?EUR??,,????'??It was devastating,?EUR??,,????'?? resident Laurie Bendon said when the late January desert calm was interrupted by gunfire at PGA West at La Quinta, Calif. From her home overlooking the course she saw three armed men open fire on a flock of coots on the 14th green.

The coot is considered a pest at Coachella Valley turf areas. The bird?EUR??,,????'???s feet are not webbed like a duck?EUR??,,????'???s, enabling it to dig into the turf and forage for insects, leaving droppings behind.

?EUR??,,????'??They?EUR??,,????'???re the filthiest bird out there. They strip the golf course areas to the roots.?EUR??,,????'?? said Rick Daniels, head of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership and a longtime PGA West resident. ?EUR??,,????'??But there ought to be a more humane way than just shooting them.?EUR??,,????'??

PGA West officials got a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit allowing them to kill up to 200 coots ?EUR??,,????'??that are causing damage to greens and a health hazard to golfers.?EUR??,,????'?? The permit specifies ?EUR??,,????'??killing is limited to birds which cannot be scared away by non-lethal control methods.?EUR??,,????'??