No more dumps to shoot rats in. - Page 2

Picher · June 27, 2013, 11:40 AM

When I was about 16, I took the Stevens Semi-Auto .22 rifle hunting during the winter. A buddy and I walked down the long camp road and I saw a white hare about 25 yards away, sitting motionless, but headed toward the right. I shot it through the lungs, but it didn't fall over, so I shot it again. Same result.

I emptied the gun on the rabbit and apparently hit nearly the same place, because I could see right through the critter! It was dead, but apparently didn't know it. I reloaded and shot it through the head and it finally fell over.

Never shot a group on a critter before or since. LOL

Hunter Customs · June 27, 2013, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Well, how about one of the greatest wing shooting experiences? I'm talking about Barn-Pigeon shooting. At first they come out fairly straight and then get smart and start diving down and flying up. They roll and pitch and present a real challenge. Hogs down below like them as well. Fortunately, we only shot the door to the hay loft, once. ....

Pahoo,

Yep, as the saying goes, been there done that.
The pigeons did make for good practice but it got harder to find barns with pigeons in them.

As for wing shooting, how about wood bees?
Every spring my barn is invaded by a new group of wood bees.
These bees bore holes in the lumber used to build the barn, the holes are about 7/16th of an inch in diameter and as round as if I had drilled them with a drill bit.

I have an old FI Bronco single shot 22 rifle I keep in the barn, it's loaded with CCI birdshot.
I've dropped many a wood bee, it's pretty good wing shooting practice, however not as much of a challenge as pigeons.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

mach1.3 · June 27, 2013, 01:14 PM

Never hunted rats at the dump but would shoot them at my Granddad's grain elevator. Couldn't use .22s because of the danger of a spark/explosion. Did kill many a rat though with my trusty 5mm Sheridan Blue Streak and our colley dog "Duke". I'd blast 'em and Duke would retreive them--quite an assembly line it was. I also liked to go down across the creek on great- grandma's farm and shoot rats in an old dilapidated barn. I would use my "old reliable" Remington 550-1 .22 semiauto and Winchester Super-X LR ammo.

Nothing, however, beat hunting cottontail rabbits in the snow with the same rifle. Used up lots of ammo though blasting away at wild running, albeit, slow hopping snowbound rabbits. Great fun!

armsmaster270 · June 29, 2013, 01:08 PM

I too am a rat shooter, We would go to the dump about midnight with spotlights made from aircraft landing lights. We took 357's 45's 12ga & 22's had a ball. If we wounded one the whole pack would start eating it. When they had piles of asparigus cuttings they would come out in the daytime. Lots of fun.

foxytwo · June 29, 2013, 07:39 PM

We used to shoot rats at night at the dump. Shine the light at the bank of trash and shoot at the eyes that glowed. Great fun but that was a long time ago.

Ricklin · June 29, 2013, 07:59 PM

We discovered the ultimate bunny hunting while I was stationed there in the late 1970's.

The local fruit processing plant would dump large piles of peach and apricot pits on the property. They had enough fruit left on the pits that the local rabbit population would explode, given the virtually unlimited food supply.

Shot more rabbits there than any time in my life. It was great fun. Had an old scoped semi auto Winchester. Can't remember the model. That rifle was like a laser beam. Killed loads of bunnies on the peach pit mounds.

Good times.....

osirus82 · July 11, 2013, 03:07 PM

i never did any rat shooting- well cept for those tree rats. i remember going out with my gramps hunting everything from squirrel to deer- as the seasons changed we would go out fur trapping, usually raccoon, beaver, skunk, and mink. We even would set poles out on the river during the fishing season during the night and come back in the morning~ a raccoon one time took the fish off the line and got hooked himself, we let him go since he wasnt in seson. I love getting out hunting and walking through the trees enjoying nature.

June 29, 2013, 01:08 PM	#29
armsmaster270 Senior Member Join Date: November 25, 2008 Location: California Posts: 1,951	I too am a rat shooter, We would go to the dump about midnight with spotlights made from aircraft landing lights. We took 357's 45's 12ga & 22's had a ball. If we wounded one the whole pack would start eating it. When they had piles of asparigus cuttings they would come out in the daytime. Lots of fun. __________________ http://www.armsmaster.net-a.googlepages.com http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/f...aster270/Guns/ Retired LE, M.P., Sr. M.P. Investigator F.B.I. Trained Rangemaster/Firearms Instructor & Armorer, Presently Forensic Document Examiner for D.H.S.

June 29, 2013, 07:59 PM	#31
Ricklin Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2008 Location: SW Washington state Posts: 2,011	Merced, CA We discovered the ultimate bunny hunting while I was stationed there in the late 1970's. The local fruit processing plant would dump large piles of peach and apricot pits on the property. They had enough fruit left on the pits that the local rabbit population would explode, given the virtually unlimited food supply. Shot more rabbits there than any time in my life. It was great fun. Had an old scoped semi auto Winchester. Can't remember the model. That rifle was like a laser beam. Killed loads of bunnies on the peach pit mounds. Good times..... __________________ ricklin Freedom is not free

June 27, 2013, 11:40 AM	#26
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	When I was about 16, I took the Stevens Semi-Auto .22 rifle hunting during the winter. A buddy and I walked down the long camp road and I saw a white hare about 25 yards away, sitting motionless, but headed toward the right. I shot it through the lungs, but it didn't fall over, so I shot it again. Same result. I emptied the gun on the rabbit and apparently hit nearly the same place, because I could see right through the critter! It was dead, but apparently didn't know it. I reloaded and shot it through the head and it finally fell over. Never shot a group on a critter before or since. LOL

June 27, 2013, 01:14 PM	#28
mach1.3 Member Join Date: February 6, 2012 Location: Spring, Texas Posts: 94	Never hunted rats at the dump but would shoot them at my Granddad's grain elevator. Couldn't use .22s because of the danger of a spark/explosion. Did kill many a rat though with my trusty 5mm Sheridan Blue Streak and our colley dog "Duke". I'd blast 'em and Duke would retreive them--quite an assembly line it was. I also liked to go down across the creek on great- grandma's farm and shoot rats in an old dilapidated barn. I would use my "old reliable" Remington 550-1 .22 semiauto and Winchester Super-X LR ammo. Nothing, however, beat hunting cottontail rabbits in the snow with the same rifle. Used up lots of ammo though blasting away at wild running, albeit, slow hopping snowbound rabbits. Great fun!

June 29, 2013, 07:39 PM	#30
foxytwo Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2010 Posts: 234	We used to shoot rats at night at the dump. Shine the light at the bank of trash and shoot at the eyes that glowed. Great fun but that was a long time ago.

July 11, 2013, 03:07 PM	#32
osirus82 Senior Member Join Date: June 22, 2013 Posts: 102	i never did any rat shooting- well cept for those tree rats. i remember going out with my gramps hunting everything from squirrel to deer- as the seasons changed we would go out fur trapping, usually raccoon, beaver, skunk, and mink. We even would set poles out on the river during the fishing season during the night and come back in the morning~ a raccoon one time took the fish off the line and got hooked himself, we let him go since he wasnt in seson. I love getting out hunting and walking through the trees enjoying nature.