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Live from Mississippi.

Jackalope

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What good are they? Can you even do anything with them cooking wise?? I shriveled up my nose as I typed that....

They eat the crap out of them in South America. But I'm sure there isn't much they won't eat. They're known to carry leprosy and it can be transferred to humans if they're undercooked. I don't even touch the damn things. Every one I've ever killed stinks, especially if you gut shoot them, but worse than other gunshot animals. As a kid I tried to skin one out of his shell once and quit halfway through because of the smell.
 
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Jackalope

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They sound like they’re non-subterranean moles. Speaking of which are terrible this year!

Worse I think. Like groundhogs and moles combined. They tear up a yard like moles but dig holes under everything like groundhogs. They're actually interesting critters and have very set routines. I think about them like remote Alaskan trappers. They have all these trap lines they run and they follow the same path for each one. Along that path they often have temporary burrows dug. When you see the damage it may be a week or two before they return. Just depends on how productive their other routes are. They dig under everything like fences that are in their way so there's no real blocking them.
 

Jamie

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Ohio
They are real hard on turkey nests, too. We killed tons of them while hunting pigs in SC. Owner of the place instructed us to kill every one we see. I ran a few over with the truck, shot them with handguns, .22 rifles. Never wasted more than a couple of arrows on those stankin' little bastards. Number one carrier of Leprosy in the US. I found the remains of on that was nothing but shell and bones. Creepy, alien looking skeleton. Opossum on the half shell. worse than coons...
 
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Jackalope

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They are real hard on turkey nests, too. We killed tons of them while hunting pigs in SC. Owner of the place instructed us to kill every one we see. I ran a few over with the truck, shot them with handguns, .22 rifles. Never wasted a couple of arrows on those stankin' little bastards. Number one carrier of Leprosy in the US. I found the remains of on that was nothing but shell and bones. Creepy, alien looking skeleton. Opossum on the half shell. worse than coons...

I've heard them called tactical opossums before. :ROFLMAO:
 
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Jamie

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I can't imagine having to put up with both armadillos and coons. I hope they never make it up here.
 

Jackalope

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I can't imagine having to put up with both armadillos and coons. I hope they never make it up here.

Armadillos, coons, opossums, water moccasins, four kinds of rattlesnakes, copperheads, the list goes on. I've found 8 snakes in the yard in two years, from four different species, none venomous yet. Once it was this thing that looks like a snake but is actually a legless lizard. called a glass lizard. Looks like a snake to me, but I guess since it can drop its tail it's a lizard. :ROFLMAO:

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Jackalope

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Since the blind for sterling is set and deer are coming to the feeder I've debated what he's going to shoot. He's practiced a ton in the backyard with a scoped BB gun and is doing really well at 25 yards. At 6 years old and 50lbs there's not much he can shoot comfortably from a recoil perspective even though the gun will be secured to a field pod. I debated the muzzy with 50gr of powder or the AR in 223. Since we don't have a caliber restriction here I think I'm going to put a scope on my 9mm AR pistol and have him shoot a 147gr +P JHP. 25-yard broadside shot and despite not being a preferred deer caliber it should be more than enough for these skinny thin skinned southern deer. I'll need to modify the pod a little as the gun is a tad short but it should be fine. 😅 If i trust it to stop some dude hopped up on meth i guess I should trust it to kill a deer.

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Hedgelj

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Mohicanish
I can understand your concern about recoil but also want something to kill it cleanly so he doesn't have to deal with a less than quick kill.

What about this?


practice with m193, it's not a hard recoil at all
 

JOHNROHIO

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If I were to only be using a 9mm , I think my preference would be a heavy solid point. Penetration is key. Just as the reason for woods guns/bear guns are carried with heavy hard cast projectiles. If not loading my own I would look at a buffalo boar or underwood hard cast. The standard JHP for self defense leaves a lot to be desired on anything other than 2 legged creatures typically.

I once was part of dispatching a horse of a farm I used to work on that was of the age and had fallen the last time. Apples to oranges comparison but, at the time all I had with me at the time was a 38 special loaded with 147 grain +p xtp’s. Even at just a few feet away it didn’t go as planned 🙄. Now regretful that we didn’t take the time to pack out to the truck and make a drive to get something better suited for the job. I learned a lot that day on real life ballistics. And that people are built cheap in comparison to 4 legged creatures.
 

Jackalope

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I feel you guys. To be honest he's pushing it a little with him being 6 and only 50lbs. Hell, he still has trouble getting his shoulder on the butt and hand to the trigger of most rifles. 😅. But when the boy shows interest and says he wants to shoot a deer, it's up to dad to give him the opportunity.

The 9mm just fits him so well. I set up a bunch of storage totes from 20 to 30 yards earlier. They're about the size of a deer from bottom to back so they worked well. I had him use the bipod to maneuver the weapon around from tote to tote. When he got the halo and dot in the center he pulled the trigger on a snap cap then let go and let me see. He was able to move it around and get it centered on different totes every time.

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@JOHNROHIO I was looking at cast bullets per your recommendation. Buffalo Bore makes one that's 147gr hard cast flat nose and touts great penetration. It has 360ftlbs of muzzle energy. I was reading some articles about hunting with a 9mm and it mentioned for heavier game like hogs and protection against bears to go with a hard cast. For deer etc it mentioned Underwood Xtreme defender. A solid copper 90gr +P round that touts 390 ft lbs of muzzle energy and mushrooms. The big difference is an added 300fps in the lighter but solid copper round. I don't know shit about shit but I think that should be ok. These southern deer are very thin skinned, light coats, and not a ton of fat, broadside through the ribs at 30 shoild be more than enough.

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