At an early age I witnessed two dogs corral the rabbit in a pipe culvert under the road and chase it out, then each held one end and tore it to two pieces. The old guy probably didn't think about his choices. My own wife who ordinarily wouldn't hurt a fly trapped a coon who was eating her corn while I was out of town. She used a pitchfork. I later showed her how to drive the trap down to the bridge over the creek and let it down into the water. Yes I know drowning is considered not "humane". Most likely he doesn't have a gun, couldn't use it legally in the neighborhood even if he had one, and he was pissed off because food he expected was denied to him by vermin. Nobody explained beforehand he could call animal control for euthanasia.