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Knifeboy Member
Joined: Feb 09, 2005 Posts: 165 Location: The Arizona desert
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 12:56 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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DallenC,
Your right, I just looked on Yahoo at some photos of Nutria. We call them Muskrats out here. My dog used to bring them home from the swamp that ran through my back yard. I never could find them myself to shoot at them with my pellet gun. Good to know what animal your talking about now. Kill em off Flint. LOL
Knifeboy
_________________ I'd rather be lucky than good. |
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grimel Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 1:32 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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Nutria are NOT muskrats. In fact it isn't even close.
nutria:
This member of the rodent family is native to South America, and it was introduced both accidentally and purposely in the waterways in several American states. The species has proved to be overly destructive of habitat in some areas, creating problems for muskrats and waterfowl. This species can tolerate winters in temperate areas only. An important furbearer in Louisiana and Texas coastal area, nutria are viewed as detrimental in most other areas.
Adult nutria are about 14 inches long from the nose to the base of the tail. The tail itself is 12 to 17 inches long, round, and hairless. Nutria average 16 to 18 pounds in weight. Occasional individuals may weigh 25 pounds or more.
muskrat:
he muskrat is a common and valuable furbearer. Muskrats are widely distributed throughout North America.
The size and weight of muskrats varies with regions, and the quality of food available. Southern muskrats average around two pounds in weight, and weights of three and four pounds are common for muskrats in the Northern states. Most adult muskrats attain a length of 22-25 inches, including the nearly hairless tail.
_________________ But.....ain't many troubles that a man caint fix
with seven hundred dollars and his thirty ought six.
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
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Flint54 Member
Joined: Apr 09, 2005 Posts: 389 Location: North Carolina
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DallanC Site Admin
Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 2:40 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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I did as knifeboy did and did a google search for picts of Nutria and indeed was shown picts of Muskrats... so blame google for misleading us!
To recap: Nutria are large mutant Muskrats introduced to the USA back in the 1800s as a alternative source of fur.
25 lb'ers... geeze thats a med size beaver!
I've love to give hunting these things a try... given the extreme size I can see how they could be such an environmentally damaging animal (basing this on what I've seen muskrats do).
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Knifeboy Member
Joined: Feb 09, 2005 Posts: 165 Location: The Arizona desert
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2005 3:12 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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I heard that our oriental friends over in China were going to make a new movie. Godzilla VS Nutria LOL.
Geez yea muskrats must no be the same, cuz the critters in my swamp werent nearly big enough to qualify for that size. So it sounds like these Nutria could pass as Water Buffalo LOL
Whatch your step Flint. I wouldnt want you loosing a let to one of them suckers.
Knifeboy
_________________ I'd rather be lucky than good. |
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longwalker Member
Joined: Apr 12, 2005 Posts: 201 Location: Bethel, AK
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2005 6:02 am Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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I think the 22 rimfire or 17 hrm sounds about right. If you are close to road ways and people keeping it low key is most likely the right way to go.
If I were you I would try going at night and shoot out of the back of your truck. I bet the little buggers come out at night in droves. A nice accurate 22 might just be what the doctor ordered.
Try the sub sonic ammunition it's just a little bit softer sounding and a big bullet you hit I'm you got i'm.
That same load does a great job on stray cats. Just scratch them behind the ears and they just lay down and purr.
longwalker
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grimel Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 6:11 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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Flint54 wrote: |
I like the extra oomph that my .223 gives me and at the time I'm using 52gr HPs. |
Ifin ya gonna persist with that oversized kaboomer, try the Hornady V-max. It will nearly vaporize on contact with any hard surface. What it does to a groundhog just isn't right. I figure a chunk bigger than a softball missing from any nutria should make for a pretty dead nutria.
As an aside, if you have a pond/big creek/lake cove the nutria bodies stacked on a floating pallet makes a good fish feeder.
_________________ But.....ain't many troubles that a man caint fix
with seven hundred dollars and his thirty ought six.
