Bulldog Takes a Bite Out of a Raccoon

[Ezana4CE]

Was after hogs again last night and came up on this raccoon. I guess she panicked as I walked past. I heard her below in the creek bottom. I ended up switching on my headlamp and caught her eyes in the light while on the ground. She then took to the tree that it illuminated (I think it was the near tree on the right). As she climbed I propped my Benjamin Bulldog M357 upon my Primos Trigger Stick bipod yoke and turned on my illuminated reticle. When she got up to about an equal elevation I switched on my rifle mounted torch, focused my parallax knob, put my center dot on her head as she stopped on the side of the tree trunk looking into the light. I pressed the trigger. That rang out a shot that in turn flipped her switch. She fell off of the tree and into the creek bed twitching for about 15 seconds. It wasn’t too violently spastic.




A 140 grain hollow-point boat tail Griffin Airgun Ammo slug made quick work of her. All I saw was a hole in the back of her neck.

When photographing her I couldn’t find the entry wound. It was tough to get a decent photo on that embankment at the angle I was standing and get decent lighting. So I did less investigating down there. When I skinned her, I noticed her left eye was pushed back into her face. Then I realized I’d shot her through the eye and the exit wound was at the back of the neck adjacent to her vertebrae. The way the M357 jumps, I didn’t expect that. She has some heft to her and was packing on a fair amount of fat for the winter. I didn’t weigh her, but I’d say I easily got 15lbs - 18lbs of meat from her after trimming a considerable amount of fat.

 

[Danman]

Well placed shot! Racoon meat....excuse the ignorance; food for the pups?

 

[Ezana4CE]

Well placed shot! Racoon meat....excuse the ignorance; food for the pups?

People food. They ate all they’re going to get from it.

 

[JimT66]

Well placed shot! Racoon meat....excuse the ignorance; food for the pups?

You need a good meal of racoon slow cooked with potato's, onions and carrots! Add a can of golden mushroom soup then slow cook all day! Mmmmm,mmmm! Mighty fine eatin!

 

[JimT66]

People food. They ate all they’re going to get from it.

Good lord! That thing leave a hole like a cannon coming outta that trash panda! Fwiw, I am extremely impressed. What kinda range you get on hogs with that little dumplin?

 

[Ezana4CE]

Good lord! That thing leave a hole like a cannon coming outta that trash panda! Fwiw, I am extremely impressed. What kinda range you get on hogs with that little dumplin?

@JimT66 The only hog I know that I shot with it was around 30 yards. I’ve killed a deer from around 55-65 yards out. I’m comfortable shooting within 50 yards.

 

[JimT66]

@JimT66 The only hog I know that I shot with it was around 30 yards. I’ve killed a deer from around 55-65 yards out. I’m comfortable shooting within 50 yards.

Heh, yeah, I think I would be to. That air gun packs one heckuva punch. Did the slug fired burry up in the tree?

 

[Luis Leon]

You need a good meal of racoon slow cooked with potato's, onions and carrots! Add a can of golden mushroom soup then slow cook all day! Mmmmm,mmmm! Mighty fine eatin!

Man, I feel like a missing out Northerner… Let me eat it and tell me afterwards what I et… Like my first taste of cottontail rabbits in the South Bronx back in the 1960s. All via my dad’s southern Army friends… I was so lucky…

 

[JimT66]

Lol, we are over run with trash pandas here in N.Bama, but growing up, never heard anyone admitting to eating them around here. But when I moved to LA. for school, trash panda was common eating. I went into just like you, don't tell me what it is until after I ate it!

 

[JimT66]

Man, I feel like a missing out Northerner… Let me eat it and tell me afterwards what I et… Like my first taste of cottontail rabbits in the South Bronx back in the 1960s. All via my dad’s southern Army friends… I was so lucky…

Cottontail make excellent bbq too. Taste better than pulled pork! It's the other, other white meat!

 

[Ezana4CE]

Heh, yeah, I think I would be to. That air gun packs one heckuva punch. Did the slug fired burry up in the tree?

@JimT66 I have no idea. It was dark. Again, this gun jumps up on the shot. I knew it was a good brain shot by the reaction. I just know I put the dot between the eyes. Between the gun moving, me moving, and the animal moving, I hit her in the left eye. When I think about it, the slug probably kept trucking. She was on the side of the trunk working her way up the tree and around towards the opposite side.

 

[Luis Leon]

Kudos to the OP for actually making use of his kill… Much respect for such a man…

 

[JimT66]

It would be interesting to see what one looks like after hitting meat and bone. From that Pic it looks like it probably pass through a hog or deer too for that matter.

 

[Ezana4CE]

This is the carcass in a gallon freezer bag.

It would be interesting to see what one looks like after hitting meat and bone. From that Pic it looks like it probably pass through a hog or deer too for that matter.

@JimT66 shots pass through deer, light and heavy slugs. I didn’t recover the hog. I think it broke the coon’s neck. I didn’t have to twist the bones. After cutting the tissue it came off easily.

 

[JimT66]

This is the carcass in a gallon freezer bag.
View attachment 10088

@JimT66 shots pass through deer, light and heavy slugs. I didn’t recover the hog. I think it broke the coon’s neck. I didn’t have to twist the bones. After cutting the tissue it came off easily.

Folks down in La. That regular eat them, but can't hunt them for themselves, will sometimes buy them from hunters, as long as they got least 1 front paw left intact on them if cleaned. Gotta make sure they not cats.

 

[JimT66]

At least, that's what I was told, numerous times, by lot of friends that I hunted with.

 

[Ezana4CE]

Man, I feel like a missing out Northerner… Let me eat it and tell me afterwards what I et… Like my first taste of cottontail rabbits in the South Bronx back in the 1960s. All via my dad’s southern Army friends… I was so lucky…

@Luis Leon We’re just country out here Luis. There’s no shame. I believe that someone in each generation of my family out here has been eating like this since we arrived on this soil.

At least, that's what I was told, numerous times, by lot of friends that I hunted with.

@JimT66 You’ve been told right. If a person knows the hunter, no need to leave a paw on. Some people just go on a person’s reputation or they can look at a photo. Our communities are small. If you’re been in them long most folks know someone in your family. Besides, hunting isn’t as popular as it was in the past around here aside from maybe deer hunting.

 

[JimT66]

@Luis Leon We’re just country out here Luis. There’s no shame. I believe that someone in each generation of my family out here have been eating like this since we arrived on this soil.

@JimT66 You’ve been told right. If a person knows the hunter, no need to leave a paw on. Some people just go on a person’s reputation or they can look at a photo. Our communities are small. If you’re been in them long most folks know someone in your family. Besides, hunting isn’t as popular as it was in the past around here aside from maybe deer hunting.

And that, is nothing but a shame. People really missing out. To me, when I am even capable of going now, it's not even so much about the game. It's about the hunt itself.

 

[Ezana4CE]

This is the carcass in a gallon freezer bag.
View attachment 10088

@JimT66 shots pass through deer, light and heavy slugs. I didn’t recover the hog. I think it broke the coon’s neck. I didn’t have to twist the bones. After cutting the tissue it came off easily.

Here’s a photo to reference the size of the animal. I probably should’ve weighed the raccoon. She felt heavy, but I’m not in the best shape of my life either.

 

[JimT66]

She was def.a nice sized one. Big enough to.make a great roast out of for sure, and that's what counts.