GTA
General Discussion To Gateway To Airguns => Hunting Gate => : atchman2 February 11, 2010, 12:29:30 PM
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Hey guys! For you late night folks, once I get my kiddos to bed between 9 and 10 I'm headed outside for as long as I can stand it. It is bitterly cold and I've already had to get my ski mask out. At SEVEN the dinger went off and a monster raccoon was outside. I probably could have shot him from the deck, but I've not had any luck against large animals from that far away. When I started sneaking down the stairs-I forgot about the motion lights and he was spooked!
About eight, POSSUMZILLA returned! I thought maybe I had killed him before when I hit him, but, no- it must have been a glancing blow off his thick head. Anyway, he bolted when I cocked the 350, but grabbed a chicken bone out of the garbage before he left at high speed. :D (BTW I know it is him because he is red from coming through the culvert
Anyway, my kiddos are about to go outside in the hot tub so that means no varmints for awhile. What IS cool is that I have both Possumzilla and the big raccoon on the video camera mounted on the deck. My new camo net is deployed, but I don't like how it is situated. Tomorrow I'll build a little frame for it out of PVC pipe that I can pop it up at night.
Something is going down tonight (I hope)! :)
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I'm eagerly awaiting an update. I don't know why, though. I've little interest in shooting possums and 'coons myself, but the excitement and fun you're having is infectious, I think. :).
Plus it's cool to watch you figure out your systems. Anyway, keep it up!
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Good luck tonight! ( living vicariously here ; )
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That's what I did...frame made from PVC covered with burlap..then spray painted camo...(brown/green/black)..neat is you can see thru it...i can go straight out the back(sliding door0 onto the patio and not be seen...get occasional crows,rabbits,squirrels...dang yotes stay to far up da hill,though...
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Good luck Randy !!!!
And you may want to duct tape a bayonet on the end of that 350 just in case that first round only makes Possumzilla mad !!! :D
Paul.
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Well my screaming kids in the hot tub have scared them off for a bit. I fully expect between 10 and 11 there will be heavy activity.
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Go get em :)
will be looking forward to your upcoming report.....
Jeff
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Randy I'll be checking back on a regular basis. I say go for the raccoon but if you have a score to settle with the big possum take him. I can't wait to read about and see your success.
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Well the rest of the night was a disapointment. I stayed up as late as I could then went to bed. About 4 or so, the dinger went off and since I was upstairs it took a second (I slept in my hunting clothes on top of the covers just in case). It was a large raccoon, but there was just no way I could get through the door without him hearing me. I didn't turn on the lights or anything but the sound of the door must have gotten him. I may have gotten his fleeing on the video camera as I had it on standby and just hit record.
Shooting from my windows probably isn't an option. I'd have to shoot from the second floor and that would lengthen my shots even more.
Man I just thought with so much early action there would be a TON of critters. When I was asleep I was dreaming of a limit! :D
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that stinks you didnt get any. but sooner or later you will!
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Here are a couple of videos from the Game Camera. It was the first time I've tried doing video.
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/atchman/Air%20Rifles/Game%20Camera/?action=view¤t=PICT0049.flv (http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/atchman/Air%20Rifles/Game%20Camera/?action=view¤t=PICT0049.flv)
Here are some squirrels!
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/atchman/Air%20Rifles/Game%20Camera/?action=view¤t=PICT0060.flv (http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/atchman/Air%20Rifles/Game%20Camera/?action=view¤t=PICT0060.flv)
To use my bigger video camera I have to use a converter and compress it down. Otherwise the files are too big.
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Very cool. That raccoon presented with a nice frontal shot - just the way I like it :) But there was no food in the dish so he kept moving his head around. That was a nice healthy good-sized coon btw. The squirrels are fun to watch.. Man, I can't watch anymore. I need to shoot something!! :o 8) hehehe.
Can we do a spouse-swap? Like the wife-swap TV show? Can you come to my house and I 'll go to yours for a week? I won't be posting vids but dead coons, possums and squirrels, hehehe 8) It will be like a cool hunting trip for me. I will listen for the Ding Donger, and then go to one of your back windows and take care of business with the .22 & .25 Condors :) 35yds is perfect since they are zeroed at 30 but I can make adjustments :) I will bring extra ding dongers and put them all over the place :) I got 3 of them! hehehe.
Aaah, it's so nice to dream of "Randy's critter factory", hehe :D
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Well I'm home today with the stinking FLU! I've been in bed most of the day. My mom came over and got the small children. Perhaps with a little asprin I can go outside for a bit-but I'm not feeling it right now. Got about 80 pictures on the game camera last night-mostly raccoons. It seems when the coons are around they run off the skunks and possums!
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Randy, I don't want to sound all motherly and what not but you better not push it. Get your self medicated and pull up a piece of couch and call it an evening. Maybe taking a little break will give you the boost you need to get out there tomorrow. Hope you get feeling better soon. Take care.
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Randy,
Very cool video! That looks like a lot of fun. I really enjoyed watching those.
Please explain the concept of the dinger.... Is this a motion sensor that you have hooked to an alarm of some sort? Sounds very interesting.
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Yup seen some great shot placement's with that Bandit. :) Ed
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Well last night was my best night for getting to stay up and shoot. However, my body is in full rebellion and all I could do is to stay in bed. I even shipped the kids off to grannie's house because I can't take care of them.
The Game Camera was outside and when I looked out the window this morning it was sideways! I figured some coons got in a fight or something and bumped it, but the culprit was squirrels! I dumped the last of the acorns down there yesterday as they were starting to smell bad on my deck. That was the last of the squirrel attractants as I ran out of deer corn earlier in the week. My re-stocking though has went very well with a daily audience of half a dozen or more running around. With any luck by the spring squirrel season that will be 30!
