Home, Hobby, Lawn and Garden Projects

[a Silly Person]

LOL

[Major_A]

Video recap of the possum hunt 2 days later...I think, I work way too much. It says I posted the I got it post yesterday but, anyway.

Things you should know about the discovers not on video.

When I said in the one that there is something moving, off camera I saw the same white coat I saw a few days before. No visual of face or a tail but, I know what it was, it was an undead possum...well not zombie or vampire undead, but just a not dead possum. Then again it is Halloween LOL. I am calling this a confirmed NOT kill. DS, would you be so kind as to make a FAIL pest kill pic of some type for me. ;D

This filming and ransacking of the undead possum crypt and surrounding area produced the recovery of dart 2 of 3 of said penetrated darts!! 3 of 3 still missing. Broadhead type was recovered.

During the copy of video snipets and upload to viewing server, I've either obtained a weird hunting fetish, or I've just decided that I'm going to be the prick of the the neighborhood that's just had enough of cats shitting in my yard. I loved the dog I had as a kid but for some reason, I'm slightly frightened by the smallest of them. And if I wanted to purposely dodge dog shit all day while working in the yard, I would own a dog, but I do not. All the neighbors but the one who feeds the strays have more or less said KILL the cats...there are too many. I've even felt bad in the past for stinging them in the rear on 4 pumps. But when I open my back door, and I see 4 cats split the pot on which way to go, one ofem's gettin' shot at! Don't care...have to do something now. No more dreaming up kittypults that run on springs and hinges.

More to the point now. I was not in my slippers this time as I watched the quad of felines part ways as I came out the back door. 2 of them happened to be black cats, so what happens next is good to be Nov and not Oct. ;D

Please bear in mind that I even like cats, but even the possum I'm hunting into extinction doesn't tear up my trash bags that we don't even put scrap food in...it goes in the compost bins outside! Same trailer, but this time 2 black cats underneath. This is while the video is comeing off the camera from earlier and going to the server. I found myself in the same prone position in back of the big blue trailer...took 2 shots. First cat left and I missed the one, grabbed a shorter dart, probly a 3 incher, and when it stuck in the side, that one decided to leave promptly. That last visual was the cottony white spot moving off very quickly. Retrieved first dart from under trailer. Shortly After that, I had taken a sure miss shot at one hiding in the THICK mass of sunflowers stalks I had by the ally... Dart was retrieved out of thick stalk.

I learned several things from tonight. The obvious would be spoke darts need to be shorter. They are VERY nice thumpers and penetrators, but drop over distance is becoming noticeable with more shots taken. Need to find some access to some spring steel already straightened. It is alot lighter. Whenever I come across it, it's already curled and bent...need to find it straight already as no time to tap it out straight. Any ideas from any of guys in ventures through the hardware store?

Last thoughts just trying to remember from demo gun video. roughly a 15' to 20' to target wood....hell, I have a measure wheele..lol...brb....@ this time it is 11:26pm took measurement Ignoring the STUPID other black cat that decided to return, it turns out that the demo shots I took in the video were 27'! I didn't think it was near that far a distance!

Other note was that I even halved a bamboo bbq skewer, hacked it with my craftsman lock razor knife and twirled some cotton on the end....not good results. Very inaccurate. I bought the book 10 yrs ago, but may be time to thumb through it again as I may be missing something.

edit-- add 1 hr for time change, and unless audio has really changed that much and I didn't think my voice sounded like a smurf...DO NOT encourage me to make more videos, as I may be tempted to make some.

10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/thehunt/100_4753.MOV
10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/thehunt/100_4754.MOV
10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/thehunt/100_4755.MOV
10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/thehunt/100_4756.MOV
10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/thehunt/100_4757.MOV

[Death's Shadow]

Ask and thou shalt receive. Here ya go..

[RedRock]

Well, Major, your blowguns are impressive. But you know the damage you're creating is very limited, mainly slow bleeding, unless you just happen to hit a large vessel or the heart, and I can't predict whether you could penetrate the skull with your darts. That's why "the ancients" learned to use fast-acting paralytic agents (curare) on the tips of their darts, and tips were made to break off and remain in the target, so the poison could definitely be administered. Maybe instead of a book on silencers, you need to find one on home-made curare! See www.iquitostimes.com/rfowler8.htm

The dart is fashioned out of a sliver of palm or bamboo. A wad of cotton is
taken from the seed of the kapoc tree and used on one end to create compression
in the blow pipe. The "business" end is grooved to hold more poison and dried
near a fire. A ring is cut around the shaft behind the point so as to break off
under any stress. The broken point with the poison styays in the creture.

