Predation: Rifle Modification

Farm Life Farm is located in the Northwest Hills of CT. Between the private land and nature preserve our farm is surrounded by, we have about 3,000 acres of wildland. Though humans respect property lines, animals do not. To date, we have had the following animals invade our farm.

• Ravens

• Lynx

• Bobcat

• Coyote

• Opossum

• Fox

• Black Bear

Our two farm dogs protect our animals for the most part. We let the dogs out in the morning when we open the chicken pens. The dogs stand vigil over our farm with great success. However, they are not always successful. Fox and bobcat are excellent at learning our habits and invading when they are least likely to be opposed.

Our poultry is the biggest loser on our farm. We hatch chickens, ducks, and turkeys. There comes a point where you cannot keep your chicks in a box anymore. Our chick pen was not covered when we first built it. Everything seemed to be safe and secure. Their pen was sandwiched between the meat bird pen and the laying hen pen.

They were safe until they were not! On a balmy spring morning, our turkey chicks were playing in their pen and we were all home. A kill of Ravens began carrying our Turkey chicks out of the pen one at a time. Our dogs and our 8 year old daughter watched the birds flying into the pen. She did not see them carrying out the birds. It wasn't until the last chick that I saw a raven carrying an obviously dead turkey into a nearby tree. By the time I got out there, there was nothing left...Just a few feathers. That afternoon we covered the pen with bits of netting and fencing.

I would have never believed this. I did not know crows or ravens to be hunters. Also, this is not what this post is all about. It is about the animals that come out at night. That lurk in the shadows looking for a way into an easy meal. Netting protects the chicks. Dogs protect the birds during the day and chase away anything that does not belong.

A fox had taken three laying hens over the coarse of six days. It walked right down the driveway, took a chicken, and walked back down the driveway. Nana had been bringing the dogs inside due to the heat of the summer. She did not seem to realize that we have dogs for the farm, not just as pets. The fox lives because it has learned the dogs are there.

A bobcat was our issue two years ago. It stalked our birds for weeks and we managed to be there just in time on several occasions. This culminated with one shot from a 9 mil glock that just grazed its left front leg below the knee. I admit I was aiming for a kill shot, but at 40 yards, I was happy to make contact. We see sign of the bobcats moving on our property but no sign past the point where I shot it. We do know it is well as it immediately began stalking our neighbors chickens.

There remains one animal that shows up periodically and our dogs are afraid of: Coyote. Bear pose no threat. 500 pounds of black fur and the dogs charge. The bear runs away and does not return. We did have to run electric along the top of our field fencing to keep the bears away. They were pushing down the fence and walking right in. Meanwhile the sheep would run out. Electric wire has ended that issue.

Still the coyotes remain undaunted. They actually have not taken any of our livestock yet and they don't come around often, but about once a month, the pack invades the hayfield adjacent to our poultry and sheep fields. They roam the fence line looking for a way in. The dogs wont go out and we have little to defend against them at night.

Many have recommended a night vision scope. For $300-$2,000 we can do that, yet with our bank account in its current condition, we cannot. Next I looked at gun lights. Unfortunately they are either ridiculously expensive or underpowered for this job. My mini-14 can kill out to about 150 yards with me shooting it, but the infrared and standard gun lights just don't reach out that far. Not to mention that I like to use what I have and make things myself. Also what I created gives me light out far enough to reach the coyote while being easily removeable.

When I purchased the mini-14 at the ripe age of 20, I wanted to build the A-team rifle. Anyone in their 40's will remember this show. I loved the show and adored their rifles. I found a collapsible stock with a wire frame in a small gun store in northern Florida. This stock is actually illegal in my home state of CT. This makes sense given that the more intimidating a rifle looks, the more dangerous it is. We all know that it is the gun that hurts people. It has nothing to do with the human commanding the weapon. O.k., this is not true, but it is the basic thought that guides gun law in my state.

It was legal when I brought it home...not anymore. Luckily this is my farm rifle and does not travel very far.

As I have mentioned in past posts, I make things to be functional, not beautiful. I had all this stuff kicking around the farm. I had an old weaver rail. I drilled and tapped the stock and used wide thread screws to attach it. This allows for fast removal and attachment, though I have not removed it more than once, it remains an option. The tube was probably a patio umbrella or something...it was a metal tube that perfectly fits my streamlight stinger flashlight.

The most noticeable drawback to my design is weight. The tube is 4mm metal and 6 inches long. Add the 13.6oz of flashlight and it is a hefty package. I tend to shoot from the kneeling position. With the weight of the gun resting on my bent knee. it remains manageable for an extended period. Standing, my shoulders can only handle one or two shots. This is ok as one shot is all I need.