I went out to pen up the free ranging chickens last night, and for some reason they refused to go into their enclosure. It finally dawned on me that there must be a reason for their reluctance, most likely a snake. So I closed up the coop, went and got my PMR 30, and went back to investigate. No snake, but a very large raccoon had taken up residence in one of the nesting boxes! I shot him in the face and hauled him out for a photo op. After disposing of his carcass, the chickens came in and settled in for the evening.



So I've gotten a possum and a coon in and around the coop over the last couple of days, will a fox, coyote or bobcat be next? I'll definitely start carrying a piece when I work the chickens from now on!

Good shooting!

Nice!

Good way to treat the squatter.

Very good!

Looks like the ole .22 mag did a number on the bandit.

My PMR30 has become my "go to" pistola for the smaller varmints/vermin/pests that want to hang around the house and the chicken coop, looking for a meal. It's light, gives me 30 rounds of 22 mag to spray around, and it's very accurate, particularly considering the old fart that's squeezing the trigger on it! (He ain't no pistolero!)

In Da Faaace, nice! Ours usually end up in a leg hold trap and get the same treatment.

I talked with a wildlife biologist earlier this month. We were talking about trapping/shooting predators to help build up populations of native wildlife like turkeys, quail, etc. The biologist mentioned raccoons. I said we'd been working on feral hogs and coyotes, and asked if we should put some effort against raccoons. She didn't specifically yes, but did state that raccoons are indeed hard on birds, both ground and tree nesting. Plus, we were talking about putting out protein feeders for deer in the dry summer months, and she said it might be a good idea to reduce the raccoon population then because they'd raid the feeders constantly.

So, keep after them things !!

My personal experience has been that when I really pressure the 'coon population for several weeks in a row, I start seeing more turkeys and hearing more quail around the place. If the 'coons begin to take over your property, you really do need to take a whole bunch of them out!

Cool

You tell the story very well. Made me laugh

Don't discount Skunks either. They will kill chickens and raid nests as well.

My son has caught about 15 possums and six coons near our house during the past few months. We also hunt for them at night on properties where the land owners are having problems with them. Its not just chickens, they like cow feed, sweet corn, cat food, dog food, and pecans, and they are known to take up residence in stationary farm equipment and chew the wires in two.


Good hunting