About a month ago I reported on the seven raccoons that I dispatched over a week or so by shooting through an open window in my office in the middle of the night. Our 24 cats weren't getting anywhere near all the food we were putting out for them so something had to be done.
On Tuesday night, about midnight, I looked out this specific window to see a funny looking cat with it front paws up on the edge of a large metal bowl (think of making salad for forty people) full of water having a drink. Funny looking because it had a long, bare tail, a very sharp face and lots of teeth. It was a very fat 'possum. When I yelled at it the dang thing ran directly into my garage to hide under some "stuff". Most people don't have garages full of stuff. They have bare floors and walls and a vehicle or two in them. Not my thing.
Anyway, I decide Mr. 'Possum needs to no longer reside this locally. So, each night since then I have been prepared to fix the problem. The .410 is loaded and protruding about a foot out the window in position to be put to use quickly, but with minimum lighting available. The very first night no visitor at the water bowl but I discovered a "teenager" coon on the breezeway enjoying some leftovers from an earlier cat feeding session. The next night I look out about 3:30 a.m. to discover "grandma" coon dining at the food bowl moved close to the water bowl. "Grandma" is now in coon heaven with her seven friends from last month. Then on Friday night I look out about 11:30 to see the 'possum checking out the treats again. Sadly, Ol' Dead Eye Dick was not as accurate this time so the 'possum headed back towards the garage with only a bad case of ringing in the ears. Last night was the best yet. Discovered a coyote investigating the food court. He discovered the cats, with or without outside help, had not left much of anything to snack on. He started to walk towards the breezeway/garage area. I grabbed the gun out of the window and headed out of the house to let him know to do his "grazing" elsewhere in the future. I fired over his back as he sped into the darkness. No need to shoot at him because all that .410 was going to do was injure him to some extent. I have no desire to inflict long term injury. Do the job right or not at all. BTW, it's a good thing for the neighbors they were sound asleep at the time as the shooter wasn't attired for normal public viewing by polite society.
Your story reminds me of the trouble down in Yazoo County, Mississippi that occurred when Uncle Percy Ledbetter had a fox making trouble at night in the hen house. I tried finding it on you tube...but to no avail. You'll have to read the condensed version:
I'm sure you've heard the story of Uncle Percy Ledbetter sneakin' into the hen house at 2 AM trying to shoot the fox what was terrorizin' the hens.
Being pre-dawn, Uncle Percy was still in his nightshirt when he went to investigate the commotion. He slowly the chicken coop door open with the barrel of his shotgun...about that time "Brummy", the coon dog that had been following Uncle Percy, stuck his cold nose up inside Uncle Percy's nightshirt from behind.
The next day Marcel Ledbetter was asked why he was late for school...He said they had been cleaning chickens all morning...
Holy Cow, post: 371101, member: 50 wrote: About a month ago I reported on the seven raccoons that I dispatched over a week or so by shooting through an open window in my office in the middle of the night. Our 24 cats weren't getting anywhere near all the food we were putting out for them so something had to be done.
On Tuesday night, about midnight, I looked out this specific window to see a funny looking cat with it front paws up on the edge of a large metal bowl (think of making salad for forty people) full of water having a drink. Funny looking because it had a long, bare tail, a very sharp face and lots of teeth. It was a very fat 'possum. When I yelled at it the dang thing ran directly into my garage to hide under some "stuff". Most people don't have garages full of stuff. They have bare floors and walls and a vehicle or two in them. Not my thing.
Anyway, I decide Mr. 'Possum needs to no longer reside this locally. So, each night since then I have been prepared to fix the problem. The .410 is loaded and protruding about a foot out the window in position to be put to use quickly, but with minimum lighting available. The very first night no visitor at the water bowl but I discovered a "teenager" coon on the breezeway enjoying some leftovers from an earlier cat feeding session. The next night I look out about 3:30 a.m. to discover "grandma" coon dining at the food bowl moved close to the water bowl. "Grandma" is now in coon heaven with her seven friends from last month. Then on Friday night I look out about 11:30 to see the 'possum checking out the treats again. Sadly, Ol' Dead Eye Dick was not as accurate this time so the 'possum headed back towards the garage with only a bad case of ringing in the ears. Last night was the best yet. Discovered a coyote investigating the food court. He discovered the cats, with or without outside help, had not left much of anything to snack on. He started to walk towards the breezeway/garage area. I grabbed the gun out of the window and headed out of the house to let him know to do his "grazing" elsewhere in the future. I fired over his back as he sped into the darkness. No need to shoot at him because all that .410 was going to do was injure him to some extent. I have no desire to inflict long term injury. Do the job right or not at all. BTW, it's a good thing for the neighbors they were sound asleep at the time as the shooter wasn't attired for normal public viewing by polite society.
