how to deal with nuance animals

spcantwell

spcantwell

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My In-laws have been having issues with deer and coyote in their back yard and the idea of using a pellet gun came up. They have neighbors 200' to either side but nothing but woods behind them. I guess my question is at 300' away will a .177 pellet hurt a deer or coyote enough to make them adverse to that yard and/ or is this considered hunting by mass Bambi cops?
 
spcantwell said:
My In-laws have been having issues with deer and coyote in their back yard and the idea of using a pellet gun came up. They have neighbors 200' to either side but nothing but woods behind them. I guess my question is at 300' away will a .177 pellet hurt a deer or coyote enough to make them adverse to that yard and/ or is this considered hunting by mass Bambi cops?
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That would be hunting.

You're illegal to shoot there. You need to be 500 feet from each neighbor and 150 feet from the road. Or get written permission. And check your town laws. They're all different. I'm assuming MA.

My advice, get the permission, check town laws, go take your online hunters safety course from Texas. Buy a license. Grab your 20 gauge and some slugs. And shoot them, gut them, eat them. Your only problem will be no doe tags.

Serious advice is that deer move. You can scare those away and new ones will flood into the area. Live with it.
 
Probably not unless you get them in the eye

motion activated sprinkler would probably cure the problem but freezing would be an issue right now.
 
Shooting a deer with a pellet gun would be a no go. Not sure about the coyote. Shooting either without a tag is also a no go. Also modern pellet guns are very loud. I would go another route. There are several chemical sprays that may keep them away.
 
At the very least it's harassment of animals. Living in the country comes with wildlife.

My mother had a day care in NH and bears would come into the yard on occasion. She called Fish and Game and they said "You live in the woods. There is nothing we will do." I had told her the exact same thing a week earlier.
 
Fishing line across the trail with a bell on it worked to keep deer out of my neighbors garden. I don't know if it would work for coyotes.
 
teaser452 said:
T You need to be 500 feet from each neighbor and 150 feet from the road. Or get written permission. And check your town laws. They're all different. I'm assuming MA.
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https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIX/Chapter131/Section58
Chapt. 131 Sec. 58 said:
A person shall not discharge any firearm or release any arrow upon or across any state or hard surfaced highway, or within one hundred and fifty feet, of any such highway, or possess a loaded firearm or hunt by any means on the land of another within five hundred feet of any dwelling in use, except as authorized by the owner or occupant thereof.
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Says you can't discharge a firearm or hunt on the land of another - if it is their land it doesn't apply.

However, Chapt 269 Sec 12e seems to be in conflict for hunting with a firearm as it is not excepted.
 
Yes, but those regs relate to firearms. I know that there is another reg that says anything that launches a projectile is a firearm, but it obviously isn't used to regulate water guns and nerf guns...
So is it still considered hunting with a pellet gun? What about a paint ball gun?


Side question, way back when I was told that chewing tobacco kept deer away.... Don't know if it worked but we didn't see deer after that...anyone else hear this before?
 
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The biggest thing you can do is remove what attracts them.
Deer tend to be very hard to control if your yard offers something yummy.
Fences do well.

As for average pellet guns on deer or coyote. It can injure them, the wound could get infected and now you have a sick animal roaming around. They face enough challenges they don't need us popping a pellet in their ass.

Pellet guns are not firearms as far as I know in massachusetts....
If a coyote presents a danger to you I do believe you can take action.

I have permission from the the neighbors flanking me to take down anything I want. One rear neighbor
Gave me the "bambie miller" 3rd degree so no hunting from my yard.
 
mac1911 said:
The biggest thing you can do is remove what attracts them.
Deer tend to be very hard to control if your yard offers something yummy.
Fences do well.

As for average pellet guns on deer or coyote. It can injure them, the wound could get infected and now you have a sick animal roaming around. They face enough challenges they don't need us popping a pellet in their ass.

Pellet guns are not firearms as far as I know in massachusetts....
If a coyote presents a danger to you I do believe you can take action.

I have permission from the the neighbors flanking me to take down anything I want. One rear neighbor
Gave me the "bambie miller" 3rd degree so no hunting from my yard.
Click to expand...


What do you use to mill whitetail?
 
spcantwell said:
Yes, but those regs relate to firearms. I know that there is another reg that says anything that launches a projectile is a firearm, but it obviously isn't used to regulate water guns and nerf guns...
So is it still considered hunting with a pellet gun? What about a paint ball gun?


Side question, way back when I was told that chewing tobacco kept deer away.... Don't know if it worked but we didn't see deer after that...anyone else hear this before?
Click to expand...

This. Look it up because I'm not going to, but I thought the air rifle laws wouldn't let you shoot across roadways or alleys. That's about it. Irish Spring works for deer.
 
I don't think shooting anything with a.177 pellet gun is the answer, all that would do is cause needless suffering to the animal. Could try sprinkling some very hot chili powder on whatever the deer are eating. I don't know what damage the coyotes could be causing, besisdes maybe some digging for moles, or a turd. If anything the yotes are helping the deer problem.

There are some higher end more powerful air guns out there, .25 pellet at around 800fps will dispatch a coyote with a head shot no problem but it won't be quiet.
 
drgrant said:
Nuance animals? Are those like slight mutations of regular animals?

-Mike
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They are very good at detecting subtle differences.

With respect to the use of a pellet gun. I'd say it is simply ethically WRONG.

The pellet will most likely break the skin, where the wound will fester and get infected. If the animal recovers, it will be painful. Or it could lead to a long excruciating death.

You have an ethical responsibility to kill it humanely.

I just got a copy of pyramid air. They have 9mm air rifles that will launch a 100 grain pellet at 1000 fps. Not cheap though.
 
I use a spray from John Deere Landscape supply that is similar to a hot sauce and prevents the leaves from drying out. I also use 12ga "shell crackers" for control when they become a PITA.
 
OK, so pellet guns are out (never owned one, only fired one a few times at paper so no concept of penetration power at any range). Personally I was in the camp of "who cares, its deer and coyotes (unless you plan on having small children or animals out unsupervised)".
Looks like the best options are passive deterrents, just need to pick the right one for them....
 
pj150 said:
+1 on peeing a circumference around the property. Nail them with a paintball instead of a pellet.
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Fail. My buddy has pissed down the trees he hunts in and bags one every year. Many years ago when I smoked butts I just put one out and killed my first deer under a minute later.

Frozen paintballs is a good idea.
 
I would not worry about nuance animals since they are, by definition, subtle. Nuisance animals on the other hand....
 
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Cant believe no-one has mentioned taking up archery. Im sure bow hunting has different regs on distances from dwellings ext....if not, well, as mentioned, be subtle.
 

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