GTA
General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Hunting Gate => : atchman2 January 27, 2010, 01:48:52 AM
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Last night I resolved to get rid of the possum terror behind my house. That was the goal until I took my decongestant and fell asleep. I did wake up at around 5 AM and heard the dinger go off. There was a raccoon outside a HUGE ONE! When I couldn't get a shot at the side of his head I passed on it. I could have shot him between the eyes but I wasn't sure that would work.
Anyway, I went back asleep until my daughter needed a ride to school. When I came back the dinger was going full tilt because there were squirrels everywhere! I grabbed the 350 and my tin of CPHPs and bolted out the door. The squirrel gave me a perfect profile and I dropped him with a head shot; or so I thought. I don't know if it was the twitching, but he was standing up again so I put one at an angle that had to go through his ear and out the front. That time he didn't move!
Instead of going to get it, I waited because my wife had breakfast ready. I went down to check my bait area (it smelled like skunk), to get the Game Camera, and to pick up my squirrel. It was GONE!! The camera tells the tale of a certain feline thief! It was my OWN cat! She was in sleeping on my feet earlier in the evening. I let her out and she ROBS me. :)
Chip the Wonder Dog and I then went out to hunt a new subdivision being built. Saw some cuttings, none fresh, and gave up and went home. Fell on my tush and got me and the 350 pretty muddy. I've got to clean us both up in a bit.
Here is the camera footage and picture of the culprit! On the good side my squirrel re-stocking is going well-now to cull them back again :)
In the second picture down you can see me dumping some scraps into the bait pile. Look how fast the raccoon comes in to eat! I was trying to get the small boy child to go to sleep and missed out on shooting it.
The last picture is of the THiEF!
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Randy,,,,, those are some great pics buddy, that trail camera is great. Sorry to hear about the stolen squirrel but at least it was taken by a "friendly" instead of the "enemy" :)
Seems as though the local critters have locked the location of your bait station into their internal GPS :) and with all that activity it's only a matter of time until you get a harvest or 2.
Keep postin the trail cam pics.... I love em :)
As for falling down and gettin all muddy.... don't feel to bad about it, we've all been there. I remember one time many years ago a friend and I were shotgun hunting starlings at a duck farm (not the one I hunt at now) and as I turned the corner of a barn I slipped and fell flat on my back. After years of having thousands of ducks in them the ground in the pens is really just packed down duck poop and it's really thick. It had rained for 2 days prior to our hunt and yup, you guessed it, all that poop turns into an oatmeal consistency. When I fell on my back my whole body sunk into that wet, sloppy poop about 6 inches, from my head to my feet. It was horrible, I can't even describe the smell !! My buddy made me wrap myself in an old blanket before he'd let me get in his car for the ride home. To this day my friend busts my chops over that. So you seek,,, it's happened to all of us....
Jeff
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If I shot the Raccoon dead on instead of under the ear, do you think it would go down?
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Randy,
Nice pictures. With all those night critters, if you don't start shooting some, you'll never get any sleep with all that dingin'! :D
If it was me, I'd have gone for the front head shot, and do a quick reload.
Paul.
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I'm actually thinking of leaving my Blue Streak pumped up for a second shot? That way I don't have to fumble for another pellet, I can just flip the safety off and let loose.
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Jeff,
"...............It was horrible, I can't even describe the smell !! ............"
I remember it was as bad as an open cesspool with a double helping of ammonia !!!!! And I was only standing in it ankle deep where we'd hide-in-wait inside the duck houses. First 15 minutes were the worst trying to breath as shollow as possable until the nose gave up on being able to smell anything. We'd wash our boots off before leaving the duck farm, but we still had to ride home with the truck windows open, then leave the boots outside for days to air out !!!!!!
Still, it was great fun with a sky full of black birds to shoot at !!!!!
Paul.
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Randy,
Good idea !!!
Paul.
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Randy,, I think the 350 would do the job with a frontal shot, especially if you use Predators :) , but even a domed would do the job, however the ability for a fast follow up shot is indeed a good idea. Heck, it's always a good idea most of the time, after I shoot a critter the first thing I always do is reload fast....
