Atchman2
New member
Raccoon season has been open since the middle of September. Mostly I've been failing for one reason-I can't stay up late enough to shoot them. Between going coyote hunting in the mornings, squirrel hunting, work and getting the kiddos ready for school, it is just too much for an oldish guy to stay up.
Yesterday, I went coyote hunting in Gainesboro, TN without any success. About 25 minutes after I left, the lady called and said she had THREE packs howling! That was pretty miserable. :'( Because of the distance and the time zone, I got there just before dark and hunted until the sun went down. Since I didn't know where I was at, in the fleeting light of the day, I wanted to be sure I got back to the car.
So I got home around 5 PM, after a couple of meetings along the way back home. My wife wanted to work on the backyard since my birthday is coming up and she accidently emailed me about the surprise party.
Since she had blown the surprise she MADE ME HELP HER get ready!
After I cleaned up the yard, I decided since I had my cutters and my chainsaw, I was going to cut some brush behind the fence and increase my shooting/hunting area. I widened the hunting area by quite a bit so I can see all the way to the game trails through the woods.
About 10, a cat sat off the "ding donger". Of course I had to go outside and zing a pellet at it with a couple of pumps from my Daisy. It is tradition! I don't try to hit them just scare them off.
I finished watching TV and heard my wife sleeping on the couch so I got her up and we went to bed. I set the alarm for 2:30 so I could get up and hunt until light. However, I forgot and left the ding donger on.
At about 12 or so it went off again. I went downstairs in my pajamas and grabbed the TF 89 off the deck, and loaded a pellet (so I thought). I could see the raccoon sniffing around in the dark from the screened in porch. Quietly I opened the door and hunched over so he couldn't see me. Right as I got to the bottom of the stairs the stupid motion light went off! He started to move away and I whistled so he stopped. I just couldn't bring myself to take an offhand shot in the dark at over 30 yards and let him go. When I discharged the TF 89 it dry fired!
In the dark I must have missed the loading port
It was really loud too! I loaded it and shot a couple more and it seemed okay.
Back up the stairs and I turned off the ding donger again-so I thought. No sooner than I shut my eyes it liked to scared me to death. This time I grabbed my hunting clothes, fully dressed including the boots and went downstairs. I figured I would just sleep down there if there was that much activity.
Fully five minutes had passed and just before I laid down I glanced out the window-it was still there despite all the noise! I knew I couldn't creep down to the lower hide because of the lights, so I went out on the deck rail where I target shoot. I have a stool there and I usually shoot a couple hundred pellets a day when I'm home from there to my Gamo Squirrel in the low lands. It is over 30 yards, but if it can hit that little target and drop it I felt good about hitting the raccoon.
I knew I didn't want to wound it since I would have to chase it around in the dark. I laid the TF 89 on top of my forearm and watched the raccoon through the Leapers 3 x 9 scope. He kept digging at something on the ground. When I felt his head wasn't going to move I squeezed the trigger. THWOCK! He instantly went down. Not a wiggle! Then all of the sudden he went into a death dance and ended up about five feet from where I shot him. I knew he was down as I saw the spot very clearly where I hit him in the head.
I reloaded and kept watching, but I knew the TF 89 had done its job and got its first raccoon! Though it is an inexpensive rifle it hits very hard, is easy to shoot and mine is pin point accurate. I carry it now over my RWS 350 that cost three times as much.
Here is where I took the shot from. The picture turned out well despite the darkness. The raccoon was just in front of my archery hay bales.
Here is where I found him. I poked him a couple of times with a big stick and he didn't move. He is pretty heavy, but has a really short tail.
The TF 89 and the Crosman Premier Hollow Points did their job. Right through the head.
I'm so proud of this gun. It just shoots so well and in the last couple of weeks it has taken squirrels, a possum and now a raccoon! Christmas Coonskin cap number one is going to be skinned in the morning!
Yesterday, I went coyote hunting in Gainesboro, TN without any success. About 25 minutes after I left, the lady called and said she had THREE packs howling! That was pretty miserable. :'( Because of the distance and the time zone, I got there just before dark and hunted until the sun went down. Since I didn't know where I was at, in the fleeting light of the day, I wanted to be sure I got back to the car.
So I got home around 5 PM, after a couple of meetings along the way back home. My wife wanted to work on the backyard since my birthday is coming up and she accidently emailed me about the surprise party.
Since she had blown the surprise she MADE ME HELP HER get ready!
After I cleaned up the yard, I decided since I had my cutters and my chainsaw, I was going to cut some brush behind the fence and increase my shooting/hunting area. I widened the hunting area by quite a bit so I can see all the way to the game trails through the woods.
About 10, a cat sat off the "ding donger". Of course I had to go outside and zing a pellet at it with a couple of pumps from my Daisy. It is tradition! I don't try to hit them just scare them off.
I finished watching TV and heard my wife sleeping on the couch so I got her up and we went to bed. I set the alarm for 2:30 so I could get up and hunt until light. However, I forgot and left the ding donger on.
At about 12 or so it went off again. I went downstairs in my pajamas and grabbed the TF 89 off the deck, and loaded a pellet (so I thought). I could see the raccoon sniffing around in the dark from the screened in porch. Quietly I opened the door and hunched over so he couldn't see me. Right as I got to the bottom of the stairs the stupid motion light went off! He started to move away and I whistled so he stopped. I just couldn't bring myself to take an offhand shot in the dark at over 30 yards and let him go. When I discharged the TF 89 it dry fired!
Back up the stairs and I turned off the ding donger again-so I thought. No sooner than I shut my eyes it liked to scared me to death. This time I grabbed my hunting clothes, fully dressed including the boots and went downstairs. I figured I would just sleep down there if there was that much activity.
Fully five minutes had passed and just before I laid down I glanced out the window-it was still there despite all the noise! I knew I couldn't creep down to the lower hide because of the lights, so I went out on the deck rail where I target shoot. I have a stool there and I usually shoot a couple hundred pellets a day when I'm home from there to my Gamo Squirrel in the low lands. It is over 30 yards, but if it can hit that little target and drop it I felt good about hitting the raccoon.
I knew I didn't want to wound it since I would have to chase it around in the dark. I laid the TF 89 on top of my forearm and watched the raccoon through the Leapers 3 x 9 scope. He kept digging at something on the ground. When I felt his head wasn't going to move I squeezed the trigger. THWOCK! He instantly went down. Not a wiggle! Then all of the sudden he went into a death dance and ended up about five feet from where I shot him. I knew he was down as I saw the spot very clearly where I hit him in the head.
I reloaded and kept watching, but I knew the TF 89 had done its job and got its first raccoon! Though it is an inexpensive rifle it hits very hard, is easy to shoot and mine is pin point accurate. I carry it now over my RWS 350 that cost three times as much.
Here is where I took the shot from. The picture turned out well despite the darkness. The raccoon was just in front of my archery hay bales.
Here is where I found him. I poked him a couple of times with a big stick and he didn't move. He is pretty heavy, but has a really short tail.
The TF 89 and the Crosman Premier Hollow Points did their job. Right through the head.
I'm so proud of this gun. It just shoots so well and in the last couple of weeks it has taken squirrels, a possum and now a raccoon! Christmas Coonskin cap number one is going to be skinned in the morning!
