37 replies to this topic

[TLBFestus]

OK..I threw "pinpoint accuracy" to make this a mech thread, but the truth is I just need to vent about the story below. Enjoy my suffering;


So awhile back we started noticing a couple of feral domestic bunnies in our yard. At first Mrs. Festus and I didn't give it any thought, I mean, why? They're just Bunnies. One creamy white one, one dark brown one and another Black one.

Seeing animals of any sort in our back yard (we have half an acre) is a new thing to us as we have a 90 pound female German Shepard that pretty much patrols the perimeter keeping unwanted wildlife at bay. While neighbors gardens and plants used to get devastated by deer, ours was always left alone.

Unfortunately now STORM (the dog) is getting too old. Her hearing is going, her sight is going and her legs are getting weaker (muscle neuropathy...painless but causes her legs to fail unexpectedly), so she just isn't the "Guardian of the Yard" that she used to be.

The bunnies have this figured out, and basically ignore her or they trot off under the thick shubbery if she even tries to chase them. This wouldn't be bad, but as Bunnies, they leave little "nuggets" everywhere they go and Storm thinks these "nuggets" are delicious, delicious CANDY.

So as we went into summer, our old, but extremely neat dog began having "accidents" in out basement. naturally she didn't want to, but we would be asleep and she'd try to hold on but would fail. This was NOT pretty. Think of melting soft server ice cream. Our basement is half carpeted, half lino. She ALWAYS hits the carpeting. It's smelly, disgusting and hard to clean, but luckily we have a carpet cleaner.

At first we didn't know what was happening so we took her to the Vets. The Vet got samples from us, did a culture and found she had some nasty bug so onto medication she went. It cleared up for a bit.

Then it was back....off to the Vet. Cleared up. Back again....cleared up. But this time we got talking and when we mentioned the rabbits in the yard she told us that that was the most likely source of the problem

So...after 3 Vet visits and about $500 I installed a gated area on our Lino and Storm now sleeps in there at night. Gate cost...about $100 but at least now if she has an accident it's on a much more cleansable surface.

At this point from my point of view we had 2 choices, get rid of the BEST DOG IN THE WORLD or KILL THE BUNNIES. My wife is a tender, sweet soul who volunteers at Hospice and does Therapeutic Touch as well, so despite my nature I decided to see if I could find someone to trap and remove these bunnies.

After an afternoon spent being referred from one animal group to another I finally got in touch with "The" Authority on the subject. They told me that they had traps! They needed a $75 deposit per trap, and $8 a day, and (I quote) "They DONT Work!".

I explained that I had had "other" ideas earlier but thought I should at least try a humane method if it was out there. The nice lady pointed out to me that;

- they are invading species
- they are considered pests
- they are not protected under the wildlife act in out area
- there is no season on them and no license needed to kill pests

In a nutshell she summed it up with "Do what you have to do".

Great! Back to the better plan. The Bunnies MUST DIE. Besides, one of these rabbits has become known to me as Moby Rabbit, or The Great White Rabbit. He's huge, he's smug and I just know he hates me right back. Undeterred I plan to go Cpt. Ahab on his ass.

Small snag here......I'm not a hunter. I don't own a gun and we have neighbors. At first I asked around to see if I could find a friend with a high powered pellet rifle (wanted small....people living nearby) that I could borrow. No luck...so screw it, I have money, I will buy one.

To get a true high velocity pellet rifle requires licensing, permits, courses, etc. Just to get an air rifle and so i can kill a few bunnies (used to hunt with my dad so I'm "gun smart"). It takes awhile, and a middle man, but I get my air rifle. Watchout Bunnies! Cost of rifle and "etc" about $300.

Still...I need to sight this gun in, so I'm in no rush. That is until the day I bring the gun home and I'm in my bathroom with a window facing the back yard. A window that coincidentally has probably the best possible angle from which to shoot these buggers.

I glance out my window...and there he is, Moby Rabbit, not 30 feet outside the window. I'm thinking that the scope can't be that far off for such a distance (yeah...later as I sighted it in..it was), so I grab the gun and load a round.

