Nite Work at the Turkey Farm ! **Game Over For that One**

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Very nice work Tom, thanks for sharing! 

Thank You Dana !        I follow each & every one of your posts.. sir !        My Best Wishes - Tom

[only1harry]

Great shooting Tom!   Wow the pellet traveled the whole length of the possum at 55yds.  Your XL 1100 is a beast.

I didn't know possums could kill (adult?) turkeys.  I guess they got the teeth for it and if the turkey is confined and can't fly/escape all it takes is a bite.  I would have thought a red fox would be the culprit (or a coyote?) before an opossum.

Harry

[ranchibi]

Tom, woo hoo! Excellent shot on that ginormous C-rat! Cool setup with the tuna and “jingle bells”...Santa would be proud! Quite a shot at night, no artificial lighting, 55yds! . Bet the turkeys were happy...oh, your friend too!

Randall Thank You sir !       You Bet the turkeys were happy......They Got To Live a Little Longer !  ( Well at least Bob M the owner was happy)

My Best Wishes - Tom

LOL! True true Tom...those turkeys will live another day till...

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Great shooting Tom!   Wow the pellet traveled the whole length of the possum at 55yds.  Your XL 1100 is a beast.

I didn't know possums could kill (adult?) turkeys.  I guess they got the teeth for it and if the turkey is confined and can't fly/escape all it takes is a bite.  I would have thought a red fox would be the culprit (or a coyote?) before an opossum.

Harry

Harry..The Pellet did not go through the entire length of the torso. It went straight in the front center of the chest and out the opposing back side. The opossum was up-right and back on it's haunches tugging on the bait cage. The pellet hit just slightly left of dead center and traveled slightly cross ways out the right side center back, it was almost a neck shot. It must have been slightly crossways to me when I took the shot.  I think that both lungs were clipped and an artery to the hart too, as there was massive blood loss, but I did not open it up to see. I had to get it buried and then get ready to go to church this morning and did not have time for more than a short cursory inspection. I saw blood stains on the upper front chest and in the upper back- lower neck area, this morning but I did not cut the fur away to look at the wounds on bare skin. I shot it at 12 mid-nite and by the time I got things picked up, drove home, get the game warden called and leave my message, put things away and then got to bed it was 2 Am. I got Up at 6 am inspected the opossum, buried it, shaved-showered-dressed and ate breakfast with my wife. I left for church at 8:30 am. My drive to church is 45 miles and I needed to be there at around 9:30am  I was pressed for time last nite and this morning too.  I will be out to nite to see if anything else shows up out there. I was not expecting an Opossum either. The Opossum headed straight to the spot where the hole under the fence was so it knew about that spot. The turkeys that were killed were younger ones about one third to half grown.  The hole in the slightly frozen dirt looked almost like it had been done by a power ice auger, about 7 to 10 inches in Diameter I am guessing.   Got TO GO it's 9 PM...It's Time for me to pack up, get ready and go back and check on things out there at the farm.     Another long night and I am tired and short of sleep (4 Hrs) from last nite. Oh Well...I DO LIKE TO HUNT !

My Best Wishes - Tom

[Tater]

Thanks for all the details on your set up Tom. Great bait station you came up with there.
Good luck on your hunt tonight.

[Wayne52]

Great Shooting Tom !!!

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Thanks for all the details on your set up Tom. Great bait station you came up with there.
Good luck on your hunt tonight.

Jerry......It clouded up and started to drizzle at about 2 am so I packed it up and came home.  Nothing showed up tonight. This night was a lot warmer at about 48 Degrees.

The bait station is a Northwoods Savage's "Rigged up Affair" and I have an inventive mind when it comes to hunting. 

Best Wishes - Tom

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Great Shooting Tom !!!

Thank You Wayne !        Mostly a Lucky Shot in the Moonlight, on my part.   That Hammers Scope pulls in a lot of available light.         Best Wishes - Tom

[steveoh]

Tom, Awesome hunting story, and great shooting !

I love your setup.

