Summer Solstice the Druids Dance.
Flash text to Mike: “We are on! See you at 7PM” Reply “OK” Text “ You get the killing circle” Reply instantly “ Now I’m Excited. The killing Circle!” Next text “25 cal Polymags from Veteran shorty @860 FPS. Should be Brutal…”
Mike (aka CC) had been to RMAC, .30 Bobcat broke, back home, work in Hawaii, Navy taking parts of his brain out daily, pestered by throngs for his input and generally burning the candle at both ends. So when he got the news that we were set for the biggest rat killing session ever he was completely bonkers. Now picture this, a generally polite gregarious guy not prone to over excitement dancing around and almost peeing a ring around himself.
The best-laid plans meet Murphy’s Law!
We arrive at 8:15PM about ten minutes before dark. Something is off. Very windy, animals all heads down and quiet. No rats running yet? We always see rats as we drive in. Oh well maybe the wind, maybe not dark enough, whatever lets get ready. Mike quickly sets up his test target box and the little veteran shorty is dead on. Grabs his stool, tripod and hustles off to the arena of death.
I’m batting cleanup this time so nothing but scraps and leftovers for me. I hit the known hot spots outside the ZONE and nothing. Twenty minutes later I see through the IR sight rats blow out of a hide. Something big fills my scope and my finger eases toward the trigger but not touching. Oh crap it’s a cat. This fella and several others are all about and raising hell with the rats. So now we have a good idea what’s happening.
I have not heard one shot from Mike so I decided to move. Slowly I find targets here and there but no Cricket feast tonight. My Cricket mini .22 (Centercut tuned) with Huma reg@140 and power plenum shoots JSB Hades at 930fps. This was going to be the real test for the 15.89 Hades. So I’ve killed 5 rats in the last 20 minutes, got one deserter running away from his comrades. Two running shots and finally back shot the coward. Watched him slide to a stop. Smiled.
Finally heard a shot from Mike. Whew I was getting worried. We had invited Derek (eyeshot25) to hunt with us and he would have been disappointed. We usually have over 100 dead rats from the circle of death where Mike sits now.
Moving to a new spot I set up and slowly get fleeting shots every 10 minutes or so. They are very very spooked. I’m sitting in total darkness with a shooting lane 20 to 50 yards long. The ground is strewn with riprap and rat holes under every cluster. They run in and out of the pigpens and it’s an open kitchen for them with quick escape. Movement catches my eye and a flash of eyeballs. Yup a skull, snout and eyes staring right at me about 20 yards away. What a loud smack as the pellet finishes its flight on the concrete backstop now splattered with rat brains. Now we’re having fun. Things are picking up. Movement about 40 yards away, slowly a rat head comes creeping into view. Relax no rush make it count! I wait and this very large monster rat slinks up on a concrete shard with a huge rock right behind him as a backstop. I want him DRT (DEAD RIGHT THERE) no crawling back into his hole. Lean back into my folding chair, angle my sticks for steadiest shot, tell myself head shot only and hold the follow through till you see the impact! HOLY Sh*** I need a video of that. DRT no flip tail, leg kick, nothing. I’m going to recover him and see what those Hades did.
Well would you believe this, I’m sitting there all pleased with myself and I see another head pop up in the same spot. I’m thinking Re-Run. Only this time it’s WILLARD. Man this guy has a big ole nurdsack and is built for a fight. Same drill as last. What a huge smack and DRT. You all saw the picture of the squirrel standing up with the big cajones; this rat could take him down! I once caught a 13” Bluegill and this felt as good.
I put my gun down picked up my harbor freight grabber and a plastic sack and headed up to recover these guys. I’m pretty sure between them they weighed 8 or 9 pounds.
So Mike wanders out dejected exhausted from a midnight flight from Hawaii with a 6 am wake up then shooting 25 squirrels and then driving 75 mile for this nighttime ratting.
We got only about 20 to 25 rats, an all time low, so I told Mike he could have the meat and I would skin and clean them for him. He demurred offering humble thanks anyway. What a guy!
Footnote to the redball guy: I know your unhappy and think this is BS. I’m sorry it really wasn’t a 13” Bluegill it was 13lbs! Sorry for the typing error.
As far as the rat size I am sure that literally hundreds if not a thousand AGN members have also have removed 50lb Opossums, 35lb pigeons, 60lb hares, etc. Chime in with your honest to god fisherman’s weights of your best and biggest trophy.
Photos show Rats including back shot deserter. Cricket with night sight, ir flashlight on front pic rail, Tanto by DonnyFL, not needed but looks cool, Huma reg, air plenum, and Centercut signature Skull.
