Back Yard Nutria Rat Hunting Adventures

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I am surprised to see on the above map that they have infiltrated Minnesota and Montana, being they are originally a warm climate creature. I did a little searching and they have become quite adaptable to their surroundings, however they do die back during very cold winters. I was reading they had destroyed 8,000 acres of marshland near the Chesapeake before a multi-million dollar effort to eradicate them was enacted. Keep shooting them, you may help your state's economy by doing so.
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I'm also surprised they are that far north. These things are quite adaptable. They are tough and resilient as well. I don't personally believe they can be eradicated in any one area, but I do enjoy trying 😊. I need to start collecting the tails so I can get the bounty to finance upgrades, lol.
 
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Great shots and looks like fun. I do a lot of pest shooting with my Diana tuned down to 20ft lbs. I love the ATN night site 4k scopes since it can be used as a day and night scope. Not great for long precision shooting for for hunting it’s bang on! 


Well done 👌🏻
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Thank you Sir. It is an absolute blast. Unfortunately, the more of them I kill, the less of them their are to hunt 😁. I almost have to hunt for a couple weeks, then stop for a couple weeks to let them get comfortable with coming back around.

I agree with your opinion regarding the scope. I went with the 3-14X scope because sometimes I have very close targets. But I do often wonder how well the 5-20X scope will focus at 100+ yards.

You should post some of your pest shooting videos if you have any. I'd love to check them out. 👍👍
 
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Bigragu, nutria are an introduced species from South America for fur. They are invasive. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/operational-activities/sa_nutria/ct_nutria
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Thanks Shoz. I'll check that out. You know there are actually folks around these parts that will eat them.
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I have trapped and eaten Nutria. They are quite good. The meat is not at all gamey. It is more like pork than it is like beef. Nutria eat roots and tubers. They are not predators and they are not living in sewers. You eat fish from exactly the same water and that does not bother anyone. Give it a try. It is MUCH better than groundhog.
 
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Bigragu, nutria are an introduced species from South America for fur. They are invasive. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/operational-activities/sa_nutria/ct_nutria
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Thanks Shoz. I'll check that out. You know there are actually folks around these parts that will eat them.
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I have trapped and eaten Nutria. They are quite good. The meat is not at all gamey. It is more like pork than it is like beef. Nutria eat roots and tubers. They are not predators and they are not living in sewers. You eat fish from exactly the same water and that does not bother anyone. Give it a try. It is MUCH better than groundhog.
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I've eaten some interesting delicacies all over the world. I'll try anything once, but I haven't had any Nutria as of yet. Thing is, the water behind my house, I wouldn't eat the fish out of it either. It isn't exactly a pristine natural lake. More like an urban, man-made lake. Don't get me wrong, if I was starving I would eat anything and everything I could out of it, but I'm not, so I won't.
 
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em990Kw9kFo

It's been a few months since my last kill, which is an unusually long stretch. Just haven't been seeing any lately. I killed 2 pairs early in the season. I think they may have been mated pairs, which would explain the slow season I'm having now. 

63 yard shot. Pretty sure third shot was a miss, but the first two hits must have done the trick. He was a real dancer.
 
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I just finished watching your Nutria hunting videos, and I must say I really enjoyed them. You have mastered your equipment and the fine art of knowing your prey and eliminating your intended targets. Continue in your quest to control the Nutria and please post more videos of the adventure.

I hunt rats in and around my workshop and tractor shed at night. I use the ATN X-Sight II 3-14x optic mounted on a 25 cal Benjamin Marauder. I am successful using a stable rest and bi-pod, off-hand not so much, I shoot between 15 - 20 yards. I spend several hours almost every night sitting in ambush for my prey, I do enjoy all the benefits waiting for the targets, hearing all the night sounds such as owls and coyotes. I even get an occasional visit from the local bobcats and foxes. Some nights I don't see any rats and once in a great while I may miss a shot, no worries I will get another chance tomorrow night.
 
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Thanks Chris, I always enjoy. He was a tough hombre. About what time of the evening or morning do you shoot them?
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Glad you enjoy my videos Shoz. He was a tough one, took two shots to the face. This was between 11:00 and 11:30 PM. The time and date stamp are at the bottom right corner of the video in case you missed it, but unfortunately in this latest video it is incorrect. I forgot to input the time date last time I updated the firmware on the scope.
 