The window is a taller one, where the top half cranks out to open, so I can't stand there and shoot, I need to get some elevation. I remove the screen carefully so as to not spook him and I slowly open the window. Well, my bathroom counter is right there and all I have to do is climb up on it, rest the stock of the gun on the frame and I have the perfect shooting platform from which to take him out.

Carefully I put my left knee up on the cabinet top and hoist myself onto the counter and prepare to fire. There's the sharp "CRACK" of a rifle, my wife (who was there) screams, and I just about jump out of my skin.

Did I get The Great White Rabbit? Nope......my one piece resin counter top has cracked in half from my weight on it. The rabbit looks up, sneers at me and hops away.

Cost to replace the counter top, with new sink and fixtures is going to be about $600 before installation.

So far the rabbit is still alive and I"m out about $1500. I hate that rabbit. I hate it more that pin point accuracy in mechs (another mech reference for Gen. Discussions sake).

[El Bandito]

That's a fun story. As a family man, I can feel those expenses piling up as if it was from my wallet.

My compassion for spiders had ruined my lovely and expensive houseplant collection because what I thought were spiders, were actually spider mites! Moral of the story is--KILL BURN PISS on any and all invaders!

Edited by El Bandito, 27 November 2015 - 04:13 PM.

[jaytar]

so, your dog likes to eat crap and you're mad at the rabbits?

[Balder Shadow]

TLBFestus, on 27 November 2015 - 03:45 PM, said:

So far the rabbit is still alive and I"m out about $1500. I hate that rabbit. I hate it more that pin point accuracy in mechs (another mech reference for Gen. Discussions sake).

Great story! (I have a Czech German shepherd)

http://www.instructa...sic-Snare-Trap/

About $3 and ten minutes of your time. Works great on bunnies.

(I am a hunter.)

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

InB4 K-Town?

Also,

[DjPush]

Oddly enough, one of the best reads in MWO forums.... EVER!

Edited by DjPush, 27 November 2015 - 05:15 PM.

[RedDragon]

DjPush, on 27 November 2015 - 05:14 PM, said:

Oddly enough, one of the best reads in MWO forums.... EVER!

More fun than the game, certainly

And honestly, who didn't think of Bugs Bunny cartoons while reading this?

[Zordicron]

I wouldn't feel bad about killing some rabbits. They make more every day. Just don't go full Ahab on this white rabbit

[Xetelian]

I'm sorry to hear about your dog.

Most dogs eat poop, they just do. Someone told me it might be because they don't get enough meat in their diet but I find that information highly dubious.

Also, running some electric fence will keep unwanted rabbits out.

[Levi Porphyrogenitus]

I forgot to add, get a second dog. It often works best to get a younger dog to accompany your older one, for several reasons, among which are that it gets you an unbroken cycle of dogs, it lets your older dog have a companion, and it lets your younger dog have an example to teach it how to behave. Plus two dogs are better than one when it comes to policing your yard.

[KHETTI]

My first job at age 12 was sitting at the bottom of empty grazing fields with a .22 rifle, and i had to kill every rabbit that i could see.
Got paid 2 quid per rabbit, and i loved every minute of it, cos i made a fortune that summer!.

[Lazor Sharp]

OP, just be sure to make rabbit soup, and clean / dry the pelts.....

[Lostdragon]

Wow, I can buy an AR-15 at Walmart with less hassle than it took you to get a pellet gun. Where do you live?

[JigglyMoobs]

Sounds like it's time to get Storm a side kick.

About 15 years ago my parents got their first dog. We've never really figured out what she was (she looked like an Akita with the face of a German Shepard), but what ever she was, she liked to do two thnings:

1. Talk. She had so many different vocalizations that sometimes I felt stupid for not understanding her.
2. Hunt.

Soon after she got to full size (~60 lbs) she started bringing us "gifts" from the back yard. At first it was the small stuff. Mostly squirrels or lizards, but then the stuff got bigger.

