Bruce from West Oz
New member
Just spent 2 1/2 magnificent days down south (near Margaret River, where some of the world's best wines come from 
).
We stayed on my company's property (some 360 acres), which will soon be converted to vineyards (in about 6 weeks). Very lush, green land, with about 1/2 of it untouched bushland.
We went out every night with the 4WD and a spotlight. Saw 100+ roos every night (the biggest would have been easily 7 foot tall!). Of course, they're protected, so no shooting. We were looking for rabbits. But it was so lush, green and wet, they had no need to come out to feed. So we only got one!
However, last night, just near the house, we spotted a possum and slowed down. As we swung the spotlight back, we picked up another pair of eyes.
'Another possum,' said my mate (driving).
'Uh, uh,' I said. 'Wrong colour'. (Possum's eyes are pink/red -- these were yellow/green.)
Through the Tasco, I could see it was a cat -- but a bloody big cat!
It was chewing on something, but the spotlight held it transfixed.
I told my mate I was convinced it was a feral cat -- and then it moved and I could see its colouration properly -- dark grey with darker tiger-like stripes and a jet-black tail.
It hissed at the light. If you have ordinary-size hands, open your hand as wide as you can -- now crook your fingers -- and that will show you approximately the size of the mouth.
From 40 yards, I whacked it fair between the eyes (target shooting does pay off!!) with a Winchester .22 subsonic hollow-point.
From nose to tail tip, it was longer than my Anschutz rifle, and we could only estimate the weight at 9 kilos (approx. 20 lbs). This was one big cat!!
It was munching on a native bird when we caught it.
How much could just one feral like this destroy?? Even if it just ate one native animal a day -- that's 365 fewer natives a year.
I love cats, and didn't enjoy shooting it -- but hell, I'm proud we did it!!!
B
).We stayed on my company's property (some 360 acres), which will soon be converted to vineyards (in about 6 weeks). Very lush, green land, with about 1/2 of it untouched bushland.
We went out every night with the 4WD and a spotlight. Saw 100+ roos every night (the biggest would have been easily 7 foot tall!). Of course, they're protected, so no shooting. We were looking for rabbits. But it was so lush, green and wet, they had no need to come out to feed. So we only got one!
However, last night, just near the house, we spotted a possum and slowed down. As we swung the spotlight back, we picked up another pair of eyes.
'Another possum,' said my mate (driving).
'Uh, uh,' I said. 'Wrong colour'. (Possum's eyes are pink/red -- these were yellow/green.)
Through the Tasco, I could see it was a cat -- but a bloody big cat!
It was chewing on something, but the spotlight held it transfixed.
I told my mate I was convinced it was a feral cat -- and then it moved and I could see its colouration properly -- dark grey with darker tiger-like stripes and a jet-black tail.
It hissed at the light. If you have ordinary-size hands, open your hand as wide as you can -- now crook your fingers -- and that will show you approximately the size of the mouth.
From 40 yards, I whacked it fair between the eyes (target shooting does pay off!!) with a Winchester .22 subsonic hollow-point.
From nose to tail tip, it was longer than my Anschutz rifle, and we could only estimate the weight at 9 kilos (approx. 20 lbs). This was one big cat!!
It was munching on a native bird when we caught it.
How much could just one feral like this destroy?? Even if it just ate one native animal a day -- that's 365 fewer natives a year.
I love cats, and didn't enjoy shooting it -- but hell, I'm proud we did it!!!
B
