Learn Me Crossbows

Our local coyote population has been getting more and more aggressive over the last several months.

Yesterday, one of them jumped over our five foot fence (we've seen this multiple times before) and attacked our 18 pound poodle mix Watson.

He survived but his injuries required medical attention.

I live in a suburban community in California so a 22 would not be legal and highly frowned upon by the neighbors so I'm thinking of getting a crossbow.

Thoughts???

In reply to RX Reven' :

I don't know about CA laws, but around here any and all projectiles are illegal. Firearms, arrows, bolts, BBs, all of it. 
Check your local regs.

Other than that, my knowledge of crossbows is limited to two words. They're awesome. 
 

A thought, I wonder if civilians have access to less than lethal projectiles like beanbags or the like. And if so, are they any different in the eyes of the law... cheap break action shotgun and something that won't travel far or penetrate. Just a thought. 

There are high caliber air rifles now. 40, 45, 357, and they run off air cylinders. Just throwing that out there. 

I have a very old Ten Pointbrand crossbow. 180lb pull, has a winder, and it's fitted with a red dot scope. At 25 yards it puts the bolt exactly where the dot is. I need to get it restrung because it has been neglected for a lot of years.

They do require typical bow maintenance. 

It's a great tool, there are some stellar pest heads available these days. I haven't used them but they look vicious anyway. My only concern with a crossbow would be a wound instead of a kill. There isn't nearly the spread damage as a bullet with standard tips on the bolt which means accuracy is key. A wounded coyote is a dangerous animal.

I wouldn't mess with less than lethal rounds for the same reason. Sure shotgun bean bags would be fatal to something a coyote size, but you really don't want to piss off a possibly rabid wild animal and they make a good deal of noise. 

 use rubber bullets or a nerf gun with needles sticking out of the darts

In reply to RevRico :

I was going to suggest an air or PCP rifle too. While I have no clue regarding the legality in California, I've been told by several sources(one within the firearms industry) they do not fall under ATF rules or jurisdiction since they're not a firearm.

Edit: and I've seen PCP rifles up to 50cal, so that should stop a coyote in one shot. 

I'd get a .22 cal air rifle, a good one will put a serious hurt on a coyote at short range.  And while "discharging firearms inside city limits" is usually prohibited. ( most cities include air rifles in that list) Protecting your animals from wild animal attack is usually allowed. 
 

a relevant article. https://airgunplanet.com/hunting-coyotes-with-air-guns/
 

I know people want to suggest a bigger caliber one but the cost goes up quickly above .22 and a powerful .22 will be just as effectively at stoping the attack. 
 

this Benjamin is available in .25 and at a relatively good price of $319 

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/benjamin-trail-np-xl-air-rifle?m=2052#4171

i wouldn't recommend a pcp as you'll need to have the tank charged and sitting there ready when an attack comes  the Benjamin uses a spring in the form of a gas piston and therefore can be left uncooked a while without the Leakage from a gas Cylinder  also no need to go charge the cylinder at a scuba/paintball shop when it gets low  

In reply to RevRico :

I was wondering if a compound bow would be best because it might be quicker to re-loud if a wound occurred instead of a kill.

I'd be hesitant to use a bow/crossbow on a coyote in my yard because I'd think the creature would be moving around pretty quick and make for a tough target.

That said, if you have the strength to pull a bow (mine takes a pretty hefty grunt) it's gonna be a lot faster reloading than a crossbow.  Be sure you know where any misses end up, they can travel for a ways.

The KTM version looks like fun, but not sure how it will solve the coyote problem.

If the critter doesn't die, runs off with a bolt stuck in it, and dies in someone else's back yard you can bet someone will report it as cruelty to animals.   If that is taken seriously, and your fingerprints are on the bolt, or your neighbors know of your plan, it could get costly to you personally.  

In reply to jharry3 :

I'd argue that you defended your dog against it.  I'm not too worried about a one shot one kill item. The point is to stop the attack.  If they run off it's as good as them being dead. 

barefootcyborg5000 said:

Other than that, my knowledge of crossbows is limited to two words. They're awesome. 
 

This sums up my understanding as well.  Always seemed like an excellent way to kill without all the noise of a firearm. 

I have to LOL at the notion of "illegal BB's."

Fueled by Caffeine said:

In reply to jharry3 :

I'd argue that you defended your dog against it.  I'm not too worried about a one shot one kill item. The point is to stop the attack.  If they run off it's as good as them being dead. 

There are hints in my response that say how to avoid problems.    Take that as you will...

Around here your name and address needs to be on the bolt/arrow.

I have a probably cheap crossbow and I will third the awesomeness. I'd shoot a coyote with it in a sec. 

