Hard Cormerants

[chesters1]

spotted a corm at the pond yesterday so whisked home for the rockets (given 18 months ago to persuade our black friends their not welcome) .

spotted the devil sunning itself on one of the floating islands ,went closer and pointed rocket in general direction (i hold them) it dropped short but gave off a satisfying flash and bang ,my quarry jumped in water ,i went closer .

second rocket exploded 6ft above it but 20 feet in front ,it dived ,3rd shot was close to where it surfaced ,it dived.

i walked along bank to where it was seen last

it dived and surfaced where i had been standing and jumped onto island,next rocket exploded very close (very) it dived and surfaced looking not in the slightest alarmed ,i moved it dived ,i spotted bubbles and let loose ,rocket entered water and exploded ,20ft high spray (very satisfying) matey surfaced ,dived and surfaced down lake ,let of last rocket ,matey had learnt and dived when it approached it exploded exactly where it had been

ended up going home defeated after wearing my arm out throwing sticks and stones .in between my shouting it caught and ate fish

hopefully i'l get more rockets maybe strapping a few together will work ,as to the corm who cares! amatuer rocketry is fun

it came back to the pond at 8 this morning but had left when i arrived ,my catty went unused

i wonder if you can get "warning" dynamite or hand grenades

Edited November 1, 2005 by chesters1

[Peter Waller]

Surface lures are good, especially with barbed hooks.

[chesters1]

yes that may be so but you dont go home with singed eyebrows and the taste of gunpowder in your mouth

[GlennB]

Hope you were wearing camo, so as not to spook the fish.

[chesters1]

if flourescent is camo... yes ,the bird was totally unperturbed by my presence ,the fish also .

2 anglers were on the lake (regulars) they thought i was after the heron and didnt know what a corm was errr herons stand about looking grey with long wings and beak and paddle on long legs,corms swim about looking black (and grey) with short beaks and can dive using short legs

Edited November 1, 2005 by chesters1

[zedhead]

trying to spook them off a water is better than shooting them in my opinion. i understand anglers despising cormerants but theyre presence inland is a reflection of what we have done to the seas. A comerant would rather be at sea, eating high protien fishes. If we want to stop the inland invasion we could all stop eating fish for 10 years to allow the marine system to recover.

[Ken L]

Sounds as if the only way the rockets will work is if you gaffertape them to it's legs and point them away from your water......

[Mr Nice]

I pal of mine, old school countryman & regular killing machine (a real life grim reaper to anything with fur or feathers) reckons they’re easy to shoot “like a flying barn door” to use his words. But you have to be up early, because they will be.

[Newt]

A comerant would rather be at sea, eating high protien fishes.

Not sure how many cormorant species you folks have but several in the US tend to prefer inland living and have done so for lots longer than any possible shortage of sea fish could have driven them inland. Phalacrocorax auritus (double-crested cormorant) is a prime example. Marine and fresh water populations. http://www.nps.gov/hafo/crittercorner/cormoran.htm

 

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[ben88]

sounds like you had fun then chesters