RC K9 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 So, yesterday while pursuing a fat fox squirrel, Ventress decided she was going to rip apart a leaf nest about 50ft up where she thought the squirrel she was chasing had hidden. After a few seconds of violently tearing at this nest, I see a large, grey figure emerge and start to fall. I immediatly knew what it was. This was no squirrel...it was a trash panda, (raccoon). As this thing was falling to the ground, it felt like life slowed down as it does in the movies, and I was like, "noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" This thing smacks the ground. As i'm running over to where it landed, I see it's not moving. I'm hoping it's dead, because I know what comes next. Right then, Ventress comes diving down and slams this thing. It starts to move, she moves up to the head and latched onto it's face. Now it's awake, injured, and pissed. They start fighting. It's trying hard to get Ventress off, but she is hanging on. Raptor Rodeo is all I can say to describe it. So many thoughts running through my mind. I'm thinking I may be about to watch my bird get mauled by a raccoon, but she is hanging onto it's face so it can't bite her. I wanted to step on it's head, but she was positioned partially on her back underneath it as it was trying to fight her off, so I couldn't do it without hurting/killing my bird. So I pull out my ice pick, try as best I could in all the commotion to stick it in the head. I think I wound up getting it in the neck by the head. It growls violently. It finally gets Ventress off and makes a run, (a slow run at that) for it. With the ice pick bobbing up and down as it runs. Ventress hits it again, and won't let go. As I am running to catch up to them, they approach a steep ravine, and they proceed to tumble down it 20ft into the shallow creek below. It was just a ball of raptor and raccoon. They get to the bottom and the raccoon is able to get her off again and proceed running. She nails this thing AGAIN but get's shaken off more quickly this time as she is exhausted. The raccoon runs up the other side of the ravine into a root system of a tree that was protruding out over the edge. Ventress follows and does the whole Harris' Hawk thing poking around trying to find it. I climb up the mud and up under these roots and grab up her jesses. She's out of breath and exhausted. I don't see any injuries though. We finally get back up the other side of the ravine, across the barbed wire fence, and back into the field we were in. I look her over, and don't see any big bites, lacerations, or anything of the sort. I put her back on the T perch and have one of the other people with us hold the perch. I walk about 15-20 yards into the field, pull the lure and whistle. She was on it like white on rice. Flew fine, no behavioral differences, nada. By far, the most insane falconry experience in my short falconry career thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Would have been interesting if someone was just out for a Sunday stroll, only to come across this happening. Lol. Needs more video of ventress hunting. Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted January 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Would have been interesting if someone was just out for a Sunday stroll, only to come across this happening. Lol. Needs more video of ventress hunting. Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk Most insane thing in Falconry, and one of the most in my life, that I have seen yet. I even had my gopro with me, but didn't have it on as I was not expecting any of this to happen. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdk 4219 Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Sounds like cock fighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE-O Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 So what your telling me is your not a vegan ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Good story. As I was reading it, I thought for sure it was going to end with Ventress not making it. Glad she is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Good story. As I was reading it, I thought for sure it was going to end with Ventress not making it. Glad she is ok. As I was WATCHING I thought it was going to end with Ventress not making it., ha ha. And another nutty fact about the whole situation, it appears I suffered more injuries that day than she did. Punctured the back of my arm on a barbed wired fence as deep as the barb would go, then as a result, went and got a TDaP shot, and now my right arm feels pretty much useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewhop Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Trash Pandas are durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeesammy Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Pretty badass, would be awesome with a vid I had one charge at me when I was 13ish. I kicked that thing as hard as I could in the face and it didn't give a fuck. Never have I ran that fast in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrodh Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 My closest encounter was when i was a Camp counselor in my teenage years. Opened the cabin i was in charge of (I was probably 17 or so with a bunch of 12-15 year olds behind me) and this Raccoon was digging through a bunch of the campers things surely candy and shit. I immediately pushed the kids back and shut the door and encouraged them to run haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE-O Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Do you ever carry when you go out ? Just curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Do you ever carry when you go