Country File

[FierceKitty]

The Bambi muggers in Nara.

[Raider4]

Picked up wife from a wedding reception in the middle of wildest Gloucestershire on Wednesday night.

Coming back, round a corner on country round, baby deer standing in the middle of the road.

I slam on the brakes, wife screams, we stop and and there's a definitite "thump".

We look at each other and both think "Oh god, we've killed Bambi".

And then we see it running off, apparently no worse for wear.

Biggest sigh of relief I've ever let out.

[Ithoriel]

Passenger in a car on Mull.

Simultaneously up over a hill and round a bend.

Highland Cattle bull in middle of road.

Thump! Bull sprawled on road, dead as a very dead thing.

Tyre punctured by very, very bent mudguard.

Spot farmhouse. Walk to farmhouse. Explain situation. Farmer pretty sure it's his bull. Mentions cost of bull. Gulp!

Walk back to accident site.

"Dead" bull munching grass on the verge all unconcerned.

Back to farmhouse. Vet and garage mechanic summoned.

Bull declared bruised but otherwise fine. Car towed off to panel beater.

Car repairs pricey but considerably less than the cost of a bull!

[Heedless Horseman]

Watched a vid clip recently, (prob on FB), with Scots farmer 'driving' herd of 'Heeland Coos' past stopped cars. Saw another from 'over the pond', with a BIG herd of Bison You DO NOT MESS with either, lol! 

'Cattle' can be VERY hard to kill. A mate used to work in 'Cattle yards'. Sadly, there were instances when a 'terrified' beast would escape. One time, an 'armed', (not sure what 'with', cop turned up. He took three shots but failed to take the poor creature down. Mate got angry, just took the cop's gun and 'did the job'. Very Sad. 

Animals, whether Very Big, or Rat size can survive a LOT of knocks or wounds. When air-gunning rats, i would always 'put another couple in' so the 'dead 'un wouldn't get up and go. 
Same with troops. The MANY accounts of wounds sustained, yet someone could still carry on, are  incredible, but...

[Elliesdad]

It's amazing, in films, how may times someone shoots an enemy and then the shooter wanders off, leaving their seemingly dead opponent behind. The matter seems to be "settled". No, no, no. That's just a plot device.
Unless it is a zombie film - or you are very short on ammunition - then the reality is that you should finish them off. They may possibly survive that (seemingly fatal) shot in the side, but you can be pretty sure that a bullet between the eyes/into the brain is highly likely to ensure they ain't gonna reappear 5 minutes later in the film.

Back to rats. Sure, an air gun is good (and, indeed, often is fatal) but as a kid I always found it useful to have a spade too. A good, hard chop with the business end of a spade is likely to chop the beggar into two. If a rat can survive being chopped in half then it really is time to run - and run as fast as you can.

Geoff
Ps/ in retrospect, I seem to have drifted between "reality" and films/fiction. Just to two pen'worth anyway.

[FierceKitty]

I've read that this is why a gunfight is in reality far more dangerous than movies pretend. There'll often be enough left in the man you've fatally wounded for him to return the favour before he succumbs.

[Raider4]

. . . but considerably less than the cost of a bull!

Genuine question - would you be liable?

If the farmer doesn't want his bull endangered by traffic, surely he has a duty to keep it off the road?

[Ithoriel]

Genuine question - would you be liable?

If the farmer doesn't want his bull endangered by traffic, surely he has a duty to keep it off the road?

Was glad not to have to find out, for the bull's sake as well as ours. The question might have been would the cost of a bull be less than the cost of a court case.

I've read that this is why a gunfight is in reality far more dangerous than movies pretend. There'll often be enough left in the man you've fatally wounded for him to return the favour before he succumbs.

I remember an account of a shooting in the US between a cop and a drugged up perp, fought across a car bonnet. Even at that range the perp was too stoned to hit the cop. The cop fired several shots to no effect and, presumably convinced his gun was defective, looked down the barrel and pulled the trigger, killing himself instantly. Iirc, the perp survived several shots to the torso.

[Orcs]

Genuine question - would you be liable?

If the farmer doesn't want his bull endangered by traffic, surely he has a duty to keep it off the road?

