Hello Fishman -
I concur, I think a shotgun is the way to go. A lot more flexible and a lot safer in a limited area. If he shoots up in the air at all, he could still "pepper" his neighbor, but we are talking a lot less potential for a "bad" outcome.
I don't know how Pbenven's land/home setup, but if his plot were square and his home were say, 1/3 set back (e.g. 1/3 of the property "front yard", 2/3 "back yard"), then the absolute maximum distance (removing the width of the house) would be something like 75 yards. That's if he's sitting on his back porch taking the shot.
Other than the coyote scenario, one could easily third the distance to the critter to be despatched with little to no effort to which #6 should be more than sufficient. (Personally, I always try to get really close in such a scenario - less than 20 feet. ) Even #8 bird shot up real close will absolutely destroy critter tissue en mass, and of course make it safer yet.
‘Course any shotgun going off if pointed up at all will go over the fence line, and getting peppered with bird shot can still be dangerous (read eyes) so care is still required, but I agree this would be a much better way to go for safety AND effectiveness.
I concur, I think a shotgun is the way to go. A lot more flexible and a lot safer in a limited area. If he shoots up in the air at all, he could still "pepper" his neighbor, but we are talking a lot less potential for a "bad" outcome.
I don't know how Pbenven's land/home setup, but if his plot were square and his home were say, 1/3 set back (e.g. 1/3 of the property "front yard", 2/3 "back yard"), then the absolute maximum distance (removing the width of the house) would be something like 75 yards. That's if he's sitting on his back porch taking the shot.
Other than the coyote scenario, one could easily third the distance to the critter to be despatched with little to no effort to which #6 should be more than sufficient. (Personally, I always try to get really close in such a scenario - less than 20 feet. ) Even #8 bird shot up real close will absolutely destroy critter tissue en mass, and of course make it safer yet.
‘Course any shotgun going off if pointed up at all will go over the fence line, and getting peppered with bird shot can still be dangerous (read eyes) so care is still required, but I agree this would be a much better way to go for safety AND effectiveness.
