Change of wardrobe

[Planedude]

Many years ago the city demanded we put our trash on the curb each Monday in 35gal trash bags that the city sold. Hated it in concept, but really hated it when this one lage tomcat dicovered out neighborhood. It became ritual to find 30 to 50 bags torn open and trash blowing around the hood like some scean out of a post apocalyptic movie. Everyone knew the problem was this big Tom, nobody knew who owned it. About this time the company moved me to third (midnights) shift and I found myself at home during the day. I found that nobody else was around at that time of day. Soooooo a plan begain to hatch. Caddycorner to my house was a small HUD home. The little house had the electric and gas meters removed and the water meter was locked out. Houses in an urban area don't get more abandon. With my trusty pawnshop Remington 514 single shot and some CB short ammo the trap was laid. I told my wife Sunday night that she worked way too hard and that Sunday dinner would be a bucket of KFC. the next morning, trash day, I put the wife and kids into her car for their trips to work and school, waved goodby to them and after they were out of sight went and disconnected the return cylinder from the storm door. A trash bag full of the nights KFC remains were placed at the curb across the street with a carefully laid out line of site to my front door. The rifle was set next to the door, action open and four of the little shorts were set out next to it. I sat down and started watched some TV, staying awake was the tough part. At each commercial break I would step to the door and look for that darn cat. it was really quiet in the neighborhood that day and I was begining to rethink my plot. I had started to waver on the ideal when it came time to do the next cat check. Sure enough, 8:45-ish in the morning, there was that big yellow trash digger working his way down the street. I saw him tear open about ten bags that day. He seemed to relish his work of ripping and digging. two of the bags he ripped open had leaves and grass clippings in them and I realized that for that tomcat, this was not hunger, he just found tearing up trashbags as fun. Filled with new resolve I saw him crossing over to the KFC laden bait bag and dig in. I loaded a round of CB and pushed the screen door open. Braced by the door frame and looking at a shot of no more than 25 yards I was very careful with my aim. When the moment came I was calm and strong and made a great shot. That old Tom jumped stright up and took off, but only ran in about a 12 ft circle. The shot sound was nothing but that cat sounded mad enough and it sounded like that Tom was ready to fight a lion. That however was short lived, I placed the rifle back aginst the wall, pulled the screen door closed and sat down waiting for the sound of cop cars or wailing cat owners. Nothing happend, no cries, no cops,heck no fuss at all. After about a half hour, I stepped across the street and found my nemisis' body, hit with one round, high in the back behind the front shoulders. I had almost shot over him and was glad to have had the abandon HUD home as a backstop. I tossed the dead Tomcat into a city trash bag with the bait chicken and placed the bag in the stack with my across the street neighbors trash. I went on back to my house and started cleaning up the gun stuff. A short time later the trash truck came and hauled away my problems. As the weeks went by without having to clean up our yards and street of nasty blowing trash, my neighbors begain to speculate about the fate of our trash digging Tom. final concensus was he must have been hit by a car. I would just smile and agree. It was more than five years before I let the story out.I love cats, had two of them at the time, but that cat was quite a bit more the pest and not the pet by then. Sometime a homeowner just has to take care of things himself and a CB short is a good way to go.

[MW surveyor]

Good story but............................................... ...................

A few paragraphs would have made it even better.

[certified106]

Re: Change of wardrobe

That would be awkward.

LOL, yes that would be quite awkward but at the same time you be impressed at how unlikely it is that would play out that way....... I think I would have played the lottery that day. I have missed a deer or two for the same reason, as they hear the twang they jump and or flinch hard enough to cause the shot to miss. I also lost one of the biggest bucks I have ever seen because he flinched so fast the arrow hit him high...... I tracked that sucker for hours he even layed down for a few hours and I just sat there and watched him from the other ridge.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

[Planedude]

Good story but............................................... ...................

A few paragraphs would have made it even better.

Typed it with Paragraphs, but the web software kept converting it to what you see...Dang silly software.

[mr surveyor]

It would be hard to get a kill shot with one of those powderless rounds. They are not for automatics of any kind... too short and don't have any kick for cycling the action.

Wounded animals make a hell of a noise... even rabbits. That's what they use for predator calls. They make an awful noise! It sounds like a kid screaming sometimes!

Wynn

in my rural experience, they seem to work pretty darned well out of the right handgun

[wyntrout]

Yes... I've gone up into the attic with my H&R 9-shot revolver looking for rats... didn't find any, but d-CON works a lot better! That CCI ratshot is too loud. A cop lives behind me in the park and this one isn't my buddy! We don't have a working relationship. The previous... well several officers back, and I watched over the park and I would go out there several times a night when walking my dog... which has been "gone" for 9 years next month! Time sure flies, but not the memories!

I had a P12 and a fierce K9... well... a very friendly and curious max-sized MinPin! I did my own neighborhood watch and called in anything out of the ordinary. I was really just walking the dog, but I did keep my eyes open!

Wynn