It seems fairly clear , that the farmer is liable for any damage caused by his animals. So in the case of hitting the Bull The farmer or his own insurance should have paid.

https://www.harpermacleod.co.uk/hm-insights/2015/november/cows-in-the-road-what-to-do-if-you-have-an-accident-involving-livestock/

[Ithoriel]

The Animals (Scotland) Act 1987 was 10 to 15 years in the future at the time of the accident. We were students at the time.

[d_Guy]

The great cicada rising of 2021. A video from our driveway looking toward the western woods where for a brief time there were millions of them.

Be sure to turn your volume up.

[Westmarcher]

 

Although she likes the sound of Cicadas (reminds her of so many good vacations), Mrs Westie says she is so glad she doesn't live in Ohio (sorry).  

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/08/cicada-crash-ohio

[.. even though it's only every 17 years or so.]

p.s. I wonder what the cause of death of the cicada was. 

[d_Guy]

Brood X is an eerie one. Large, blood red eyes (as the close up in your article shows). They emerged in trillions in the Mid-Atlantic and stopped at the first peak of the Alleghenies (where we live) they then reappear to the west of the Ohio River.

They are very docile creatures (unless they mistake you for a tree), so the one in the article probably died of fright! 😀

Most of the rest die of amorous exhaustion or bird strikes (many, many happy birds during the rising). Squirrels seem to relish them as well.

[Heedless Horseman]

It seems fairly clear , that the farmer is liable for any damage caused by his animals. So in the case of hitting the Bull The farmer or his own insurance should have paid.
https://www.harpermacleod.co.uk/hm-insights/2015/november/cows-in-the-road-what-to-do-if-you-have-an-accident-involving-livestock/

Ugh. Yet another 'Law' for me to be 'anti' to. 
'Upland' areas, whether in Scotland or UK, should not NEED  be fenced. Stock, whether Cattle, Sheep or Ponies... or Deer, Pheasants, etc... have had THEIR 'Right To Roam', removed... and the stock owner 'automatically' liable.
Contrast with so many RTAs involving Pedestrians / Cyclists / Children doing something stupid... but the Driver gets the blame... unless able to 'prove' otherwise.

When I was young, I had great respect for 'Law'... (Often Contrary to others in My Generation!)... NOW... no.   

[Ithoriel]

Just chillin'

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Completely spaced out !

[Techno II]

Spaced out ?

YUKK !

That needs a lead pellet through the head.....Tree rats, and flying rats.....You can keep 'em.
Vile, wretched, things.

Cheers - Mr Reasonable.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

You like squirrals then Phil.

[Heedless Horseman]

My area still has a small population of Reds. Haven't seen one for a while... just a couple of fatalities. Only once seen a Grey locally.... hopefully just passing through.
About 30 yrs ago, there was a spell when a Red used to use the Nut feeder. Saw two chasing round a tree. I made a couple of Squirrel Huts... but the only residents were wasps, then Starlings.
A while later, a Red seemed to be building a drey... but may just have been temporary sleeping  place.

Not sure whether I would shoot a Grey. Probably report it to a neighbour who is in a 'Red Squirrel Group' and let them decide on any 'action'.

[steve_holmes_11]

I've read that this is why a gunfight is in reality far more dangerous than movies pretend. There'll often be enough left in the man you've fatally wounded for him to return the favour before he succumbs.

A couple of things here relevant to our wargaming, or at least those who play post 1900.

The "I couldn't possibly miss at that range" brigade need to consider things like moving targets, flesh wounds, pepped up warrior types and the fact that horses are rather bigger than people.

The trend for decreasing firearm calibre had been underway long before Nato adopted 5.56mm (to the horror of many old soldiers).
Some of the factors that kept life in the old .3?? inch and 7.??mm were.
* You can stop a typical man with a high velocity 6mm, but you won't stop a horse.
* You also won't stop an armoured car.

Similar stuff happened with Pistols against Mahdists, Zulus and especially Filipino warriors.
British officers still supplied their own sidearms during the Victorian era, so this saw the continuing popularity of:
* Large calibre Howdah pistols.
* Large calibre revolvers.
* "Manstopper" rounds for the .4"-.5" range revolver.