My dogs live to run in the open space behind our property, and while they can hold their own against coyotes, the coyotes are more numerous and aggressive than they’ve been in previous years, and I’m thinking that a good shot in the side might run them off. Don’t want to kill them, which is probably illegal where I live, but don’t need any more bites on my dogs. Would a .177 or .22 PCP be an effective deterrent? Thanks.
NO, NO, NO!!!! Shooting them with a pellet gun will wound them, and in a lot of cases, cause them to suffer a cruel, prolonged death from infection, internal damage or crippling. That could be most likely charged as animal cruelty.
If you just want to deter them, use something like paintball or airsoft (full auto).
Depending on how close you can get to them, I would use a slingshot with 3/8" clay ammo balls (Walmart sells good ones) or paintballs... helps to practice a lot... shooting slingshots is a lot of fun, and you can easily do it indoors or outdoors with a catchbox... check out the Simple Shot website, and YouTube videos.
You can make a decent catchbox from an appropriate size cardboard box, and a couple of old towels... great way to re-use your ammo... paper plates make great targets... I attach them with stretchy shoe laces from Walmart and binder clips.
@jim_in_swmo, thanks. I imagine the choices of paintball guns are broad. Any tips?
@airmojo, you’re definitely having too much fun with slingshots! Problem is, the coyotes aren’t usually that close, and, even in retirement, no time in my schedule to become proficient. Also, when I’ve occasionally come face to face with a longtime resident lone male, I get my kicks by leashing up the dogs and giving chase.
Sorry, no clue. Paintball isn't my thing. But there may be others here that might be able to offer suggestions.
@vizsla-man Well, you're pretty much always limited in accuracy depending on the distances... with any airgun or paintball... you may as well have fun doing it... you would be amazed at the distance some slingers are capable of, depending on band strength and your shooting style, conventional, half butterfly, or full butterfly.
https://youtube.com/shorts/HHU-I5DgkhI?si=P4e0wNZzvdrkccrL
@airmojo, yeah I've discovered the limitations of the various alternatives, still don't think slingshot is going to work for me, but thanks for the info.
@awilde, after researching, the thought of carrying a paintball rifle while I'm running my dogs is even less palatable than a pellet gun. I did stumble across self-defense/training pistols that shoot a variety of paintball shaped projectiles, but I can't find any information about the usefulness of these other than at very short distances. Particularly curious abou the Umarex T4E P2P HDR 50 GEN 2 which advertises 455 fps and 13 joules. It would be great if it could deliver a punch accurately at something close to 50 yds.
@vizsla-man I think any pistol platform is going give you a challenge to hit a dog sized target at 30-50 yards if you're not quite the crack shot, but hopefully there's something out there that will work for your needs. I expect a lot of these lower fpe platforms are going to have fairly significant POI drop the farther the distance you go out as well.
@vizsla-man BB Guns are really only accurate at about 10 yards, and don't have much power... they are fun... I have a few... you might be better off tossing rocks... but you have to get your arm in shape... I went through that when my son played baseball !
"Particularly curious abou the Umarex T4E P2P HDR 50 GEN 2 which advertises 455 fps and 13 joules. It would be great if it could deliver a punch accurately at something close to 50 yds."
That 13J (10 FPE) is at the muzzle. At 50 yards, with those relatively lightweight .50 projectiles, you would probably get about 4J (3 FPE). You would also be aiming a few feet over your target to get it there.
BB rifles are also a problem. Most are fairly low power, but anything powerful and accurate enough for 50 yards, will be powerful enough to wound.
BB pistols are usually more like 3 FPE at the muzzle, and anything more than 10 yards is a waste.
I've used a full auto airsoft rifle to chase geese off my pond at 20 yards or so. The full auto is the key.
Lots of AEG airsoft rifles on Amazon for $100-200.