And by the way, you know you're putting yourself at risk for appearing on America's Funniest Home Videos (with a possum hanging off your nose or some such thing eventually)!!!

Oh, and if you do get a dead possum, before it decomposes too much, use it for target practice and see if you can penetrate the skull.

[Death's Shadow]

Just watch out for the animal huggers, the ones that think you should move out because the possum has every right to your house.. They might get you on their fav show.. Animal cops..


Grrr.. hate that show.

[Major_A]

Nov 2, 2008 0:29:56 GMT -5 Death's Shadow said:

Ask and thou shalt receive. Here ya go..

LMAO....undead possum, undead possum...ruuuun

I was thumbing through my book and curare was actually the first poison listed and gave some history and howtos killing by paralytic effects relaxing the victim to death, and is only toxic if entering through the bloodstream, but incredibly hard to get I guess.

It was mentioned in that link also about the poison arrow frogs. About a year ago while I was still managing the pet store, I almost ordered one because they are so very cool looking, but I had fears of accidents with the kid getting ahold of it somehow or the cats. Knowing the distributor, and price of the frogs, I'm sure they were wild caught. It's nice that the book even gives ways for poison delivery on a steel dart.

I believe I like this better than the pellet gun! ;D I'm going to do some experimenting with some things as I'd like to perfect the wooden darts bc of better poison delivery, cheapness, and the added benefit of lost darts being lawn mower friendly. Although I will be fashioning some other darts out of other items like basket ball inflating needles, all the printer cartridge refill needles I'd been saving for I guess this reason, and syringes since I've had an entire box for 7yrs probly destined for this very reason. Also experimenting with dart length for good to hit vitals causing internal bleeding also. In the back of the book it has a pic of the author that hit a 3 pound rat with a 6in dart while it was moving. The rat ran approx 50ft before it fell over dead. This picture has re-inspired me all over again lol.

I just hit the hardware store earlier today to pick up some smaller bore aluminum tubes that are 3ft long, but need to hit the craft area at wally world to find some plastic beads to experiment with.

edit - Just found this place hhhmmmm film cones.
www.polar-electric.com/Blowgun/Darts/index.html

also odd, blowgun stuff on mythbusters right now lol

[Major_A]

Ok Red what do you think about this bone crusher design? I don't know if you flipped through that site or not. That little smashed sharpened broadhead design I used caused some bleeding...enough to track anyway, but these!!! I would think they would take down a goat or something lol jk, but at least possum or maybe fox size relatively quick I would think.

I'm curious bc, well I guess I'll have to get a few done first and fire them, but a few grams don't seem like that much. I guess I'm just trying to figure out some correlation of weight comparison as I don't have small calibrated wieghts...ie if I had a half ounce in one hand, and 4 1 gram wieghts in the other, it would give me a better idea of the end result.

Also interest in if anyone here has any electronic knowledge. Want to know if it is possible to charge a small capacitor with a 9v or 12v lantern battery, to make one of these mini l.e.d's run for 3 to 5 minutes. www.kingbrightusa.com/gapg1608.asp?gclid=CITb35bq2pYCFQOcFQodcAzy2A Probly not with wieght restrictions, but just wanting to know.

[RedRock]

The easiest home weight for grams: one packet of equal = 1 gram

[Major_A]

That actually helped alot TY...lol. good thing I got that yeast for my homebrew wine lol. net wt of yeast is ¼ oz (7g)

[Major_A]

OK, Last few days I've been doing some learning and 1st generation creating.

Learned how to solder steel to steel and until I get a very small dremel cutting wheel, I found a very good size of dart shaft pre slotted even! I think they are called yarn darners..DON't ask me why I know that.

I took my first darts I ever made, which were sewing needles and as much yarn as I could get through the eyes. Cut off the yarn and ground off the top of the eye, and there's my slot for blade.

