Help with 'Coon elimination...

[davee1]

I've got a war with some raccoons thats been a long time comin. A few years ago, they wiped out about 3 yrs of work in one night, killing most of my youngturtles that I had hatched and spent the last 3 yrs raising. They are an endagered species in Europe and I have an ongoing breeding project going on. Never was able to get them back. Then I bought some airguns to help with the battle.

Now they are showing up again. Only this time, there's a motion detector that alerts me to their presence. Unfortunately there was two coons and I could only get one. I let the dogs out and one went up in one of my trees and the other popped over the fence. So I figured I would get my revenge with the one in the tree, and stand ready to take out any others that may come back.

So I had the wife hold a maglite on the treed coon, and its eyes lit up bigtime. I figured that my newly aquired .22 whisper was up for the job, as I was hitting half inch squares dead center at 20 yards and the coon was about 20 yards from me. I aimed for one of its eyes and took the shot thinking that the upward angle of the shot would put the Predator .22 pellet thru its eye and into its fusebox. That did not happen, although the coon was hit. I took another shot at the other eye, same thing. I tried for in between the eyes...nope. I tried kodiaks...nope. I got out my laserguided AK47 B3 .22 and put one into its eye and that light went out but the coon was still alive!!! Now it got smart and went up higher in the tree and I couldnt get to it, couldnt even see it. Waited for dawn and then I saw it by putting the tree against the lighted sky and there it was. More pellets into the eye, no luck. Figured I needed a sideshot to the head but couldnt get one because it was constantly looking at me, and by this time the wife had bailed. Coon decides to come down with two dogs and me underneath. I figured the pellets did affect his brain somewhat, because he was better off up high in the thickness of the branches and leaves. I put a kodiak into its eye when I was about 2 feet from it. That finally dropped it out of the tree, but now it was gonna scrap with my dogs. The coon got bit a few times, and started running. Female dog out...got hurt on right front foreleg. Male dog in hot pursuit, chased it into a little space where the chimney juts out from the house. Male dog clamped to the coon's backbone/neck area and I used the butt of the whisper to give it a head wallop. Coon is dead. Dog crunched its vertebrae at the same time as I walluped it. We's a good team!!!

Now...I dont wanna go thru that again...even though it was real excitin an all. So I looked up some pics of a coon skull. Looked to me like the best way to get into the fusebox was right behind the eye -or- the behind of the head on either side, skipping the jawbone under the ear that could act as armor. Frontal face shots aint goin into the fusebox unless you use a powderburner or get real lucky with a more powerful airgun. The front of the skull is really tough and angled in a way that probably deflects pellets. My weapon of choice next time will be a CFX .22 with predator pellets, since that has a laser on it and is set up for 20 yrds. My 350M and Falcon are set up for 75yrds+ and I can't be countin mildots when tryin to hit that wiggly kinda head...jeez...they are active little buggers. I never saw either one of the heads stay still when I first saw them on the ground.

What do you guys think about shot placement on a coon head? Behind the eye or what?

[shadow]

Yup Dave your best location is is behind the eye, the bone cavity there is larger then the eye . The bone is also thin behind the eye with several small opening's for nerves and eye muscles to travel through to the fusebox. The front of the skull is a deflector plate and most shot's will damage but deflect off but if you can place a shot at the base of the back of the skull where the spine meet's it, that will shut em down too. I've taken em awhile back with these shot placement's. Ed

[davee1]

thanx Ed!!! Appreciate it!!!

[shadow]

No problem buddy love helping out my great fellow hunter's and the Predator will get in there and take em down, coon's are tough fella's just like possum's or as I call em " country rat's". Good luck.:) Ed

[davee1]

Ed, what kind of mischief do possums get into?. Are they a threat to my wildlife and ponds? Dont know much about them funny lookin things...I had one last year up on the fence, but I didnt take it out because I had never seen them in my yard, and it wasnt doin nuthin wrong at the time, never have seen any signs of em.

[shadow]

When I lived out in South Dakota we had a problem with them getting our chicken's at night and into the garbage, don't think they'll bother your turtles though. They are tough fella's and I've had a few charge me when cornered, nasty sharp fang's and they eat meat. Ed

[TCups]

Take great care, Dave!
Where I come from about half or more of the raccoon population carries rabies.  

[davee1]

Yikes!!! I'll keep an eye out for 'em and see if they fool with the forbidden stuff. Dont have anychickens, but there's a multitude of dove nests everywhere. If they mess with the doves, or any of my little aminal buddies...their goin down.

[davee1]

Yikes!!! Here its bats and skunks that are the rabies carryers. No coons been reported. In fact...no rabies cases around here that I know of, but its *always* good to take great care. And I will.

[shadow]

When he's down poke em with the barrel several time's, possum's will play possum for real and if he growl's put another one in the fusebox.Ed

[davee1]

yep, I seen em play dead before. I had the funniest dog a while back and he thought that all the animals were for him to play with, except mousies. One night he had licked a young possum to the point where it looked like a drowned rat!!! Now, when he showed me that possum...I thought it was dead...but I knew they play dead...so I picked it up by the tail very gently and put it on the other side of the cyclone fence where Smoky couldnt "play" with it anymore. A couple of minutes later, up comes the possum and wanders away shakily. Little feller had takin a lickin!!!

[shadow]

LOL a free bath and a helping hand over the fence.:) Ed

[Timmyj1959@yahoo.com]

Hey Dave,, Tim here!!  Coons are tough for shure!! Im not a "Puter" guy,, but if you go to the bottom of this page & go to page 3,,look for "The Best Post I Ever Made" You will see my last "Coon" kill. More Importantly for you,, go to page 2,,look for "Skulls 101",, there you will see the skull from that Raccoon. Study it closely,, the main  "Fuse Box" is further back than most think. With firearms,, the old saying of,, between the eye & the ear is pretty much indisputable for shure. With  our lower power airguns, we should all study the weak points of the game we pursue. (Between the "Eye & Ear" is not always the best) (Pretty darn good rule of thumb though). In all honesty,, alot of folks think in the "Eye" will "Get Er Done"?? Most skulls I have studied have virtually no brain behind the eye socket. Besides,, the bone behind is pretty thick. Behind the eye is better. Look how far behind the eye I hit that Racoon. Of course on WhiteTail Deer,, the "Softest Spot" I have found is on the top of the skull,, nice little flat spot about the size of a silver dollar. Did I say that out loud??He He He!! (Quarter size on the side)LOL!! Of Course,, with my compound or cross bow,, the target is "Dinner Plate" size!!LOL!!  Tim.

[davee1]

Hi Tim!!! I had forgotten about those pics...thanx for the refresher!!!