Over the years, at various times we received:
A half eaten rabbit.
A family of apposums. (Yes the whole family).
Assorted wounded raccooons.
Squirrels, lizards and even a little snake until every living creature smaller than 60 lbs who could not fly learned that our back yard was a no go zone.
One year we had mice in the attic. After trying every manner of traps we finally sent her in and in 30 seconds there was an exodus like Apocalyps itself was coming.

She finally met her match when trying to catch the neighborhood cats, who put up enough of a fight that she determined peaceful coexistance was better than confrontation.

She died a few years ago. I miss her like hell.

Edited by JigglyMoobs, 27 November 2015 - 07:05 PM.

[pwnface]

I've had similar rabbit problems but I only spent $26 at Wal-Mart to get a 600+ fps pellet gun. Iron sights (plastic really), only took 1 shot to the head to kill one. Not sure if there is a specific spot on the head that is optimal, but hitting them near the base of the ear seems to do the trick.

[JigglyMoobs]

If all else fails maybe you should call this guy:

[Nightmare1]

Welcome to hunting, where the thrill of the hunt will cost you more than the meat is worth!

Ironically, I had a rabbit burst out of the brush tonight while I was hunting. It distracted me, and made me miss the deer I was waiting for. I spent over two hours up in a stand, stoically withstanding the onslaught of 9,582 mosquitoes, and looked the wrong way for about 2.5 seconds when the stupid rabbit broke out of the brush and made a racket. When I looked back at the other trail, the deer was just disappearing into the brush. All that time (been up in a stand for two or three hours every night this week) and all those mosquitoes for nothing. If I had a smaller gun, I would've shot that rabbit and taken it home just so that I could prove I had gotten some meat for the stewpot, but I was toting a .30-.06 and would've torn it up too much if I did.

Where do you live that you need a permit and classes for a pellet gun? Around here, it's nearly mandatory that you have those things mastered by the time you turn 9 years old.

Eldagore, on 27 November 2015 - 05:40 PM, said:

I wouldn't feel bad about killing some rabbits. They make more every day. Just don't go full Ahab on this white rabbit

He if harpoons that thing and gets dragged off by it, I would consider moving to another planet on the first DropShip I could find! I don't want to be on the same planet as a species big enough to drag a man off and breed at the same rate as Moby-Bunny...

[LordKnightFandragon]

So even despite you using asighted in rifle, you were not pin point accurate, your dog eats **** and you and a rabbit have a fued.

sounds like fun.

But yeah, mechs should not be Pinpoint accurate, ESP not while moving.

and we have a dog who eats all the cat **** in the house...Why dogs eat ****, I will never know or understand, butit sure it disturbing. I guess makes cleaning the cat litter easier...ofc hes been puking it up all over the damn place now...

[Sereglach]

Few things here:

1. That story was frigging hilarious. Thanks for the laugh.

2. I'm sorry for the financial expenditure so far. That really sucks.

3. Concept of getting a sidekick puppy to learn off the one you have is a great idea. Pass the torch early.

4. Dogs eat crap because they use crap to mark their territory. Getting rid of the "competition's" crap is a way of saying, "This area is MINE!" . . . unfortunately bunnies don't give a crap . . . or maybe they do . . . since they keep leaving donations.

5. If the air rifle doesn't work out, you could always use poison. You know your dog only goes out so often. Chocolate (like baker's chocolate . . . the strong stuff) and Aspirin will kill rabbits . . . FAST. They can't process the toxins in the chocolate and that'll kill them off quicker than you can yell, "Thar she sneers, the white rabbit!". Also, adult Aspirin will quickly and swiftly poison them to death (It also works great on mice . . . a few little pieces of aspirin left around areas the mice go, in the house, and they'll suck it down). To those pests these poisons are like sweet, delicious death to them. You'll have your revenge as their tiny little hearts explode in doom.

[Tuis Ryche]

TLBFestus, on 27 November 2015 - 03:45 PM, said:

OK..I threw "pinpoint accuracy" to make this a mech thread, but the truth is I just need to vent about the story below. Enjoy my suffering;

Stopped reading after admission of clickbait title.

Enjoy your own suffering.