Texas gov. shoots, kills 'wily' coyote during jog

[Shorts]

I suspect the .380 is just for jogging; bigger gun for everything else.

Chas.

Bingo

I'm an avid runner and have stumbled over run carry for years. It's not easy, especially in high temp Texas, and a pocket pistol is the ideal piece. Running with a dog adds a challenging element as well.

[shootthesheet]

Does this mean that when i am on walks with my dog(s), and carrying my weapon. A rattlesnake comes out, or a coyote comes out, can I shoot it too?

I sure would!
Maybe not the snake, but if the coyote is close enough I'm sure not takin any chances!!
You don't even have to hit it, just a shot in it's general direction should scare it off.

Not always. I did that at my house a few years ago only to have the animal stand there and look at me like I was an idiot. I put one behind him and then one in front of him then one in him. He took one step and fell over dead. That was with a Hydra Shok .45 Auto.

[A-R]

The Associated Press story has been updated and expanded since this was first posted. Below is the full story with some great quotes

When asked what became of the coyote (which DPS says is legal to shoot and kill if it's attacking livestock or domestic animals), Perry said it died quickly and humanely, but he left it where it fell:

"He became mulch," Perry said.

As someone else suggested, I wouldn't put it past Perry that this a politcal set up to make him appear more "tough" and "Texan" ... but while I don't think he's above doing so, I kinda doubt it.

Of course, in other discussions I've also found these gems:

My cousin thought it VERY impressive that the governor could dispatch a coyote with one shot from a .380, after all TV shows us that coyotes are very difficult to kill - dropped from cliffs, hit on the head with anvils, shot with ACME rockets, and still they continue pursuing that Roadrunner

And someone wondered when the first saw the headline if Perry had shot a Mexican illegal immigrant smuggler

By JIM VERTUNO
The Associated Press

Updated: 7:02 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Published: 5:21 p.m. Tuesday, April 27, 2010

AUSTIN, Texas — Pistol-packing Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a message for wily coyotes out there: Don't mess with my dog.

Perry told The Associated Press on Tuesday he needed just one shot from the laser-sighted pistol he sometimes carries while jogging to take down a coyote that menaced his puppy during a February run near Austin.

Perry said he will carry his .380 Ruger — loaded with hollow-point bullets — when jogging on trails because he is afraid of snakes. He'd also seen coyotes in the undeveloped area.

When one came out of the brush toward his daughter's Labrador retriever, Perry charged.

"Don't attack my dog or you might get shot ... if you're a coyote," he said Tuesday.

Perry, a Republican running for a third full term against Democrat Bill White, is living in a private house in a hilly area southwest of downtown Austin while the Governor's Mansion is being repaired after a 2008 fire. A concealed handgun permit holder, Perry carries the pistol in a belt.

"I knew there were a lot of predators out there. You'll hear a pack of coyotes. People are losing small cats and dogs all the time out there in that community," Perry said.

"They're very wily creatures."

On this particular morning, Perry said, he was jogging without his security detail shortly after sunrise.

"I'm enjoying the run when something catches my eye and it's this coyote. I know he knows I'm there. He never looks at me, he is laser-locked on that dog," Perry said.

"I holler and the coyote stopped. I holler again. By this time I had taken my weapon out and charged it. It is now staring dead at me. Either me or the dog are in imminent danger. I did the appropriate thing and sent it to where coyotes go," he said.

Perry said the laser-pointer helped make a quick, clean kill.

"It was not in a lot of pain," he said. "It pretty much went down at that particular juncture."

Texas state law allows people to shoot coyotes that are threatening livestock or domestic animals. The dog was unharmed, Perry said.

Perry's security detail was not required to file a report about the governor discharging a weapon, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange.

"People shoot coyotes all the time, snakes all the time," Mange said. "We don't write reports."

The governor left the coyote where it fell.

"He became mulch," Perry said.

April 27, 2010 08:02 PM EDT
Copyright 2010, The Associated Press.

[Shorts]

They are wily tough creatures. But if this 'yote was desperate enough to try to take a dog off a leash next to a full grown man jogging along side, chances are it is in rough shape. A .380 could take it down.

[Embalmo]

The LCP is not a (actual) snake gun. He meant the snakes that walk on 2 legs.

[chabouk]

So, he doesn't carry with one in the pipe? Good thing the 'yote wasn't actually attacking his dog, which would probably leave him one-handed.

[aaangel]

LCP and sp101 was on my short list....... i'm sold on the LCP! i get persuaded easily lol.

[GreezyG]

So nobody has asked if Gov. Perry actually has a CHL. The property he is living on is in a residential neighborhood so I doubt he has his own jogging trails. If he doesn't have his plastic he could be in a heap of trouble, however doubtfull. He has to follow the law too doesn't he?

[Shorts]

So, he doesn't carry with one in the pipe? Good thing the 'yote wasn't actually attacking his dog, which would probably leave him one-handed.

At least his situational awareness was on top of things and not lost in an Ipod like most runners

So nobody has asked if Gov. Perry actually has a CHL. The property he is living on is in a residential neighborhood so I doubt he has his own jogging trails. If he doesn't have his plastic he could be in a heap of trouble, however doubtfull. He has to follow the law too doesn't he?

He actually does have a CHL.

[Embalmo]

LCP and sp101 was on my short list....... i'm sold on the LCP! i get persuaded easily lol.

You will not regret an LCP purchase.

[GreezyG]

So nobody has asked if Gov. Perry actually has a CHL. The property he is living on is in a residential neighborhood so I doubt he has his own jogging trails. If he doesn't have his plastic he could be in a heap of trouble, however doubtfull. He has to follow the law too doesn't he?

He actually does have a CHL.[/quote]

Ok good. I understand that most people keep that info private. For a "Big Tex" politician I would think that he might have advertised that :P

[UpTheIrons]

So, he doesn't carry with one in the pipe?

Did he not have it in Condition One (or Condition Zero, since the LCP is DAO)? I must have missed that in the articles I read.

[Leroy]

Unless of course your "domesticated dog" is a 130 pound Rottie...like mine!

[Embalmo]

So, he doesn't carry with one in the pipe?

Did he not have it in Condition One (or Condition Zero, since the LCP is DAO)? I must have missed that in the articles I read.

I didn't notice that either.

[Keith B]

So, he doesn't carry with one in the pipe?

Did he not have it in Condition One (or Condition Zero, since the LCP is DAO)? I must have missed that in the articles I read.

I didn't notice that either.

From the article:

"I holler and the coyote stopped. I holler again. By this time I had taken my weapon out and charged it. It is now staring dead at me. Either me or the dog are in imminent danger. I did the appropriate thing and sent it to where coyotes go," he said.

I am assuming that he meant he racked the slide to chamber a round.

EDIT TO ADD: Unless he is beta testing the new LCP with built-in rechargable tazer.