Friday Feral Field Lion DOWN!!! Called in... NO PICS...

[shortwave]

As a wildlife lover, it's my obligation to eliminate feral cats while in the woods....and since I live in the middle of the woods, my responsibilities also include these expert predators that are stocking various 'victims of prey' around the house as well.
Many bunnies have been saved from the fangs of these ferocious felines.

 

[mnhntr]

Got one tonight. On the way home from the range and a neighbors barn cat was creeping in the woods on my land so the HK 45 barked and one less cat.

 

[Vermonter]

Stray Dogs

In the last two months I have rescued two stray dogs. Both were pets, both had collars, and both had terrible worthless good for nothing owners. One was at a property we manage alone and one came to my office and walked through the proped open door.

In both instances I wish I had adopted or sheltered the dogs. Surley someone will hit them in a vehicle crash.

Regards, Vermonter

 

[gyvel]

Thankfully, the coyotes et. al. do a pretty good job of controlling feral cats around my area.

Now if I could only find more California Kings to take care of the mice, gophers and rattlers around the house.

 

[SavageSniper]

It amazes me how I will see cats in the middle of the Apalachicola National Forest miles from any house. I know that they are from people dumping them off, or thats the way the population started. They have adapted and are thriving. They also get shot on sight if possible.

 

[hogdogs]

I , along with many a hunter, will expend ANY round we have loaded for deer or hog etc. on a solo feral feline we see on the Eglin AFB WMA...

I, personally, am willing to wreck a hunt day for a single vermin feral field lion...
Brent

 

[hogdogs]

A .300 Win mag or .30-06 in Core-Lokt or better or a 12 gauge in ANY buck ball or a slug of either $abot or a standard style Foster or Brenneke [sp] reeks havoc on even the healthiest feral feline body...

 

[shortwave]

^^As well as a finely tuned arrow tipped with a nice broadhead....

...but I must admit, when bow hunting, since I'm so cheap, in my quiver is always a shaft or two tipped with field points especially for field lions and other destructive beasts of the jungle.

 

[twins]

Any suggestions for catching one (ie, traps)?

Having problems with stray cats on a property inside city limits.

 

[hogdogs]

Trapping feral cats can be tough if you have possums and coons as they will often hit the same baits...

Milk is really a good bait... catfood is the main bait I used besides milk...

Brent

 

[mquail]

Milk is really a good bait... catfood is the main bait I used besides milk...

I don't know about down there, up here we get skunks and lots of em! I use PVC traps just in case. A skunk can't spray me from in the trap but occasionally they do leak a bit

 

[SavageSniper]

Snares work too. Well kinda. I snared one just outside my house a little while back. He was big and healthy and murder on the rabbits and such around the house. The snare I sat was a little too strong for a cat but i proceeded anyway. I baited it with KFC. It took him maybe 20 minutes before he showed himself. My wife and I watched him take the bait and when the snare went off it slung him about 10 feet in the air and 20 feet down range. He hit the ground unhurt and came back and got the chicken anyway. My wife said that that was not a snare it was a cat-a-pault. I was laughing soo hard I couldnt shoot him. I did manage to get him a couple days later.

 

[Dave P]

Don't see a lot of cats or mean, stray dogs in my woods. But I put them down when I do.

Last cat was a big SOB, but birdshot got him out of that tree ASAP. Now my dog has more rabbits to chase!

 

[Vermonter]

Savage Sniper

Your cat a palult thing is hilarious. P.S if you are baiting with KFC I might have to start being a stray cat in your yard!

 

[BigMikey76]

I think you did it just right. I am a dog and cat owner and a lifelong animal lover. My cats stay in the house (that way the mice don't), and I have a tall fence to keep the dog in the yard when he is outside. People who don't take proper measures to contain their animals are also not taking proper care of them, and if the animal gets dead, they don't really have much room to complain.

 

[fatwhiteboy]

I have adopted two West Highland White Terriers from a rescue organization here in Southern California. In the last 18 months the have killed 2 rats, 5 mice and 9 oppossum. They each weigh about 18 pounds. If the cats would come down off the fence, they would be history, too....

 

[dayman]

I like the term "field lion", it makes the important distinction between pets and feral animals.
We used to have a lot of feral cats around here and I was debating hunting them, but then a fisher moved into the neighborhood, and they all sort of disappeared.
The coyotes take care of everything further back in the woods.

Nature seems to take pretty good care of it's self when you let it.

 

[MikeG]

I think you did it just right. I am a dog and cat owner and a lifelong animal lover. My cats stay in the house (that way the mice don't), and I have a tall fence to keep the dog in the yard when he is outside. People who don't take proper measures to contain their animals are also not taking proper care of them, and if the animal gets dead, they don't really have much room to complain.

I completely agree Big Mikey76. I do the same with our cats and dogs.

Apart from the damage to smaller wildlife cats do when allowed to run free, they also become coyote snacks. Loose dogs cause problems too, killing chickens and chasing horses. A few weeks ago, someone down the road shot someone else's loose dog. The news channel started to make a big hoo-hah about it but I e-mailed them to tell them it is illegal to let dogs run loose out here, and the problems they cause when they do. The story died away.

 

[Tickling]

Interesting, I'm sure feral cats can wreak havoc on native populations and while I don't honestly know if I could shoot one personally, I don't begrudge those who do so when they become an invasive species.

I guess I grew up with a different angle on the matter, I spent a few years growing up in wheat country and it seemed they loved feral cats. Of course mice and songbirds can wreak havoc on grain-crops, so maybe that had something to do with it

 

[Hansam]

Any suggestions for catching one (ie, traps)?

I use a raccoon size Havahart live trap with a single door. I usually place a can of half open undrained tuna in the back of the trap then cover it with cardboard or wood. This helps collect the scent around the trap then as the wind gets to it it drifts out and is a great bait for cats and coons. The trap remains set up in a single location near my garbage cans. I don't seem to have any possum here in my neck of the woods so I don't catch any of them. I have however trapped over a dozen cats in the last couple of weeks and a few coons too. It seems the feral cats outnumber the coons here.

Every varmint that has gone into that trap has never made it out of the trap alive. They all enter the trap and leave by way of a .22short bullet to the top of the head from my single six. I use a .22short so I don't get overpenetration - I don't want to put any bullet holes in the catch plate of my trap.

Anyway cats and coons can't seem to resist the smell of tuna going bad. Try it and see what it does for you.

I have adopted two West Highland White Terriers from a rescue organization here in Southern California. In the last 18 months the have killed 2 rats, 5 mice and 9 oppossum. They each weigh about 18 pounds. If the cats would come down off the fence, they would be history, too....

Two 18lb Westies would have difficulty with a healthy mature feral cat. Those things are lean, mean and agile killing machines. I've seen a single feral cat take on and chase off full grown german shepherds, pit bulls and even a small pack (4 dogs) of jack russels terriers - not the same cat but I've seen those incidents with different cats. Be careful with your wish for a cat to climb into your yard. While you may end up with a dead cat to dispose of you may also end up with one or two heavily wounded dogs to care for too.