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I just finished watching your Nutria hunting videos, and I must say I really enjoyed them. You have mastered your equipment and the fine art of knowing your prey and eliminating your intended targets. Continue in your quest to control the Nutria and please post more videos of the adventure.

I hunt rats in and around my workshop and tractor shed at night. I use the ATN X-Sight II 3-14x optic mounted on a 25 cal Benjamin Marauder. I am successful using a stable rest and bi-pod, off-hand not so much, I shoot between 15 - 20 yards. I spend several hours almost every night sitting in ambush for my prey, I do enjoy all the benefits waiting for the targets, hearing all the night sounds such as owls and coyotes. I even get an occasional visit from the local bobcats and foxes. Some nights I don't see any rats and once in a great while I may miss a shot, no worries I will get another chance tomorrow night.
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Arrowhead, I'm glad you like my videos Sir. My equipment has come a loooong way to say the least. I might as well have been throwing rocks at them with the gear I started out with a few years back. My new rig is more like a weapon system. But it is purpose built and finely tuned for this mission and I love it. I have to admit though, I wouldn't mind a few more ft lbs beyond 55 yards, but I'm looking at a few options for that.

I see you are a fellow ATN user. I enjoy my 4K Pro. I wish the resolution was better at range at night, but it does what I need it to do for now. Like you, I also have a 3 - 14 power but I may go with the 5-20 power on my next one.

Most of my shots are from the prone, but occasionally I have to take one off hand which is a real challenge even at close range because my "weapon system" is not light and not very well balanced either.

I would love to see some of your videos some time (if you actually record any of your hunts). You should start a thread and post them.

Happy hunting Sir.



Chris
 
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Chris,

Thanks for the nice reply. I am an old guy that is challenged by technology!! When my sons get a chance to visit they help me with setting up my pellet rifle and the ATN optic. With out them I am lost. I have recorded a few scope videos, but don't know how to do anything with them. Maybe in the future with some help, my sons could post them for me.

I have an earlier version ATN than yours, it has the factory IR illuminator clamped on the side of the scope. For me this set-up works perfect, close range (15 to 20 yards) and I use the 3 power magnification and I never change the X or Y coordinates. I always shoot from the same spot (several years) and have set up a small shooting table and comfortable chair for my nightly hunts. I have a nice bipod attached to the stock of the Marauder and if I do a good job holding steady I am very successful hitting the rats. I usually only see one or two rats a night, they come from the piles of firewood I stack up. So not a lot of action but fun for me and I enjoy being out at night sort of hidden from all the nightly forest creatures, but I can see them.

Good luck to you, stay safe and healthy

Claude
 
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Chris,

Thanks for the nice reply. I am an old guy that is challenged by technology!! When my sons get a chance to visit they help me with setting up my pellet rifle and the ATN optic. With out them I am lost. I have recorded a few scope videos, but don't know how to do anything with them. Maybe in the future with some help, my sons could post them for me.

I have an earlier version ATN than yours, it has the factory IR illuminator clamped on the side of the scope. For me this set-up works perfect, close range (15 to 20 yards) and I use the 3 power magnification and I never change the X or Y coordinates. I always shoot from the same spot (several years) and have set up a small shooting table and comfortable chair for my nightly hunts. I have a nice bipod attached to the stock of the Marauder and if I do a good job holding steady I am very successful hitting the rats. I usually only see one or two rats a night, they come from the piles of firewood I stack up. So not a lot of action but fun for me and I enjoy being out at night sort of hidden from all the nightly forest creatures, but I can see them.

Good luck to you, stay safe and healthy

Claude
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Claude,

I'm certainly not great with technology, but I can do ok with some of this stuff. If you ever have questions about how to do something with your X-Sight or posting something in the forum, shoot me a private message.

Sounds like you got yourself a comfortable little shooter's nest. Unfortunately I no longer have the time to lie in wait for my targets. Every night before I go to sleep I walk outside and scan for targets. If I see one, and if it is in a safe shooting direction, I will engage. Unfortunately, it seems I have thinned out the herd a bit, so not as many targets these days.



Anyway, take care Sir.

Chris
 
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