Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Getting wild bluegills on feed

Agreed. Our 12ga 870s are our go to firearm of choice. 3, 8 or 9 projectiles equals much higher chance of hitting the target versus a single projectile. If we could have only one, it would be a shotgun.

Something extraordinary would have to occurred for a doe to escape from a cougar. I would liken that matchup to that of a semi versus a bicycle. lol


FnH's Five-SeveN pistol is indeed a multi-purpose pistol. It does well at distance due to the flat trajectory of the 5.7x28mm round, while the low recoil and muzzle flip allow for quick and accurate follow-up shots. The "stock ammo" does well, but there are many bullets between 27-50gr that can be loaded to really fine-tune and expand what this pistol can do.

Basslover, I'm glad you were there and prepared to deal with that situation.

However, my counter point is the same as it always is whenever these types of conversations arise...where do you draw the line? If I try and plan for any contingency, my family car has now become a panel truck, filled with every conceivable item I think MIGHT be necessary one day.

Should I design a scabbard or quiver, that hangs across my back and contains a chainsaw? Ready at a second's notice, to reach back and draw that baby out....sort of a hybrid of a lumberjack and Conan the Barbarian?

"What's the problem here? You say you're about to give birth, and a fallen tree is blocking the only toad to the hospital? No worries ma'am, I've got this!"

And yeah, I'm poking a little fun and using ridiculous examples. But the point remains: when is enough, enough? At what point does it cease to be precautionary, and cross over into paranoia?

I have a few friends that carry their handguns everywhere they go. Grocery store, church, mailbox, woodshed, attic....you get the idea. And to the last man, every one of them is an extreme firearms enthusiast. They talk gun math, gun statistics, gun weights, gun laws....and that's fine. I have hobbies that I am passionate about also. But I don't feel the need to carry maple syrup everywhere I go. There's a time and a place, and it isn't all the time and every place.

True story: last year I was with one of these friends at his house. I was going to help him carry salt down into the basement where the water softener resides. We were talking, we each picked up a bag, and while still talking he reached over, picked a pistol off the table, and tucked it into his pants.

What? Is there a zombie horde living in the basement? Do we need to hold the softener at gunpoint while we add the salt?

It was strictly a reflexive, unconscious act on his part. It had become habit. And frankly, when it reaches that point is when I begin to worry.

When I was teaching I instilled the fact that you can replace a widget but not a life , yours or others

Pat

Your friends sounds like my neighbors up at the country- they pack in the house, which is paranoid in my book

Can't resist posting how I addressed this problem when I designed the new house. I installed a pipe from the back wall of the garage down to the basement directly over the salt bin for the softener. No more carrying salt to the basement for me. Just open the top of the hopper in the garage and dump it in!

Now you're talking Bill! One question.....do you still have to go down and open the lid, or is there a hole in the top of the bin for the pipe?

When I check the bin to see if I need salt, I leave the lid off if I need a refill. I'm betting will get pretty messy down there should I ever forget and leave the lid on when dumping! Kind of like the hole in the lid idea though!

I am grateful I have some well armed friends. We don't have rabid emus, trespassing meth heads, or any of that fun stuff around here to get excited about - but good to know you're a PM away! I'm glad we are rather sheltered up here in corn country - really have to look hard for any kind of conflict. Not surprisingly, I've found my share, but nothing that involved drawing steel, thankfully.

Travis' story was pretty scary - that's some serious stuff right there. I'm not sure how I'd handle a 12 ga to the temple...but again, this is another example of precisely why I carry extra boxers.

How in the world did we go from bluegills to guns?

What's a bluegill? Can you shoot it?

Don't get me started. Last year I had to pop a cap in a big HBG's caudal fin. Didn't want too, but he was making threatening overtures.

Few things worse than a big male HBG gone rogue. Unless it be a big male RES gone rogue.

It all started when some guy, whose name I won't mention, posted he shot a dang turtle that was eating his BG! With this crowd, whenever you mention shooting, the stories start flowing!

Its all in good fun!

Woa! I want to hear more about the HBG shooting! LOL

Actually you must have a FOID card to even own or have a gun in your possession, not just to buy.

I think I read it is required for any firearm with a muzzle velocity greater than 700 FPS but don't quote me.

Yes you can, BTDT, the "little" buggers are hard to hit, you really have to adjust your aim point but if you get close enough you can stun them.

Use a bigger caliber and you don't even have to clean them!

Not much to tell Pat. It was ruled self-defense, and since I had applied for, and subsequently received my EBBS (Enhanced Brim Bragging Sticker), all I needed to do was to peel off the label and slap the sticker on the carcass. I then called the DNR office and they sent someone down to retrieve the fish, where it was fileted and the meat donated to a local homeless shelter. That one fish fed 62 down-on-their-luck, folks.

I heard later that a similar case involving a huge BG occurred down Texas way, and that fish supposedly fed 74 hungry people. Course, that was a Jonah Fish Fry at a Baptist church, and I figure that multitude had that whole "Five loaves and two fishes" thing working in their favor. My fish was big without benefit of a miracle, so I consider I've bested that Lonestar Lepomis by a longshot.

Wish I had thought to have it scored by Baird and Condello first, though.

sprkplug
I just don't know how I missed that story, me being up on the giant gill stories. I heard the picture weighed 7lbs

Pat

7.5 on the heavyweight, glossy photo paper.

That could very well be a new record for the weight of a picture! Well done

I was recently sent a link to a web site showing the most crime ridden cities in the US. The little town of Bowie Texas, which is the closest town to my land, has the dubious distinction of coming in at #35. It is my personal observation that narcotics is usually the determining factor in these rankings.

I've had a few thefts in the last 30+ years of non resident land ownership there but only a couple of actual confrontations. One, many years ago, resulted in scuffling around in the dirt for a little while. I'm now way too old for that foolishness.

Another, 7 or 8 years ago, was defused by my ever present positive outlook, sunny disposition and a sawed off 12 ga single barrel shotgun. Those guys realized that they had no interest in my goods and left.

I find that property protection works best when everyone knows that you are a "quarter bubble off". -- Speaking for myself of course and downplaying where the bubble really sits -- It only took me a couple times of demonstrating this to rid my place of the vermin. BTW - I don't think you can fake it.