How would you handle this??

Glad the pup made it out of the KZ.

That would be a tough call to make. I part of me would have let the dog get killed by the coyotes, then walk over to the neighbors house and tell him "I could have saved your dog but I was afraid what you would tell the cops since you don't like guns" but the animal lover in me would find it very difficult not to save the dog regardless.
 
Uncle Buck makes a lot of good points. If it was my dog, I'd be grateful. Your neighbor? Perhaps not.

Dogs, no matter how emotional we get over them, are still property in the eyes of the law. Firing onto someone else's land to protect property that isn't mine? It could get sticky.
 
I quickly run to my safe and grab an AR I use for competition. I put 5 rounds in the mag, and head out to my back deck. I am about 75 yards from the coyotes.
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In the time it took to do that you could have easily just walked out there and run the coyotes off. It's a couple coyotes, not a wolf pack. The only reason to shoot them is that you'll never get close enough to club them to death.
 
How would you handle this?

There are many possible rules you might be breaking. 500ft from a dwelling, 500 ft from a public highway, discharging a firearm within (city/village/etc) limits, "hunting" out of season, or without a license, and probably some others that might apply.

It really all depends on what the specific laws and ordnances of your locality are.

And while you can call the cops for coyotes, they usually won't do anything about them. Its not their job. The best the police/sheriff will do is call animal control. The least they will do is tell you to call Animal control.

Now, if its an animal vs a human, call the cops AND call animal control. Hopefully someone will respond before its too late. If you are going to respond, I urge you to get legal advice and think it through before such a situation can arise.

So you neighbor is anti-gun. Too bad for them. You might talk to them and mention what happened with their dog and the coyotes. Don't mention your AR, but if it seems agreeable, mention that you have a gun, and would they want you to protect their dog, if you could?

Once you get their reaction to that, you know where you stand.

BTW, does your neighbor have any kids? They might want to think about that, if they do...

Wild mammals (that attack) are going to be considered rabid unless it can be proven otherwise. TO prove it, you need the brain of the animal to examine in a lab. If you cannot prove it (animal escapes - wounded or otherwise), or you destroy the brain because you are such a fine shot, then a person who was bitten will be getting the Rabies shots. A pet,...I don't know, maybe the shots, maybe just put down.

How would I handle it? I'm in a different place. Miles from town, and more than a few hundred yards to the nearest neighbor. Out here, when it comes to coyotes (or other dangerous predators) most folks follow the Triple S rule.

Shoot 'em, Shovel em, and Shut up about it...;)
 
Legally, without evidence to the contrary, you did the right thing by not shooting, and shooting would have probably been considered a crime.

That said, I applaud your willingness to help your neighbor, regardless of his views on gun rights. His beliefs do not diminish his humanity or his need for human compassion. I have to admit I am disheartened at some of the comments by members of this group that seem to harbor such vindictiveness...
 
I would find out what the potential punishment is for discharging a firearm in violation of the "500 foot rule".

If it's A) only an infraction or minor misdemeanor, and B) a negligible fine, I might just take the chance.

One of my brothers had to take out a neighbor's dog for attacking children, in the middle of a neighborhood, 10-15 years ago (long term problem that got worse). When the police arrived, my brother had put his shotgun away and another neighbor that hated that dog had picked up the empty 12 ga hull.

After some "I know it was you, and you shouldn't hide evidence from me; but I was going to let it go anyway" the officer told my brother that discharging a firearm within city limits was just an infraction and carried only a $25 fine.

He asked if he could pre-pay for 2 more. ;)
 
Great replies everyone. Not being farmiliar with the behavioral habits of coyotes, if I had known that just by yelling and walking toward them would scare them away, I would have never bothered with the rifle.
 
In all honesty, I wouldn't want you shooting anywhere near my dog anyway. I'm not saying you are a bad shot, but I don't know that unless we're buddies anyway. Now, I would have appreciated you yelling at them and letting me know about it, but I just see too much potential for hurting my dog. You better believe that if you shot my dog, you'd be facing a lawsuit from me.

Even if this happened in my backyard, I'd be far more inclined to run out there to get my dog out of danger, than to just leave him in there and adding another hazard by shooting at him. I'm glad you were worried about him, but guns shouldn't be the first choice nore are they necessarily the best choice.
 
SHE3PDOG said:
In all honesty, I wouldn't want you shooting anywhere near my dog anyway. I'm not saying you are a bad shot, but I don't know that unless we're buddies anyway. Now, I would have appreciated you yelling at them and letting me know about it, but I just see too much potential for hurting my dog. You better believe that if you shot my dog, you'd be facing a lawsuit from me.



Even if this happened in my backyard, I'd be far more inclined to run out there to get my dog out of danger, than to just leave him in there and adding another hazard by shooting at him. I'm glad you were worried about him, but guns shouldn't be the first choice nore are they necessarily the best choice.
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That's a good point, accidentally whack the neighbors dog who's already an anti gunner... Oh boy!!! Not something or be interested in.
 
The law as you explained it is simple. Most coyotes will run from the sight of a human, if not and you have a gun in your hand, I doubt that shooting them to defend yourself would be an issue. Especially in the case of a rabid coyote.


Originally posted by FrankenMauser:

I would find out what the potential punishment is for discharging a firearm in violation of the "500 foot rule".
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This and find out if there are exceptions, as in if you have permission from the owner. Then I would tell both neighbors on either side of you, what happened and ask them what they would want you to do, should the scenario ever rise again.
 
