My mini got some action last night!!!

[west5757]

We are remodeling a house we bought and my wife stepped out of the garage to see a nasty ole possum staring at her. A couple of .22 mags later he no longer had that nasty grin on his face. Good thing the mini was in my pocket.

[magnum_mike]

 Which mini?  Congrats on the target of opportunity.  No pic?

[TwoGunJayne]

Any NAA mini is an excellent trap line gun. Congrats on the free-range hit.

You get tired of possum raiding your trash and stealing pet food...

[Goatpacker]

And  some fine dining to boot!!! Good job!!! I love those unexpected opportunities when no real threat exist!!!

[west5757]

A possum is one of - if not the- only animal that I will go out of my way to shoot, run over with a vehicle, club with a stick. Those nasty things make me cringe. If I would've been thinking I would've taken a picture but I was too busy trying to get it out of sight of my dog and the cats.

[heyjoe]

i dont really get killing for the sake of killing. if you kill it eat it. i have possums that come around here, never had a problem chasing them away.  makes me wonder if you should be carrying a gun. 

[OV-1D]

i dont really get killing for the sake of killing. if you kill it eat it. i have possums that come around here, never had a problem chasing them away.  makes me wonder if you should be carrying a gun.

  +1

[G50AE]

  +1

OV+1D? 

[OV-1D]

 The older I get the more I appreciate all living things large and small except mosquitos , fleas and any other biting diseased carrying critters . Everything else is good to go as long as the supermarkets don't close up , theres enough dead stuff on the shelves .Tried shooting a mosquito once dang near took my ear off  ha .

[boone123]

Ov-
I shoot flies and grasshoppers. Always looking for a new challange. Stop by sometime. Should be able to get by with subsonic ammo.

[OV-1D]

  It is a shame there Boone that all us good guys are scattered all around the country , its a small world but big enough to make us all even look that much smaller . Talk about grasshoppers Boone down here in the Sunshine State we have grasshoppers 3 to 5 inches long dang near small birds , knock anyone off the road on a bike and also talk about windshield hits ya gotta go to the carwash after a couple of those hits .

[G50AE]

There's room for all of God's creatures,  right next to the mashed potatoes and green beans, with gravy on top. 

[bud]

    


Be kind to your neighborhood possums & raccoons
   
   


Appreciate and be thankful for nature in our midst.

Possums

1. Welcome the possums to your neighborhood and yard. Possums are cute, sweet, friendly, good neighbors.


2. Possums are wonderful for your garden.  You needn't use pesticides if you have a possum residing in your yard.  Possums eat insects, bugs, and leaf debris.

2. Possums are very sweet & loving creatures.  They will not bite nor hurt people or pets under any circumstances.  They may hiss but that is just to scare people away.

3. Possums are very timid.  They are nocturnal and try to stay hidden so no one can see them.

4. Possums do NOT carry any disease or sickness that can be contracted by or spread to people or pets.  They do NOT contract or carry rabies.  Their body temperature is too low for them to be able to harbor rabies.

5. Possums are a delightful addition to your yard or neighborhood.  Please try to keep them safe, protected, and well-cared for.


Provide food, water, and warm, dry shelter for the possums in your yard, basement, or garage.  Provide good nutritious foods, especially fruits and vegetables, organic, if possible.  Possums love fresh raw bananas, tomatoes, brocoli, carrots, etc.  You will want to cut the fruits and vegetables into bite-size chunks.


Please call 773-250-3407 anytime for more information.

8. Possums deserve our love, kindness, and protection.

9.   If you find an injured, hurt possum or other wild creature:

If you find an injured possum or if a possum is not safe in your neighborhood, please immediately call a wildlife
rehabilitation/rescue volunteer or wildlife rehabilitation center in your area.

You can find them on the internet under wildlife rehabilitation centers or wildlife rehabilitators for your county.  The Audubon Society can often help you locate one.

If you can't find a wildlife rehabilitator, call us at our emergency number 317-602-3143.  We will try to help you find one in your area.

Caution:  Be certain that you are not accidentally calling a 'pest extermination' company.  They are horrific and sometimes try to pose as rescue groups. They charge high prices, kill the animals at issue in cruel manner, and lie to you about their doing so.

10.  You can help protect your neighborhood possum by providing him with good nutritious food, water, and safe shelter in your yard, basement, or garage.  Steam-distilled water is always best.  He would love some warm, dry blankets.

Let your neighbors know what a wonderful addition he is to your neighborhood so they will not be afraid of him.  And call us at 317-602-3143 if your neighborhood possum needs help of any sort.

