What Gun For Giant Rodents?

[Keith]

I think you're right. I think that is a Texas plate which bears out what the original poster of the pix said. I mean, it's not some Yanks with pictures of trophies taken down in Brazil or Argentina.

If the critters are in Texas, they really must be wild.. right? I can't imagine a game ranch spending money to import giant rats. Who would pay them for the privilege of shooting them?

Keith

 

[kalibear45]

.500 S&W magnum

 

[Bigjake]

that site said they've seen mass heards of up to 100 Ma Duece for the sake of enough gun

 

[mtnbkr]

de small ones are called Agouti

Thanks Gun-fu, that's what I saw. All I could ever think of was the name of it's larger cousin.

Chris

 

[dow]

Well Keith, if this is a legitimate photo, then I'm sure SOMEBODY brought them here. I just can't see a South American herbivore migrating this far north. At least, not in the relatively short time since they've ben known (maybe 400 years at the outside). My guess is that somebody imported them as an oddity, and they either got loose, or the owners got tired of them and just turned them loose.

No matter how they got here, they might make some fun hunting.

 

[sm]

Mike Irwin , we members apologize. We kidded and razed you when you shared how your home was prepared for Invasion of Hottentots.
With Bears, mountain lions, and now BIG Rodents...your obviously better prepared that the rest of us...

 

[Keith]

if this is a legitimate photo, then I'm sure SOMEBODY brought them here. I just can't see a South American herbivore migrating this far north.

Well, yeah... It just makes a big difference whether these are on some private game ranch (Texas is filled with ranches offering exotic hunting) or whether these are indeed escaped critters living and breeding out in the bayou.
I just can't imagine paying to shoot a big rat, so I question whether these guys are on one of these game ranches. Yet, nobody seems to have any hard info on the critters, which you'd think would be out there if giant rodents were taking over the Houston suburbs...

Keith

 

[trvlr905]

Geez, speak of the devil. There's a flock of ducks that wanders the neighborhood so I decided to feed them some bread. And look what comes wandering on over.

Note that brownish lump in the lower edge is the toe of my boot and that I wear 12s.

I kid you not that rat tried to climb my leg at one point for some bread.

(Had to fix the pics.)

 

[Bigjake]

i hope you had some large caliber revolver in the hand not occupied with the bread....

 

[StuporDave]

Nutria make nice coats. I have seen them in up-scale stores.

The story I've always heard is that the nutria were originally imported and farmed for their fur. When there was no more market for their fur they just let them go. Now we got giant rats all over the place.

Dave

 

[Bob F.]

El-tejon: 100-120gr HP in that .256 Gibbs, huh? Sweet cartridge!!!
Rabbits are rodents, as are groundhogs....Wonder if these things have tough hide, gristle, small vitals, etc??

 

[LiquidTension]

If the things get up to 150lbs, I'd be using some sort of deer rifle. .30-30 would probably do the trick, but I like .308s

 

[tex_n_cal]

trvlr905, that's a Nutria. By the way, they have been known to kill dogs, no way in hell I'd let one get that close.

By the way, Nutria are very popular among alligators, and probably helped the big lizards back from endangered status.

In the spirit of my "California Needs Siberian Tigers" thread, I will remind everyone that the natural predator of the Nutria is the jaguar. Send them Capybaras to California, then we can justify sending in Jaguars - almost as cool as tigers

 

[RustyHammer]

Yeah, and they make a nice bowl of gumbo too!

 

[Zach S]

Tell ya what. Just have three bites. Then, if you don't like it, push it to the side of your plate.

And what are you going to do with the other 140+ lbs of meat thats left over?

Well, I do have a cat...

For some odd reason, I'm picturing a giant rat chasing my cat around, kinda like that vid of a dog chasing a cat out of the camera's veiw, and then running away from the tiger...

 

[stevelyn]

If anyone here has eaten a squirrel or rabbit, you have eaten a rodent. Of course squirrels and rabbits seem a little more appetizing than rats, capybaras, nutrias, and the like. Those of us who've spent any time at all along the Yukon River have eaten muskrat and beaver (the furry kind that swims and chews on trees) also considered rodents. A .30-30 should work just fine for dispatching these critters.

 

[Nestor]

Don't Shoot Speak.

Bad... Man Hit dog with Street.

That is for all you TICK fans (animated not that Live action error )

 

[TallPine]

Rabbits aren't technically rodents.

They belong to some other odd family of critters ... IIRC, distinguished by having two rows of teeth. (my wife is the expert, not me)

 

[Dave R]

that site said they've seen mass heards of up to 100

And that, my friend, is exactly why you need your AK with that 75-round drum for sporting purposes.

 

[Keith]

And that, my friend, is exactly why you need your AK with that 75-round drum for sporting purposes.

What? And let 25 get away!

Keith

 

[FireInTheHole]

Those of us who've spent any time at all along the Yukon River have eaten muskrat and beaver (the furry kind that swims and chews on trees)

LMAO

 

[Mike Irwin]

"Mike Irwin , we members apologize. We kidded and razed you when you shared how your home was prepared for Invasion of Hottentots."

Why do you think I've since added a Phalanx system?

 

[amprecon]

StuporDave is correct as to how they arrived in N.A. . The Nutria will destroy swamplands (like swamplands could be any less desirable) by eating not only the grass shoots but the roots as well. They were imported for the fur trade then released into the wilds when there was no more profit from them.

I'm told that the state of MD had placed bounties on them at one time and that there were quite a few people who visited the killing grounds, they breed like rabbits. There is no bounty on them anymore that I know of.

Some friends and I had the opportunity to go down to the Blackwater Swamp near Venice, MD. There were four of us and we took the boat and just steered down canals winding through the swamp. We all used .22lr rifles, 10/22's, Marlin M60 and a pump .22lr, when we would see one swimming down the canal we would cut the engine and coast as close as we could then all four of us would open up on it. It was a blast, we never hit them half the time, everybody competing to be the first one to hit it, water flying all over.

We were amazed after examining the first kill, them things are butt ugly, just as in the photos. After awhile we got out on foot and spread out walking as far as we could and popping them along the way, some would run like crazy and others would just stop and pretend you didn't see them, those weren't much sport, but notches anyway.

Almost as fun as the prairy dogs in MT

 

[Gator]

like swamplands could be any less desirable

I beg to differ, dear sir!

Swamplands are excellent wildlife refuges and they provide much needed resting spots for migratory birds; consequently they provide great areas for hunting and fishing.

Swamps are natural water filters.

Swamps are important in controlling floods.

And most importantly......where do you think Gator's are from?


P.S. Yummmmmmmmm..........Nutria!

 

[Zach S]

And that, my friend, is exactly why you need your AK with that 75-round drum for sporting purposes.

What? And let 25 get away!

lmao!

I'm sure with a drum loaded, thered be a mag or two within easy reach.

My Thompson's drum wont fit in my pocket, my mags will. Too bad I need three hands to unload the drum. 50 of the critters would get away while I was reloading, and they wouldn't even have to run...