Is it a for sure thing the neighbor is an anti or is that an assumption?

Either way, I'd let the neighbor know w/out saying anything about the gun.
The ball is in their court then as to what to do about the coyote problem.
 
Anytime I see a coyote (pretty common where I live) it doesn't take anything more than yelling at it to send it cowering back into the tree line. I don't think a gun is really necessary to handle a couple of coyotes. They're pretty cowardly towards human beings.
 
regardless of his views on gun rights. His beliefs do not diminish his humanity or his need for human compassion. I have to admit I am disheartened at some of the comments by members of this group that seem to harbor such vindictiveness...
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A lot of the "vindictiveness" is just the natural mirror to what we constantly receive from the anti-gun people. And yes, just as they do to us, we tend to paint them all with the same broad brush. Human nature, I suppose...

Still, there is the moral satisfaction of seeing someone who supports forcing their will and vision of a proper life on us, being forced to live with the unpleasant consequences of their views. Hoist on their own petard, as it were...

Few things would please me more than an active, virulent anti-gun supporter realizing the error of their ways. On those rare occasions that they do, it is usually because they are suffering some kind of personal risk or loss.

"The staunchest conservative is a liberal who has been mugged."
Not always true, but often is.

I can tell you that if I had an anti gun neighbor, and they came to me asking for a gun (for protection, of course..) my answer would be a short pithy Anglo-Saxon epithet, ending in the word "you". Followed by "ain't happening".

If there is anyone in the world (who isn't a bad guy) who shouldn't be given a gun, its the anti gun zealot who thinks they need one. The odds are tremendously high that they will do something stupidly irresponsible with it, and afterwards, blame the gun (and the person they got it from) for EVERYTHING that happens.

Protect them, until police arrive, I would. But give them a gun? No. Offer to teach them, I would, provided the experience of "needing" a gun has actually opened their minds.
 
That said, I applaud your willingness to help your neighbor, regardless of his views on gun rights. His beliefs do not diminish his humanity or his need for human compassion. I have to admit I am disheartened at some of the comments by members of this group that seem to harbor such vindictiveness...
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I too agree with most posters who agree that the right thing was done by not firing a shot and I would recommend against firing a shot even if the coyotes did attack the pup. His yard + his dog = his problem.

It is not with a vindictiveness towards anti's that I say this. If the anti was being attacked (however unlikely this is), I would fire if safe. It is the fact that in the eyes of the law, the neighbors dog is just the neighbor's personal property, no different than the watering can on the deck for the herb garden. I do not care what that property is, it is not worth me potentially giving up my right to defend myself and my family because I have a gun conviction on my record if the anti did decide to call the police.

We have two dogs that are very much seen by my wife and I as members of the family and not just "property." One of them (a miniature Dachshund) would be a tasty little snack for a coyote while the other is big enough to at least make a coyote think twice (a Boxer). We do have coyotes in the area and see them on a weekly basis. For that reason, the dogs are NEVER let outside without either my wife or I being with them.

My situation is also a little different as I live on the border of "the sticks" where by going literally 500 feet south you cross the county line where it is legal to shoot on one's land. While it is technically illegal where I live to shoot, no one would ever know the difference as we hear shots regularly as a guy down the street shoots in his backyard. My neighbors and I are also all "gun guys" to a certain extent. We all hunt and we all shoot for fun. Last summer, one of the neighbors came to the 5 houses in our area and asked if anyone minded if he thinned out the groundhog population that was destroying his deck and most of the gardens in the area with a 22. No one even batted an eye (I did warn him it was illegal, but I also told him I would not care). So in my neck of the woods, I would consider taking the shot, but I think you did the right thing by not doing so.
 
Where I live, I'd have already taken at least one out and both if possible. But I know for a fact none of my neighbors or local LE would care. While technically not legal, you need to be 50 yards from a road or dwelling here, no one would say a word about it since there are no homes for several miles behind my house. In fact I've been asked to kill coyotes by my neighbors on several occasions, but have yet been able to get a clear shot.

But I can understand different situations in different locations.
 
Although I have nothing against coyotes, I wouldn't tolerate them trying to claim my back 40 as their territory.
If you were to save my dog, I'd buy you a six pack and offer to re-imburse you for costs of ammo.
That said, it sounds as though your neighbor probably wouldn't appreciate your good intentions in any case; you made a wise choice to not step in.

In the current political situation, I can't imagine any NY police incident report with words "neighbor" "shooting" and "AR" will end simply and cleanly for the shooter.
 
There are exceptions to seasonal hunting restrictions on predators shot in the act of predation.

The same exception might apply to firing a gun in an area where its use is restricted.

imho that at least would be a defense.
 
Given that it was coyotes and that you are an adult human, you could have probably just yelled at them and they would have run off even from 75 yards.
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Probably might be true, but Coyotes have attacked people and they don't have to have rabies to drive them to it. If it is near mating season coyotes can be very protective of the area near their den and this has been reported as a reason for their attacks on dogs and humans.

The fact that they were ready to attack the dog suggests that a human may have fared no better.
 
I have to admit that this is probably the first clear cut case of "when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail" case I have ever seen related to guns. A gun was not necessary to use in this case.
 
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