New shooting game

[Mobuck]

Aptly named 'SCAMPERING POSSUM-TEETERING GEEZER'.
Properly conducted, the shooter is awakened at a very early hour by the need to attend potty business. Tottering outside in a somewhat awake condition, the shooter discovers the target which begins a rapid retreat. Shooter must re-enter the house, access the 'behind the door' gun safe without falling off the top stairstep, choose the appropriate firearm, exit the house, re-locate the retreating target, ensure a safe shooting lane, and FINALLY begin firing. Oh yeah and don't forget the reason for that early morning wake up call which is now a fairly pressing consideration.
I love living in the country folks.

 

[nekvermont]

So, who won the game you or the possum?

 

[contender]

Oh what a wonderful mental picture I have now!

 

[Mobuck]

I didn't wet myself but I think possum did(and maybe more). When I went out to chore, I was going to toss it out of the driveway but I think one of the dogs took it back to the kennel for a chew toy.

 

[Pál_K]

What firearm was used to dispatch the critter?

 

[Mobuck]

10/22 of course

 

[375hh1973]

Sounds like a fun game!

Also sounds similar to RACCOONS AT SCREEN DOOR AT 3am

 

[XUSNORDIE]

Living in the country is great....wonderful to drive 2 hours home from a major city in major traffic and just be away from it all....except the "all" in my woods is really getting annoying and took advantage of my stupid human mistake. I have pretty much bear proofed by place. Much to the disappointment of the numerous birds I used to feed regularly. Well, my AC has been down for a couple weeks. Tech came MON and installed the heat pump...but the air handler he received was not the one he ordered, and he couldn't make it fit....so no AC until this coming MON.....luckily it has been pleasant at night and we have all the windows open for a ice air flow. I must say I love hearing the crickets, katydids and cicadas as I fall into slumber. Well, as some of you know I have posted about the incredible uptick in bears this past fall, spring and the unusual frequent summer activity. Two nights ago I forgot to close the sliding glass door from kitchen to top deck.....bird feeder, empty, has been sitting on the kitchen table for a couple weeks. We were putting them out just at day time..but bears started coming at day time. We started putting them out only when we were home...but the bears didn't care and climbed the deck with us only several feet away. So the feeders will wait for winter. Anyhow, an empty feeder was on the kitchen table, along with an empty humming bird feeder. Hadn't put them away yet.

I awoke to what I thought was my 0300ish potty call.....as I was getting up I heard something that sounded like the screen door being pushed against. I sat on the bed, and sure enough I heard the unmistakable sound of the sliding screen door being opened, the the sound of kitchen chair being moved, and CRASH the sound of heavy metal hitting the floor (Feeder is large, metal and holds 15lbs of seed). I grabbed the bedside pistol with attached TLR light and made my way down the hall as I heard the sound of the metal feeder being pushed around....I started yelling GO AWAY BEAR as loud as I could, and when I navigated the corner with the best of my SRT trained ability these days, which isn't too smooth, The feeder was on the upper deck and I heard yogi get over the gate and sliding down the hand rail......by the time I got to end of deck and put light down below bear was already on septic sand mound staring up at me.....looking and sounding offended....

My mistake, bears will do what bears do and they have no idea they are taking advantage of a stupid humans mistake.....sliding glass door to upper deck has been closed since....Wife makes sure of it......

 

[Fox Mike]

Found the hard way to not fill the big outdoor bird feeder. Ricky Raccoon loved it. The wife walked out on the porch and ran headlong into him. Interesting how fast an older person can get back in the house, as the coon went the other way just as fast; both making strange sounds..

 

[Mobuck]

I can assure that if a bear was brave enough to enter my house and I was able to--I would have sent some lead downrange. Next time, things might not be so casual.
Once upon a time, I shot a raccoon on the 'welcome' mat as it was attempting to pull the screen door open. I can't even hazard a guess of how much mess it would have made once inside

 

[Fox Mike]

And, did the original purpose for being up happen without further incident?

 

[Pál_K]

I can assure that if a bear was brave enough to enter my house and I was able to--I would have sent some lead downrange. Next time, things might not be so casual.
Once upon a time, I shot a raccoon on the 'welcome' mat as it was attempting to pull the screen door open. I can't even hazard a guess of how much mess it would have made once inside

Well, geeze, you had a "Welcome" mat.

