[AT] Got Woodchuck Pills?

[Cecil E Monson]

	I had a friend who had two dogs. They were sort of a mix which
we called farm dogs - collie/shepherd mixes. One day when I was over at
his place he told me to watch his dogs. They had spotted a woodchuck in
a neighbor's field about a quarter mile away. One of his dogs trotted out
into the field in plain sight and the other ran at a 90 degree angle down
the road and out of sight. The one in the field continued to walk around
back and forth and even barked once in a while in the direction of the
woodchuck. It wasn't but a few minutes when the other dog appeared behind
the woodchuck and was advancing on him from the rear while the first dog
played decoy. In less than a minute the chuck was dead. I have heard of
dogs doing this but really didn't believe it until I saw it with my own
eyes. I wonder now if anyone else has ever seen this happen?
	
	As to rats, we get them once in a while in our little chicken
house because of the feed in the hanging feeders. What I have done that
gives a lot of pleasure and some action is to use my .45 Colt or the .44
Special with #8 birdshot handloaded in the shells and shoot them on the
run when I open the door. The chickens don't particularly like it the
first time or two but after that I don't think they hear very well and
don't seem to mind. FWIW, I've found that sometimes the first shot will
cause the rat being fired at to faint dead away and it takes one more
shot to put them away permanently. Since we got all these new neighbors
I don't do this much any more. I control them now with a bait box I made
that holds D-Con or something similar that Purina sells. The box is 6" X
6" X about 16" or so long with a rat sized hole in each end. The bait
is in the middle so the chickens can't get it. Size of the holes is about
1 3/4" but doesn't really matter as the first rat there will knaw the
hole to suit him. If anyone is interested, the loads are simply target
loads as far as powder is concerned with a gas check seated cup side up
on top of the powder, then shot put in to fill the case, and then another
gas check cup side down over the shot and crimped lightly to hold it in
place. I also swipe some of my wife's clear fingernail polish and seal
the end over the gas check with it. It works for me.

Cecil
-- 
The nicest thing about telling the truth is you never have to wonder
what you said.

Cecil E Monson
Lucille Hand-Monson
Mountainville, New York   Just a little east of the North Pole

Allis Chalmers tractors and equipment

Free advice