legality/ethicality of shooting coyote with paintball/bb in MA

[cockpitbob]

I am in a very populated suburb and have 2 small dogs under 20lbs. We have seen a coyote in our backyard, in our frontyard.

Some of the advice here will get you in real trouble. There's a big difference between not getting caught and not breaking the law. If you have a family, good job and an LTC you have a lot to loose.

If you are in a populated suburb then shooting any kind of hunting implement (gun, air gun or bow) is probably illegal, and rightly so because in a tight neighborhood it wouldn't be safe.
IIRC yote hunting season is now closed.
With a paintball marker you could easily find yourself on the receiving end of some kind of moonbat charge of cruelty to animals.

Other than a good (expensive) fence I don't see a lot of effective options.

 

[hbar26]

You might want to read this. I think this is the States view on coyotes.

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_coyotes.htm

 

[George D]

Potato gun, then eat the evidence.

 

[diesel112]

i think this would be kinda fun

http://www.bloomautomatic.com/index_files/gbl.htm

 

[fencer]

Other than a good (expensive) fence I don't see a lot of effective options.

Yeah, Yeah.... a good fence is your only option!!

Seriously, fence can be expensive. I am in the supply business and don't install, but if you wanted a referral for a decent contractor in your area I could help

Two other solutions that come to mind is a kennel for your dogs and calling a pest removal company that will catch and relocate the offensive coyote.

 

[cockpitbob]

Two other solutions that come to mind is a kennel for your dogs and calling a pest removal company that will catch and relocate the offensive coyote.

Nope. Can't relocate it. From the link 4 posts above:

...the only solution is to have it lethally removed. It is against state law to capture and release coyotes into another area.

 

[ericcif]

Camo, and a K-bar. Take him out silently

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

 

[garandman]

NY has a law prohibiting shooting wildlife with an “inhumane” caliber.

Does Mass?

 

[ThePreBanMan]

BB gun isn't ethical. PaintBall maybe less so. That said I think neither are legal, which was the OP's question and run afoul of the harassing wildlife statute. Since the consequences of getting caught could be a denial of LTC on suitability grounds, my recommendation is to do what the law required. Call wildlife management if you're feeling particularly snowflakey.

Or sac up and recognize you bought a property that abuts the woods and that means encounters with wildlife. So rather than trying to kill everything in the woods that hurts your feelings, learn to co-exist in the environment you choose to occupy. Or move to the city. Rather than killing yotes, maybe put up a fence. A 6' picket would do it and the panels are 50 bucks per a Home Dumpster. It doesn't have to be expensive.

For every yote you dispatch another will take its place. You solve nothing ky killing them. Literally nothing. But if you were going to do it, use a bow or crossbow. Air guns, pellet guns, bb guns... None of these pack the punch necessary to ethically dispatch that animal. Do it during hunting season, and make sure you have a hunting license. Meet the setback requirements. Make sure you're not violating rown ordinances against discharge of weaponry. Then it's legal. Or look into the regulations for dispatching nuisance wildlife and work with the Dept of Fish and Game on it.

But basically, stop being a pussy.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

NY has a law prohibiting shooting wildlife with an “inhumane” caliber.

Does Mass?

Yes, regulations require certain minimum firearm calibers for certain game.

 

[garandman]

Yes, regulations require certain minimum firearm calibers for certain game.

Know where I could find that for Coyote?

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Know where I could find that for Coyote?

Coyote hunting regulations

 

[MaxStravinsky]

I think the days of leaving small dogs unattended in a back yard are over in most areas around here. I live in downtown Newburyport, and I woke up to a fishercat in my backyard a few years ago.

I'd like to be able to shoot coyotes and fishercats on sight. But I agree, the 6' stockade fence is probably your safest bet.

Forgot to mention - the fishercat got into the yard that was surrounded by a 6' stockade fence.

 

[Woodstock]

The problem coyote has probably died of old age since this thread started 7+ years ago.

 

[clampett]

I am in a very populated suburb and have 2 small dogs under 20lbs. We have seen a coyote in our backyard, in our frontyard.

we have a trolley run in the backyard that we used to use, but now we go outside with an airhorn and golf club when hooking the dogs up.

We have also started walking them on the street, and have seen the coyote at night not far from us.