Did you shoot through the screen or were you outside? Caliber?

 

[Mobuck]

"Did you shoot through the screen or were you outside? Caliber?"
Actually, I have a sliding window a few feet from the door and laser on the 22/45. Don't even have to open the door, just slide the window back and reach out, put the laser on the varmint, and let it rip.

 

[Mobuck]

The possum won last night's round. Got away w/o a scratch.

 

[contender]

You are slipping,, letting one get away!

 

[Mobuck]

YUPPER Didn't even get a shot off.

 

[coach]

Indoor plumbing, but not nearly as much fun.

 

[Mobuck]

Dang it, they're getting faster and have figured out that scooting under the deck puts them in a 'NO SHOOT ZONE'. Once they get under the deck, not even poking with a 6' bamboo pole will move them out into the open.
Going to Plan B--live trap. The cats will only get caught so many times--right? Honestly, no sure about the learning curve for cats--caught same one 4 times before giving up on live trap the previous attempt.

 

[contender]

Switch baits to catch the possum, and not the cats. Use a cheap honey-bun type of sweet food. I buy the cheap boxes of small honey-buns at wally-world. I just cut one in half,, and I even leave the cellophane on it. I have an elevated bait tube turned sideways in my cages too. If you want,,, I can text you a picture.

 

[Pál_K]

Dang it, they're getting faster and have figured out that scooting under the deck puts them in a 'NO SHOOT ZONE'. Once they get under the deck, not even poking with a 6' bamboo pole will move them out into the open....

This is not a game. Repeat, this is not a game. This has been elevated from opportunistic raids to a strategic territorial incursion. Once they start attacking from multiple fronts, you are facing an existential threat. This is war! Do not hold back; do not underestimate them. You must annihilate the enemy!

 

[gnappi]

Switch baits to catch the possum, and not the cats. Use a cheap honey-bun type of sweet food. I buy the cheap boxes of small honey-buns at wally-world. I just cut one in half,, and I even leave the cellophane on it. I have an elevated bait tube turned sideways in my cages too. If you want,,, I can text you a picture.

The heck with that, can you post the pic here?

 

[gnappi]

The possum won last night's round. Got away w/o a scratch.

My dog is a pit / lab mix and in three seconds or less has eviscerated three possums so far. After they're wide open she then spits ptew, ptew and licking her chops to get rid of the taste. Like a light bulb that goes off in her head she remembers the fresh bowl of water I leave in the yard and drowns the stank from her mouth.

She barely missed a racoon last year so they now stay away, and the neighborhood cats keep clear too.

 

[Brant]

I have a dog tree in the yard and when it makes it takes a good dog or too to keep the coons and possums from robbing you blind. I have a good pair of pooches now to do the job. Before them I had the best ever. Just like these 2 he just showed up starving and no collar. He was a hunting machine and if he saw them in the open ground between GOODNIGHT GRACIE! These are a bit smaller and normally just tree them. I will then show up with a shotgun for the necessities.

 

[XUSNORDIE]

I definitely miss my pit....since he passed a year and a half ago Yogi, Boo Boo and their buddies have broke the perimeter.....and been a royal pain in the neck. Was hoping retirement was soon so I could get another dog, or two, but not feeling real warm and fuzzy about being able to retire in this political climate and what the current administration did to my retirement funds. I can rebuild the bear damage, I don't have time to repair the Biden damage.

 

[Watertender]

My buddy Jon woke up for a call of nature and found a skunk in his kitchen that came in through the dog door. The skunk pissed on Jon, Jon pissed on the floor and his wife woke up to the sound and smell. Now he has a different dog door and keeps his SP101 .22 revolver handy incase the skunk wants a rematch.

 

[Mobuck]

Possum won last night's competition.
I was close enough to make the shot but was concerned about the results of a 3' shot with the P95 so close to my toes. Possum splatters are nasty.
In another couple of weeks, the goats and their guard dog will be moved away from my yard so I can leave a 'barn dog' or two loose overnight. That generally solves the problems. Guard dog kills any possums or raccoons he catches in the pasture but even he has to sleep sometime and one possum crossing 40 acres doesn't create much of a stir.