New shooting sport--grasshoppers

Rafter-S

Here is one for you guys with lots of time on your hands. Last summer this neck of the woods was covered in grasshoppers. The big ones that eat the crops, grass, tree leaves, and just about anything else that is green and grows.Well, I have this old pump-up .177 pellet rifle that sits in the corner of my shop...and one day I decided to check out the sport of shooting grasshoppers. What a blast! And there was no let-up in the action because of the abundance of them hopp'in critters. I would shoot them on the ground, on the fences, on the grass stems, on the tree limbs, just about everywhere except my wife's car. Almost as much fun as dove hunting...and it's great practice for offhand shooting.I'm not wishing you have grasshoppers this summer, but if you do, do what this country boy does and make the best of it!Happy shooting.

oldfriends

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one to have done this. When we were kids, we used to soot a lot of grasshoppers. We had a bunch of black beetles that we called stink bugs. When disturbed, they would rais their rear in the air and emit an odor. Miss those days. Now my son and I live in NC and have two large Catawlpa (?) trees in our yard. Well, each year these trees produce an abundance of worms. Now, these worms can get pretty big. Lots of locals say they are good for fishing but we have not had much luck along those lines. However, "worm season" allows us to get in some mighty fine shooting with our different BB/Pellet rifles. We have two old Red Rider BB guns that are great for this. We have a Daisy and a Crossman Pump up type for the long range shots in the top of the trees and a couple of other odds and ends. A scope might help on some that are near the tops but we have decided that "we hunt with open sights, we'll shoot worms with open sights." (is it sights or sites?) We will go through a large box or BBs each year (5-6000). It's great. Practice can turn into a great deal of fun when ridding yourself of pests. Have fun and be safe.Ed

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Life is Tough!It's Tougher if You're Stupid

groundhog devastation

Hey Oldfriends, You are probably missing an oppurtunity to make enough money to buy BBs and other ammo for a long time!! Catalpa Worms are a heckuva fish bait for pond fishing in the South. If the right people knew where your trees are, they'd worry you death asking to get those worms!!

TARZANSEAL

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THIS WOULD HAPPEN.AFTER THE HUNTERS HAD KILLED EVERYTHING AND MADE THE FOREST STERILE. THEY WOULD START ON THE BUGS.

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TRIUMPH IN EVERYTHING WE DO.

Rembrandt

Seeing as how there are billions & billions of insects out there....I better stock up on some more ammo!

RugerNiner

I'm curious, on average how many shots do you take before hitting a grasshopper? Accuracy can't be that good. But sounds like fun.

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Remember...Terrorist are attacking Civilians; Not the Government. Protect Yourself![This message has been edited by RugerNiner (edited 02-24-2002).]

badboybob

Grasshoppers are way too big a target. When I was a kid I used to shoot ants with my Red Rider. Making ants disappear is fun. Only sissies shoot great big ol' grasshoppers.

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PC=BS

Rafter-S

To make even more sport of it I sometimes go for head shots--other times butt shots. Man, you ought to see what a grasshopper does with his butt shot off.But I can't get the hang of shooting them on the fly. Can't seem to lead the suckers right.Now when charged by a grasshopper, I stand my ground and aim for between their eyes. Takes lots of courage...

groundhog devastation

BadboyBob, Ant hills were for pouring a quart of gas down in and letting it set about 1 minute then throwing a match on it!! You wouldn't beleive all the exit holes they had. Ants flew out in every direction. Also worked with groundhog holes. You could always find the groundhogs hidden exit holes because the ground would rumble under you then a heck of a mess would fly out of the other holes. Never blew a groundhog out but probably singed a few. These items won't be found in the PETA handbook!!

badboybob

Sounds like fun ta me groundhog. Looks like you Virginnie guys an' us Calinkie guys think alike.

