>>628286An interesting one. I've killed hundres of game birds and waterfowl, and I feel no remorse or hesitation whatever. Removing honk is even gratifying.
I was out to my country place one time though, doing water maintenace on the pond. I was not expecting to find a racoon in a leg trap. Because I don;t own any leg traps. Turns out a lease partner put them out.
So it's summer. There is no house out here, just a tool shop and a barn. So all I have are stick tools and a .22 pistol.
So I take the pistol. I'm about eight feet away. It's in the water, about six inches deep. I'm on the edge of the mud line.
It's looking at me. It is in pain, because broken leg. It's wet. Last night it got down to about 58, so it was cold. It is shivering, probably from shock setting in.
It looks at me. It knows. I know it knows. I have had dogs and cats all my life. I know it knows. But what am I going to do? If I approach it will attack and racoons are the last vector of rabies in my state. How would I ever explain to a bet that I want to restore a wild racoon? How many hundred miles to the nearest wildlife rescue organization?
I aimed very carefully. It was not my pistol - it's one we leave out there (in a safe). I shot at it's head. Even though the bullet went through his eye, he struggled. He threw himself under the water, I guess as a panic escape tactic. Maybe somehow it thought that drowning was better.
I just stepped into the water and fired again. And again. I shot it four times before it stopped moving. It took about 40 seconds.
We had a meeting after that, the lease partners and I. There are no more leg traps.
