A couple of days ago my wife was getting ready to go to work (about 5:45 AM) and heard a commotion out in the side yard. She went out to see what was going on and found a coyote menacing the neighbor's cat and its kittens. When she attempted to shoo it off, it advanced, teeth bared and snarling, on her instead of leaving.
By the time I'd made it downstairs in response to her call, it had left our yard and I wasn't able to locate it on a quick look-see in the immediate area.
Calls to the local Humane Society and Animal Control proved to be pretty much a waste of time. Got an answering machine both places. Two days later, the fellow from the HS told me there was nothing they could do about it and AC has yet to respond at all.
There's been scuttlebutt around the neighborhood for a couple of months now about pets, mostly small dogs and a couple of cats, going missing, several from fenced-in yards. I now believe that it's most likely this coyote that's responsible.
As the neighborhood we live in is the middle of town where the lots are small and the houses close together, using any firearm is pretty much out of the question barring an outright attack on a human. IMO, it needs to be dealt with before things could ever come to that point.
I have both a powerful air rifle (RWS 48 in .22) and CCI CB long ammo for my .22 RF's, but would trust neither to dispatch something the size of an adult coyote quickly and decisively, even with a headshot.
I could really use some advice and suggestions on how to resolve this problem without incurring serious legal repercussions in the process.
By the time I'd made it downstairs in response to her call, it had left our yard and I wasn't able to locate it on a quick look-see in the immediate area.
Calls to the local Humane Society and Animal Control proved to be pretty much a waste of time. Got an answering machine both places. Two days later, the fellow from the HS told me there was nothing they could do about it and AC has yet to respond at all.
There's been scuttlebutt around the neighborhood for a couple of months now about pets, mostly small dogs and a couple of cats, going missing, several from fenced-in yards. I now believe that it's most likely this coyote that's responsible.
As the neighborhood we live in is the middle of town where the lots are small and the houses close together, using any firearm is pretty much out of the question barring an outright attack on a human. IMO, it needs to be dealt with before things could ever come to that point.
I have both a powerful air rifle (RWS 48 in .22) and CCI CB long ammo for my .22 RF's, but would trust neither to dispatch something the size of an adult coyote quickly and decisively, even with a headshot.
I could really use some advice and suggestions on how to resolve this problem without incurring serious legal repercussions in the process.