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
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Flint54 Member
Joined: Apr 09, 2005 Posts: 389 Location: North Carolina
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grimel Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 10:53 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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Or 30-30AI.
Still think the 7-30W is the best deer round for a Contender.
I WANT a 375W and a 357max and a 222 imp mag and a 338JDJ2 and a
_________________ But.....ain't many troubles that a man caint fix
with seven hundred dollars and his thirty ought six.
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
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Joel Rookie Member
Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 8
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 7:27 am Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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grim,
I'm out of the loop, bro...What is 30-30AI? Wildcat?
Joel
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grimel Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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30-30 Ackley Improved. Shoots regular 30-30's to fireform cases and emergencies. Give a good boost to the 30-30. Everyone I know (5 or 6) that has had it done to a Contender loves it.
_________________ But.....ain't many troubles that a man caint fix
with seven hundred dollars and his thirty ought six.
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
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delboy Member
Joined: Apr 21, 2005 Posts: 240 Location: London England
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grimel Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160
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Posted: Sat May 28, 2005 1:46 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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There is a reason a few places have bounties on nutria. Them suckers can tear up some area in a hurry. Not to mention being rodents they are a tad bit prolific in the reproduction. Given the size, they don't have many predators, so it falls back to the moron species that brought them here to do the population control - men.
Initally, they were to be a new furbearer and food source. Well, the fur isn't in great demand (just check flint, $2-3 ea for prime hides) and only a few cajuns can eat them unless very hungry (I might give it a try if I have some hot sauce available).
Del, the fowling piece is a bit much for a big rat. Even a racoon doesn't survive a good shot from a 22lr. The canon's flint's using are waaaaay overkill. My 17rem is too much. I'd say a 22mag or med loaded 22 hornet would be just about perfect.
_________________ But.....ain't many troubles that a man caint fix
with seven hundred dollars and his thirty ought six.
Lindy Cooper Wisdom
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kbis Super Member
Joined: Apr 05, 2005 Posts: 312 Location: East, Texas
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 7:25 pm Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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Flint54 Are you shooting at these things in the water or on the banks?? If it is in the water, be careful about ricochets. Some day I will have to tell you about my beaver hunting and the hole in my bath tub :). When they are in the water, that must be a small target, if its like a beaver, you are looking at a moving target about 1/2 inch high and about 2 inches in dia.
As to the cotton mouths, good luck. I went fishing tonight in my beaver free (I hope) lake when I see a snake comming straight for my line. I wounded it with my 357 loaded with snake shot ( In Texas they call it rat loads) and it goes into the brush in front of me. I move about 15 yards down the bank and go back to fishing. A few minutes later I hear something in the tree next to me. I walk over to the tree and am looking eye ball to eye ball with one very p*ssed snake. I have not been impressed with the shot pattern of a 357 with snake loads, but at 2 foot it will remove the head of a snake. I meassured what was left and it was 62 inches long plus what ever was missing. I go back to fishing, life is wounderful the snakes are gone and I can fish. Ten minutes later another snakes comes out of the same area and heads for my line, this time I got him about 8 foot from shore where he is still floating. The catfish and turtles will eat good tonight :). Tomorrow I will be on the tractor removing the brush from the lake.
I had heard that cottonmouths and water moccasins traveled in pairs, now I believe. Be careful of the second snake.
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Joel Rookie Member
Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 8
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2005 8:54 am Post subject: Re: At WAR with Nutria and Cottonmouths |
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Flint & kbis-
Know what else about them cottonmouths? They'll chase you. They are the most aggressive snake I've seen here in central Texas.
I finally learned to use a long branch to flip over the aluminum flat-bottom boat down at my dad's stock tank. And that was just to give me a head start in back-peddlin' because there was always at least one, sometimes four, cottonmouths underneath that boat! They could come un-wadded and put on a chase pretty dern quick...
Check out the teeth on a nutria--don't know if he would resort to using them if you picked up a wounded one, but don't wanna find out either...They look like a pair of 2" yeller chisels...whew...
Be Safe, Have Fun-
Joel
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