The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Hunt

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 4, 2000, 02:21 PM   #1
Al Thompson
Staff Alumnus
 
Join Date: May 2, 1999
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 3,611
Last Monday I was enjoing a cup of coffee and the first day of vacation. The weather was cool (45 degrees or so) but clear with a bit of a breeze. I was on my back deck watching the birds at my feeders through my binos when I noticed some movement in the brush.

The binos are 10x40 Ziess and did a great job of penetrating the brush. I was astounded. I've seen these critters before but never dreamed a small band (herd?) would appear in central South Carolina especially in my yard. Mentally I reviewed what little I knew about them. They are gregarious, usually very shy and have in fact killed more Europeans than almost any other animal. Nothing in Africa or India ever dreamed of racking up the body count these animals have.

After a few minutes I slid out of my chair and crawled into the house. Time to select an appropriate weapon.

In the old days, many a young warrior tested his mettle hunting and killing these beasts. However, I'm a modern sort of guy and decided that my "mettle" was throughly tested. No spears or other non-chemically powered weapons for me. I looked over the contents of my gun safe and selected a push feed Ruger in stainless steel. I have the rifle topped with a Leupold 2.5x8 and the combonation of low powered scope and accurate rifle looked fine.

I selected a box of solids and drove to the range. Before I left the house, I carefully measured the probable engagement ranges and selected a happy medium. Mounting a Harris bipod on the rifle and getting the rifle zeroed in was fairly quick. I was almost ready for the next days activities.

The thought of a back-up gun started with a 12 guage and buckshot but ended up being another Ruger. The nod went to a SS DA Ruger Revolver with a 4 inch barrel. I've shot this revolver extensively and know where it hits. The reliability of a wheel gun would serve me well if things got ugly.

The rifle and bipod combination stood guard next to the back door that night. The revolver went in a holster and belt rig. I planned on taking more ammo than needed - about twenty rounds or so. Sleep came easy but I wished the morning would hurry up.

I woke a bit late and dressed in a hurry. Wool pants, my Cabela's windstopper jacket and a good set of boots were selected. I sucked down a cup of coffee and slid the back door open.

Crawling out on to my deck, I set the rifle up with the muzzle poking between the slats. There was no other place although the close set slats would limit my horizontal movement. I had to make the first shot count or be faced with stalking a wounded critter in thick terrain.

The previous day I had established that there were some young in the group. I was hoping for a male, but, regardless, any that appeared would be hammered. About eight or so, the first one meandered out of the brush and started grazing.

The range was just a bit beyond my zero distance. I decided to take this one. The cross hairs firmed up just below the back bone and the crisp two stage trigger seemed to drop the hammer of it's own accord.

The animal pitched forward and did not move. The sound of the shot faded and I rapidly but quietly chambered another round. Watching the carcass, I wondered if another one would appear. I've noticed over the years that animals don't always associate a single shot with danger. This bunch had almost certainly never been hunted before or I would have heard about it. Soon my patience was again rewarded and target number two came forth.

This shot was more challenging. Intead of the meandering of the first, this one came out trotting. It knew something was wrong, but curiosity propelled it forward. It was close enough that leading was not needed. The crosshairs again found the shoulder and the rifle cracked. Another body dropped into the grass and all was well in my world.

Calling my Lab to go with me, I took the rifle and checked both critters out. Neither were trophy grade, but a clean kill is always the goal. The bullets went where they were aimed and I had good penetration. Both were hit in the shoulder and the exit wounds looked good. There were more where these two came from..

Next installment - how to bait the common Brown RAT using your bird feeder...



Hope you enjoyed my rat killing. True story BTW. Both Rugers were .22s and the solids were CB Longs. The common rat was a vector for bubonic plague and did indeed kill more Europeans than anything else. And there are still some in my brush pile!

Giz

[This message has been edited by Gizmo99 (edited November 04, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Gizmo99 (edited November 04, 2000).]
Al Thompson is offline  
Old November 5, 2000, 11:59 AM   #2
Keith Rogan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 1999
Location: Kodiak, Alaska
Posts: 1,014
Make sure to post pix after you get them mounted...
Of course, them Brown Rats are right puny. If you ever want some real hair-raising adventure check out one of those enormous Norway Rats. You'll need to step up to a .22 mag, but a Stinger will do in a pinch (though I wouldn't want to follow a wounded one up in heavy cover with a Stinger...).

You'll want a reliable guide, a man with nerves of steel and a lifetime of Norway Rat experience - check out the Bronx, most of the three card monte dealers also double as rat guides...



------------------
Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
Keith Rogan is offline  
Old November 5, 2000, 12:52 PM   #3
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
 
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
Hey, Giz, send me some of whatever you've been smoking, okay?

, Art
Art Eatman is offline  
Old November 5, 2000, 01:23 PM   #4
bergie
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 19, 1999
Posts: 567
Judging by your overblown prose, I think you've been reading too many hunting magazines. However, you might be tempted to enter a contest that I've heard about, they give an award for the best worst Hemingway style writing. I used to have a lot of fun shootin rats at the dump, back when small towns used to have dumps instead of sanitary landfills or transfer stations, and nobody got all upset at the thought of a bunch of young teenage boys riding their bikes through town carrying several deadly weapons to go shooting on public property completely unsupervised.
bergie
bergie is offline  
Old November 5, 2000, 02:04 PM   #5
rr41mag
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 25, 2000
Location: Biloxi, Miss.
Posts: 180
I liked it
rr41mag is offline  
Old November 5, 2000, 06:21 PM   #6
Al Thompson
Staff Alumnus
 
Join Date: May 2, 1999
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 3,611
I do read too many hunting magazines..

I have had one encounter with a Norwegian (wharf) rat and that was enough. The rat fought my dog almost to a stand still. A shovel powered by my Dad ended that one..

Giz
Al Thompson is offline  
Old November 7, 2000, 02:06 PM   #7
LoneStar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 10, 1999
Location: Houston, Texas USA
Posts: 259
My rat terrier does his job well, and with gusto, so there just aren't enough around the house to hunt anymore. Prior to that I often considered a .22 cal air rifle so as not to upset the neighbors.

Growing up, we had a dump on our deer lease. lot's of rats. an old pump .22, a pocket full of shells - more fun than any Nintendo ever!
LoneStar is offline  
Old November 7, 2000, 02:40 PM   #8
HankB
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 30, 2000
Location: Central Texas, outside of Austin
Posts: 1,698
Did you let all that fresh meat go to waste?

(Insert bad joke about DemocRAT party dinner here.)
HankB is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06580 seconds with 8 queries