Hades are so awesome!
Flash text to Mike: “We are on! See you at 7PM” Reply “OK” Text “ You get the killing circle” Reply instantly “ Now I’m Excited. The killing Circle!” Next text “25 cal Polymags from Veteran shorty @860 FPS. Should be Brutal…”
Mike (aka CC) had been to RMAC, .30 Bobcat broke, back home, work in Hawaii, Navy taking parts of his brain out daily, pestered by throngs for his input and generally burning the candle at both ends. So when he got the news that we were set for the biggest rat killing session ever he was completely bonkers. Now picture this, a generally polite gregarious guy not prone to over excitement dancing around and almost peeing a ring around himself.
The best-laid plans meet Murphy’s Law!
We arrive at 8:15PM about ten minutes before dark. Something is off. Very windy, animals all heads down and quiet. No rats running yet? We always see rats as we drive in. Oh well maybe the wind, maybe not dark enough, whatever lets get ready. Mike quickly sets up his test target box and the little veteran shorty is dead on. Grabs his stool, tripod and hustles off to the arena of death.
I’m batting cleanup this time so nothing but scraps and leftovers for me. I hit the known hot spots outside the ZONE and nothing. Twenty minutes later I see through the IR sight rats blow out of a hide. Something big fills my scope and my finger eases toward the trigger but not touching. Oh crap it’s a cat. This fella and several others are all about and raising hell with the rats. So now we have a good idea what’s happening.
I have not heard one shot from Mike so I decided to move. Slowly I find targets here and there but no Cricket feast tonight. My Cricket mini .22 (Centercut tuned) with Huma reg@140 and power plenum shoots JSB Hades at 930fps. This was going to be the real test for the 15.89 Hades. So I’ve killed 5 rats in the last 20 minutes, got one deserter running away from his comrades. Two running shots and finally back shot the coward. Watched him slide to a stop. Smiled.
Finally heard a shot from Mike. Whew I was getting worried. We had invited Derek (eyeshot25) to hunt with us and he would have been disappointed. We usually have over 100 dead rats from the circle of death where Mike sits now.
Moving to a new spot I set up and slowly get fleeting shots every 10 minutes or so. They are very very spooked. I’m sitting in total darkness with a shooting lane 20 to 50 yards long. The ground is strewn with riprap and rat holes under every cluster. They run in and out of the pigpens and it’s an open kitchen for them with quick escape. Movement catches my eye and a flash of eyeballs. Yup a skull, snout and eyes staring right at me about 20 yards away. What a loud smack as the pellet finishes its flight on the concrete backstop now splattered with rat brains. Now we’re having fun. Things are picking up. Movement about 40 yards away, slowly a rat head comes creeping into view. Relax no rush make it count! I wait and this very large monster rat slinks up on a concrete shard with a huge rock right behind him as a backstop. I want him DRT (DEAD RIGHT THERE) no crawling back into his hole. Lean back into my folding chair, angle my sticks for steadiest shot, tell myself head shot only and hold the follow through till you see the impact! HOLY Sh*** I need a video of that. DRT no flip tail, leg kick, nothing. I’m going to recover him and see what those Hades did.
Well would you believe this, I’m sitting there all pleased with myself and I see another head pop up in the same spot. I’m thinking Re-Run. Only this time it’s WILLARD. Man this guy has a big ole nurdsack and is built for a fight. Same drill as last. What a huge smack and DRT. You all saw the picture of the squirrel standing up with the big cajones; this rat could take him down! I once caught a 13” Bluegill and this felt as good.
I put my gun down picked up my harbor freight grabber and a plastic sack and headed up to recover these guys. I’m pretty sure between them they weighed 8 or 9 pounds.
So Mike wanders out dejected exhausted from a midnight flight from Hawaii with a 6 am wake up then shooting 25 squirrels and then driving 75 mile for this nighttime ratting.
We got only about 20 to 25 rats, an all time low, so I told Mike he could have the meat and I would skin and clean them for him. He demurred offering humble thanks anyway. What a guy!
Footnote to the redball guy: I know your unhappy and think this is BS. I’m sorry it really wasn’t a 13” Bluegill it was 13lbs! Sorry for the typing error.
As far as the rat size I am sure that literally hundreds if not a thousand AGN members have also have removed 50lb Opossums, 35lb pigeons, 60lb hares, etc. Chime in with your honest to god fisherman’s weights of your best and biggest trophy.
Photos show Rats including back shot deserter. Cricket with night sight, ir flashlight on front pic rail, Tanto by DonnyFL, not needed but looks cool, Huma reg, air plenum, and Centercut signature Skull.
Hades are so awesome!
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