Anyway, I've slept most of the last two days with some sort of viral infection. I'm just trying to get to feeling well enough to watch the Daytona 500 all the way through. Back to bed to store up energy! If I don't get to feeling better by this evening I'm headed to the ER.
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Sounds like a plan Randy... definitely go see a doctor, whether it be your own personal physician or the ER. I was always guilty of waiting too long to go to the doctor, hoping I would just magically feel better, but I learned my lesson a while back. Do yourself a favor buddy and go see the doc and let him/her put all those years of medical school to use on you, then get your prescriptions filled and get home and crawl into bed with the remote and watch that NASCAR event. Don't wait buddy,,,, while the kids are safely tucked away with granny you're free to zip over to the doctors...... you'll be glad you did...
In the meantime will say a prayer that you feel better :)
Jeff
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Yes do what Jeff said! Hope your better quick!
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Thanks guys! I did go to the ER and it turns out I just have a bad stomach virus. They gave me some IV fluids and some drugs to help me. I'm back home laying on the couch watching the race and the Lady Vols.
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Glad to hear you went to the doctor..... you did the right thing. Now just relax, take it easy and let your body heal. Those critters out in the yard aren't going anywhere... they'll be there waiting for ya when your back in stride :)
Jeff
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thats good its just a viral thing and nothing serious. get some rest and feel better!
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cool vids.
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Crap! Sorry about that. That sucks.
There's not much to say beyond that, but only that I'm disappointed that I didn't get to see you hunt.
Feel better. Take your vitamins. Don't by shy about mega dosing Zinc and B-Complex either.
M
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Glad to hear it's nothing serious Randy.
Rest up, the critters will still be there - and who knows, the break in action may bring even more around.
Paul.
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I actually got up to take a shot at a rampaging squirrel this morning. I had just put my 350 away yesterday and I had my Whisper out. That was a BAD idea since there was a 25 mph wind. I missed him twice and caught my embarassment on film!
Anyway I woke up this morning again with my insides wanting outside of me. The call to whack that squirrel in my bird feeders overcame my discomfort. :D
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"................The call to whack that squirrel in my bird feeders overcame my discomfort. ....."
That's a good sign. :D
Paul.
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hOW DO YOU SET UP THE DINGER?I AM BEING INVADED WITH COONS. 6 ON MY NIEGBHORS FRONT YARD AT 830 AT NIGHT, THE DOG IS GOING BUSIRK. TO EARLIER FOR ME TO BE RUNNING AROUND THE HOOD WITH A AR THAT LOOKS LIKE 3006. BUT 3 AM TWO NIGHTS LATER THEY ARE FORNICATING ON MY FRONT LAWN, *_*_*_*_*_*ED ME OFF, DOG IS INSIDE BUT BARKING LIKE CRAZY . SO I GO OUT AND CHASE THEM, THEY RUN 50 YARDS AND START OVER. i NEED TO GET THEM IN THE BACK YARD, THEN THERE MINE. *_*_*_*_*_*ING ME OFF. THE WIFE WON'T LIKE IT, BUT COUPLE MORE NIGHTS OF BEING AWAKENED, SHE PROBALY SHOOT THEM...
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I bought a driveway alert thing off of Fleabay. It was about $20 or so. The noise part is in the house, usually in a drawer because they are LOUD. You put the sensor part out on a fence post or piece of wood.
If you are trying to lure them in, you'll want to set up your shooting spot no more than 20 yards from your potential target. Normally I don't go outside to try and get a shot until the first alarm.
Just went off here about a minute ago! Large possum, but I wasn't ready to shoot so he gets a pass :)
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SO IT IS WIRELESS? FLEABAY IS THIS LIKE EBAY? THAT SOUNDS REALLY COOL.
TIM
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As the first to get the "Ding Donger" as we 've named it, and introduce it to the rest of the GTA, here is the link to the Harbor Freight Driveway Alert system :)
http://ww2.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93068
Harbor Freight has doubled the price in 6mos! 1.5yrs ago when I bought it it was $17.99, then I got another one at $15.99 and then I bought a 3d one about 5mos ago for $16.99. I thought the price would keep going down but to my amazement it is now $29.99! What they hey? Greedy company - Harbor Freight. Because of some slightly higher demand (from backyard hunters, hehe) they have almost doubled the price. Unbelievable.. Well here it is.
You can probably find it cheaper on eBay but from what I understand Harbor Freight is the exclusive importer. It's made in China of course like everything else. Probably still worth the $30 if you have some big night critters frequenting your backyard. It makes spotting them much easier. You don't have to stay up all night waiting for them. You just wake up to the "ding dong". Go to your sniping spot, window, whatever, aim for the head, and squeeze.. then pick up the dead possum, coon, skunk, fox, whatever have you and skin it, eat it, tan it, or dispose of properly :) First and most important step: Take pictures and post them here! 8)
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Here is the one I have: $9.99 right now anyway!
http://cgi.ebay.com/DRIVEWAY-PATROL-SECURITY-WIRELESS-ALARM-MOTION-DETECTOR_W0QQitemZ360235278946QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53dfb22262
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Thanks so much for the links. Watching the one on ebay. If I don't get that one i will buy the 29.95 one. great HELP, Tim
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Ding donger came on Sat., got it for 18.79 shipped. Question how high should I set the IR sensor? They say 3 feet. Should it be in the back of the yard or on the house?
Thanks,
Tim
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My experience is you need it to be at least 2 feet off the ground. Mine is about 4 to 5 feet from the area I want to monitor. You can pretty much put the other part anywhere as they seem to have a huge range. They are LOUD so you may want to stuff it in a drawer :)
I've got mine on a post driven into the ground.