Burro Defense Gun

[jar]

Water. Lots of water.

Yup. I lived in Phoenix back in the 1960s. Two things that were always the the boot of the MG (and there wasn't all that much space in the boot) were five gallon jugs of water and two reflective blankets. We never needed it but twice when we were on day trips we found folks broken down on the side of the road with out of state tags. We stopped, gave them a couple gallons of water and the blankets for shade and said we'd send help from the next gas stop.

Never got the blankets back.

 

[FL-NC]

I believe they are considered a pest. I know the LE type rangers in Death Valley would shoot them on sight and leave them for coyotes to clean up. They carried 308 M1A's in their trucks.

 

[Smokin Gator]

We had a male donkey that came originally from blm roundup. Many years later we had to put him down. Now we have his daughter. She pals around with our goats and protects them.

Months after we first got her dad at about the same time she was born he figured out how to escape. He had never got out before. Found him down the road with his daughter amd the mother, visiting. Coincidence or not, it was Fathers day.

 

[jrmiddleton425]

That burro heard the old family legend about what happened to the LAST relative to get in the way of a jeep...

If we're REALLY down to a "what gun for donkeys" thread, a Single Action Army backed up with a .357 Registered Magnum was Patton's choice.

 

[glockr]

Well, they average about 350 pounds and top out at about 500, so I'd say anything a fellow would use for deer hunting should do. I figure .357/10mm make a sensible minimum, and .44 territory on up would be ideal.

I'll also note that wild burros are federally protected, and when they turn up dead with bullet or arrow wounds, rewards are usually offered. I spend a lot of time in the Mojave and surrounds, and have never been attacked by a burro, nor heard of anyone else being attacked. Occasionally a lone male will stare me down, and the solution is to walk around him. Otherwise, they tend to be placid meat sacks and the biggest risk is nailing one with your car on the way home.

That is correct, which makes absolutely NO sense. They aren't native wildlife, they're an invasive species that in some cases destroys habitat of other wildlife. Bighorn sheep for example. Same with wild feral horses.

 

[.38 Special]

Your tax dollars at work!

 

[tactikel]

If all you have is a hammer every problem is a nail. Possible options for a rogue donkey: air horn, bear spray, M80s, stock canes (1-1/18” by 42” crook neck cane), strobe light.

 

[MacAR]

Over the years, I've found about the best equine or bovine defense tool to be a nice, straight, hickory 36" double bit axe handle. Usually one application to the noggin will do the business, occasionally repeated applications are required to get your point across. It would probably be easier to explain to the DNR/Feds why you're standing next to a dead or maimed jackass with an axe handle vs. a firearm as well. Of course, there aren't that many wild burros running around the Ozark hills so I could be horribly wrong; but the hickory stick works great on Dad's cows when they're trying to stomp your guts, so there's that.

Mac

 

[sgt127]

Water. Lots of water.

Things non desert people don’t know about the desert:

The desert will kill you. In 24 hours, you can die of heat stroke, dehydration, freeze to death, drown, get bit by something or, fall to your death.

If I’m out and about, I carry a satellite rescue beacon. You can be 10 miles out of town and have no cell coverage.

My trunk:
A case of canned water.
72 hours of food.
Full size spare and a baby spare.
Tire plugging kit and compressor.
A huge reflective tarp and magnets to make a lean to to change a tire. Or, wait for help.
A sleeping bag.
A first aid kit.
Jumper box.

I’m going to win this one.

 

[jmorris]

Not if the burro gets you.

 

[Rubone]

I'm on the burros side, I consider humans an invasive species. It isn't their fault humans brought them to some new place and abandoned them there. Humans are the dregs of the planet.

 

[tubeshooter]

I'm on the burros side, I consider humans an invasive species. It isn't their fault humans brought them to some new place and abandoned them there. Humans are the dregs of the planet.

Is that you, Mister A. I. ?
I thought at least you were going to take the job first...

 

[jmorris]

Does "invasive" equal "introduced"? (no but...)

About Burros

Wild horses are often in the spotlight, but the wild burros of the West are just as fascinating and deserving of our attention and respect. Like mustangs, burros are a link to America’s past and are protected under federal law as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West”...

americanwildhorse.org

 

[ECVMatt]

Just an update...I was able to survive but we were besieged by burro constantly....



However it seems like the locals seem to think they are pretty smart creatures. We also saw Chukar, quail, doves, road runners, and a ton of reptiles. The burros were all well behaved in the end and did not seem to take notice of us at all.

All in all it was it was a great trip. We went from Ballarat to the Barker Ranch, through the Mengel pass and out Warm Springs Canyon to Furnace Creek.

My Burro defense gun was a Glock 26 and I felt well armed.



The Desert was absolutely incredible and there were literal seas of wild flowers. We had perfect weather and a great time.



I had forgotten how many mines are in Death Valley. They were all over the place and still in good shape. It was neat to see that part of CA history.



ETA: It appears that some of the desert locals have even trained the burros for entertainment purposes: