This is _really_, and when I say really, I mean really frigging bugging me..... So I have to bitch about it.... My sweetie isn't going to listen so you chaps are "it"!!!!!!
The Disclaimer: I love the hell out of animals... _All_ kinds.... I seem to spend half my life rescuing some animal somewere......
The History I have a "cute" back yard. Nice big pond I dug myself, plenty or foliage planted by my "horticultural expert", (read sweetie pie), get's all the wildlife possible in the suburban area we live... and I mean all..... It's pretty cool....
Well for the last couple of years the rat population in the city has increased... I noticed the odd rat around which I don't find that big of a deal - but sweetie thinks all rats are bad.... Two years ago we had one was clearly too smart to do the "humane trap" - you know... the one where I capture it without hurting it then kill it pretty much the same way.... But sweetie pie needed it gone..... So she insisted I put out the "whap" trap..... Well.... A baby mouse and a chipmiunk later I put my foot down..... I was done with the WMD's and wanted a "Precision Guided Weapon"..... So off we went to K-Mart and bought the $30 pellet gun... The rat showed itself once in the crappy sight..... That was all it took.... Nice rat, thank you, goodbye..... Even though, during the heated discussion about the pellet gun with my sweetie telling me "you'll never hit that little thing it moves too fast", I warned her that I have always been "One shot - one kill" and proving my point......
That was last year... After the city making a big thing of the rat "problem" and everyone cleaning up their yards, now it's this year.... Well, without having any "citations", to be honest, if I was a rat, my yard is pretty attractive..... lots of bird food, places to hide, a nice deck to dig under.... etc. etc. etc.
Well, two nights ago sweetie reports that there is a rat in the yard again - we had some suspicions but now it is confirmed with a "visual". Great I think, I just zeroed that pellet gun while on vacation to about 30 yards on 10 pumps.... Far from perfect for the most likely shot I can take on little "ratty" which will be at about 8 yards but I can adjust down and maintain the power.... he says... hopefully.....
The rat appeared last night but is clearly new to the yard as she is as skittish as hell..... No shot available... Oh well.... Baited the area and, being really smart, laid a white background to ensure a silhouette to shoot at through the K-Mart sight even with the glasses on.....
Tonight is perfect.... Ratty is out.... To make the shot I have to leave the doorwall, (French windows), open a crack because they make this tiny little "click" as they break open.... Well that makes the damned cat all interested... She manages to scare ratty twice but after that she seems to understand that when I get up and hold the pellet gun I am hunting and she was really smart about it.... Animals are much smarter than we give them credit for.
So... Ratty is giving me random exposures, through some foliage, of about 5 seconds each.... I forsake two shots because of the high potential of hitting the foliage first thus missing or the shot having insufficient effect... Finally... There it is.... head silhouetted against the white background..... "remember - you are at 8 not 30 yards - drop the point of aim...." I thought.... Got it... "Squeeeeeeeze - don't pull, it's a lemon" I thought - remembering all that training but thinking to myself "****, I'm shooting at a shadow amongst a bunch of shadows"....
The shot went, the background jumped sideways and the rat ran away......
Pissed.... You don't even know how pissed.... I never missed an aimed shot at a target within reasonable range before..... ever..... You really have no idea.....
When I went down to check the background I missed high by about 1/4" which meant I was 1/2" high of the point I was aiming at..... No, it wasn't an easy shot... It had to be executed quickly with a weapon that was going to shoot higher at the range it was being used at... But hell..... I've done that before!!!!!!
I have to get my eyes fixed.... This sucks..... Last year the rat was toast.... Right now she is hanging around my yard, in the dark so I have no chance of seeing her thinking....
"Doddering old fart"....
I hate her, I hate her, I hate me...... :eek:
