Shooting moose with paintball guns

[bat119]

A plan to target winter tick infestation

The idea is to fire insecticide powder-filled pellets at the animals to kill winter ticks that are infesting moose across the country.

A good idea if it works, any volunteer's?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/shooting-moose-with-paintball-guns-a-plan-to-target-winter-tick-infestation-1.2963342

[waterninja]

What a coinkydink. Last summer I posted in hunting that at one of my bow hunting locations the landowner was shooting a problem moose with a paintball gun to scare it away from his horse pasture. The pesky moose kept bothering the horses and eating thier food. Tick control never entered into the equation however.

[Bushleague]

A plan to target winter tick infestation

The idea is to fire insecticide powder-filled pellets at the animals to kill winter ticks that are infesting moose across the country.

A good idea if it works, any volunteer's?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/shooting-moose-with-paintball-guns-a-plan-to-target-winter-tick-infestation-1.2963342

I dunno, I gotta wonder if harassing the moose, chasing them around, and getting them running around and burning up energy at a point where conserving energy is critical is actually going to do them any more good than harm? Right now in my neck of the woods they are in survival mode, not much for tracks, just sitting tight on whatever feed they can still find and waiting for spring. Chasing them off the feed in the hopes of hitting one with a paintball gun, which may or may not rid them of ticks seems potentially counterproductive at this point.

[HalfBreed]

Hmmm, not sure what kind of coverage a paintball is going to give, seems angry moose would be the outcome. Not easy stalking in snowshoes and one would need to get pretty close to have any effect.

Wonder what Talking Moose has to offer on the subject?:thinking-006:

[Sooner]

Anything to get them tics off them is good but agree with Bushleague, doing it in the winter will harm them more than anything. Trying to get close enough in the summer with everything growing will be next to impossible. Have to hit the tics on the ground with something.

[elkdump]

Maybe import some of those African birds that pick the tics off of rhinoceros' ears and arses and see if they like the taste of Moose Tics ? :)

[Bushleague]

Hmmm, not sure what kind of coverage a paintball is going to give, seems angry moose would be the outcome. Not easy stalking in snowshoes and one would need to get pretty close to have any effect.

Wonder what Talking Moose has to offer on the subject?:thinking-006:

I'm in favor of shooting Talking Moose with a paintball gun, fully support that.

[Drewski Canuck]

TALKING MOOSE LIKES THE IDEA BUT TALKING MOOSE DOES NOT WANT IT TRIED ON HIM

(However, I still think anything that will stop Talking Moose from talking in the third person, like strong anti psychotic medication for instance, is a good idea)

Drewski

[elkdump]

TALKING MOOSE LIKES THE IDEA BUT TALKING MOOSE DOES NOT WANT IT TRIED ON HIM

(However, I still think anything that will stop Talking Moose from talking in the third person, like strong anti psychotic medication for instance, is a good idea)

Drewski

A couple of " Frozen to minus -32 " paintballs to the forehead otta get him thinking "singular" ,,,,,:sHa_sarcasticlol:

[fish_e_o]

Hmmm, not sure what kind of coverage a paintball is going to give,

it might be the kind of thing where as long as it gets on the skin it goes into the blood and kills the buggers.

i think it would be fun to do durring hunting season. i would just carry the moose powder gun with me

[double gun]

I have thought if such a thing was possible it would be a great idea.

A few years ago the ticks were so bad around here we found probably 6 dead moose within a few kms of our house - that's the obvious ones along the field edges and road. That same year there was one in particularly bad shape that started sleeping in our tractor shed - that wakes you up. Sadly it didn't make the winter.

[Drewski Canuck]

IF it can be administered orally, then mix up some salt blocks, dump in wintering areas, and be done with it.

Probably could solve the problem in a whole area if the food source becomes poison to the ticks. By Hunting season, should be through their system as there would be no salt blocks left, and no problem for humans I would hope.

Drewski

[HalfBreed]

Maybe import some of those African birds that pick the tics off of rhinoceros' ears and arses and see if they like the taste of Moose Tics ? :)

Some travesties in Australia comes to mind, though it was funny when Bart Simpson brought the frog in.

[greylynx]

TALKING MOOSE LIKES THE IDEA BUT TALKING MOOSE DOES NOT WANT IT TRIED ON HIM

(However, I still think anything that will stop Talking Moose from talking in the third person, like strong anti psychotic medication for instance, is a good idea)

Drewski

Careful with the paint balls.:)

I recall a lab experiment using an SSRI (Prozac) on ticks to make them literally "pee" themselves to death. :)

[Northwinds]

so here"s some food for thought,what happens when said moose are shot with a product that kills lice/ticks .In livestock there is usually a 14-30 day with drawl period when using similer products before they enter the food chain.
Moose absorbs product and is harvested legally or illegally and someone consumes the product.NOW we have a big problem.