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PC=BS

Matt45

I had a neighbor who attempted a simular stunt with a half gallon of gas and a road flare. Seems that he was trying to rid himself of a gopher problem in his front yard. He poured the gas down 3 or 4 holes, waited a full 1/2 hour and then lit the flare, tossed it in a hole and WOW! The view from my front porch was GREAT! 5 or 6 individual pillars of flame about 15 or 20 feet high, you could feel the rumble from my porch, about 300' away. Apparently a couple of holes were located UNDER his doublewide trailer, and had managed to accumulate a pocket of gas vapor, because a small fire started underneath his house. After the fire dept. arrived and extinguished the fire(s), I asked the fire Lt. if this occured often, he responded that it happened more often than he really cared to recall.

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Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!

Bullzeye

You can do what you like.Personally though, and for my own reasons, I wouldnt force a death on a humble insect that I wouldnt force on the mightiest stag.That means I dont subject them to dismemberment, gasoline (lit or otherwise), or anything other than a swift, sure death from the Sports section ,or the most virulent poison I can find (if they happen to be of the stinging variety).This goes for rodentia and most other so called pests as well.Would you douse a beautiful and noble 12-pointer in gasoline and light him on fire? Or purposely shoot him in the haunch just to watch him flail in agony?Then why would you do it to a simple ant or grasshopper?

wundudnee

In the 1965 edition of Gun Digest there is an article titled "Baggin a Dragon" it's about practicing wing shooting on dragon flys over a pond with smoothbore 22's with 22 shot shells. Equal opportunity for shotgunners.

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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" Will Rogers

groundhog devastation

Bullzeye, I didn't mean to offend anyone with the ant and groundhog stories!! The ants probably didn't suffer long agonizing deathe because the explosion was pretty dramatic!! I can't say for the groundhogs but I know I wouldn't ever do that to a groundhog hole again because it might deprive me of the chance to check out the expansion capabilities of whatever projectile I may be experimenting with at the time.

will270win

I like to shoot dragonflies off of bullrushes. They kinda make a thud when they hit the ground.

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If you can't fix it with a hammer, take it to a mechanic. will270win@aol.com ~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~

Rafter-S

Bullseye-- When I'm not shooting the grasshoppers I become like Adolph Eichman by hooking a 300 gallon spray-rig up behind my tractor and spray with Lorsban. If you think shooting their butts off is bad, you should see what the poison does! You'll never get sympathy for grasshoppers from me or anyone else in these parts. Here, they are the plague...the last 2 summers we had them literally by the billions, eating everything called vegetation to the stims...then they eat the stims too. Heck, I have a buddy down the road that had the wood siding eaten off his house by grasshoppers. No kidding!

Bullzeye

I too know just how nasty the buggers can be.My decimated rotodendron patch from last year was testament to that. Likewise my cucumbers, turned into Swiss cheese snacks by cucumber beetles.I didnt use enough spray, I guess.Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying you shouldnt zap, squash, or spray the little vermin. We wouldnt have any food if PETA had their way!I am saying, however, that like most animals, unless they are directly bothering me somehow, I dont bother them. It doesnt seem right to me to kill anything unless I've got a reason and a purpose.Food's a reason, protection's a reason, and if it bothers me or impedes me in something I need/want to do, that's a reason.But childish amusement doesnt count as a reason to me. Never has, never will.But, to each their own.

groundhog devastation

Rafter-S, Is Furadan outlawed in your state? You want to talk about a bad insecticide, Lorsban pales in comparison!! Also to Bullzeye, yes those gasoline pranks were childish stupidity. I'm the guy now who picks up the turkey eggs from disturbed or destroyed nests and takes them to the incubator, the baby fawn whos mother has been killed to the wildlife rescue mission, the other wild creatures that have met with unfortunate circumstances and tries to help them!! But I still shoot groundhogs!!!!

