Feral cats in Australia

putter97127 said:
I have a question... Is it bad luck to shoot a black cat? We have one roaming around our place. I want to shoot it, but my wife says karma will get me.....
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Do you by chance live in Salem ? If not I'd risk it for the greater good.
 
I was never a cat person, until my son finally got me to cave in to his request for a kitten one Xmas. Turns out the damn cat is more like a dog than a cat, and I spend many an evening in the recliner with her curled up in my lap. I'd have an awfully hard time shooting one now myself. That being said the domestic cat, and its feral relatives are the single most efficient killer in the animal world. Nothing compares to the success rate of these things and they can decimate an area quickly. This is why we keep our cat indoors, we like the birds too much to let her loose on them. I get get why people are taking them out, just think I'd have a hard time with it myself.
 
It has been reported that in the US over 1 billion song birds are killed by domestic and feral cats every year. I have shot a number of them while upland hunting, but never close to the landowner’s place.
 
DieJager said:
Becoming a huge problem in the Netherlands, but as usual we cannot do anything about them...
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Pellet gun works wonders. Quiet and powerful enough to take them out.
 
As a young boy the farm we lived on had a dump from the prison. I got my pellet practice shooting piles of rats but the dump also attracted feral cats. My father bought me two large havahart live traps which I used for a number of years. My neighbors were Amish and would attend a auction in Lancaster where I would sell my live feral cats. I would receive $6-$12 per cat which were used for dissecting in schools. The 200 or so cats plus thousands of live pigeons ($0.5 -.75) for pigeon shoots helped my bank account as a 12-13 year old.
 
putter97127 said:
North of Salem. I think I will take the chance. Nothing like a little Saturday morning cat hunt!
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Thanks for doing your part in wine country, I'll do my part in the gorge.
 
sambarhunter said:
We skinned a lot of wild cats that we shot during the good years of fox pelt prices,grey tabbys brought the highest prices followed by ginger toms.
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I went with father years ago to buy cattle to a place called Quinan, the hillbillys on deliverance would of been scared of by this lot. The last couple miles into the farm we on what passed for a road. You could see flashes of teenagers running either side of the truck.
Father did his buisness and we got the cattle loaded on the back of his truck. While there he struck up a conversation with the old man he'd bought the cattle from. Feral cats and snairing rabbits came up, the old man said " we've never really set for cats but I mean if you caught it anyway... "
I was never so happy to leave some where , there was somthing unnatural about them that caused the hair on my neck to stand on end.
 
CBH Australia said:
i thought of this topic after reading the thread on Best rifles for Feline menace . The title start had me think of our cats.
Do we consider spotlighting as hunting? I’m a shooter hunter. If I walk the creek looking for pigs I guess it’s hunting but my mate is a Keen deer hunter and hunts on foot in the more common snes of hunting I guess.
But he still spotlights getting. Feed of rabbits, we have spotlighted together to shoot foxes And got some pigs opportunistically.
I’ve shot a handful of cats maybe a couple of handfuls over 30 years. I get a sense of satisfaction taking a cat from the bush. Many shooters I’ve shot with or discussed shooting with hate cats with a passion (In the bush)
Many get great satisfaction shooting a cat in the bush. Actually I’ve seen grown men get excited after shooting a feral cat, not just their first one.
Anyone care to come in on shooting cats? I’ve shot them with a .22, ,223 and .308 and probably with .222 my first centrefire.
I’m looking forward to taking one with my .22-250 as it is now used a little for spotlighting.
I reckon my mate has taken a few with his beloved .220 swift being a rifle he has had a long time and was varminting a bit a bit in his younger days before getting a start deer hunting at 48 I think he said.
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CBH
Chris in the bush I call cats target practice. I've shot them with the following. 22 long rifle, 22 hornet, 22/250,my 25, 303 and one with the 444 marlin. With those f@##ers there's no such thing as to much gun. The damage they do to our native animals and birds is unbelievable. See cat shoot it with whatever you have.
Cheers mate Bob
 
putter97127 said:
I have a question... Is it bad luck to shoot a black cat? We have one roaming around our place. I want to shoot it, but my wife says karma will get me.....
Click to expand...
You just got to hit it properly so that it won’t cross your path! Lol.
 
Bob, you are going to have to try harder I see your preferred cartridge has not taken a cat yet. For all we know the Whelen May just be the silver bullet solution to puffing up a cat on impact unless your son gets a crack at it with his .308 probably a good idea after his performance in Namibia.
If all else fails @Panther Shooter said in his thread the .243 would be a good choice because that’s what he would suggest for use on Clouded Leopard being one of the smaller species.
 
CBH Australia said:
Bob, you are going to have to try harder I see your preferred cartridge has not taken a cat yet. For all we know the Whelen May just be the silver bullet solution to puffing up a cat on impact unless your son gets a crack at it with his .308 probably a good idea after his performance in Namibia.
If all else fails @Panther Shooter said in his thread the .243 would be a good choice because that’s what he would suggest for use on Clouded Leopard being one of the smaller species.
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CBH
Chris for cats my preferred cartridge is the one I have with me at the time. I can assure you the 25 does cut them in half and the 444 with 240 grain XTPs doesn't leave much on a front on shot.
Yes the 35 has yet to take a cat but that will be remedied.
My son already has one with the 308 and 150 grain SSTs.
Let's not go down the 243 path again you already know I loathe that useless cartridge. 243 barrels are still only good for tomato stakes..
Cheers mate Bob
 
Panther Shooter said:
How about a 12 Bore shotgun , loaded with AAA cartridges ?
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Panther shooter
Any thing but a horrible 243. You would be better hitting it on the head with the barrel than shooting it with it. I have a strong dislike for the 243, have seen to much game wounded with it.
May be ok with a 100grain round nose.
Cheers mate Bob
 
Bob, Your son outdoes the old man again. Just what i wanted to hear. And in the public arena.What is he ? Just 15?
 
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CBH Australia said:
Bob, Your son outdoes the old man again. Just what i wanted to hear. And in the public arena.What is he ? Just 15?
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Chris How do you figue he has out done t h e old man. His Talley is ONE. Got a long ways to go to catch up to the old fella.
Cheers mate
Bob
 
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Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:
Chris How do you figue he has out done t h e old man. His Talley is ONE. Got a long ways to go to catch up to the old fella.
Cheers mate
Bob
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Thats one ahead of you.
He went well in Namibia didnt he?
Be happy for him and dont poison him against the .243.
The .308 he has will hit harder than any .243 and its a good choice for Australia. Any gunshop in Australia will normally carry a couple of varietys even out beyond the Black Stump. If someone ran out some shooter will have a mate that can hook you up with .308 ammo in a pinch.
I just like the unique way you describe the usefulness of a .243 its always worth trying to drag out a comment or leave an opening in a post to get your response.
Look after the boy teach him well and look after his .35 Whelen. After all its on loan to you and hopefully he will discipline many cats with it when he eventually takes posssession.
I cant knock the Whelen ive never fired one but if i did you might ring me up and set me straight so i just gotta harp on about the other little cartridge.
 
Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:
Chris
The son don't like the 243 either.
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I wonder why. Im sure some members here might be able to support it.
I think the Whitetail hunters are fond of it from what i read.
 
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