Update/Edit:
Did not surprise me, but after days of getting the feral cat to show up to a small pinch of tuna fish at a regular time, the tuna left oil/smell in that spot and attracted coons. I would have left them alone, but at least one got up on the deck and scratched at the back door. Ended up killing 3, that's the thing that sucks about bait around the house to get rid of a pest that is already showing up, no matter how small the amount you may end up attracting others that would have left your house alone otherwise, but then got the death sentence. I have to rethink buying a new large trap to avoid this, probably will this week. On another more interesting note, one I shot was already being torn up first thing in the morning by turkey vultures before I got out to take care of it in the morning. They answered a question I'd thought about in the past. A small bird of prey is greater than a group of 5+ turkey vultures. Wish I'd seen it in real time. Smallish red shouldered hawk wanted to eat, and chased away the turkey vultures, spent a good 10 minutes eating his fill, then left. The vultures were back on it in one minute.
But, I haven't had it fixed yet, and my smaller caliber pcp's aren't up to it. Looking at threads here, I have seen a lot of people shoot from inside their house, gave me an idea so I did some testing a few years ago. I pulled one of my screens out and replaced the screen material with synthetic camo net, the cheap stuff. I then opened a window, put that screen in and shrink wrapped the interior with plastic on the open window. I did the shrink wrap because I knew if I ever did it, the vast majority of the time it would be either really hot and the ac is running, or really cold and the heat is running. A wide open window for a few hours seemed dumb, and anything I would shoot would be a nervous pest so no opening a window when it showed up. Shooting through both layers at very large angles, up to 75+ degrees, PB's and my Texan didn't even notice they were firing through, same groups, same point of impact out to 110 yards. Unfortunately, the smaller pcp's starting around 15 degree entry to the coverings started to get moved around a bit, under that angle it was just fine out to 35 yards or so but did start having group problems further out even at shallow angles so the smaller cal pcp's are right out. I've had a pest showing up the past 2 weeks, peeing, crapping, and going where it shouldn't. If my large live trap hadn't been in my barn when it burned down over a year ago, I'd just trap it and let the county animal shelter put it down. But I am not going to spend another hundred + dollars on a large live trap, so it will get shot tonight. I've been putting a pinch of tuna fish out for a week in the same spot, subject is happily coming to eat it the last 3 nights within a 30 or so minute time span, I will sit in a room ready tonight and put it down. The thermal works just fine through the screen and the plastic shrink wrap, I tested that also long ago. I already have the window set up and it will be about two hours before the subject shows up, give or take 20minutes or so.
I had never considered shooting from inside the house until I saw a lot of people set up to do it here. I tried twice last week when the subject showed up to exit the house on the other side and sneak around, only ever got a glimpse of it running hard through the thermal when I turned the corner of the house, it knows. I was using my uragan when I tried sneaking around the corner, had to put the thermal on a pb and fine tune the sighting since I will be shooting from inside the house, I have never had any luck even with several hundred dollar mounts having a true return to zero on a picatinny rail, close but not perfect, a quarter inch or so off at 25 yards is totally unacceptable to me.
Did not surprise me, but after days of getting the feral cat to show up to a small pinch of tuna fish at a regular time, the tuna left oil/smell in that spot and attracted coons. I would have left them alone, but at least one got up on the deck and scratched at the back door. Ended up killing 3, that's the thing that sucks about bait around the house to get rid of a pest that is already showing up, no matter how small the amount you may end up attracting others that would have left your house alone otherwise, but then got the death sentence. I have to rethink buying a new large trap to avoid this, probably will this week. On another more interesting note, one I shot was already being torn up first thing in the morning by turkey vultures before I got out to take care of it in the morning. They answered a question I'd thought about in the past. A small bird of prey is greater than a group of 5+ turkey vultures. Wish I'd seen it in real time. Smallish red shouldered hawk wanted to eat, and chased away the turkey vultures, spent a good 10 minutes eating his fill, then left. The vultures were back on it in one minute.
But, I haven't had it fixed yet, and my smaller caliber pcp's aren't up to it. Looking at threads here, I have seen a lot of people shoot from inside their house, gave me an idea so I did some testing a few years ago. I pulled one of my screens out and replaced the screen material with synthetic camo net, the cheap stuff. I then opened a window, put that screen in and shrink wrapped the interior with plastic on the open window. I did the shrink wrap because I knew if I ever did it, the vast majority of the time it would be either really hot and the ac is running, or really cold and the heat is running. A wide open window for a few hours seemed dumb, and anything I would shoot would be a nervous pest so no opening a window when it showed up. Shooting through both layers at very large angles, up to 75+ degrees, PB's and my Texan didn't even notice they were firing through, same groups, same point of impact out to 110 yards. Unfortunately, the smaller pcp's starting around 15 degree entry to the coverings started to get moved around a bit, under that angle it was just fine out to 35 yards or so but did start having group problems further out even at shallow angles so the smaller cal pcp's are right out. I've had a pest showing up the past 2 weeks, peeing, crapping, and going where it shouldn't. If my large live trap hadn't been in my barn when it burned down over a year ago, I'd just trap it and let the county animal shelter put it down. But I am not going to spend another hundred + dollars on a large live trap, so it will get shot tonight. I've been putting a pinch of tuna fish out for a week in the same spot, subject is happily coming to eat it the last 3 nights within a 30 or so minute time span, I will sit in a room ready tonight and put it down. The thermal works just fine through the screen and the plastic shrink wrap, I tested that also long ago. I already have the window set up and it will be about two hours before the subject shows up, give or take 20minutes or so.
I had never considered shooting from inside the house until I saw a lot of people set up to do it here. I tried twice last week when the subject showed up to exit the house on the other side and sneak around, only ever got a glimpse of it running hard through the thermal when I turned the corner of the house, it knows. I was using my uragan when I tried sneaking around the corner, had to put the thermal on a pb and fine tune the sighting since I will be shooting from inside the house, I have never had any luck even with several hundred dollar mounts having a true return to zero on a picatinny rail, close but not perfect, a quarter inch or so off at 25 yards is totally unacceptable to me.
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