Maybe if the food court was removed at night the critters would go elsewhere???
Definitely sounds like you have an animal problem.
TWENTY FOUR cats!!!
Holy something else!
imaudigger, post: 371256, member: 7286 wrote: Definitely sounds like you have an animal problem.
TWENTY FOUR cats!!!
Holy something else!
https://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/look-at-your-choices?utm_term=.oxY1NZY9z#.imyaA3e7d
"In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats."
B-)
imaudigger, post: 371256, member: 7286 wrote:
..TWENTY FOUR cats!!!
Holy something else!
And those are just the ones that live up by the house...go down and check the hay barn(s)...I bet there's more.
FL/GA PLS., post: 371291, member: 379 wrote:
"In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats."
B-)
I might be wrong here - but don't you need at least two? a female and a Tom? - to start with anyway 🙂
Twice I have experienced cat problems. The first was a dozen feral cats...
The second was a half dozen or more domestic kittens, which were all adopted out.
Never again!!!
My daughter brought home a kitten last year and I made sure it got fixed the day it was old enough.
Those are the ones we claim. The neighbor to the north has three or four plus two dogs. The neighbor to the south has a number of barn cats plus two inside cats and three inside dogs.
This morning around 8:45 there WERE two 'possums in the yard chasing cats away from the cat food. Tomorrow only one of the them has a chance of returning, except in spirit.
Jed Clampett had some mighty fine recipes for possum stew.
Maybe if you were real nice and peeled taters Ms. Cow would whip you up a mess o'viddles? 😉
BTW: Don't you have anything of the canis familiarus variety laying around and licking it's junk? A good hound would definitely keep ol' Mr. Possum in the shadows.
There are two canines from a few hundred feet away who make about three trips per day around my house. Anything bigger than a young rabbit is safe.....apparently.
There are plenty of coyotes in the neighborhood which is probably why the possums prefer to move into the garage where it is relatively safe. The train rolls through in the night and it sounds like 100 coyotes howling. Divide by 10 to come closer to the true number within a half mile.
Holy Cow, post: 371340, member: 50 wrote: There are two canines from a few hundred feet away who make about three trips per day around my house. Anything bigger than a young rabbit is safe.....apparently.
There are plenty of coyotes in the neighborhood which is probably why the possums prefer to move into the garage where it is relatively safe. The train rolls through in the night and it sounds like 100 coyotes howling. Divide by 10 to come closer to the true number within a half mile.
You're right on the edge of where the Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferous) makes its home. Any around?
With a howling coyote, a distant train, a Whip-poor-will and a "Hit and Miss" pump-jack engine lazily popping in the background a man could get some good sleep up there. :good:
I've never seen any rabbit that is safe around any cat.
A Harris, post: 371375, member: 81 wrote: I've never seen any rabbit that is safe around any cat.
That is true.
When the boys were small we had a 'Maine Coon' feral tom that took up residence at our place. Biggest damn cat I've ever owned, I bet he weighed 25 or 30 pounds. I use to tell people he was the best dog I ever had..
Watching him chase down bunnies down by the garden was better than any Discovery Channel slow-mo film from the Serengeti. That cat had some moves, just like a cheetah. He ate real good.
I know my birds about as well as I know my trees. Don't recall hearing anything similar to whip poor will coming out of our quail. Bob white, bob bob white.
Every pump jack I can think of is powered by an electric motor. Little stripper wells. The guys in Texas and Louisiana spill more oil from one well in a day than all the wells in my county produce in a year.
Holy Cow, post: 371380, member: 50 wrote: ..Every pump jack I can think of is powered by an electric motor..
I should know better than to think there are still any "poppers" out there. For the last ten years I've written at least three easements a week in the Anadarko Basin for electric lines running to the wells replacing the old pump engines with electric motors. I doubt if there are any still left down here either..