Ed (Shadow) could tell you for sure about a frontal shot on a raccoon.... he's shot more raccoons than Davy Crocket :)
Jeff
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airiscool - 1/27/2010 11:04 AM
Randy,
Nice pictures. With all those night critters, if you don't start shooting some, you'll never get any sleep with all that dingin'! :D
If it was me, I'd have gone for the front head shot, and do a quick reload.
Paul.
I seem to keep waking up for Skunks and cats :(
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good story nice pis
to bad you let the cat out of the bag
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I've got the night vision camera ready for tonight! It is an older model Sony with the NightShot on it. I've got to wait until my houseguests leave tonight before blazing away. Might be warm enough to just bundle up and sit outside until midnight. After all heat is only a few feet away.
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Congrats on the tree rat! sorry about the feline thief, lots of other targets there!
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It seems that the only critter that did not show up was Winnie the Pooh. Oh, and Smokey the Bear.
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You nail between the peeper's directly or just above them and those Bandit's will go down, dropped my share of them with a third eye shot. As mentioned though always reload and approach with caution, give em a poke poke with the barrel to check for those possum players. Here's some harvest that had a third eye installed by a Predator. :o :)
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Nice (GULP) pictures :)
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I was going to post some coons I shot with a frontal shot but Ed beat me to it :) I actualy shot most of them with a frontal shot. When they put their head down to eat it's the best time for a frontal shot between the eyes (a little above that). The 350 will do fine as long as you are not like 60yds out.
Ok now we 've seen about 200 pics of critters at your bait site and still no kill of a possum or coon. We keep hearing about the son or daughter or how you were putting the cat or dog to sleep, and all that. Enough already! Turn that ding donger on early around 8pm, and by midnight you should have that possum or coon which both came in before 10pm. No excuses now, ok? Just do it!!! hehehe :p 8) Next post should be of a dead medium-sized night critter! I mean it now!! :emoticon: :D
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ROFL! I actually went out just before dark and re-sighted in the 350 after my tumble in the woods. This time I sighted it in with Predators. I'm just waiting for the house guests to leave :)
Hey I got a squirrel today......sorta :D
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shadow - 1/27/2010 6:33 PM
You nail between the peeper's directly or just above them and those Bandit's will go down, dropped my share of them with a third eye shot. As mentioned though always reload and approach with caution, give em a poke poke with the barrel to check for those possum players. Here's some harvest that had a third eye installed by a Predator. :o :)
Nice pics Shadow.....think I'm gonna swoon now.
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WHY DIDNT YOU TAKE THE SHOT BETWEEN THE EYES???!! thats the best shot placement for me. i never aim between the ear and ear becuase its to risky. lol anyway, nice shot on the squirrel but that stinks the cat got it! goodluck tonight
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Here's the result of a shot to the side sweetspot. Notice the hole in the skull made by a Predator pellet, shut down the fusebox quickly. :) Ed
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NICE! Might not get to shoot tonight. I have to be at a customer site at 7 AM for surgery training. The Bible study group turned off my dinger! I didn't notice it until around midnight when I turned it on and it went off. Chased a skunk away with the Daisy :)
Pretty sure I'm going to order a Skunk trap. Those things scare me to death with the idea of getting sprayed and the fact that so many of them carry diseases.
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Well I had to be in surgery at 7 AM to assist with a biopsy. I just turned the dinger off and went to sleep. The only thing I missed out on was a possum at around midnight. The rest were skunks and cats.
I went out to look before I went to bed and caught sight of a raccoon but I didn't have a gun with me and he was moving too fast anyway.
Maybe tonight is magic :)
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good luck
better get to the trophy before the next hunter does this time.HEHEHE
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I had a shot at a possum at around midnight. I'm not sure what happened but I missed him clean. He bolted for the brush at high speed. I also got to run off about five or six skunks. Unfortunately it seems the old Daisy is leaking air. I benched it in favor of two pumps from the Blue Streak.
