Plummles

Today I had to dispatch a raccoon that got into a relative’s chicken coop and killed one of her chickens. The raccoon had also gravely wounded another chicken that I had to put down as well.

i consider myself a fairly competent shooter, although due to the situation, I had to use my 9mm handgun as opposed to my .22 magnum lever action I would normally use in the situation.

My questions are:

1) For the raccoon, I shot it with the first shot almost directly through the eye. I understand that many animals convulse when hit through the brain, but the raccoon stood up and tried to escape from me. I was fairly close so I don’t think I missed. For fear of letting the animal suffer, I ended up shooting probably far too many times than I needed to. What’s a good way that this doesn’t happen again?

as for the chicken, I believe my first shot hit it in the head yet it stood up and acted like I missed (so maybe I didn’t). Ended up having to shoot it several more times. Virtually same situation happened with the chicken.

i know that many times animals don’t die instantaneously, but instead die within a minute.

should I take a shot and wait or should I react if the animal is moving around and shoot it more.

i feel like such an idiot lmao.