silly wabbits...smarter than me

[Pat]

I'm still puzzling over Egon's "standard" 3 wire fence????? Mine and most everyone elses around here are 5 or 6 strand and mine are 4 point so there isn't any "get lucky" and the barbs miss you. Now if you are talking about electric fences... OK more often just one strand, not barbed. Since we were discussing crossing fences with a gun (maybe a .410) I'm not sure I'd recommend jumping.

By the way Cindi... Since you are using a scatter gun for small game maybe it would be beneficial, in light of the current cost of restorative work at the dentist's office and thte hardness of steel shot, to invest in one of those real small metal detectors (about $20) that are sold to scan wood before risking expensive edged tools like planers, joiners, etc. I tested mine and it will find just a small part of a reqular paper staple, on the order of or smaller than shot.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[itsmeCindi]

In Florida, if you have a cow escape your fence, and it is in good shape with a MINIMUM of four strands of barbed wire, you are not liable. I'm not sure about elswhere but here it is four starnds at least.

Are you suggesting Pat, that at some point I may actually hit what I am aiming at? I laugh at that hahaha. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

[egon]

Pat:
Remember there are times when I'm many years in the past. In Alberta the four wire fence is the legal minimum for liability purposes.

Most farmers had only three wires on interior fencing. The exterior fencing would have had four at times but the top wire was always at about the same height. Fences were for cows or horses.

Egon

[egon]

It's a thing you gotta start when your young Cindy. If you wait till age and common sense take precedence it's a no go.

Egon

[itsmeCindi]

Here not too long ago I was all prepared to swing on a rope out over the river and drop into the water, as I had in so many distance summers past. I am the stuff that America's Funniest Home Videos is made of. At the last possible second common sense kicked in and I asked myself, how much do I weigh again?

I got a vivid picture of severe rope burns, strained arm muscles, and losing my grip and landing on the bank a good five feet short of the water, thereby cripling myself. I cannot get on the back of a horse as I am convinced that the first thing it's going to do is take off at a dead run, scrape me off using a good stout branch, and then return to stomp me into the ground.

At some point I have become very weak and afraid. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Cindi, After all it was a shotgun and accidents do happen. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] But seriously, there are plenty of women who shoot just fine, I promise it isn't a guy thing. Socialization and self image asside, there is no reason why women can't shoot as well as men, especially if they use little girly sized "toy" guns. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I have read some writeups in "American Rifleman" tallking about women's activities in the shooting sports that I found personally assuring that it was still popular for women to be included in shooting sports. One story that really touched me was a highschool team that did well in their division at a premier national rifle competition and then went on to succeed in the open competition, shooting against the crack military teams. Their members are olympics bound. Oh yeah, they have girls on the team.

The little .22 bolt action singleshot that was my dad's first rifle stayed home when he left the nest and my grandmother is said to have probably shot enough rabits and squirrels to fill a pickup bed to overflowing. Critters entered her garden or within .22 rifle range at their own mortal peril. Of course these were all eaten.

I know they had a 12 ga shotgun but I don't think that was her weapon of choice. It was light weight and kicks pretty good. I inherited it at age 13 and when I had the $ for a box of shells, I'd be bruised for a week, both shoulders, as I would switch back and forth to distribute the damage. ( I still shoot long guns ambidextrously, about equally bad from either side.)

I have every confidence that with a modicum of persistence you can shoot rabbits and enjoy eating game you have personally harvested. I wasn't kidding about the little metal finder intended for scanning wood. I expect it would do a pretty good job and at $20 would be usefull for stud finding (locates the nails) and such.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Egon, (and Cindi) Oklahoma is a "fence in" state. Folks aren't required to protect themselves from your stock, you are required to protect them from your stock. You need to "fence in" your stock sufficiently to prevent their causing damage to others.
I never actually read all the related statutes of Oklahoma law so there might be provisos for implied intent or prima facie evidence standards where a land owner is assumed to have done "due diligence" if they have a barrier (fence) meeting certain standards, along the lines of what Cindi said.

Still, I would much rather go to the extra effort and expense for a good 5 wire or better property line fence and keep an animal in rather than be "legal" and have a dead animal, wrecked car, and dead or injured speeding drunk teenagers. (Presumptive on my part but after deer, teenagers are our biggest cause of accidents and most often involving speeding and drinking.)

So far in this life, I have never sued nor been sued at any time for any thing and would be real happy to keep it that way. Litgation is a cottage industry anymore and its market share is growing. This influences my personal fencing requirements.

I have a neighbor policy with adjoining cattlemen where I will provide materials or labor to go halves to repair or replace fencing if it is done to my minimum standards. That hasn't been good enough for a bull on my place and the bull over my east border. They get to pawing sod for certain and first thing you know there just isn't any fence in a small section where they debated their issues.

Even with good 5 wire (4 point) fences with stays between the posts, some calf will always end up across the fence from mom.

The larger European breeds which were used as draft animals as well as milk and meat don't respect light duty fences. The smaller breeds do. My neighbor to the south has one cow that has learned to operate a couple different gate mechanisms and repetively "tests" every gate. She is one of the BIG breeds and if she gets motivated she will push a fence down.

Anyway, all this rabbit talk, shooting them, and Bird's variety of rabbit dishes has me wanting to go shoot a rabbit if I get caught up some.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

Cindy:

Any time you want to try something exciting and fullfilling start singing. That shuts down the the dullard in the left hemisphere and allows for lots of joy.

Egon

[RichZ]

Gimme a break, Cindi!!! You weak and afraid???? I don't think so!!!

You get yourself into more prediciments than anyone I know because you seem to have no fear of anything!!! You've dealt with everything from charging sows to fireants withouteven blinking!!! I think you're a brave lady Cindi!! Maybe a little crazy at times, but certainly brave!!!! [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[itsmeCindi]

HEY YOU! Where have you been? I sold another article! This time to Acreage Magazine. So far this is is my list,

American Small Farm Magazine, Homestead.Org, Ted Nugent's Adventure Outdoors Magazine, Countryside Magazine and Small Farm Journal, Successful Farming Magazine, The Muse Apprentice Guild, Agriculture Online Correspondent for the state of Florida, The Fencepost Magazine, Acreage Magazine, The Women's Short Story Writer's Showcase, and columnist for The Hardee County Herald Advocate.

I am done with submitting to magazines and now I am putting that first book together. I have finally figured out how to do it. I will be sending out queries to agents and publishers within two weeks. Then I will work on finishing The Flaying Room. Thank you for all your help and referrals and support. You and Karen have been great, and assuming I get it published, will be mentioned in the dedication and will get a free copy of course! (grin)

Brave, I'm not so sure. Not too bright would be my guess. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]