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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Gene GeRue wrote:
> > What did I say that makes you think I am afraid to kill instead of
> > scare?
>
> Stop being defensive and putting words in my mouth. I said, ". . . 
> you don't really want to kill anything . . . ." Nothing about afraid.
>  Although it seems to me that fear is the strongest emotion besides
> love.

Sorry to have put words in your mouth. :)
I re-read the post, and you're right.


> You have written on several occasions about the neighbor's dog 
> killing your chickens and you really didn't want to shoot him.

True, but not because of the reasons you think.  Dog killing wars are
common in these parts as a form of revenge.  If their dog were to
disappear, then pretty soon, someone else's dog would disappear, and I
don't want the second disappearance to be one of my dogs.  Plus, Hobo is
a sweet dog and not vicious to humans.  I would have no problem if he
came up here and started growling at me, or if he came up here everyday.
 In fact, a couple of days ago, since I had not seen him in a while, I
inquired about him and was told that Jeff allowed him to go and live
with someone on the other side of the loop the last time he went to
jail.  I've actually heard Hobo howling at coyotes at night, but he's
pretty far away, seems to like it over there, and I haven't seen him
back over here.  So, it seems that problem is solved for the time being.

I make a separate distinction for people's pets than for wildlife.  I
make allowances for pets, just like I make allowances for misbehavior in
children.  It is a reflection on the owner/parent, and the pet/child
shouldn't suffer my wrath.  On the other hand, wild animals are driven
by an instinct to kill and survive, and you are right in your original
post that they won't stop until the food source is gone.  Under those
conditions, I have no problem killing...no problem at all...I'm just
careful about it.
I have the shotgun on loan at present, but since it has been so cold,
the chickens have been staying in the coop to avoid the wind, and the
wind itself is keeping predation at bay.  It is a temporary reprieve, I
know.
I've been thinking of getting a steel trap and putting it on a pole to
catch the hawk/falcon, but I need to find a source and figure out what
size trap I need.  If anyone knows about this stuff, I'd appreciate some
help.  I know there are various Native American traps, too, that will
snare a bird instead of killing it.  Either way, whether I find it alive
or dead, it will soon be dead.  The only reason I am considering a live
trapping/snare method is because there are eagles around here, and the
last thing I need is to kill a chipped eagle by accident.

 I know
> you are afraid of the criminal neighbor and sensibly don't want to 
> rile him but beyond that I have taken the sense that you are not big
>  on killing things except to eat.

Not really, sorry to have given you that impression.  I am a nature
lover, sure, and I do try to conserve wildlife, but in the case of
predators, and especially now when there seems to be an abundance of
them, I don't have a problem with killing, as long as it's legal or at
least socially acceptable on a local level.

> Truth be told, I have evolved to not really wanting to kill anything.
>  That feeling will never persuade me to eliminate my arsenal.

Everything has a purpose...hawks keep down rodents...guns are
tools...every now and then, killing is a necessary evil.

Bev

--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky