Hunting on the golf course

The ponds at Jesse's course have had some trouble lately...it seems that something has been eating all the vegetation around the ponds and lakes. However, the crew are out there all day long, and never see anything on the banks. They figured out this week that nutria live all around the water and feed strictly at night. They dont know how many of them are out there, but they are causing some serious damage and need to be stopped!

So, Jesse decided that he was going to go and hunt the nutria at night. Now keep in mind that he has never shot a gun before. He calls me all giddy, saying that he is going to buy a red light for his hunting trip. I was like, "excuse me?" Haha. I made him wait to go back up that night until I could go with him. (I did not like the idea of him out there with a gun that he has never shot before all alone.) Monday night we went up to the golf course at about 8:30pm. It was such a rush driving around the dark golf course, dressed in my navy hoodie (pulled over my head; it was cold!), while carrying a loaded 22 semin-automatic gun in my lap!! I was nervous and excited the whole time...Jesse was just plain giddy! He really wanted to find one so he could shoot it. I asked him what it would look like. He grinned and said, "a giant rat- like the size of a dog-only it swims." Ummm...WHAT?

We rode around all night, sat in silence watching and waiting, and after 2 hours, we were both getting tired and cold. But we had not seen anything fun to shoot! All of a sudden, I heard a sound on the bank of one of the ponds. I pointed the red light over there and could see eyes looking back at me. I whispered to Jesse to come take a look. Well, he checked it out, and it turned out to be a GIANT bull frog. I sighed in frustration. Jesse looks over at me with a devious twinkle in his eye and a big grin, and says, "think I should the shoot the frog? I have to at least shoot something tonight!" I was ready to see some kind of action, so I dared him to. He actually GETS ON THE GROUND all hunter-like, (I'm dying trying not to laugh so I can hold the light steady), and finally pulls the trigger. I half expected him to miss, since the frog is still a relatively small target and he has never really shot a gun, but no. He hit it and it exploded!! I mean, he DEMOLISHED that frog!!! I just busted out laughing, and he was beeming from ear to ear. It was so hilarious!! Of course, the houses that were only about 100 yards from where we were, probably did NOT think it was hilarious. Only about a minute after he shot the gun, we heard sirens in the distance, and we both freaked out. It was time to go home!

So, we have not killed any giant rats yet, but I did do some research so we can use it as bait to bribe them then shoot them! The pictures on the Internet are really ugly- seriously. Orange teeth, webbed back feet like a beaver, hairy with a thin long tail like a rat...gross.

The best part was seeing Jesse get so excited about getting to be manly and shoot the gun. Then when he actually destroyed the bull frog, he was so proud of himself! If he ever does kill a nutria, I think it would be hilarious to get it stuffed and tell him to hang his hunting game prize in his office!!! Haha, he would be so grossed out! Probably not the best idea, but I think this could become a fun new hobby for us!!! :)