Racoons vs Chickens

[Mortblanc]

The chickens would not go into their coop tonight so I went down to see what the problem was. Found three of these critters waiting in ambush inside the chicken run.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon

They bolted when they saw me so I let the chickens in, got them secured and went inside to wait.

About midnight I scanned the coop area with a high power light and saw eyes shining in the dark. Grabbed the shotgun and headed out the door.

I forgot I had 00-buck up the spout as first round and that high base magnum load got my attention.

My shotgun had the super full choke tube installed that keeps the 9 buckshot inside a paper plate at 25 yards. It's good for coyotes in the daylight but not all that great for running critters in the dark.

The lack of light and tight shot pattern did me no great service so there is now a raccoon running at a high rate of speed over the Kentucky hills with only half a tail!

I came back inside and changed to a more open choke and smaller shot.

Shooting in the dark always gives me flashbacks. I probably will not sleep well tonight.

[Tigs]

you should try using incendiary rounds at night lol

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or dragons breath!!

[Steve]

I've never found tight chokes to work well with large shot, 1/4 choke ( or improved Cylinder in modern terms ) is a great general purpose choke that works well up to AAA size.

[Mortblanc]

Well, it has been a wild few days around here. I am suddenly overwhelmed with critters. Perhaps have been for sie time and was unaware of it.

I have killed a half dozen raccoons and as of this morning 3 possums.

Several of the raccoons got away to die in the woods due to the necessity of using a lowly .22 for their nocturnal visits. I did recover a couple and got all the possums.

SHTF implications?

1. I did not lose any chickens. The birds are laying steadily and giving me 2 dozen eggs each week. (I can live for a long tie on 3 eggs daily and a can of veggies from the stores)

2. Every critter I killed is eatable. Dressed out weight on the possums and two coons would be about 5-7 kilos of fresh meat.

3. Half of this meat could have been harvested using nothing but a stout stick, tennis racquet or cricket bat. (We Americans would use a baseball bat of course) I finally succumbed to lack of sleep and began setting snares. They have been very effective.

4. I never had to leave my little half acre of heaven on a foraging expedition. The only expenditure of calories was in walking down and picking up the carcasses, collecting the eggs and throwing the hens a few scraps of food. (so much for us old crippled up folks dyeing in the first weeks of crisis)

The implications here are that the hens serve as both food production and as BAIT for predators that will provide even more calorie intake. The smell of that hen house is irresistible to any scrounger in the area.

While in my area I am dealing with raccoons and possums you folks in GB might wish to accumulate a good spice palate and gather recipes for stray cat and dog and the occasional wharf rat!

Man shall not live by bunnies alone.

[bigpaul]

depends on where we live Monty! we don't all live in cities in the UK...some of us live near: rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, deer, wild boar, wood pigeons,ducks, geese, to say nothing of sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, alpacas and donkeys!

[Mortblanc]

Everything depends on where you live BP.

Some tips and techniques are universal.

If they are of no use to you simply ignore them.

[bigpaul]

(22 July 2013, 17:41)Mortblanc Wrote: Everything depends on where you live BP.

Some tips and techniques are universal.

If they are of no use to you simply ignore them.

just replying to your quip about man not living by rabbits alone!

[Mortblanc]

I killed another raccoon at the hen house this morning. This was a BIG one, probably 15 pounds live weight.

That totals 5 raccoons and 2 possums in three weeks for a conservative estimated total of 30 pounds of meat.

[Grumpy Grandpa]

(29 July 2013, 22:07)Mortblanc Wrote: I killed another raccoon at the hen house this morning. This was a BIG one, probably 15 pounds live weight.

That totals 5 raccoons and 2 possums in three weeks for a conservative estimated total of 30 pounds of meat.

But how do they taste MB? Are they delicious, acceptable or 'it's protein - get it down your neck? Maybe the ubiquitous chicken flavour many such wild beasties are supposed to have? [seriously doubtful...] Or are they what you store curry powder and hot sauce for?

[Mortblanc]

The possums are extremely greasy and have a strange almost overpowering smell. That has always caused me to really dump the seasoning into the pot as they cook so I can not tell you what one would taste like on a spit over the fire.

The raccoons are textured much like dark meat from the turkey and can only be described as tasting like raccoon.

In my attempts I have tended to overcook both species and do consider them both good candidates for heavy spices.

Over here we tend to use a concoction called "Louisiana Hot Sauce" for these occasions. It is heavy on the cayenne pepper and vinegar and covers a multitude of sins.

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http://www.louisianapepper.com/