𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕣𝕖-𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝

This death event started several weeks ago. So lets rewind back to that shall we?

I have eleven surveillance cameras covering our Pookyville Cat Ranch & Tree Farm property. Mostly the doorway entrances, gate, and pond areas. We get tons of wildlife videos and rarely any human activity as we are at the end of a cul-de-sac private drive that ends at an abandoned falling down old house. You can betcha I got two more game cams watching that for mischief and have had to chase off a few unsavory characters over the years. So up that cam count to thirteen with the non networked wildlife cams. Overkill your thinking? Well get back to me on that if you read this until the conclusion. I do want 3 more of the PTZ (pan tilt zoom) cams to go with the 5 that are now online. I can look at them right now remotely out here on the road and scan the property with them.

Gate & Mancave Cams

🦝𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤 🦝

I always do a spot check on the cams to verify operability and property securement before I lay my head down to sleep. Whenever and wherever that may be. For example I did so from 250 miles south of the ranch. I pulled into Sarasota,FL.to a delivery site last night at around midnight. @pooky-jax does that same ✓ from home at bedtime. A month or more back when doing a yard sweep from home the feral sanctuary shed surveillance cam lit thee fuk up! Bright eyes glowing everywhere. 7 sets of 👁️👁️ eyeballs shining back at the infrared cam. There should only be three sets with a possible fourth from a stray orange tabby tiger cat that seems friendly enough. We give him/her a small bowl of kibble when we see this elusive kitty. Sneakers is what we are calling this part time visitor.

I quickly grabbed the Scattergun as I call it. A 12 gauge shotgun much like the one pictured above. With weapon in hand and a bright as the sun Dewalt spotlight. I went to investigate and protect the 3 of 5 remaining ferals. Feeling like I need to protect them a little more these days as they are getting older now. We are guessing in the 15 years of age range. Very old for an outdoor feral to survive. Their average lifespans are only 5 years unprotected. Predators and humans being their most often killers. Followed by starvation and disease. That is unless they find a safe haven such as ours.

Upon circling around the backside of the mancave to get closer before being seen. I popped out from behind it and lit those extra eyeballs up. No not lit them up that way silly. Not with scattergun fire. I lit the situation up bright as day with the spotlight. Four Raccoons looking quite startled. The three young ones went instinctively directly up the big oak tree beside the sanctuary shed. Momma took off across the yard like a shot and went up a tree about 100 yards (92 meters) away.

I decided not to kill the cute little buggers and hoped that scaring them would keep them away. Not to be the case tho as a few weeks later they were back and challenging the ferals for their hanging food bowl. A feeding tin that is suspended by small chains to keep the invasive florida fire ants at bay. Sevins dust and a small amount of water is used during the summer months to insure they do not overrun the food. We also only put as much in the bowl as they will eat during one feeding.

The second confrontation was a bit more intense as I seen the invading raccoons were a little bit more aggressive, curious and growing bigger quickly. The ferals were never going to back down and surrender their feeding station.

🦝🦝 Four vs. Three 🦝🦝

I lit them up this time and they just all 4 stood there 5 yards (4.5m) from the ferals who were hunkered down and growling I am sure. So I placed a shot with the boom stick scattergun right between the group of them sending one of the younger raccoons up that same oak tree. His sibling went over the fence and out of the yard. Momma and her third kit went south down the fence line and into the darkness. I had hopes that the thunder of the boom stick and yelling at them not to come back would put some fear in them. Raccoons as I am aware tho are not known for their fear unfortunately.

I spoke with my neighbor about this invading raccoon situation as He is retired law enforcement. A hunters guide and has many years of experience with wildlife and the outdoors. I wanted to trap them to relocate them. I just knew this would be a struggle as I would end up with a feral we call ballz in the trap. When trapping these feral cats in the early days to have them spay/neutered I caught Mr.Ballz like ten times. He is not that smart.