My Sheridan is already pumped and ready for either first shot or a second depending on how much time I get. I did get the possum on video though including my embarassing miss (http://../jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-frown.gif)
I'm headed to bed but I'm sleeping with my head on the dinger! (http://../jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-cool.gif)
They have already called off schools here due to bad weather coming in tomorrow. That means even if I do stay up late I can sleep in as late as I want! (http://../jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif)
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be patient their time will come
good luck on the next outing
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Well I managed another shot last night. I thought I hit him but I'm not sure. I had the nightshot camera going so you guys can see my shame :0
There is some entertaining game camera footage of a duel between a skunk and a Bandit! :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNZ76ZomsYU
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I need to pay you a visit!! Where do you live?!? hehehe
Very nice video. I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that you hit the large possum. They don't go down to the ground like that and shake around a bit unless they are hit. it happened very fast, but it looked he was trying to shake a predator off him, which is what they do sometimes when they get shot. Only thing I didn't understand is why you took a shot from the back. That is a harder shot and more risky than shooting them with a frontal shot. Next time shoot them in the front above the eyes (the eyes are too low and too forward by the nose, you want to aim 1-2" back above their eyes) when they put their head down to feed, or if you can get a broadside shot, wait until they stop moving their head and squeeze. Aim closer to the ear than the eye.
I don't know what the distance is, but you might want to consider moving the bait staition to within 25yds, preferrably 20yds to ensure a clean kill and not risk wounding the animals. I also think you hit the little one too by the way it went down, but it was probably just a scratch and it didn't phase him. They normally don't react like that from the gun's report. They usually just take off very fast, unless they are hit. I would really bring that bait station closer since your shots are "hit or miss" sort of speak, or purchase a PCP like the Marauder or Talon/Condor and ensure a good lethal hit every time. Another choice would be to get your Springer tuned so it is a lot more accurate.
Great video! The raccoon-skunk encounter was great. The skunk usually does not spray because it knows the raccoon is there for the food on the ground, and not interested in taking a bite off him. So it looks like the skunk just backed off and left the area? If the coon can put up with the smell, it can easily kill that skunk in a matter of seconds but they don't do that. They 2 co-exist very well and usually don't bother each other. Same with the possums. Coons are much bigger and weigh 4 to 6X more than the skunk but they don't attack animals that big or take the risk. Thanks for posting that!
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That was a great video! Thanks!
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What I don't understand is there is no blood sign anywhere down there? I'll go back down and track around to see.
I took the shot at the back of his head, thinking that would work. I thought maybe he had heard me and was headed away. I"m going to setup my blind down on the fence. It is about 35 yards down to the bait area from my deck.
Glad you liked the skunk versus raccoon.
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Yeah I would not have attempted that shot 35yds out on a tough critter like the possum. It's hard to judge their head and brain placement from the rear.. You may have hit neck tissue, etc. There is more skull bone (and brain matter) exposed with frontal and broadside shots. For me the possum is more challenging than a raccoon and requires more careful shot placement.
BTW, how do you light up that area? Flood light from the house? You certainly have enough critters to keep you busy for a while. Those skunks are hard to chase away. I usually have to get within 20ft of them before they decide it's time to back off. I found out they leave faster if I hold a broom stick or a bat and wave it around or hit it on the ground :) It's always a little nerve racking though walking up to a skunk that's has a defensive posture with the tail up in the air :)
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I bought a 500w work light from Lowes. They cost about $20 and they give off INTENSE light. When I was doing more sound stuff I had a lot of big extension cords so I just ran a 150 footer out into the woods from the deck of my house.
http://www.lowes.com/SearchCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&N=0&newSearch=true&Ntt=work+lights
I just wonder if I can hook my converter to one of my boat batteries and power that bad boy? That would let me go further afield with it.
Yepper, I'm going to build me a flat spot to sit down near my fence. I'm shooting too far away. It is fine for squirrels and chippers, but these animals are much tougher. Perhaps if his head filled up my entire sights I could actually hit one!