Rafter-S

groundhog-- The "experts" here have recommended Lorsban for the past 2 years. I don't know what they will go with this summer. We keep switching because the bugs build an immunity to various poisons. Last year I sprayed about 360 acres of sprouting wheat--used almost 3,000 gallons of Lorsban. It didn't get rid of all the grasshoppers but it killed enough of them to give the wheat a chance to grow.Unfortunately, we have not had enough cold weather this winter. Some folks have already seen a few tiny grasshoppers in their fields. If we don't get some hard weather soon, then I dread this summer.

218Beekeep

We get the giant orange/red grasshoppers,everywhere...sounds like a job for them bees! .218

cowdoc

rafter we was working cattle one morning during the summer and there was a bunch of hoppers sitting on a steel gate, i was waiting for my brothers to sort and bring some cattle up the chute so i zapped one of the hoppers with the hotshot,man talk about the hind legs flying off :-) doc

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I dont give my guns without somebody getting hurt!

He Dog

Finally! Someone has come up with someting that .17 rimfire might be good for! Maybe I will buy one afterall.

nunn

I had a patio cover made mostly of wood. Carpenter bees took up residence there. Carpenter bees, or wood bees, look like bumble bees, but are all black and make their homes by burrowing into wood. Looks like someone neatly drilled a 1/2" hole.Well, these things fly about and hover just as bumble bees do. The boys and I found them to be fun targets for the Daisy BB guns. Track a bee until it starts to hover and then squeeze off on him. We rarely killed one outright unless we hit it in the head. Body hits took the bees to the ground to be stepped upon.Why? They were pests and needed to be eradicated, and shooting them was a lot more fun that spraying poison, not to mention more environmentally friendly.Bullzeye must live in an area where there are no fire ants. I am a gentle sort, but I wish all the fire ants a miserable and agonizing death. I settle for hitting them with Orthene, because it works better than gasoline, and doesn't kill the grass.

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Certified SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of the General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the premier gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net Jesus is Lord!

groundhog devastation

nunn, We used to use tennis rackets on those borer bees. If no tennis rackets were available then a pice of 2x4 would do!! Good exercise anyway. Bullzeye is not one of the priveledged. He lives in a state that elects people like Schumer and Clinton!! He's also one of what Rush calls a young head full of mush. By the way Bullzeye what school are you going to to further your education?

Rafter-S

Gentlemen, please. Let's keep this in fun...like it's intended.Thanks,Rafter-S

mcneely77

When my brother and I were kids, we used to shoot the * horseflys off of our pigs with our daisy bb guns. Man that was alot of fun. Thanks for bringing up some great memories guys.Who says you need exploding targets and .45's to have fun shooting.

twins

"Food's a reason, protection's a reason, and if it bothers me or impedes me in something I need/want to do, that's a reason."Being bothered or impeded is a reason to kill any living thing?

Rafter-S

Come-on guys. Let's keep it fun. If you want to get in a "piss'en match" pick a more serious thread.

andersk

I've heard that grasshoppers covered with chocolate are good eating, too. I think I'll just eat my chocolate, and I'll just let the grasshopper carcass lie ... until a pretty song bird comes along for a feast. (No, I won't shoot him ... just listen to the pretty music.

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Ken

Ms. Beast

Try mowing the grass and running over a bees nest!! Not fun. A little gas and a match and your problem is gone!! You can also see the other holes they have made by watching the smoke, get them too! I do it at night so I can make sure they are all tucked in for the night!