Thank you for caring about our precious possums.
      
Raccoons

1. Raccoons are precious creatures who will not hurt you or your family.  Like the possums, they are nocturnal, timid, and like to stay hidden from people.

2. In the Pacific Northwest, many people allow the possums and raccoons to live in their yards.  They feed them regularly and provide them with special shelter in the wintertime.  Possums and raccoons co-exist beautifully with other animals.  They will eat out of the same dish, together at the same time, with stray cats and squirrels.

3. With people feeding them, the raccoons become tame and then sometimes allow themselves to be seen.  Some become quite tame and friendly.  They will come right up to people, hoping for a kind word and a snack.  They will not hurt you.

4.  So don't be afraid if you see a raccoon in your yard.  He is just visiting to say hello and may be wondering if possibly you might be willing to give him a nutritious snack.

5. The raccoons won't hurt you or your family.  They are gentle creatures who are just passing through.

6.  Like with the possums, you will want to help keep the raccoons in your neighborhood safe.  Be sure that your neighbors understand that the raccoons are no threat to them, that they are just sojourners who deserve kindness and respect as they pass through the neighborhood.

7. If you can help a raccoon family by providing safe shelter,
food, and water, especially in the wintertime, by all means, please do it. A corner of your empty garage, basement, or attic with plenty of soft blankets, nutritious food, and water would be much appreciated by them.

8.  If you find an injured, hurt raccoon or other wild creature:

If you find a raccoon who needs help of any sort or a raccoon who is unsafe in a given neighborhood, please call a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer or wildlife rehabilitation center in your area.

You can find them on the internet.  See information under 'Possums'.

If you cannot find a wildlife rehabilitator or center, call us at our emergency number 317-602-3143.  We will try to help you find one in your county.

Also, call the Audubon Society in your nearest large city because they usually keep up-to-date referral information on hand.

Beware the 'pest extermination' companies who pose as rehabilitators. Please see information under 'Possums'.

Thank you for caring about our precious raccoons.
Protect your neighborhood
possums & raccoons.

Email or call us to let us know which boycotts you are supporting.

Animals Who Are Crying, Inc.
2113 East Broad Ripple Avenue, #210
Indianapolis, Indiana  46220
317-578-5435 (Call anytime.)


   

[bbgun]

Tell that raccoon stuff to my friend Scott.  His raccoon, which he raised from a baby, bit him in the neck.  The result was 100+ stitches!

[cfsharry]

bbgun,
"Ignorance is bliss", sometimes it bites you in the arse. Your friend was raising a wild animal with all the instincts of a wild animal. I would wager he was doing something stupid when his 'pet' decided it didn't like what was happening and told him so in the only way it knew how. Mauled by a lion maybe 100 stitches, bit by a raccoon, a tall tale.

[boots]

My black widow is with me every day and it has been used to dispatch rapid coons and rabbits in the garden.  I usually shoot what I eat but a rapid animal are always shot.  Possum don't have as high a percentage of rabies as coons so I leave alone.  We also have a large population of coyotes but for those I use my other carry gun.  The bears are also left alone until they find my bees.  The BW is an ideal gun [other NAA minis are also good] because it can always be with you.

[Kevin55]

When I bought my house, a friend told me, "if you don't like something in your garden, consider it a weed.  You can dig up a rose bush if you don't like it.".   Good advice.  Same applies to pests, within limitations. I have no problem setting traps that kill the rats in my yard, yet people have rats as pets.  I like domestic rats. 

Possums look like nature hit them with an ugly stick.  Other than making the dogs bark, they don't bother me.  Cute raccoons on the other hand can be nasty and destructive.  Killing all of our pet ducks and chickens, making noise all night, breaking into the house for cat food.  In my last house, raccoons were pests.  I couldn't shoot them legally, but was close to doing it. My landlord bought me a nice water gun to hose them down.  Worked great.

If I was dispatching animals, I'd trap them first, in order to not put holes in my house.  It's pest control.

[Kevin55]

Tell that raccoon stuff to my friend Scott.  His raccoon, which he raised from a baby, bit him in the neck.  The result was 100+ stitches!

A friend and a baby raccoon, it nearly chewed off his little finger.  Leave wild animals in the wild.

[OV-1D]

  Live traps are cheap enough and all Ace Hardware stores carry them or order for you . A whole lot more fun catching them and relocating far enough away even field mice you can catch with a five gallon bucket in the ground . Life is tough enough out there for all creatures large and small with all the encroachment of civilization why make it tougher unless of course they shoot first . 

