The Night Of The Rats

[Acuspell 329]

With all the snow I have neglected my bro-in-law's farm and so after a month of being left quiet I knew it would be worth a trip. The night vision had new batteries and I had a pouch full of the RWS H-points that it shoots pretty well. To be honest, with the night vision being so fuzzy it is difficult to see a target to zero. I had to use a dirty great cross for it to show up in the green haze at all.

When I got there I could hear the rats already busy, they were squeaking to each other and rattling the black sheeting over the barley, even though it wasn't long after sunset. I loaded both magazines and scanned the slurry ramp ahead of where I was parked, normally there are one or two underneath it, but not this evening. Most of the activity was centred around the grain store, a pile of barley on the floor with a black sheet over it, or at least over most of it. I could see the sheet moving with the rats running up and down underneath. I waited patiently, knowing one would show soon enough. I wasn't prepared for quite the numbers that did show though! Three ran out together and hid under the trailer. They thought they were safe but the night vision with its red illuminator showed them up as if it were daylight. The first shot tumbled one and it lay on its side kicking it's last. The other two scarpered, but not far. One went almost under some pallets and was quickly despatched with a slug down it's lughole, the other dived for cover behind a silage bale.

A noise behind me alerted me to more rats coming in from the dung heap, which they have dug into properly. I turned and saw a huge rat just at the base of the pile. I aimed and fired, but shot low. It jumped in the air and scampered part way up the heap. I repeated nother pellet into the breech as I swung on and dropped it with the follow up shot. The trouble is looking through the Nv one doesn't have any idea of the range, he was only 5 yards away and so of course I shot underneath. 5 yards or 15 yards all looks very similar. I got three more on the dung heap, coming out for their nightly rampage in the barley. They didn't get as far as the concrete!

I shall leavethe place along again for another month, because I had my best night ever, with a tally of 37 rats and 5 feral pigeons, which had sat tight on the far side of teh beams while all that activity took place. No doubt they thought they hadn't been seen. I collected as many of the fallen as I could,some in the wood pile I was not going to bother with and those on the far side of the dung heap could stay there too. With 23 all neatly lined up, the biggest one about 20" nose to tail, I went to the car to get the camera....no camera. Oh well I'll have to use the camera on the phone then....battery too low. Bugger. Oh well, I shall have to remember it next time.

[WoodsmanJim 160]

Sounds like a busy evening! Good shooting and a nice write up.

 

Jim

[j j m 6,527]

good write up and good shooting mate

[The one 8,456]

nice going mate hate them bloody things give them hell

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

well done mate. love shooting rats and ferals

[woodcote1 88]

Well done. I found Falcon Accuracy to be fantastic ratting pellets. You should give them a try.