We spoke about the overpopulation and disease that comes along with the unpredictable raccoons. We apoke about how those 4 would soon be 12 and then 36 as each breeding cycle passed. But I did not make my mind up until the third encounter this passed week.

🦝🦝𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔼𝕟𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤🦝🦝

Nearly 30 years ago a raccoon came up onto my front porch and tried to open my screen door. That same raccoon came back and snatched a cat off of that porch by the neck and as I gave chase in my underwear barefoot in the middle of the night following the noise of the screetching cat. The noise subsided into death groans as I watched that raccoon shake the small cat like a rag doll. I fired several shots with the 22 LR I had in my hands but I am sure I missed. That night and those images still haunt me.

The decision was not an easy one. I have a deep love for animals. But I also understand the need for culling and population control. Now before one of you warm and fuzzies goes and lets your emotions get the best of you and attacks me over this. I have spoken with local law enforcement here in Florida. And I was told...

"In protection of pets and farm livestock this was legal and lawful."

_{it sure didn't make it any easier tho 🥺}

_Warning..!!

The third encounter I spoke of earlier was a frikken nightmare. The night of the historical winter storm here in the south. Freezing sleet and rain just after midnight I did the usual bedtime camera sweep. 👁️👁️ 7 sets of em again and they were just a yard (meter) away from the ferals who were hunkered down in a teepee like feeding area with a heat lamp. The cats were warm and dry unlike the threatening gang of cold and wet raccoons who wanted their food bowl and warm dry spot. The gang was quite a bit larger than they were 5-6 weeks earlier upon the first encounters with them.

I hastily suited up and out into the pouring down freezing sleet I went. This time I decided that I would hunt them.

🦝🦝𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟𝕥🦝🦝

I lit them up with the spotlight and this time all 4 stuck together and went south following the gang leader momma. I followed them down the southeast fencline that they had ran before. I kept my distance and watched them climb into a large rotten hollowed out tree next to that abandoned falling down house at the end of our street. Now I knew where they called home. Only 30 yards (27 meters) from the southeast corner fence post of my property. I waited till the next day and the rain to end. I called my neighbor and the plan was set into motion. I wanted it to be quick and with two trigger men it would be just that. I did not trust myself to be able to kill them as humanely as possible. We approached the tree and all 4 were there. Sleeping in a pile with only two of them visible.

Those two were quickly dispatched with headshots by my neighbors 22 LR magnums he has in his scoped & tricked out longrifle. He says it is almost silent and very deadly. The largest momma came out a hole in the backside and I quickly ended her with several rounds from the Mariner 12 gauge. We never got confirmation on the 4th raccoon. This bothered me for several days as I went back and was on the watch for it. As bad luck would have it. The night I left and was several hours down the highway to deliver the next morning. My @pooky-jax texted me to check the cams. She was on her way out to investigate a set of 👁️👁️ eyeballs that we assumed were the 4th part time feral Sneakers.

But that was not the case. It was the 4th raccoon and it was laying inside the cats feeding area. They were quite upset about that and looking like they may attack it. She tried to rack a round into here SCCY 9mm handgun to dispatch the raccoon that was not showing normal behavior and was not afraid of her at all. She did not rack it hard enough and it jammed. Not knowing what to do. She was afraid to use the 12 gauge as it would destroy the feeding area and knock a hole in the sanctuary shed. I was talking to her thru the surveillance cams that have two way intercom capability. I told her to call John. He is the neighbor that helped me cull the others. She ran to the house to get the gate key as he was on his way. He quickly dispatched that one and confirmed that it was acting bizarrely.

I am very proud of my girl Kelly as she never batted an eye when John my neighbor said to her is it ok to kill it. She said hell yeah before it kills or hurts my cats.

❤️ Momma Cat Lady & Her Kits.❤️

Thanks as always to the WE community and it's creator for the inspiration and tolerance in reading/publishing my insane ramblings and questionable writing style.

Keep on KrazzyTrukkin'