[HalfBreed]

so here"s some food for thought,what happens when said moose are shot with a product that kills lice/ticks .In livestock there is usually a 14-30 day with drawl period when using similer products before they enter the food chain.
Moose absorbs product and is harvested legally or illegally and someone consumes the product.NOW we have a big problem.

How volatile is this stuff? If timed properly it would only affect sustenance hunters or those that choose to poach. An eat moose in this timeframe beware as it were.

[bat119]

Maybe a device hung over game trails with a sensor that drops powder on to any moose sized critter that walks under it. Do Elk have a tick problem?

Trying to shoot every infected moose would not really be practical

[Northwinds]

I can just about promise you that it is just not as easy as shooting them with a paintball.Dosage depends on weight,can anybody accurately estimate a moose's weight,don't think so.The other issue is what parasite are they infected with.If it is ticks or sucking lice, the product has to be injected or absorbed into the blood stream for the little nasty's to die.If they are biting lice which feed on dead skin cells the product needs to hit the lice themselves.I have no idea if moose get lice,to me it seems that ticks are cause of all the rubbed moose that you see.It also would be highly unlikely that enough product could be contained in a paintball, however,a dart gun with 16cc darts and smaller could be affective in treatment using a product such as Ivomec provided shots could be taken 30 yards and under for the big darts.But it still brings us back to the with drawl issue.
I don't think it matters whether the moose is poached or harvested by substance hunters,or harvested during a open season, this would be a accident looking for a place to happen.

[Bushleague]

I can just about promise you that it is just not as easy as shooting them with a paintball.Dosage depends on weight,can anybody accurately estimate a moose's weight,don't think so.The other issue is what parasite are they infected with.If it is ticks or sucking lice, the product has to be injected or absorbed into the blood stream for the little nasty's to die.If they are biting lice which feed on dead skin cells the product needs to hit the lice themselves.I have no idea if moose get lice,to me it seems that ticks are cause of all the rubbed moose that you see.It also would be highly unlikely that enough product could be contained in a paintball, however,a dart gun with 16cc darts and smaller could be affective in treatment using a product such as Ivomec provided shots could be taken 30 yards and under for the big darts.But it still brings us back to the with drawl issue.
I don't think it matters whether the moose is poached or harvested by substance hunters,or harvested during a open season, this would be a accident looking for a place to happen.

And I think that a few people are underestimating how difficult it would be to even do this on any sort of a scale that would make a difference, other than just harassing and stressing the moose population in general. Doing something about the ticks is a nice thought but this whole paintball idea is stupid.

[The Cook]

Maybe import some of those African birds that pick the tics off of rhinoceros' ears and arses and see if they like the taste of Moose Tics ? :)

We already got them they are called magpies, I've seen them on the sheep that hang around Exshaw. The sheep don't seem to mind at all.

[Dr. Phil A]

Careful with the paint balls.:)

I recall a lab experiment using an SSRI (Prozac) on ticks to make them literally "pee" themselves to death. :)

Mellow moose....

Kinda like bears in the weed patch....

There is a product out there for cats and dogs where you place a couple of drops between their shoulder blades, rub it in and it keeps the fleas and ticks at bay. So if a paint ball with this product can be applied then it should work.

[Dr. Phil A]

A couple of " Frozen to minus -32 " paintballs to the forehead otta get him thinking "singular" ,,,,,:sHa_sarcasticlol:

Hilarious....might make him forget who he is and where his lunch box is...

[Red Bullets]

Sounds like a waste of money. A couple paintballs hitting a moose's arse aren't going to stop a tick infestation. You'd be better off pouring a barrel of creosote oil over each moose.

Or olive oil with garlic and onion. Pre-seasoned moose.

[Talking moose]

Talking moose likes not the idea of every Joe Shmoe out there shooting moose with paintballs. Talking moose figures that people would end up crying and in the hospital if Talking moose was shot!!! :) unless of course they were shooting him with letters from the keyboard... Then he would would just laugh at you.... Seriously, we don't need a new "game" for the paintball crowd. People will get hurt.

[nelsonob1]

Isn't there some Wildlife Act that makes it an offense to harass animals? or maybe that is a BC thing?

Maybe I will try on my kids - they have head lice again.

[EZM]

Talking moose likes not the idea of every Joe Shmoe out there shooting moose with paintballs. Talking moose figures that people would end up crying and in the hospital if Talking moose was shot!!! :) unless of course they were shooting him with letters from the keyboard... Then he would would just laugh at you.... Seriously, we don't need a new "game" for the paintball crowd. People will get hurt.

Just hold still for a minute ..... it won't hurt ...... and pretty soon you will not be itchy anymore ..... this is for your own good.

[drhu22]

My cousin told me a story of being within 20 ft of an angry bull moose in mating season with a 22. He hid behind a willow.

[HalfBreed]

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/20/health/new-virus-discovered/index.html

I hope these ones don't travel north. :scared0018: