I should'nt laugh, but did Darwin do tree rats?

[Parabuteo]

Went tree rat educating this morning. Got 5 (annoyingly one is still where it dropped....at the top of a large fir tree....the local Buzzards will think all their christmasses have come together!!).

One should never have happened, and sad as it is, and I know we shouldnt, buit I had to laugh

I had been to the motor with the others (I hate fly blown quarry. If anyone knows where I can get a small game net type thing, let us know will you).

I was passing one of my usual ambush sites (a large pile of, by now, pretty rancid old wheat the keeper has dumped) and tootled past as I had seen nothing when I stalked up to it (just in case. Plenty of bracken round it now so you never know what may not have seen you coming)

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed something move. As it turns out, the tree rats et al, have been digging under the crust of the heap and mining into the not so lousy stuff underneath. The movement was the end of a bushy tail.

I could not believe my luck. It was 20 yds away (if that) and obviously oblivious to my presence so I knelt down and waited.....it carried on chomping but not presenting me a target. Well, not unless I wanted to part it's tail hair

I thought this was daft. It suddenly dawned that if it did surface and saw this huge lump, armed, and wearing a face veil, I may not get a good shot, so I popped the bipod and lay down.....cheating? not really, I just call it insurance

I clicked my tongue.....nothing. I broke twigs.....zip. I chucked things at it....it ignored me....I dont like being ignored

I stuck my boot into the deck and it nonchalantly broke with its obviously busy schedule and decided to take in the local vista (or at least find out which inconsiderate twonk was daring disturb its brunch).

I gently squeezed the shot off and the HW released it's deadly lead payload....."Thwok"....it connected with its target...then sailed on to hit the tree 5 yards behind. (sorry, but since the original offender seems to have long since stopped writing for Airgunner, I though I would indulge in a touch of nostalgia )

The owner of the fetching new hole just crumpled and did'nt even twitch.

Now from a sporting point of view...it was'nt very, but from a pest control point of view (which is why I am there...right kids) it got my vote for deaf/dopey tree rat of the day.

If anyone asks you about a good sound proofing material, just tell em wheat....works a treat.

And no doubt the recipient (Amber, a European eagle owl) will agree

[Eagleman]

Nothing like a good Thwok is there?

But is a .22 "thwok" better than a .177 "thwok"?

[Bellycrawler]

My .22 thwoks nealy well but my .177 seems to thwik, just a higher pitched thwok maybe.
Never tried a .20 & some will say .20 thwok but I bet the .25 willl just have the edge with it's thwak.

[Parabuteo]

My .22 thwoks nealy well but my .177 seems to thwik, just a higher pitched thwok maybe.
Never tried a .20 & some will say .20 thwok but I bet the .25 willl just have the edge with it's thwak.

Is Thwack the new Thwok I wonder....

New for summer 2008....Thwack! Hmmmmmm

PMSL you silly sods

I do miss cringing at some of Mick Nelsons comments

[Sonora Rebel]

Hi y'all! I reckon y'all are British... cuz I don't recognize the place names... but at any rate... I'm new here. I don't usually get into 'airguns'... but the 'Tree Rat' post caught my attention. I live in Pima County, Arizona... 'bout 20 miles from the Mexican border... High Plains desert... the Sonora. 'Same sort'a stuff you see in the movies.... 'Reckon you could say I'm a cowboy type. I dunno 'nuthin' 'bout 'springers'... but I figure they're the kind ya pump up? I have one of those... a Crosman... 'n can't hit squat with it. The round goes sideways past 20'. I figure the barrel ain't all that. So... I bought a Gamo... single pump, single shot. 'Spent a few hours zeroing the optics at 50' from a gun rest but still not satisfied... (Sorry... I dunno metric measurement...) Had to carry a pencil to poke the round all the way in the breech or the bolt would cut the tail off the pellet. Annoying. After about 4-5 shots... the 2X scope went south. 'Took that off... only to find the stock comb wasn't compatible with the fixed sights. I can't get my melon low enuff to get a decent sight picture. So... I ended up with the stock under my chin, eyeballin' those narrow sights... with the barrel supported by my fence... but the thing still wasn't dead on. Oh... the target... 'Ground Squirrels'... little ratlike rodents that like to dig holes under Mesquite trees... 'n every other thing... 'LOTS of holes. They're heads are about as big as a walnut... 'n most times that's all I have to shoot at when they stick 'em up outta their holes. Otherwise... they're 5-6" long 'n about 2' diameter. They have very good camo... against this red hemite sand 'n my normal 'range' is about 140'... or around 36, 40 paces or so. The young ones are light gray... 'n often I'm lookin' at 'half' a gray walnut sized target... from d'frint azimuth angles when they stick their heads up to take a peek. Ennyhoo... I've managed to whack 15 of 'em (confirmed) in the past 3 weeks or so with a Daisey 'Red Ryder' Model 1936B lever action BB gun. Most are head shots. Iron sights... buckhorn type. Lotta that is 'Kentucky Windage'... 'n raisin' the front post above the V-notch to 'lob 'em'. I gotta say that the barrel on this Daisey is 'straight'... only it's limited in range. When I hit one... they go into their 'flippy dance'... 'n I haf'ta go dubble-tap 'em at point-blank to kill 'em. I hit the same one twice this mornin' 'n still didn't get a kill. It was doin' the dance... but dove back into a hole. 'Not enuff 'oomph' in the round at that range to cripple it for a kill. 'Prob'ly crippled it anyway... but I don't like doin' that. I'm not a hunter... (I quit doin' that after 'Nam). I have quail, birds, rabbits... all sorts of stuff (includin' lizards) runnin' around 'n I never shoot at 'em. No reason to. (this is like livin' inna natural zoo) 'Got a pair of Coati 'n a new pair of Marten's... which are way south of where they're s'posed to be in the area too. Also Coyote's... Javelina 'n an occasional 'Lion. (The horses go nuts when the Lions are nearby...) The raptors (Eagles, Hawks, Falcons 'n Owls) help keep the rodent population down... but these little buggers are prolific. I s'pose I'm lookin' for advice on a GOOD air rifle... BB type, pref. iron sights with a rapid reload. I don't need 'fancy'... 'rounds downrange don't care what the thing that fired it looks like. I need velocity, range 'n decent sights. My targets look like a pencil point at arms length 'n about as wide onna good day. I'm a former Navy Expert Rifleman. I don't need 'gadgets'... just a decent rifle. I can't use a .22 or any 'firearm' 'cause I'm within' 1/4 mile of my neighbors... 'n the Sheriff frowns on that. Any suggestions?

[Troubledshooter]

It should always be "Thwack" - To Hit With A Clean Kill

[Sonora Rebel]

'Thwock' or 'Thwack' depends on the density of the Thwock / Thwackee. A thwack will result in striking a soft, fleshy parts, while a thwock will result from a boney part... like a skull. Periodically I've experience a 'Thwick'... which is dead on in the eyeball. Sometimes that's all I have to aim at.

[Sonora Rebel]

'Wok'... which seems to emanate from Great Grackles when I can hit them.

[Parabuteo]

'Thwock' or 'Thwack' depends on the density of the Thwock / Thwackee. A thwack will result in striking a soft, fleshy parts, while a thwock will result from a boney part... like a skull. Periodically I've experience a 'Thwick'... which is dead on in the eyeball. Sometimes that's all I have to aim at.

Thwackee....OMG it gets better....Key board now covered in coffee

One of my thwackees got well and truly stolen by raynard last night

Raynard was accompanied by a hail of airgun pellets (And for the more sanctimonious, they were definately aimed to scare, well away from the thwackee (which is exactly what he would have been if my mate had been about with his .223)).

The cheeky sod still sauntered off....The cheek of it

[Ripper]

If the recipient is a "thwackee" or "thwockee" does that make you the "thwockor"?