In reply to preach (dudeist priest) :

Nah, I'll just put the name and address of the annoying guy that sometimes parks his sprinter in front of my house on them 

I've never been the hunting type but I have no reservations shooting a coyote if it jumps my fence and goes after my pet...basically the animal equivalent of "play stupid games, win stupid prizes". 

I didn't know that higher gauge air guns were a thing so I've got some research to do (especially on the spring charged types that won't bleed down).

Crossbows are surprisingly loud and good ones are difficult to reload quickly. 
 

On a related note, a friend of mine just bought an arrow gun. Up until the day that I fired it, I didn't know that such a thing existed. 

In reply to jharry3 :

If you shoot an animal with a crossbow, the bolt will go right through it. They are kind of loud, but nobody knows what the sound is. People dont pay attention to that kind of stuff anyway. 

Racebrick said:

In reply to jharry3 :

nobody knows what the sound is. 

That's what I'm banking on...have everyone get proficient by practicing out in the country "150 yards away from any buildings" then go for a one-n-done when the time comes which won't be long as we spot a coyote in our yard at least once per month which means it's probably happening every few days.

BTW, I can't secure my yard without major expense and making it look like a war zone as the coyotes jump into my neighbors yards as well.

I was discussing this with Tiger Mom last night and we agreed that it's a tough spot to be in.  We had some thoughts on the subject.

A serious business slingshot shooting 3/8" ball bearings would be easy/fast/accurate (turns out they are used for small game hunting and surprisingly effective). 

Getting a bigger dog probably isn't an option.

A shot or two from a .22 is actually reasonably quiet and unless you have a witness to your shooting can't really be proven that you were doing anything wrong.  

Watching the dog every minute seems annoying and standing as an armed guard every minute would be really aggravating.

Putting up motion sensing cameras (e.g. Ring) in the back yard to let you know when a coyote enters would be a good idea. Setting one up covering outside the fence (in case one rushes in) would probably be a good idea also.  Not only for hunting purposes, but to know what is out there before the dog goes out.

My concern would be having a weapon prepared and ready enough (e.g. you don't want a loaded gun hanging next to the rear door) to be useful in the time you would have to use it.  If the dog is attacked again for example, you are likely far better off (for the dog) running out and scaring it off then trying to prepare the weapon.

If you can stand watch 100% of the time your dog is outside, you can probably scare it off before even firing a projectile weapon at it.  If you don't stand watch 100% of the time your dog is outside, then you're already going to be arriving late to the party and putting your dog in jeopardy from both the coyote, and your projectile weapon if they're actively engaged in a fight. Firing a projectile weapon is a fine last resort, but it requires a clear shot which might not always be possible even if you have the weapon close at hand. So you'll also want to figure out another way to break up the fight in that situation.

Beyond that, waiting until the coyote is already in your yard it being reactive rather than proactive. The first priority should be making your yard undesirable for them to enter in the first place. Keeping the yard free of enticing smells like dog poop, fallen fruit, compost, bird seed, and unsecured garbage. Reduce or remove brush cover. Add high intensity motion sensor lighting. Perhaps spray an unappealing (to coyotes) 'spicy' scent around the perimeter of the property. Also look at "coyote rollers" for the fencing.

When I was in high school the grade 11 woodwork project was a crossbow. But during my grade ten summer a kid shot his math teachers dog with his so that was the end of that. 

Here's a totally impractical alternative--

Hive,

Thank you so much for all of your excellent guidance.

About a month ago, a similar sized dog in my neighborhood was carried off by a coyote never to be seen again so this requires immediate resolution by staying right with our dog whenever he's outside until something permanent can be implemented.

Although we've seen them jump both our fence and our neighbors fence multiple times (5' wrought iron) they've now scooped dirt away from the bottom so they can crawl under it.

So, metal stakes driven into the ground to put an end to that, the loudest air horn commercially available, and some sort of bayonet on a sturdy pole for starters.

I like the coyote rollers a lot but I've got 75' that's exposed to wide open land and 120' that's less vulnerable but how does one determine what a coyote is capable of with near 100% certainty???     

Possibly useful for hazing: there are some surprisingly inexpensive DJ/ rave/ disco laser+LED lights.  Probably not weatherproof, and IDK how to trigger 'em, or how long before the coyotes assimilate.  For the full rave effect, there was a thread on foam cannons a while back.

Not useful but better than an airhorn, it looks easy enough to build an LRAD (long range acoustic device) especially if you already know car audio. Coyote fur likely protects against the microwave Active Denial stuff, plus that is not at all DIY-able.

Not useful for coyotes, but a playlist of completely hilarious vids about repelling cats (I have cats: I'm okay w/ it)