I have lost chickens to possums, so I am suspicious of them. You’d think a Turkey would flay a possum open!

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Tom, Awesome hunting story, and great shooting !

I love your setup.

I have lost chickens to possums, so I am suspicious of them. You’d think a Turkey would flay a possum open!

Steveoh...The turkeys that were killed were 1/3 to 1/2 of being full grown.. as I was told.   The possum that I shot was a good sized one.  If you look at the picture of it next to my gun, the rifle is 47 inches long and just 1 inch shy of 4 feet.  The possum was lying in a slightly curved position, but if it had been stretched out I think it may have measured about 19 to 23 inches long, not including the tail.  I have no idea what the weight was...maybe 10 to 15 Lbs. maybe a little more, I did not weigh it.    I don't know if the possum was actually the animal that did the damage or not ...because I was not there to witness the act.   The possum showed up and paid the price for the damage.  I chose not to take any chances with it and with any more turkeys being killed.    I don't normally shoot possums and this was a special situation.   I don't actively hunt them. 

My Best Wishes - Tom

[WiseGuy]

Nice one Tom! Great pictures too!

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Nice one Tom! Great pictures too!

Thank You !       Jimmy !                My Best Wishes to You Sir    -        Tom

[only1harry]

45 minutes is a long drive to get to church.  Is it in another county?  No other church near you?  We used to drive 35-40min. to get to our old church too after I moved up here, but a couple of years later I started going to the local church 10-15min. away to save time and $, but I do miss the friends we made at the old church from time to time. 

How did it go last night?

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

45 minutes is a long drive to get to church.  Is it in another county?  No other church near you?  We used to drive 35-40min. to get to our old church too after I moved up here, but a couple of years later I started going to the local church 10-15min. away to save time and $, but I do miss the friends we made at the old church from time to time. 

How did it go last night?

Question 1: How did it go last night?

Harry......It clouded up and started to drizzle at about 2 am so I packed it up and came home.  Nothing showed up. This night was a lot warmer at about 48 Degrees. ( Oh Yes...I Still Got a Little Snow Left on the Ground  )


Question 2 :  The Drive to Church.

The church is the one where my son Ryan ( step-son) was accepted and did his Pastoral internship in. He is now an ordained pastor at that church.   We all used to go to a church close by but when he graduated Crown Bible College and was accepted there for his 2 year internship, we switched churches, and started going there, in support of him. We have been going there about 4 years now.  I have two Ordained Pastors in my family, my son Jason and my step-son Ryan. Both have Full-Time jobs and pastor on the side.  Both are graduates of pastoral college programs.  Both went back to college in their mid forties and became Pastors.  They graduated about 9 months apart from two different programs.  They were accepted in two different churches for their Pastoral Internships.  They had to go to the churches where there was Pastoral intern openings at.

Yes it is a very long way to drive to go to church but our whole family goes there in support of Ryan and his ministry.  It is even further to go to the church where Jason interned and Pastors at. I split my time between the two.  I try to be a Good Father to both of them and support their ministries as much as I can.    Ryan's church is 2 counties away and Jason's church is 3 counties away.   Ryan's church is in the extreme North-westernern end of the Twin-City metro area.  It takes me about an hour or so to get down there... driving down I-35 and then taking I-35W... at the I-35E & I-35W split.. going southbound.

My Best Wishes    -    Tom

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

This is what the Bait Station Rig for predators looks like. The Bungee is tie'ed off at the top of the frame and the high strength magenta cord is tied to it at the bottom.       It's strictly a Northwoods Savage type of set-up but it is cheap and it WORKS !     

Best Wishes     -      Tom

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

I was out to the Turkey farm last night again.  Nothing showed up. There has not been any more turkeys injured or killed either. It started raining again, so I packed up and came home.  I told Bob to call me if anymore of his birds get hurt. He has a small operation and he only sells locally.  The area where the entrance to his bird enclosure was taking place, has been repaired.     To Be Continued....Maybe.

Best Wishes & Best Regards - Tom