I had the pellet trap at that range and grouped some nice shots. However, the pellet trap doesn't move, I'm not tired and excited at the same time either when I'm shooting it. I'm almost afraid my fence is too far and I'll have to cross over to my wood pile on the other side. It would provide a nice blind and rest for me, but it would put me in SKUNK range!
As far as the skunks, I just pump the Daisy up a few times and try and zing one near their head. It that doesn't work I pump it about 4 times and lob one at its hindquarters. I've got them so rattled now when they hear my pumping it they start to run. They run even faster when it is the Blue Streak! It sounds like an axe on wood when it is being pumped, so they high tail it (literally).
BTW: I live in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee! Anytime you want to come down just let me know. I'm only 15 mins from the Airport. I want to go up and take some videos of LIH at the DUCK FARM!
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sweet video! that stinks you missed. im suprised that light does scare off those critters. it seems bright as heck lol hopefully you'll get them tonight!
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jake - 1/29/2010 5:39 PM
sweet video! that stinks you missed. im suprised that light does scare off those critters. it seems bright as heck lol hopefully you'll get them tonight!
The light is pretty bright but it is still about 15 yards or so away. Remember this is a neighborhood so these critters are used to outdoor lights. Also the camera makes it look brighter than it is as it is sensitive to light.
Last night I just left the camera on its tripod out on the deck. It was already aimed so all I really had to do was flip it on and zoom. I'm trying to talk someone into being my camera man. :) I'll bet if I really dedicated a night, I could get a twofer. It is just hard for me to stay up late during the week.
It is snowing like crazy here! I'm actually not going to be home until tomorrow night so all I put food out for was the squirrels. I'll bet that light is REALLY bright with snow all around!
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Outstanding video brother and you do have a untapped varmint area behind your place. :) From what I seen also I agree with Harry that big one took a hit but not in a vital spot. He did the I'm hit and dropped for a moment but realized that it wasn't fatal and moved it out fast. You'll know it when you hit em in the kill zone of the fusebox, they'll stop drop and probably lay still for a moment then go into the death dance. It's the nervous system shorting out but that will end shortly. As mentioned set up a blind closer with a clear shooting lane. Do some scouting and find the game trails they use to come in to your place that way you know they won't be coming up on you. Check your wind direction when your down there and as always be silent and deadly. All my night hunt's for Bandit's, Country Rat's etc. were done from hides that I would set up during the day and always off the game trails but with clear shooting lanes in several directions. Were all pumped waiting for you to drop your first night critter and it will come bro just be the shooter and the critter hehe. :) Ed
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Cool video :) I really enjoyed that :)
I'm really lookin forward to you finally nailing one of those critters. I have a feeling it'll be anytime now
Jeff
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Thanks man! I got myself in trouble on Youtube with putting the scraps down there. I should stop doing that since TN law is pretty specific about baiting. The lights aren't any big deal since they are only illegal for deer and it is my backyard.
Next time I shouldn't mention the "bait pile" when I post a video. :(
You'd think you could pretty much do anything you like on your own property, but it isn't that way in the USA anymore. :(
I'm going to pull down the video.
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Good job with the vidieo Randy, thanks for posting.
The first possum may have been hit, or just dropped it's head from the noise of a near miss. But, I agree with Harry and Ed, Possum-zila's twisty snap-roll was surly a hit !!!!!
I think your just out of affective range for that gun/pellet combo.
Paul.
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When I get home tomorrow I'm going to setup a blind and measure my range to the game trails that run along the seasonal creek behind my house. I've already picked out a spot for the hide. When I walked down there today it was about 20 paces, but those paces were really unsteady since the ground is mushy. :)
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dang i missed the video but you did the right thing removing it
some people have nothing better to do than stir up trouble
you need a rabbits foot pinch of salt something.HEHEHE
good luck on your next outing
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Nice critter pics. How nice of daddy to feed his kitty with wild animals.
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I left the camera out the last few days. I haven't been home. It has snowed like crazy. The only thing that has been on the camera has been SKUNKS! I'm seriously going to get a Skunk trap.