There is a strip of conservation land behind the houses that runs the length of the block, and some more across the street where I am thinking this coyote lives.

I would like to scare it off so it stops thinking my pets are potential snacks. Was wondering about taking a paintball gun with me when I walk the dogs, or even if I see it at night. Same with a bb pistol I have (450 fps, so this will inflict damage). I don't want a wounded coyote, nor do I know what is legal. Was wondering some have advice for MA residents as what can be done, and what might work. Thanks.

How about an update. how did you solve your coyote problem?

 

[boatman]

Wow, started this thread 7 years ago, good to see it found. In that time, coyote issue still hasn't changed. Sometimes see them just crossing the street in daylight.

However, a few years ago at the 4th of July parade while walking to town I struck up a convo with one of the POs doing traffic. "Say, hypothetically, if someone were to shoot a coyote with a paintball gun, would there be anything wrong with that?". His response, "hypothetically, you should miss and scare it off, otherwise it's potentially cruelty to animals".

My goal was to try to just let yotes know this territory isn't safe for them, go to a different spot. So a paintball gun would do that, those things sting like mad, but would be better to use a paintball that doesn't make a color, just stings. Don't know if they make non exploding paintballs;-)

Our dog is now 16, she doesn't go far from the house, 10'.

 

[Jason m]

My buddy was outside his house, notice a large Shepard looking dog sniffing around his chicken coop, ran inside and grabbed the first thing he saw which happen to be his sons air soft gun. He said the dog must of thought it got hit by a Hornets nest cause it tore out of there yelping and hollering and it was a cheap Walmart auto gun.
He just held the trigger down and shot till the dog was out of site, maybe 20-30 hits he figures.

Not saying its the best, but a decent air soft will deliver an azz kicking and no evidence, fun for the whole family.

 

[desertr8der]

I think painting it is actually quite merciful. They do make non exploding paintballs call reballs. A lot like nerf balls actually. Range on them is shorter but will still do the trick.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Personally, I would call animal control
They will trap & relocate

I can see in all these scenarios possible illegal efforts going south, in this day of anti’s , nosy people & cell phone videos
Why jeopardize your CCW, pistols, long guns & whatever else your heart holds dear
We don’t want to be reading in the forum about one of our own. LOL

 

[BrianWilson]

Yes, regulations require certain minimum firearm calibers for certain game.

 

[lowbuckbob]

.22 subsonic

 

[FisherTech]

Personally, I would call animal control
They will trap & relocate

K-9's Very rarely will enter a cage or box trap. It is illegal to relocate wildlife. Since that Dung hole of a state outlawed traps that will do the job, this is what you have, You have what the idiots of that state voted for.

The folks of that state were warned that this would happen, when they voted for Question 1 in 1996.

 

[HuntMaine]

Put them in the freezer first, seems to work on people so Im guessing it will have a similar effect on the yote

 

[1776]

Stops corrosion Prestone | Home

This and more same tread topic Coyotes cape cod

 

[Spanz]

Call animal control and tell them the animal is threatening you and you would like it removed, .

 

[Talon3]

Try spraying wolf urine around the yard. A wolf is a coyote natural predator and the scent mag keep the coyote away.

 

[enbloc]

legality/ethicality of shooting coyote with paintball/bb in MA

Graciela gives it:

DRACUT — Graciela Paulino, the 21-year-old Lowell woman who allegedly shot and killed a man during a road rage incident in Lowell last year, was indicted last month in connection with an earlier incident in which she allegedly threatened people with a paint ball gun and assaulted police at McDonalds in Dracut.
~~~
When police began speaking with Paulino at the scene, she told them she had recently purchased a BB gun and paintball gun that she had with her, and “she went on to say it was her right to have them and to shoot them wherever she wants, including in the parking lot at McDonalds,” police wrote in a report.

 

[Dadstoys]

If a full on firearm isn't an option go with the paintball gun.
They are pretty smart and will avoid an area where they feel threatened .
Part of the problem is that they don't consider humans a threat till you show them otherwise.
Once they learn that , they make themselves far more scarce.

 

[yogi]

I can't confirm or deny but a 22magnum out of a Henry lever will work and nobody will notice.

 

[M60]

View attachment 31826 you can hire my pitbull as a body guard this is Tonka he already messed up one coyote real bad.

He's a great dog. Met me at the door and wanted to rough house right away.