Iguana #1 and #2

[Orion]

These are not the first one I put down but are the first I put here in the forum. These two went down in a quick succession, before having my Taipan Veteran I was shooting them with the TX200, initially the TX was ok until they start to keep the distance and the TX was not as good as the Taipan is now.

Also I don't think I'll be able with the TX to take 2 as quickly as I did with the Taipan.





I was not sure if sharing this images or not, this is my first post here in the hunting gate so be gentle

[cgish]

Nice shooting!

We don't have Iguanas here in the Midwest, so I am having trouble getting a grasp on their size. How long are these two?

Eighteen inches or so and about 6-8 inches of belly circumference?

Thank you,
Cody

[dk1677]

Nice shooting Erlis!

[Rico14]

I was curious as to their size also, they look pretty big. Do you eat them? I read somewhere that they taste good.

[Habanero69er]

Nice shooting Erlis!

I don't think we've had an iguana sightings this far north in Florida yet.

[Orion]

The one on top was big, a male that has already changed colors (they start green and males turn red-yellow when they are old), he was around 3-4 feet, the other one was smaller but not juvenile. These can grow up to 6 foot (if you measure the tail) and live up to 20 years.

Next time I need to put something near to have a reference for the size. But watch the size of the head on both and you can tell the difference.

I don't eat them, some people do and they say the meat is excellent but I won't have the stomach for it, not while I can buy a steak in the grocery store.

[cgish]

Wow - that is a lot bigger than I thought.

How far away are you shooting from?

Can you get close to them, or are they skittish?

Thanks,
Cody

[Orion]

Wow - that is a lot bigger than I thought.

How far away are you shooting from?

Can you get close to them, or are they skittish?

Thanks,
Cody

Initially they let me get close enough that I even bought a 4ft animal control pole to capture them, I almost capture one like that but got frustrated and then bought my first airgun just for them.

I start shooting them with the springer from 10 to 30 yards, but they are smart, now they see movement and they run, the problem is that now they cannot run that far. These were taken at 36 yards, they didn't see me.

I'm shooting them now between 35-60 yards but if the opportunity presents at 15 I take it... some times I just have to look really close at the tree I have in the backyard because they are there, just really quiet...

[accu fan]

Erlis, you have good taste for air rifles. That looks
like fun hunting. Nice shooting!

[ranchibi]

Erlis, excellent hunting on those iguanas! Congratulations on your new Taipan..they don’t stand a chance now as long as you can spot them . Oh, and nice photos!

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Good Shooting Erlis !         You got a couple of big ones there.                 Best Wishes - Tom

[Wayne52]

Great shooting on the iguana's Erlis !!!  I think you guys are allowed to shoot iguana's all year round there because of being an invasive species so that fits well into the hunting gate.  Its the stuff like shooting pests in your back yard I think that are out of season you can't post from what I've seen.

[Orion]

Great shooting on the iguana's Erlis !!!  I think you guys are allowed to shoot iguana's all year round there because of being an invasive species so that fits well into the hunting gate.  Its the stuff like shooting pests in your back yard I think that are out of season you can't post from what I've seen.

You are right, we can hunt them all year, it is actually illegal to capture one alive an release. But it is also ilegal to kill them in a way they wil suffer, pellet gun is ALMOST ideal, I said almost because it’s not just take the gun and shoot at it. Shot placement is crucial, this iguanas are tough, did I said though? You have to hit a few cm behind the eye to be one shot one kill, or in the spine, anywhere else and they will live, a shoot in the vitals and they will walk away like nothing, they may die in a bush 2 hours later but then that’s illegal.

Once I remember reading someone that cut open one after the iguana was death for an hour and the heart was still moving.

When I said I wasn’t sure about posting, it was because I’m not hunter, I’ve never looked into that before, but the iguanas here at home forced me to take action, I used to see one here, two there, but this last year, with no natural predators their numbers are out of control. In total I know I’ve dispatched more than 100, but I wasn’t counting... until now... If you guys agree, I can keep counting here at the forum.

I was thinking in investing in the side shot to make videos of the hunt.

What app do you guys recommend for recording the videos and a nice slow mo footage?

Thanks all for the nice comments

[Rico14]

What do you do with them once you dispatch them? Do you have friends who will eat them? It's not like they're a tiny animal that you can just toss in the bushes. I have a side shot, I use the slow mo that is built in to my iPhone 6S

[Orion]

most of them are by a canal, if they drop in the water, well they stay in the water and the turtles take care of them, if not I got them and I buried them in a huge compost pile I have in my property, they feed my plants after a few weeks later

[Habanero69er]

Erlis, how far south are you?

[selittle]

Taste "just like chicken." Actually iguanas are kept and raised like poultry in some countries. I'd eat them!

[Orion]

Erlis, how far south are you?

I live in Broward county

[screwwork]

Ijuana tacos sound good to me.
Nice shooting & cool photos too. Thanks for sharing.

[ratzapper]

This is great! ...Keep up the great work! ...Invasive species need culling. ...