Zapp Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Picked up my moderated .410 webley B/A this afternoon. After some practice at the club, I ventured out to one of my permissions. I wandered down to a field of barley which usually has a few bunnies lurking in the margins. As I rounded the first corner, I heard a commotion in the barley and a bunny came bolting about 15 yards in front. POP, over it rolled! First shot in anger with my new gun!! Ten minutes later, same noise, out comes another, POP, 2 in the bag Well chuffed! Saw something very weird and a bit sad though. In one corner of the field, I found a dead cat. It was a big black brute, and was basically a bundle of fur and flies, lying on its side in the grass with its tongue hanging out. As I passed it, It suddenly jumped up and stared straight at me! I leapt out of my skin! The poor thing was a very old feral farm cat, had only one eye and a huge open sore on its back (complete with maggots), and had clearly laid down there to die. It crossed my mind to help the poor old sod on his way, but before I could make up my mind what to do, it scrambled off into the hedge. Hopefully he found somewhere nice and quiet to settle down after I had gone . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Its good to get some early success with a new gun, keep it up. I had a similar incident with a cat some years ago, but this one had been hit on the road and crawled about 50 yards into the field, on its way back to the farm. It was very badly injured and I decided to end its misery. I took the body back to the farm and told the Farmer, so nobody wondered where it was. Although it was only one of about 6 or 7 farm cats, the Farmer was a bit damp eyed over its death. Fortunately, he agreed it could not have survived and thanked me for what I'd done. It might be worth going back as soon as possible and trying to find the cat, or at least tell the Farmer. That must be a horrible way to die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30-6 Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 How much does it cost and where do you get a webley moderated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertie Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Yes i'd much rather shoot the cat! Even though i hate the things, i wouldn't let any animal suffer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 Cats are a bit of a dodgy area. Obviously the best thing would have been to help this one on its way but in general unless I am 100% certain its feral then I let them off. We have ferals around the pheasnt pen, even inside it, but they have never touched a poult and are only after rats and mice attracted by the feed. A cat down the hedgerows and field sides in the spring is a different matter though. That is where they can do the real damage to nesting gamebirds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted July 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 How much does it cost and where do you get a webley moderated? It actually ended up costing me more than the gun! The silencer is about £55 and the fitting is around £25. Any gunsmith should be able to do it. Ask at your local shop if they know any smiths who can have it done. Basicaly I paid £155 for the gun, with the moderator fitted. I did this through the Gun Shop Rugby and Northampton Gun Company. Regards Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 Cats are a bit of a dodgy area. Obviously the best thing would have been to help this one on its way but in general unless I am 100% certain its feral then I let them off. We have ferals around the pheasnt pen, even inside it, but they have never touched a poult and are only after rats and mice attracted by the feed. A cat down the hedgerows and field sides in the spring is a different matter though. That is where they can do the real damage to nesting gamebirds. How do you tell a feral cat from a house cat ? Just because a cat doesn't have a collar, does not mean its feral and doesn't belong to someone. Adopting a policy of not shooting any cats, is the only 100% sensible option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted July 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 I spoke to the farmer about the cat. He phoned me this evening to say that a worker from the next farm over had found it, and had got a vet out. The vet took one look and put the poor thing to sleep. Glad in a way, because had I not been out that day he'd have sat there and suffered for god knows how long. The farmer is an old mateof mine, and I'd always thought he was a bit of a rough tough get, but he told me he'd been out looking for it most of the night. He also told me that his chickens (which I thought he'd bought as chicks) were actually ones he'd had saved from a local battery farm once they'd reached the end of their "productive" lives. They now root around happily in a great big pen he has built, and he gets about 6 eggs a day for his kindness. What a top bloke! Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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