I think every person should own a paintball gun as I am convinced they are the first line method of animal deterant.
I became acquainted with paintball guns years ago when Hub decided this was a game he might enjoy and he used to say things like, "would you go run around in the bush? I have to sight in my gun." Let me tell you, you only say yes to that one time.
Over the years paintball guns evolved greatly. At first everyone had the same gun and the game was about skill. But then some guys got newer guns with bigger ammo holders and air tanks instead of air cartridges and very quickly might made right. The bigger fire power meant the game was not won by skill but the ability to relentlessly blast your opponent with more paintballs than his gun could even carry. Skill left the game and for my Hub, so did a lot of the fun.
SInce then paintball guns have been employed to convince dogs and bears that they should stay away from the chickens. You might wonder why I didn't take a paintball gun and unload a few into bobcat in the hen house recently. I'll get to that in a minute. But first, why I think paintball guns are the first choice for blasting critters.
#1) it will not kill them. I do ntot want to kill anything, but I do want to DETER them and give them something to think about.
#2) some guns make quite a noise when they fire, and that also acts a deterent. Dogs and bears are often noise averse.
#3) damage is a bruise or if you are really close, some broken skin, nothing that will require vet care. Once a neighbour shot my dog, point blank, with an air rifle. The pellet lodged deep in her side (lumbar?) muscle and the vet said it would do more damage cutting in to remove it than leaving it in place. Small boys with a mean streak should never have anything in their hands that can do more damage than a bruise. A paintball gun limits damage, but it hurts.
#4) I am not scared of paintball guns. They are the only gun I will handle.
Having a bunch of paintball guns in this house does NOT mean though that I have one ready when I need it! Older guns used to use those little metal canisters of CO2, the kind you put in cream whipper thingys. They were expensive to use. New guns use large tanks of air that you have filled wherever they do this sort of thing. THe problem is that over time the seals on these air tanks dry out and leak and when you need the air to fire, it has all leaked out! Therefore, it is my opinion that if you want a gun for popping critters, you need an OLD gun that used those drop in canisters, they never lose their charge.
I might have to dig through the paintball gns and see if HUb has an old one. I'll buy some drop in canisters and be ready for bear season.
Also, paintballs get brittle and the paint inside settles. You need to roll your balls (STOP THAT!) to keep the paint from sitting in one place. Otherwise they shoot crooked. I'm not making this up.
SO if you see and old stlye paintball gun in a junk shop some day (I think they were a Pirahnna) grab it! And get your better half to run through the bush while you fine tune the sight. (site?)
I became acquainted with paintball guns years ago when Hub decided this was a game he might enjoy and he used to say things like, "would you go run around in the bush? I have to sight in my gun." Let me tell you, you only say yes to that one time.
Over the years paintball guns evolved greatly. At first everyone had the same gun and the game was about skill. But then some guys got newer guns with bigger ammo holders and air tanks instead of air cartridges and very quickly might made right. The bigger fire power meant the game was not won by skill but the ability to relentlessly blast your opponent with more paintballs than his gun could even carry. Skill left the game and for my Hub, so did a lot of the fun.
SInce then paintball guns have been employed to convince dogs and bears that they should stay away from the chickens. You might wonder why I didn't take a paintball gun and unload a few into bobcat in the hen house recently. I'll get to that in a minute. But first, why I think paintball guns are the first choice for blasting critters.
#1) it will not kill them. I do ntot want to kill anything, but I do want to DETER them and give them something to think about.
#2) some guns make quite a noise when they fire, and that also acts a deterent. Dogs and bears are often noise averse.
#3) damage is a bruise or if you are really close, some broken skin, nothing that will require vet care. Once a neighbour shot my dog, point blank, with an air rifle. The pellet lodged deep in her side (lumbar?) muscle and the vet said it would do more damage cutting in to remove it than leaving it in place. Small boys with a mean streak should never have anything in their hands that can do more damage than a bruise. A paintball gun limits damage, but it hurts.
#4) I am not scared of paintball guns. They are the only gun I will handle.
Having a bunch of paintball guns in this house does NOT mean though that I have one ready when I need it! Older guns used to use those little metal canisters of CO2, the kind you put in cream whipper thingys. They were expensive to use. New guns use large tanks of air that you have filled wherever they do this sort of thing. THe problem is that over time the seals on these air tanks dry out and leak and when you need the air to fire, it has all leaked out! Therefore, it is my opinion that if you want a gun for popping critters, you need an OLD gun that used those drop in canisters, they never lose their charge.
I might have to dig through the paintball gns and see if HUb has an old one. I'll buy some drop in canisters and be ready for bear season.
Also, paintballs get brittle and the paint inside settles. You need to roll your balls (STOP THAT!) to keep the paint from sitting in one place. Otherwise they shoot crooked. I'm not making this up.
SO if you see and old stlye paintball gun in a junk shop some day (I think they were a Pirahnna) grab it! And get your better half to run through the bush while you fine tune the sight. (site?)