Dphar, did you quit using those traps?
It appears some instruction is required.
The trap was not at fault. In fact the trap performed flawlessly. I was forced by circumstance to set a trap in a spot where I was afraid the beaver might not drown, but the beaver had to die regardless, it was pest control. So it was MY fault not that of the trap. Just like it was my fault I used the CB cap.
Beaver escape traps in two ways, they may pull out if the trap is weak, is not set just right, the water level changes after the set is made or they just happen to step a little wrong, the planets line up wrong many reasons. Front feet are easy to hold but somewhat fragile if the beaver does not drown. This why drowning is preferred and works in the vast majority of cases. But sometimes it does not. Sh*t happens. So sometimes they get whacked with a stick or shot with a gun depending on the situation.
Shooting hogs with CB caps.
My view.
I could not care less if a hog gets someone down and scatters their guts in the bushes, especially if I don't have to witness or smell it. Will not change my life in the slightest, in fact if they get killed before they reproduce it leaves more room for my descendants so its a "win" for me in some ways. One of those Darwin Award things I guess. I personally would not want to be ate by hogs but, hey, lots of folks have weird fantasies I guess.
Someone can "get by" with things in potentially dangerous situations for long periods of time and then one day the factors all stack right and they die.
One of my fathers "American Folk Sayings" is "he went to sh*t and the hogs ate him". Doubtless he got this from my grandfather, HIS father raised free range hogs in post Civil War Arkansas. Makes one wonder where this quaint little saying originated.
There is an excellent write up in "Pondoro" by John Taylor concerning killing African Elephant in the 1930s with a smooth 10 bore percussion gun. He never lost an animal shot with it, "13 good bulls" and several Rhino. But he stated that he would not have wanted to face a charge with it.
Folks that hunt hogs with popguns might want to consider this statement.
Do I sound a little cranky?
I am, I have hunted since I was old enough to cock a BB gun in the late 50s. I passed on a personal experience that I thought was relevant to the discussion. People immediately want to poke holes in it, tell me I didn't know what cartridge I used or make smart assed remarks so as to justify behavior that I and apparently some others here view as at least risky.
Dan
