Of course you realize THIS means war

[doc]

Time to get serious against the little bastard groundhogs that have been digging holes all over my property. In the past, when I had more time to pursue, I would use Hav-A-Hart traps, and then take them several miles away and release them. The little dumbsh*ts would walk right into the trap with no bait at all, all's I had to do was set the trap right outside a hole that I saw them go into.

But this year I decided to up the game a bit. I've taken shots with a .44 Mag SA Ruger Vaquero (missed), my trusty Wichita .308 pistol (missed) - both of these had fixed iron sights - and my son's M and P 15 .223, which has a laser dot sight (missed).

Keep in mind, I'm not that bad of a shot, it's just that these are small little varmints on the run at distances of 50 yards or more, and the shots are offhand.

Enter the Ithaca DSPS Police special 12ga. With this I stalked one and hit him with 00 buck at a distance of about 30 feet. Then, and only then, I checked the spread pattern of the pellets on my range target, and realized that I got lucky. The sights on the Ithaca are fixed, but easily acquired

Next up, I'm going with this.



1-0z. copper rifled slugs, said to be accurate to 100 yds, which is about the outer limit of what I would attempt anyway.





I'll keep youse posted. These just arrived today.

[Rodentman]

That should do it!

I used to get whole families of raccoons when my naybore would attempt to feed the birds. I'd trap them. Someone told me I'd have to take them 50 miles away since they had a strong sense of direction.

BS on that. I took them across the MN river to Bloomington and let them go by a drainage pond. If they could make it back across the river on the Interstate so be it.

I couldn't shoot them in town where I live.

[East Bay Rider]

Pellet gun.

[Frankie]

Sounds like a blast Doc!

[doc]

Originally Posted by 16710

Pellet gun.

In these here parts, this IS a pellet gun.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by doc

In these here parts, this IS a pellet gun.

In these parts that would be a cannon!

[doc]

Well...still haven't had a good chance to nail one of the little bastards yet, but I'm patient, and I'm in their blind spot.

Meanwhile, here was a little exercise in mass murder that I achieved last night.

[Rodentman]

I hate nests made of paper. Always spells trouble. There was one of those hanging over our driveway when I was a kid. I threw my football at it, ran in the house and didn't go out for a week.

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by Rodentman

I hate nests made of paper. Always spells trouble. There was one of those hanging over our driveway when I was a kid. I threw my football at it, ran in the house and didn't go out for a week.

Well played.

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by doc

Well...still haven't had a good chance to nail one of the little bastards yet, but I'm patient, and I'm in their blind spot.

Meanwhile, here was a little exercise in mass murder that I achieved last night.

What method did you use?

[doc]

Chemical warfare. Two and a half canisters. There are amazingly a handful of stragglers who must have been out on patrol, they can't believe the destruction when they get back. They hover around the entrance, but they won't go in. The carnage is unbelievable.

[Doug]

My parent's neighbor as a very small road side vegetable stand. 75 cents a pond for garden fresh tomatoes and 5 for a buck cucumbers. Yum! Well, anyway, I stopped in last weekend and when I was going to leave I got buzzed by a couple flyin' stingers. Took me all of 2 seconds to realize they had a home next to/under an old stump I was about 2 feet away from. I just kinda walked slowly away on left. No harm, at least to me.

[doc]

Ok, the shotgun slug may be a bit of overkill, but it's quite effective on groundhogs. This little bastard won't be digging any more holes.

[Doug]

Good God!

It took yoo 11 months to nail one?









HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[doc]

They hibernate in the winter, and they're very skittish in the spring while theyre making little hogs. Right now they're just out and about doing their hoggy little things. Patience, my son.

[East Bay Rider]

My dog would LOVE the chance to catch and kill the varmints. That's what his breed (Wheaten Terrier) was created for and I swear if allowed, he would be the Mac-daddy of all varmint killing dogs.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by doc

They hibernate in the winter, and they're very skittish in the spring while theyre making little hogs. Right now they're just out and about doing their hoggy little things. Patience, my son.

I was kidding. I figured more moved in, as critters always do.

I have squirrels that like to climb on screens. They're literally climbing the walls.

Of course, there's rules against firing weapons in the condo complex.

Although I doubt city ordinance is agreeable anyway.

[doc]

Nice little 25 yard shot with the Ithaca/slug combo. At first I thought I missed because I saw the dust kick up from the scored area/gouge in the 1 o'clock part of the frame. But then I saw him not running off, and the tell-tale sign of his little bastard tail doing whirly-birds in the air. Is it possible I'm enjoying this a little too much ?



I was gonna scrape him up with a shovel and toss him into the weeds, but the green flies had already moved in, so I'll leave him there for something to feast upon.

[East Bay Rider]

Remind me why we hate the little varmints?
I mean it's more than just holes right? They pissed on your mag wheels or texted your girlfriend right?

[doc]

Both. They also piss on my barn doors.

[doc]

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by doc

No doubt highly illegal in New Jersey however I want me some of these! Any idea on pricing and availability?

[TheLoxmyth]

LOVE the Dragon's Breath!

Killin' hogs... I ALWAYS used a 22LR in my scoped rifle, and in Allegheny County no less!

After I fired a shot, under the bed it went and out on the porch I went.

The neighbors in Wilkins Township never complained because they all were shootin' at 'em in their yards too!

They didn't get away alive...ever!

(No wonder my M-I-L loved me, I saved her tomato garden every year : )

[doc]

This big M-F has been thumbing his nose at me since last year. He is crafty and quick ( or was, I should say), and in fact is old enough that his coat was gray, as opposed to the usual fawn- brown that the newer ones sport. He made the mistake of sauntering by as I was sitting in the man cave with the door open. I knew I couldn't get up to grab the shotgun without tipping him off, so I very carefully reached into a nearby drawer and pulled.... a Keltec P32 pea-shooter (.32 ACP FMJ) Distance about 10 yards. Lucky shot what with the rudimentary fixed sights on what is usually considered a backup belly gun, but I'm not complaining.



Update 8/28: I waited a full day to see if any of his fellow woodland creatures would oblige me by dragging him off to dine upon, but all I saw was one curious turkey vulture snooping around. So I scraped him up with a shovel and dumped his rotting carcass into his main hole by my barn, where, by today, he is now Lord Of The Flies. It's a Sicilian message.

[Frankie]

Leave the gun, take the cannoli!

[doc]

It's about 5 miles to the river, so I couldn't have him sleep with the fishes.