I think I could use a gun.

[Mat Sklansky]

A handgun.

I go for walks in the desert with my 30 pound canine friend and occasionally we run into coyotes. They have kept their distance for now, but I think a 22? would work if my dog wandered off and I caught one of them going after her.

I was hoping a pellet gun would be powerful enough, but the sportings good clerk told me no. He didn't sell handguns, so I believe him.

Any opinions on this? On whether carrying a gun in this situation makes sense, and what sort of gun to purchase?

[Stuey]

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coyotes

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I live in Canada and the coyotes here are not dangerous. Are they starving in the desert? If they attacked my dog I think I could scare them off. I run on a trail that has black bear and moose on it. Some have seen a cougar but I think they smoke crack. The animals never bother me I just avoid them if I see them. I'm thinking you just need some pepper spray maybe. Getting a gun seems like overkill. I have guns but I never take them with me when I am out hiking. If I disappear someday you can guess what happened. lol

[Mat Sklansky]

That's an idea. Pepper spray. Is there some that will shoot for 20 feet or so?

In Tahoe, where my Mother lives, the coyotes are very aggresive and have been known to grab small dogs who are within a few feet from humans.

I assume the same danger exists in vegas, but perhaps not.

[Stuey]

I think they say they spray 25 feet. But if there is wind you need to be closer. I have never used it before but I find it hard to believe it can work very well at anything over 10 feet. I picture you spraying the coyotes, your dog and yourself if this ever goes down. Maybe you do need a gun. I just figure if something wants to kill me I probably won't see him coming. I also know I would shoot myself by accident if I carried a gun to often.

[octopi]

Interesting quote from a page about coyote safety:

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Do dog owners need to be concerned about coyotes? The answer is maybe. Conflicts between dogs and coyotes occur primarily in the months of March and April. It is during this time that coyotes are setting up their denning areas for the soon-to-arrive pups. Coyotes become exceptionally territorial around these denning sites in an attempt to create a safe place for their young. Coyotes view other canines (dogs) as a threat to their young. Essentially it comes down to a territorial dispute between your dog and the coyote. Both believe that your yard is their territory.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you heard of any attacks in the area? I live in same province as Stuey and periodically coyote attacks happen in the capital city, but usually in batches, oddly, and in pretty wildernessy type areas.

Just be aggressive for your dog and maybe pick the dog up if you see a coyote around and be extra vigilant if you hear of attacks in the area. Keep the dog on a leash. I think a gun is overkill.

[JPinAZ]

If you don't regularly shoot, you're probably better off with pepper spray or a baseball bat. Shooting a small, fast moving target, even at close range, is very difficult. And a .22 will just piss off the coyote. Unless you get a head shot or heart shot, I'd say a 9mm would probably be too small.

[Blarg]

If the wind is against you, pepper spray is going to be a disaster, or else just useless. In a panicky situation like your dog being under attack, I bet being sure which way the wind is going in anything but a storm is unlikely.

If you do get a gun, you really need to shoot it enough to get very confident with your marksmanship. That might take some panic out of things.

I don't agree that a .22 will just piss off a coyote. .22's have such near-non-existent recoil that you might be able to plant several shots one after the other before your target disappears. If it keeps running, it won't be for long.

One reliable .22 pistol is Ruger's.
Ruger 22 LR's

Note that the LR(long rifle) .22 cartridge is much more powerful than the .22 short. These guns have a reputation of being pretty good right out of the box. There's also a huge aftermarket for accurizing and fixing up these pistols, and they are used for competition frequently.

The nice thing about .22's, too, is that practicing with them is almost free, the bullets are so cheap. Any centerfire cartridge at all(which is practically every bullet out there) can have you going through 50 or 100 bucks or bullets so fast you hardly have felt you've started a shooting session. The low recoil and super cheap ammo makes a .22 an extremely user-friendly gun to own and practice with. Once you get your marksmanship up, then, if you are still enjoying guns, you can get other calibers without having to spend a fortune honing your accuracy and comfort level the way you would have if you had just skipped over to them directly.

[Mat Sklansky]

Do these pistols vary in their noise levels? Ideally, if I ever felt the need to fire the gun for protection I could fire a round near an approaching threat, into the ground, to simply scare it off. Would a ruger accomplish this?

What if the threat is a mountain lion?

Also, for those worried about me running around unleashed with a gun, I would most definitely take a series of courses before I took the thing anywhere.

[diebitter]

This sorta whispers 'Desert Eagle' to me.

Seriously, it sounds like the combo of loud noise and a little stopping power is what you want.

Coming at it from profound ignorance, a 9mm?

[Runkmud]

Mat, in all honesty without some decent training, at 20 feet, if the two are involved in combat, you're just as likely to shoot your dog as you are the coyote. I'm a gun advocate, but take some classes until your confident about your abilities before capping off rounds at what might be the coyote.

As to your other question, the smaller the round, and the longer the barrel, the less noise. A .32 should adhear to your needs, they're short and compact, but not amazingly loud and they have a bit of stopping power.

GL, if you kill one, TR and pics expected. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]