Targeting Feral Cats: any tips and tricks?

[Gwion]

Well, they're not gun shy here; yet.

223 with 40gn vr is what they're going to be lined up with to begin with.

Gotta find the fukkas first.

[bigfellascott]

Well, they're not gun shy here; yet.

223 with 40gn vr is what they're going to be lined up with to begin with.

Gotta find the fukkas first.

That will do the job perrrrfectly!

[Title_II]

Well, they're not gun shy here; yet.

223 with 40gn vr is what they're going to be lined up with to begin with.

Gotta find the fukkas first.

That will do the job perrrrfectly!

^LOL

[RoginaJack]

Not too sure where you are Gwion but one problem I have with baiting traps on the ground is jolly Cane Toads. These little pests can smell a free feed a mile off. Might have to put the bait station up off the ground..

Cheers,

[Gwion]

Mate, I'm in Tassy and all the by catch climb anyway. Possums and quolls are both arboreal.

To be honest, I don't have the patience to use cage traps regularly so don't want to invest in them. I have borrowed a few before and find it tedious and a waste of effort with heap of by catch with no cats. A mate traps cats in cages but says it takes ages for the cats to trust the cage enough to go in it and he catches more possums than cats.

Rather figure out how to effectively search and destroy or at least bait and shoot.

[brett1868]

catches more possums than cats

Possum pie sounds tasty

[Gwion]

We keep threatening to do a cook up with tree rabbit, but haven't quite been game enough yet!

[Oldbloke]

catches more possums than cats

Possum pie sounds tasty

Kiwis love it.

[sandgroperbill]

Need to start practising holding my tongue on kiwi jokes as we may all have to move there soon enough. Might as well start now.

Reminds me, I have to get more mint sauce while I'm at the shops today

[Oldbloke]

Way off topic, but for those where it is legal and are game.
http://erinandstepheninnewzealand.blogs ... ossum.html

[Title_II]

Yucko!

Some Yanks do eat them, though. Our Opposum are much uglier than yours, see pics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum

I lived in Trenton, New Jersey for a while. It's a mix of city and urban-suburban residences. It turns out they have a tradition there that started during the Great Depression. Kids go out with baseball bats and try to scare up an opossum and drive him towards a fence. Them get him on the fence and beat him to death, and bring him home for dinner.

[Tiiger]

Think I'll skip that experience

[Gwion]

Yucko!

Some Yanks do eat them, though. Our Opposum are much uglier than yours, see pics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum

I lived in Trenton, New Jersey for a while. It's a mix of city and urban-suburban residences. It turns out they have a tradition there that started during the Great Depression. Kids go out with baseball bats and try to scare up an opossum and drive him towards a fence. Them get him on the fence and beat him to death, and bring him home for dinner.

It's the Simpsons!!!


WHACKING DAY!!!!


Bah hahahaha

[Yelp]

Oh whacking day, oh whacking day!

[Rifle realist]

G Day Gwion
As a new member first I have seen of this thread. Have you tried Valerian extract.cats can't resist it. A guy from Germany put me on to it,he would buy 4 liters of it & drive down the road tipping it out. Come back a few hours later to see multiple squashed cats. It works for me either as bait in a trap or to sit over 100 yards away.most greenie health shops sell it as a sleeping calming aid. It has the opposite effect on cats.check it out on the net.
I hate cats, my favorite thing to shoot.

[Gwion]

G'day RR. Never heard of it but will definitely try it out!

[Bills Shed]

So, i'm now convinced we are having issues with toxoplasmosis on our property. Doing research tells me that i have to limit the number of kittens parading around the place. To do this, i have to limit the number of adult cats.

I've known of a few feral cats around the place and have made a few half hearted attempts to trap or locate them for shooting.
.

Hi Gwion,
This is such a relivant topic in Tas at the moment. Your place sounds very much the same as mine. The ajoining properties do not shoot but allow shooting ( me), and so there is no control on ferals besides myself. There seems to be a lot of dumping (cats) at this time of year or they just breed up? Neighbours are struggling with sheep losses due to sickness, possible toxo.
My results in cat control is by light at night and it is only by chance that I came across them. I have nailed a few in daylight but again right place at the right time. I whistled foxes in Vic years ago and have tried it in Tas with no success.
I read this topic with great interest to get more ideas for a plan of attack. If you need a off sider on a shoot, let me know.
Please keep the ideas coming
Bill

[Gwion]

Bill, you probably get a bit of both at this time of year; ie.: cats dumped after school holidays and lots of ferals breeding up.
I've done a lot of reading on Toxo recently and it seems that kittens are main cause of spread, as once the initial infection has taken place, the animals (all animals susceptible to toxo) are then immune to further infection. However, as cats are the only animal in which the parasite can complete it's life cycle, during the period of initial infection in cats, usually as kittens, they spread the parasitic eggs in their faeces. The parasite is not really known to cause huge losses in adult livestock, it's more an issue of disrupting the lambing/kidding cycle, producing reabsorbed foetus, still born, or live born that cannot suckle due to undeveloped brains, and so die after a day or two.

To be honest, i haven't had much time to chase cats yet and have had the game cameras out getting footage of some devils i have found on the block. I do like this valerian idea, though and might have to give it a go before my (few) sheep are in lamb. I'll get some and bait a few spots and put a camera on each, then plan the shoot around when they show up on the cameras. I don't like the idea of hanging around waiting for hours on end, too boring for me and i'd give up before it was successful.

[RoginaJack]

Hey, Bills Shed, A lot of the feral cats I've shot at night have been in trees etc. , away from the dogs and foxes. I realise no foxes in Tassie but give the trees a sweep with the spottie.

Cheers,

[Title_II]

We keep threatening to do a cook up with tree rabbit, but haven't quite been game enough yet!

[Gwion]

Hehe.... A tree rabbit is s possum.

[Title_II]

Crikey?

[Elmer]

The shotgun with a cheap tin button fox whistle and a squeaky cat or dog toy from the dollar shop will do the job. Try early morn and late evening and spotlighting.
This is one method I've been gunna try - you know the toy, a crazy ball with a tail that goes round and round inside a circle hoop (?) and a fox whistle. I reckon the movement and whistle should work OK.
I was out early morning the other day calling/howling feral dogs up with the button whistle and a very large tomcat came to the call - only had the .243W with 75gr Speer HP. - handled the job OK.
cheers,

Hey mate I have used the ol crazy ball thing....I removed the ball part and just had the motor and tail attached to a pole, I put camo on the the pole and motor and sewed a rabbits tail on the end of the weasel and that was it.
I remember one fox I lured in with the whistle and watched him stop in his tracks (as you know they come in so bloody fast you sometimes cant get a shot off) when he spotted this tail thing doing somersaults and twirls....he couldn't take his eyes of it and slowly stalked it which enabled me to get off a well aimed shot.
If you like I can make a small vid of it and put it on youtube.
cheers,
Sean.

[RoginaJack]

LOL, yeah, mate would love to see the Vid
I think it would work really well - distracts the fox and gives it something else to focus its attention on.
Should work on cats and feral dogs too.

Cheers,

[Bark]

Post it

[Die Judicii]

1) A 9 mm
2) A couple of clips
3) A box of shells,,,,,,,

Now where did I hear that from ???????

[Xerox]

The voices in your head?

[Gaznazdiak]

Well I don't know for certain that I've eaten cat meat, but I used to eat a lot of take away, so chances are.........