LOL
A shotgun really isnt that big of a deal.
Very limited range and for all we know he might have been shooting rattlesnakes, reptile variety.
They make enough noise to make folks nervous tho
Nothing like the sound of the slaming shut of a 12 guage pump shotgun to up the pucker factor if you are on the receiving end. :-)
One Fourth of July, when we ran out of fireworks, we shifted to shotguns. Of course the town was smaller than Crawford by a factor of two or so, and we lived right on the edge of it. Nearest house in the direction we were shooting was at least 1/2 mile, maybe more. Only time I've fired a shotgun in the dark. That's impressive all by itself.