out ? Just curious Not a gun. I have been lazy and never got my TX CHL after I moved here. It wouldn't have done me much good in that situation anyway as chances would have been high that I would hit my bird too. I do always carry an ice pick with me, but that is usually for squirrels as those things are VERY tough as well. Never...EVER thought i'd be using one on a raccoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Coons freak me out. Two videos come to mind whenever I think of raccoons: This one: And this one: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Having killed 2 racoons, one with a baseball bat and one with a shovel, let me just say they are hard to kill. Glad your bird is okay, my dog is why I've killed these things because he won't leave the fuckers alone either. Good story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 Having killed 2 racoons, one with a baseball bat and one with a shovel, let me just say they are hard to kill. Glad your bird is okay, my dog is why I've killed these things because he won't leave the fuckers alone either. Good story. I have killed one in my life. And I had to shoot it MULTIPLE times with my 20ga from close range. This was like 20yrs ago. I try to avoid those things when possible. I don't hate them or have any ill will towards them...just prefer to avoid them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 LOL at the raccoon stories. A couple of years ago, a few families and ours rented one of those huge Hocking Hills houses with a bunch of bedrooms, indoor pool, fishing pond, etc. It was a great weekend for the kids and adults. On Sunday morning, one of the kids was out in the gravel parking lot came in super excited about this raccoon coming down this huge pine tree by the dumpster. We go out there (we had been throwing trash bags as part of cleaning up) and I saw the BIGGEST, FATTEST trash panda in my life. The thing looked like a cartoon. He was as chill as could be...just mosey'd down the tree into the dumpster, started slowly pulling apart a garbage bag while keeping an eye on the shrieking kids all excited to see him... found some kids snacks and sat there munching. Didn't. Give. A. Fuck. One of the dads went "We should shoo him away and close the dumpster lid." I gave him the yeah-sure-you-go-ahead-and-do-that look of incredulity. That raccoon wasn't dumb; he'd wait until Sunday mornings when people were leaving...see bags of trash in that dumpster...stop over in broad daylight and help his fatass to whatever he pleased. Clearly looks like he'd been doing it for years. No one would mess with him. We just told the kids to give him space. I envied that raccoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC K9 Posted February 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 LOL at the raccoon stories. A couple of years ago, a few families and ours rented one of those huge Hocking Hills houses with a bunch of bedrooms, indoor pool, fishing pond, etc. It was a great weekend for the kids and adults. On Sunday morning, one of the kids was out in the gravel parking lot came in super excited about this raccoon coming down this huge pine tree by the dumpster. We go out there (we had been throwing trash bags as part of cleaning up) and I saw the BIGGEST, FATTEST trash panda in my life. The thing looked like a cartoon. He was as chill as could be...just mosey'd down the tree into the dumpster, started slowly pulling apart a garbage bag while keeping an eye on the shrieking kids all excited to see him... found some kids snacks and sat there munching. Didn't. Give. A. Fuck. One of the dads went "We should shoo him away and close the dumpster lid." I gave him the yeah-sure-you-go-ahead-and-do-that look of incredulity. That raccoon wasn't dumb; he'd wait until Sunday mornings when people were leaving...see bags of trash in that dumpster...stop over in broad daylight and help his fatass to whatever he pleased. Clearly looks like he'd been doing it for years. No one would mess with him. We just told the kids to give him space. I envied that raccoon. We used to camp in Cook Forest, PA as kids and people at the cabins always feed the coons marshmallows. Talk about some fat diabetic animals. They didn't walk. They would waddle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeesammy Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 LOL at the raccoon stories. A couple of years ago, a few families and ours rented one of those huge Hocking Hills houses with a bunch of bedrooms, indoor pool, fishing pond, etc. It was a great weekend for the kids and adults. On Sunday morning, one of the kids was out in the gravel parking lot came in super excited about this raccoon coming down this huge pine tree by the dumpster. We go out there (we had been throwing trash bags as part of cleaning up) and I saw the BIGGEST, FATTEST trash panda in my life. The thing looked like a cartoon. He was as chill as could be...just mosey'd down the tree into the dumpster, started slowly pulling apart a garbage bag while keeping an eye on the shrieking kids all excited to see him... found some kids snacks and sat there munching. Didn't. Give. A. Fuck. One of the dads went "We should shoo him away and close the dumpster lid." I gave him the yeah-sure-you-go-ahead-and-do-that look of incredulity. That raccoon wasn't dumb; he'd wait until Sunday mornings when people were leaving...see bags of trash in that dumpster...stop over in broad daylight and help his fatass to whatever he pleased. Clearly looks like he'd been doing it for years. No one would mess with him. We just told the kids to give him space. I envied that raccoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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