The harpoon looking one on the right is just a smidge under 4 inches total length. I'm still using wire nuts until I get a form done to wrap and glue the dart flights consistently and quickly. The backs of the wire nuts are chewed up looking do to the heat gun and cone shaped metal think I pushed into it to make it the same size as the barrel. Not very aerodynamic I know, but will work very nice for now.

The bamboo dart is 13 inches long and the dart flight is actually plastic milk carton ..hehe I'm recycling. It worked very good too!

So what do you guys think? A step up from the straight and mini broad heads I was using? I was able to track that possum before with the blood that fell, but what do you think these will do ;D

Don't let the crappy pictures fool you, my fingers had some incidents that tell me they are flesh penetrating.

For some reason I can picture Lamron thinking up a way to build a mouse trap with one of these and some fishing line. LOL

edit -- This is a 21ft shot with the 6ft gun I built yesterday, and the 13 in bamboo dart.
10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/testvideo/100_4772.MOV

btw, is this a forum issue with the pictures being ungodly large? Is there something I can add to the line to force it to a certain size?

[Major_A]

Tragically I made a stupid mistake in the design that I knew not to do, but did it anyway. I better tell you in case someone is following this.

I've never had a problem with wire nuts as dart flights before, but the darts were always long or they where made of heavier material like bike spokes and not needle darts in that fashion.

When constructing a dart, always make sure the shaft or head is heavier than the dart flight. I didn't even think that would be an issue with lead solder and a chunk of razor blade on the end, but sure enough,, it come out the barrel like a throwing knife and ricochet around the dining room almost hitting the exposed light bulb on the ceiling fan...sheeew

Anyway, I changed all the broad head darts to paper cones for now in case I need them, and that solved the problem. hhhmmm actually, that means I should be able to make an even nastier tip that's a tad heavier.....muwahahaha gtg

[Major_A]

HEHEHE found solution! Eliminate the shaft on small darts!!!
I'm really pround of myself as I think I'm the first to do this design for a blowgun! I know it's common arrow broadhead but for a blow gun?! A fast bleeder for sure this time don't you think Red? It's a hellova potsticker hehehehe

It needs shaped for my caliber of barrel but, look at it! hmmm needs a name.....poll needed here. I'm refering to the wirenut dart of coarse lol shshshsh TOP SECRET! ;D

edit-- and just in case....I will post the vid of the first test fire. I won't shoot it before. This way you get a laugh if it f's up and breaks something. I'll be at work when I shape it, then I have to wait at least 10 min after epoxy tomorrow night. So hopefully tomorrow night a vid of FIRST shot!

Forgot a couple of options in the poll and it won't let me edit.

Alternate name of dart option name considerations.

• The Redrock!! For blood letting.
  
• The DS for obvious Deaths Shadow.
  
• YOUR_DADDY as in Pest got pwned. lol
  
• The Lamonator hehehehe, as in, I see through you...lol
  

just some thoughts.

[a Silly Person]

For resizing photos, I use an editing software. Lamron introduced us to Irfanview a while back and I have come to like it for ease of use.... AND IT IS FREE!, lol

irfanview.com/





If you use the program and the "resize" option, it is really quite easy to do.

[Major_A]

TY Silly, I was just experimenting with resize of pics in last post with photoshop, but whats wierd is if you link to a pic in photobucket it seems to anyway do one thing or put it somewhere else it does the same thing.....lol what I mean is, In DM forums, nomatter what I do, they all come out in forum to a preset size it seems. In here, one minute I refresh screen, one pic is small and you get a mag glass ...top pic is small, bottom is HUGE....alittle bit later, refresh, and it's the opposite with the bottom being small and the first pic listed gets the mag glass. Thats why I was curious if it was a bb code setting or forum setting lol, but anyway, I'm hanging in there adjusting away because I don't know if it is doing the same thing to you guys or not?!?!? This is whats bugging me I guess! TY for help, am still resizing to see if it helps or not.

[a Silly Person]

I'm afraid I can't help you with that one. I don't think I have ever experienced changing sizes of photos before, but then I have never used the Photo Bucket either.

Photo Bucket and Image Shack...

...for some reason this reminds me of the CHUM BUCKET & The Crusty Crab.

Yes, eyes gots kids, LOL