Trader Dave

I love this post.I grew up shooting cicadas (if any of you out there know what they are) with my Crossman .177 cal pump-up pellet gun. They were a hard target. Usually about 20' up was the maximum accurate range for those little buggers. My twin brother and I would hit them at about 70% first shot kill. A kill was if the lil suckers hit the ground. A shot to the head or thorax and they would come down instantly. Some hits to the abdomen and they would not budge. Also a hit to the wing area, they would come spiraling down.We competed against each other for the Cicada Crown. As we learned the curve or break of the BB's coming out of this gun, we could hit them quite easily. If you missed or the cicada didn't come down, the other one would get his shot. A shot too high was bad - a complete miss. But if you were too low it might ricochet off the limb or branch and bring them down. Later on we learned how to cheat and use 2 BB's per shot. All this was 30 years ago when life was simple. No bills, no pressing matters to attend to, no crime (or none to us or our neighborhood - we never thought about locking our doors) and no road rage, etc.We learned gun safety along with good shooting skills. My brother passed away after a bout with cancer during those fun times. I can never recover those times but I can sure remember them. Now I take the joy of teaching my two little ones the same thing. Life is not as simple for me but I am sure it is for them. May God Bless all of you and keep you safe. My little girl prays every night for the Good Lord to look after all of us and keep us safe. I am sure she has all of you in mind. Even if you don't believe, she and God loves all of you.

Bullzeye

alltheway:Good story! I laughed. :-)I've got a horse tied up in back of my house, which I've been beating and starving for a few weeks now. You should see him cower after I'm done with the old leather strap! It's hilarious! I think maybe I'll finally break his legs so he cant get away and push him into my barbecue pit. Too bad I dont I eat horsemeat.Man, I crack a smile just thinking about it.

He Dog

I had some hoppers fried in cottonseed oil. They tasted like crunchy cottenseed oil. Needed salt. I think chocolate would be an improvement.Here in New Mexico, I know places where you can find about 30 different species of grasshoppers in 2 or 3 acres. I can see a competition based on greatest number of species tagged, best total number of any species tagged, heck I could buy 10 acres and start a safari ranch! Maybe even have a web site, like those Texas hunting ranches do.Heck, I have enough background in entomology to do trophy mounts for the hunters. I'm gonna be rich! [This message has been edited by He Dog (edited 03-08-2002).]

Rafter-S

He Dog-- Great idea! But you might have to put a bag-limit on the albino grasshoppers, something like one per day. They are rare. If you need a partner in the grasshopper ranch let me know.

Bullzeye

I've squashed many in my life.I just dont purposely torture any animal. For any reason. Ever.I had a conscience when I was 7, and I've got a conscience now.If your going to kill something willfully, it's your job to see to it that it isnt done cruelly.That's your damn responsibility as a good person. I dont care if its a law.

Rafter-S

Now boys. Go to your rooms if you can't be nice. We are supposed to be having fun here.

218Beekeep

Did sombody say somethin` about killin` bees? .218

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Did somebody say somethin` about bees?

Rafter-S

Hey Beekeep-- I did "do in" a bunch of bees one time. A couple of hundred had built a ground nest in a back yard flower bed. After being stung several times I decided to make sport of getting rid of them.I found a small squirt bottle and filled it with Coleman lantern fuel. I sat out there in a lawn chair and when the bees came out and buzzed around the yard I would squirt them in mid-air. Man, when hit, they came down like a German M-109. It took all afternoon, but I finally got rid of the bees. But about a week later, when the plants turned brown from all the lantern fuel, my wife nearly had my hide. Oh, well...

Ms. Beast

Sorry Bee!! Those ground nest's are nasty, think of the little kids that run around a yard! They got to go and in a hurry! Never tried to get them one at a time, I just did the entire thing at once with gas and matches! We had some pretty big ones in a cup[le spots in the yard, if they come back, they will die!!

songdog

Flying bees like kites, oh that brings back a bad but hilarious memory thast the old man told me of when he was a kid.When he and his brothers would go out to their grandparents for the summer they would go to the chicken yard and catch a couple of chickens. They would be for dinner after they played with them for a while. Here is how they played. My oldest uncle woul drive the truck through the field at 15-20 mph. My father and his youngest brother would tie a long rope to the feet of the chicken and through them up into the air. Then right before the chicken was about to hit the ground they would tug on the rope and and cause the chicken to spread their wings. They then would fly the shicken like a kite behind the truck.songdog

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Be bold in what you stand for, careful in what you fall for.

218Beekeep

Where`s PETA when you need them? .218

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Did somebody say somethin` about bees?