Pellidon
Flashlight Enthusiast
I am standing out in my back yard shining my CT Zero Rechargeable in the trees, comparing it to some of my other lights. Then I hear a large rustling in the woods. Thinking it is my neighbors' dog coming around for his nightly scratch behind the ears I start to sweep the woods for him. He is a German Shepard but I do not see him. Next thing I know I am staring at ten small green lights looking back at me. A large momma raccoon and four babies. Think of one of those large Kliban cat cartoons and that was mom. They just waddled through my back yard passing within 20 feet. They did stop and check me out once or twice but they were un deterred.
For about five minutes I spotlighted them rumaging my neighbors' yard for yummies in the dirt. They totally ignored me and my lights. The Zero, a 6P with a P61, a G2 with a P60 and an 8NX. Then a dog barked from about a half mile away. They scampered up a tree then. Me they ignore and I was talking to them and spotlighting them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
Inside I went for my second barrage (luxeons). A Blaster II(I), A cyan HD in a 2C mag, A cyan HD and LD in a pair of mags. None fazed these guys. I did learn that the best spot was a HD in a mag.
I stood out there for about ten minutes listening to the youngsters, watching them learn how to climb down a tree. I wish I had a low light vidcam, they don't have the hang of climbing down yet. Then they played around cooing and looking for mom who waddled off somewhere.
I got tired and worried about mom hiding somewhere and coming after me if the kids got spooked so I called it a night. They stopped cooing and started hissing so I left.
Results: Great test of my lights. Confirmation that humans are mostly loud noisy moving rock things that can be mostly ignored in a raccoon's thinking.
I do know how to keep them away. Sprinkle black pepper around the area where they are raiding. They tend to sniff the ground a lot while rambling on and do not like a snout full of pepper. Screaming, stick throwing, rock throwing, firecrackers, cap pistols, cold water and such have no effect on them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif They are not impressed by expensive finely crafted lights nor one's creative hack mod skills. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
For about five minutes I spotlighted them rumaging my neighbors' yard for yummies in the dirt. They totally ignored me and my lights. The Zero, a 6P with a P61, a G2 with a P60 and an 8NX. Then a dog barked from about a half mile away. They scampered up a tree then. Me they ignore and I was talking to them and spotlighting them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
Inside I went for my second barrage (luxeons). A Blaster II(I), A cyan HD in a 2C mag, A cyan HD and LD in a pair of mags. None fazed these guys. I did learn that the best spot was a HD in a mag.
I stood out there for about ten minutes listening to the youngsters, watching them learn how to climb down a tree. I wish I had a low light vidcam, they don't have the hang of climbing down yet. Then they played around cooing and looking for mom who waddled off somewhere.
I got tired and worried about mom hiding somewhere and coming after me if the kids got spooked so I called it a night. They stopped cooing and started hissing so I left.
Results: Great test of my lights. Confirmation that humans are mostly loud noisy moving rock things that can be mostly ignored in a raccoon's thinking.
I do know how to keep them away. Sprinkle black pepper around the area where they are raiding. They tend to sniff the ground a lot while rambling on and do not like a snout full of pepper. Screaming, stick throwing, rock throwing, firecrackers, cap pistols, cold water and such have no effect on them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif They are not impressed by expensive finely crafted lights nor one's creative hack mod skills. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif