First tree rat in 4 months!

[qball]

Nice and sunny day today, at breakfast I saw not one but two tree rats in my neighbor’s big oak tree. Thought to myself, hope at least one of them would visit my lead buffet. About 2pm and my 10th time checking my tree I saw an orange fur ball on my tree! My heart started racing, grabbed my DTC and loaded it with 177 hades then double checked all the setting just so I don’t mess up again. Peaked around the corner of the house and the tree rat was sitting quartered away from me eating something. Put the center dot about 1/3 of the way back from the armpit aiming towards the shoulder on the opposite side so I can thread through both lungs and hopefully the heart. Since it’s just sitting there eating I calmed my breathing, steadied the center dot on where I want it and POP! It jumped up the branch then down the tree, no more than 1 step after hitting the ground it tumbled and just stopped, no jumping or flopping from the brain shots I use to always prefer. Whole thing finished in under 3 seconds, it weighted in at a healthy 1.5lbs. the DTC is shooting the 10.3 grain 177 hades at 646fps average, found the pellet right under the skin by the shoulder. Perfection!

The pellet did not hit a major bone so not a whole lot of deformation or expansion but no complaints on the actual effectiveness even at such low speed just by looking at the amount of blood. Picture has the retrieved pellet next to a new/unused pellet. 

 

[Flintsack]

Nice! I love it when that happens. 


mike

 

[ram2jeep]

Nice work! What scope are you running on the rifle?

 

[squirrel_getter]

Great! Good riddance to the tree rat. They still come visit me but not so much now. I may go several days up to about a couple weeks and then one or two move in. I have not seen one in about 7 months in many trees around the yard.

 

[Ranchibi]

Nice shot and pics! It's nice to have "time" to get a good unhurried shot with all boxes checked.

 

[Ezana4CE]

@qball You say there wasn’t a lot of deformation but that squirrel’s side looks like you wrecked it in the photo. Damn!! All that from a .177? What’s DTC stand for? Dream-Tac Compact?

 

[qball]

Nice work! What scope are you running on the rifle?

Thanks, it’s a vectoptics 1-6 LPVO. It’s cheap, good glass and even has mil dot reticle so really awesome for airguns. It also weight in at only 15oz so the gun as pictured is 6lbs 11oz with more weight can be saved from the stock. Love it! 

https://www.edgunwest.com/store/optics/vector-optics/item/victoptics-s6-1-6x24-sfp-burnt-brown/



@Ezana4CE: I have been very impressed with Hades’s terminal performance! Even when shooting the 177 hades at lowly 7-9fpe they always put the smack down! If it’s a straight side shot, it would have a full pass through and the exit hole is always much bigger and drop within 10feet of the tree. Yes, DTC is dreamtac compact. 

 

[crowski]

Doesn’t get much better than that. Nice shot. Have to love the Hades. By far my favourite Varmint trainer. Dirty accurate and seems to do a wee bit more damage. Crow 

 

[qball]

Thanks Crow! Hades are simply awesome! Like you said they are every bit as accurate as regular doomed JSB and definitely does a number on pests! I am pretty certain that the front of hades catches something and the pellet tumbles inside, whatever the reason they are devastatingly effective even on huge 2lb fox squirrels. 

 

[ivant67]

Nice shot and nice rifle! I haven't tried the Hades yet but planning on picking up a tin soon. 

 

[BackStop]

First tree rat in 4 months!

I know how you feel. After averaging around 1 per day for the last 4+ years, I have only taken 6 in the last 2 months. Rarely see any and even more rarely get a safe shot.

Oh well, I guess I have just been too efficient over the last 4+ years? (chuckle)

Not to mention my neighbor cut down a Pecan tree that was also a huge draw for tree rats. I am not complaining though, because after he had to cut major roots of that tree to fix a water line leak, it was obvious that if it fell (and one tree from his yard had already fallen ON MY house) it WOULD fall ON MY HOUSE!

We'll see if things pick up once spring of 2022 gets here...

 

[JimD]

Congratulations! I can't imagine going 4 months without a squirrel in the yard but i try and avoid shooting them when it is not squirrel season here. That means Tuesday I should stop until October. I see one most nights in my neighbors yard but I don't shoot at it. It needs to come over to my yard. Maybe but probably not. It seems to recognize the danger.

 

[qball]

Congratulations! I can't imagine going 4 months without a squirrel in the yard but i try and avoid shooting them when it is not squirrel season here. That means Tuesday I should stop until October. I see one most nights in my neighbors yard but I don't shoot at it. It needs to come over to my yard. Maybe but probably not. It seems to recognize the danger.

yeah they have been quite scarce last 4 months. I did have 2-3 cross my front yard but they are so skittish and ran off quick before I can even grab my gun. Not when when the next lead buffet customer will be at this rate! Hahaha

 

[Josh198300]

Nice rig

 

[L.Leon]

Maybe give some squirrels a pass? Unless of course you're catching them in an act of destruction. This way you would get you more activity and you could be selective and have more opportunities to boot. I always find it amusing when guys shoot every squirrel in their backyard and then lament their absence. Every single squirrel is not a pest, plus a lot is learned from simply observing them. 

 

[qball]

@Joshuadonley198300: thanks! The dreamtac compact is just superb and really fun AND deadly accurate as long as you don’t try to push it too hard. It’s really is one of my favorite guns of all time. 




@L.Leon: I have thought about not immediately eliminate all squirrels I could BUT after seeing what my neighbor went through in headaches and money fixing the damage they cause I decided to enforce a strict zero tolerance no trespass policy for any squirrels. I shudder at the thought of roof repair, it would make ANY airgun look dirt cheap. My neighbor spent just over 20k repairing his roof and my roof is a good amount bigger.



Plus I don’t even see the native greys anymore, the invasive fox squirrels have taken over starting around 4 years ago. Worry not, they are doing quite well just a few block down because I seen them all the time if I just drive a few blocks away!


Plus me complaining about no squirrel is like rich people bitching about taxes, it’s a good problem in actuality. If I see a grey in the first I wouldn’t shoot it even if it is in season, plenty of fox squirrels now and days.

 

[L.Leon]

@qball, no worries, just trying to understand. In your last paragraph you say you give gray squirrels a pass? But in the second paragraph state a "no trespass policy" for any squirrels in your yard? Those fox squirrels will have to learn the hard way, good luck.

 

[qball]

@qball, no worries, just trying to understand. In your last paragraph you say you give gray squirrels a pass? But in the second paragraph state a "no trespass policy" for any squirrels in your yard? Those fox squirrels will have to learn the hard way, good luck.

sorry, no trespass in the yard period, however I have now seen a grey in the yard in 3 years or before I started shooting squirrels. The native greys have been driven out by bigger and more aggressive Fox squirrels, I use to have 2 greys in my yard almost everyday. however at least one of them was part responsible for my neighbor’s roof damage and was the only squirrel he managed to trap. 


But greys will get a pass if I go hunt for squirrels in the woods, the invasive fox squirrels really seemed have taken over anywhere near people. 

 

[Lowmad]

We literally have rats in the trees here in LA lol

 

[qball]

We literally have rats in the trees here in LA lol

time for ultra covert operation with a 5 FPE sniper! 


speaking of which, I saw a squirrel running on my fence today so hope it will come back for the lead buffet!