But there were a lot of 'em, all 'big' and I've
heard tales od raccoon woes .. so I kinda freaked out beyond real need.
ah, thus far.

We've had coyotes in the back yard too, that I had to discourage when they
started eyeing my neighbor kid's 4H lamb from closer and closer distances.
I just discouraged them and suggested they look elsewhere for breakfast.

I wouldn't use a pellet gun to discourage, unless I didn't care about what
happened to the animal. They do a lot more damage than one might think. I
used to use one to kill rabbits and it did the job very well. Even a BB gun
can be lethal to small animals. Worse yet, they can inflict wounds that,
left untreated (as will necessarily be the case here), can cause a great
deal of suffering whether or not they are eventually fatal. Bottom line, I
think, is that anything which smacks them hard enough to be effective
entails a serious risk of grievous injury. Shoot to kill or, if you don't
want them dead or crippled, don't shoot at all.

Wolfgang