[G50AE]

Next thing I expect is to see a post telling me that I need to play nice with the bears that live in an abandoned building down the road.  Maybe I should invite all y'all's possums, raccoons, rabbits and squirrels over to play with the bear cubs.

[cfsharry]

If you find it necessary to play with bears, it is always wise to play nice. It is wiser still to not play with bears in the first place.

[G50AE]

If you find it necessary to play with bears, it is always wise to play nice. It is wiser still to not play with bears in the first place.

Well said.  Maybe if you would quit spending your time taking pot shots at me, you might come up with more pearls of wisdom like this one.

[cfsharry]

Haven't taken issue with you in quite a while. You've actually had a couple of posts of late I thought were right on. Now if you'd just get over your 'tactical' obsession I wouldn't cringe when seeing your handle.

[Dinadan]

I also like seeing wild animals in my back yard. Opossums can be a pest when chickens or fruits are around, but I have no chickens and so far they have not got my pears, persimmons, or satsumas. They often visit my back yard, and even our porch, our cats just watch them, sometimes with much thrashing of tails, but never tangle with them. Raccoons I love to see in the yard. They can be  annoying by getting into garbage cans and tearing down bird feeders, but when a pair are playing one the grass I wish so much that I could tell them that they are welcome here, to come back any time. Squirrels and rats are not nearly so welcome, and I always tell our cats that they are good cats when I find a large dead rat by the back door!

OV-ID, the live trap and relocation idea is probably more of a sop to a person's sentimentality than a kindness to the animal. From what I have read about relocating even large tough animals, a hard release, that is, trapping an animal and releasing it somewhere else with out any familiarization time, often results in the animal dying.

This thread needs photos - here are some poor photos of our backyard critters.

[G50AE]

Now if you'd just get over your 'tactical' obsession I wouldn't cringe when seeing your handle.

That wasn't a very "tactical" reply. 

[cfsharry]

Dinadan,
What is a satsuma? Never mind. Looked it up. An orange, never heard of it before.
Raccoons are smart critters and fun to watch. Had a Hummingbird feeder on our back deck. One day when we got up in the morning the feeder was empty and the bottom laying on the ground. Happened again that night. The next night we set some empty soda cans on the deck railing and about 1:00 in the morning we heard the cans falling to the deck. Turned on the deck light and there was a large raccoon which, not at all bothered by the light, proceeded to unscrew the bottom of the feeder and then lap up the sugar water that fell out. Fun to watch. Clever little devils.

[Kevin55]

What kind of snake is that?  I don't trust the short fat ones, usually they are rattlers in my area.

One mans trash is another mans treasure.  Seems to apply to critters too.  If they are not a nuisance, let them be.  I will continue to dispatch rats with traps around the house.

[OV-1D]

 The snake looks like a common water snake . Grumpy little critters .

[Dinadan]

I was not able to ascertain the species of the snake: I decided it was nonpoisonous and left it about its business. Do not get me wrong - I will and have killed poisonous snakes if they are near a home, but on the other hand I have moved a rattlesnake out of an isolated road  road because I was afraid he would be run over.

One of my Satsuma trees and the fruit - photos taken today.

[OV-1D]

  Well Dinadan whats it kinda taste like an orange , sweet , sour ? Nice stubby blade by the way , oh an the mini also .

[top dog]

Getting back to the original topic of this thread,I guess that we all can agree that the minis,whatever model,are very handy and are always with you.

You can have the usual controversy about eliminating or not eliminating  pests,but I can guarantee you that if a rabid skunk gets into your barn and bites your horses,sheep,cows that you will have a major problem on your hands. Could pretty well wipe you out.

Even in urban locations,many critters are establishing residence and there have been a number of serious encounters.

Best to ALWAYS have a mini of your choice with you....ALWAYS.

                                                                                                            Top Dog

[OV-1D]

Tell that raccoon stuff to my friend Scott.  His raccoon, which he raised from a baby, bit him in the neck.  The result was 100+ stitches!

I believe your friend mistook a black bear for a raccoon there bbgun or the raccoon had a switchblade hidden on him .

[TeeJay37]

OV-1D, they're sweet and juicy and delicious. MMM. Their peel just pulls right away and doesn't leave much of that white crap, like regular oranges, and they are usually pretty seedless. May get one here and there, but not many. Probably my favorite citrus. Well, I don't know. I do love lemons.

[OV-1D]

  Thanks TeeJay I'll have to look for them on the fruit stand .

[TeeJay37]

No problem. They are kind of small, when compared to something like a naval. But, that just means you get to eat 2 or 3 at a time.

My favorite feature of them is probably that they are so dang easy to peel.