bandit partakes of chicken and lead

[nervoustrigger]

Not exactly the traditional combo.  Not soup and salad, not steak and potato, and not even fish and chips.  Chicken and lead is what this bandit had for dinner tonight.

Earlier at 9:15pm this evening I headed out to place some chicken scraps, and I noticed some glowing eyes at the edge of my property.   I walked a little closer and could tell it was a cat.  Somehow the neighborhood cats don't bother the bait pile at night.  I usually don't even see them at night, but they do often come by to snack the next day.  Oh well, I thought to myself.  I've been having a real jam-up time with the backyard pesting over the last few weeks, so I guess it's okay if kitty gets the scraps tonight.  So I proceeded to set them out and then went back inside.  I told my wife as I walked through the door, "I give it until 9:30 for the ding-donger to off.".  Well, 9:30 came and went so I thought that must be one patient kitty.  Then 10 minutes later I heard the familiar sound.  I figured I might as well go watch the cat, one I haven't seen around here before, so I grabbed the B51 and headed outside. 

When I got there, nothing was around.  Ah, that's interesting.  A cat would most likely just go to town on the vittles, eating casually until either it was full or all the food was gone.  So I sat quietly and after a few minutes, the familiar profile of a bandit made its way cautiously out of the shadows and over to the chicken scraps.  She wasn't presenting me with a good angle for the first few dips into the chicken so I waited a bit.  Eventually she presented me with a frontal profile and I put the POA just above the eyes and gently squeezed the trigger.  Crack!  In the follow through, I watched the bandit's legs give out instantly.  I chambered another pellet quickly in case a followup was needed.   I then squeezed the pressure pad to switch on the rifle's green light and checked for movement.  The famous raccoon death dance was in full swing so I turned around and grabbed the gloves and camera for a photo op.  By the time I made it down, it was all over.

The shot came from 45 yards with the B51 using a JSB 18.1gr.  Now the work begins, time to go dress it out.

[BenjiHunter]

Great shot and story, Jason.

[Tater]

Perfect shot placement and great story. That gun is gorgeous too. How do you like that B51?
Very cool flashlight/pressure pad too. Excellent night hunting set up.

[amb5500c]

Nice coon & good shot.
Richard

[nervoustrigger]

Thanks, guys!  It took me about an hour this time to dress it out and get it into a brine solution to soak in the fridge.  The first one a few months ago was probably 2 hours, then 1.5, and now down to 1 so I'm starting to get the hang of it.  If it wasn't for the all the setup--sharpening the knife, filling buckets with water, dragging out the rack, etc.--and then the cleanup, it probably wouldn't be but 30 minutes but that's how it goes.

Jerry, I can't say enough good things about the B51.  It's on target every single time.   Since June, it has taken 9 possums and 4 raccoons, all from 45 yards or more and only had one miss and it was my fault.  I just can't ask for any better than that.

And the Hawke Sport HD 3-9x50 AO IR it's wearing is fantastic for night hunting.  It really collects a lot of light and with the illuminated reticle on the lowest setting, I get a good aim every time.  Hard to believe I picked it up for $80 from AirgunDepot during their Thanksgiving sale last year.  Just a few days ago they had the 40mm version on AirgunsDaily for $100, I think it was, so the deal I got was pretty nice.  I've thought several times about putting a 4-16x on the rifle for longer range shooting but with the success I'm having with the Hawke, I don't want to tamper with it.     

[ShakySarge]

Great shot placement!!!!!!!

Matt

[dk1677]

Very nice shot Jason!

[palonej]

Great shooting and story Jason!! Rifle looks great!

[Mr. Sumatra22]

Excellent shot placement. You have a very nice setup there too. It appears to be with its weight in gold with how busy and efficient its been since June. 

[topwaterjim]

Ok now Jason your going to have to start posting some bandit recipies soon. And quite shooting that B51 in .22 Mike is out of those and I'm jealous..jk.. Nice work bro..

[nervoustrigger]

Hey Joe, thanks man!  Good to see you on the hunting gate.  Would rather see you starting threads here though 

Mr. Sumatra, when are all those raccoons going to start showing up in your yard again?  Didn't you have 4 on the camera at the same time?

Jim, well so far there's just one recipe and it involves dropping the back strap and a hind quarter in a crock pot along with some potatoes, carrots, and onions and coming back 8 hours later!   It's as good as any beef roast you'll ever eat, no kidding.