Gun(s) or Not?

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Are guns in a cattle operation necessary?

  • Yes

    Votes: 59 86.8%
  • No

    Votes: 7 10.3%
  • Undecided

    Votes: 2 2.9%

  • Total voters
    68

IluvABbeef

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Here I go, asking a really stupid question when the answer is probably (or just) pretty obvious. But what the heII.

Question: Is it wise to have a gun (rifle or pistol or both) when raising livestock, or rather, is it one of things that is an absolute necessity when raising/owning livestock like having calving chains on hand "just in case" one of the easy calving cows ends up not having such an easy calving calf, or some other scenario...??

Bring on the flack as well as the opinions...I can take it. I ain't a little girl no more. :cowboy:



(LOL I think 8 months of living in an urban setting for 4 years straight have taken their toll on me and is the blame for the sudden thoughts of dumb questions like this one. Makes me feel like a dum@$$ just asking it. But hey, it's just a phase; it'll pass.)
 
Guns are ALWAYS necessary in every aspect of our society. :nod:

Off the top of my head... putting down injured animals, dispatching nuisance animals (coyotes, hogs, snakes), personal protection when out and about on the property. I carry an assortmant of firearms in my vehicle, each with a purpose... like tools in a toolbox. :)
 
Well, you sort of asked two questions, so I will answer them both:

Is it wise? Yes.

Is it an absolute necessity? No.

I'm sure I'll take some heat for that answer. So be it. I'll revisit this thread tomorrow night. I'm tired and going to bed. Have a good evening everyone.
 
Brute 23":uubuzlez said:
Guns are ALWAYS necessary in every aspect of our society. :nod:

Off the top of my head... putting down injured animals, dispatching nuisance animals (coyotes, hogs, snakes), personal protection when out and about on the property.

I agree with that. The rifle always sits in the cab of the truck. Not so much to put down injured animals but the other two reasons yes. Its a security issue owning a gun for protection though, more in the mind than anything. But for taking care of nuisance animals its handy.
 
Heck, the last time I slept at night without a gun (and usually more than one) somewhere nearby I was 13......and at football camp!!
 
Absolutely. Guns are a tool in a cattle operation, similar to a dehorner, burdizzo or tractor. A vet student actually told a neighbour this exact same thing after it was apparent that a calf would have to be removed by C-section (a $700-800 cost in our area..which is always traded for a bullet). The vet student wasn't surprised at the reasoning and just stated that 'guns are a necessary tool on any cattle operation'.

We have used rifles to slaughter our own meat, put down injured animals (broken legs, etc.) and eliminate varmints that don't respect the boundaries we have set out (Boundary rule: don't eat the healthy, living cattle).

It's unfortunate that we live in a country (Canada) that has demonized the law-abiding gun owner. Living in the city can warp the mind after a while. While at uni, city kids would just give me a blank stare when I told them a gun is for protecting ones-self and property. People just assume the the police should be the only ones that have the guns. These same people also don't know what they would do if they couldn't contact the police or if the police were to take too long getting to the scene. More or less along the lines of "Hope for the best". I would never live along those lines. Live or die trying. :cowboy:
 
Aaron":4d728juf said:
People just assume the the police should be the only ones that have the guns. These same people also don't know what they would do if they couldn't contact the police or if the police were to take too long getting to the scene. More or less along the lines of "Hope for the best". I would never live along those lines. Live or die trying.

I voted no as I don't think they are absolutely neccessary but you make some really good points. You also are giving a wonderful explanation of why movies like Halloween are never cast in the South since these would be very short movies. I guess I was thinking in extreme cases a brick bat or a wompum stick would serve the same purpose but I think I'd like to change my vote.
 
Here is a couple of instances why I believe they are neccesary

1 Mom and dad raised hogs like mosr other farmers yr ago, don't remember what dad was doing but as he turned to go out of the hog pen a sow attacked him and had him down, mom was there she ran to the truck grabbed a gun and came back and shot the sow
Dad has numerous scars on his legs where this sow was tearing him apart more than likely if mom hadn't had access to a gun the sow would have killed him


A neighbor had a similiar experince with a bull a few yrs laterand his son had to shoot it to get it off of his dad ( another reason we are always saying never trust a Bull no matter what) this bull had been a gentle easy going bull and he just got mad one day


So yes I say guns are a neccessity
 
Far as i'm concerned a gun is a necessity around these neck o the woods.Plenty varmits like wild hogs and meth heads.One of our places is about 15 miles from town and nearest neighbor about 5 miles.Only a few spots the cell phone will get out.Even if I could it would be pretty stupid to call 911 and think they could help me.So I always take along my two friends,Colt 45,and most of the time 22 hornet.

Cal
 
They are not only necessary in the cattle business, they are necessary in everyday life.

An armed society is a polite society...
 
IluvABbeef":gdg4qzmx said:
.

Question: Is it wise to have a gun (rifle or pistol or both) when raising livestock, or rather, is it one of things that is an absolute necessity when raising/owning livestock like having calving chains on hand "just in case" one of the easy calving cows ends up not having such an easy calving calf, or some other scenario...??
I have several rifles and shotguns, but no calving chains. ;-)
 
I always have either my SP 101 or my Ruger GP 100 .357 on my hip. Whenever I see something I need to shoot like a woodchuck always seems like I have the short barreled revolver on me. Now the chucks are coming out and I have been carrying the 4" barrel GP 100. We never have probs. with coyotes around here so I figure we need them around to kill off more deer since we are over-run with those so I just shoot warning shots at coyotes.
 
While I recognize there are some pracitcal uses for guns, they are not an absolute necessity in the cattle business. My grandfather, father and I have raised cattle in Northeast and Central Texas since the 1930s. None of us has ever had a gun and I can't think of single instance where one was absolutely needed.
 
The thing we shoot at mostly are errant chickens. I find that if I kill the rooster then I don't have as many hens in the garden. They will follow their rooster up.

I have too many roosters anyway. Watching them fight in the pasture is fun, but they are pesty.

You can readily tell now why I no longer post on the backyard chicken forums...
 
Calman":1vzt7j5t said:
Far as i'm concerned a gun is a necessity around these neck o the woods.Plenty varmits like wild hogs and meth heads.One of our places is about 15 miles from town and nearest neighbor about 5 miles.Only a few spots the cell phone will get out.Even if I could it would be pretty stupid to call 911 and think they could help me.So I always take along my two friends,Colt 45,and most of the time 22 hornet.

Cal

Amen!

My apologies in advance for hijacking the thread, but how much rain did you get this morning, Calman?
 
Jogeephus":3eruldl2 said:
I voted no as I don't think they are absolutely neccessary

Yes Jo, but you could make arguments about owning land(leasing), owning a vehicle, owning working pens, a rope etc, if we are talking absolutes. A person does not HAVE to innoculate or worm cattle either.

The ethically correct thing to do is put an animal down versus letting it suffer. There are other critters to consider - especially stray dogs.

I voted yes. It is probably not an absolute.
 

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