Well, I got lucky and took out a bobcat this morning. I wasn’t hunting – just happened to be taking med for a lingering migraine when I looked out of the kitchen window and noticed movement out in a clearing. My vision is generally compromised by migraines, and I actually thought it was a coyote until I got the scope on him and saw that it was the male bobcat that I had been seeing for a few months. This is not his territory, but he seems to come through every week or two. With his pelt prime and the mating season right around the corner (meaning I may never see him again), I made the decision to take him right then and there.

I would have loved a broadside presentation, which would have afforded a better chance of minimal pelt damage, but he was on the move, and I figured he may never give me that shot anyway. As soon as he reached a familiar landmark, I took the shot. He was moving towards me at a slight quartering presentation. At the shot, he jumped straight up into the air and came down hard on his shoulder. He then bounced sideways and out of sight, but I figured he couldn’t be far. I had actually heard the impact of the bullet, and the way he landed indicated a solid hit.

Turns out, he only went 24-26 feet after the shot, skidding sideways into some horrid undergrowth of briars, vines and McCartney rose hedges. I could not get him out of there and had to call our oldest son to come and play retriever for me. The shot turned out to be 221 yards.

I was disappointed when I looked at the pelt, but I could only be mad at myself. The bullet caught the caught in the front center of the chest, completely shredding the heart and wrecking other organs before exiting the lower abdomen, where it left a long rip in the pelt. The 150 grain Accubond then re-entered the cat on the rear leg and exited it as well. That damage likely cut the pelt’s value in half or worse. I’ve taken that shot before with very good results on bobcats and coyotes, but this time, the percentages caught up with me, and the results were not good. Part of the problem was caused by the cat's stomach being full and the bullet striking it head-on, resulting in extreme hydrostatic pressure which in turn helped open up the exit wound by blowing secondary fragments and tissue through it.

Anyway, back to the bullet performance: when the cat hit the ground after impact, what was left behind wasn’t so much as a blood trail but an organ trail. Bits and pieces of not only the heart but the liver as well were strewn about. It was perhaps the most graphic display I’ve seen short of in-close prairie dogs shot with 22-250s or Swifts.

Thus, I apologize for the picture. I generally like to clean up the scene, but the cat was “empty” as I basically cut off the remaining entrails (everything seemed to be hanging out) and hosed it down to remove most of the blood.

I've since dropped him into a cooler of ice and will skin him once this headache decides to give me a reprieve.

Nice cat Bobby, thanks for sharing!

I guess that's what is known as a "Shoot & Clean" shot!!

That Bobcat was gutless!

Nice looking rifle and that is a pretty cat.

Justin

Nice shooting Bobby, kind of off subject but that stock looks like one made by Bullberry is that correct? Nice looking rig. I love my contenders. I have to get a 6mm of some sort for mine. I'm down to a .223 and a Hornet.

That stock is made by High Plains (www.highplainsgunstocks.com) and is called the Pegasus. I have another on a 7mm Bullberry and really like them for their handling both on the bench and in the field.

Like you, I am down to 2 rifle barrels, the aforementioned 7mm BB and the 30-30 AI. I haven't had anything in 6mm for a while now, and some day, I will need to correct that.

Here's a couple better views of those stocks:

Bobby,
As always, great photos and write-up. More importantly to me, though is knowing the migraine has passed. I hope all is well.

Thanks, Cliff. Always good to hear from you. Those migraines are a strange thing. It seems like they run in cycles or spurts,and lately they have been hitting me to the tune of 16-20 per month. (The 3 to 4 I had per month before this was bad enough...)

I had them from my teens into my early 20s, and then they stopped for a couple of years. There was also a point during my 30s when they went into remission for a while. Now they have become worse and more frequent than ever, so I guess it's time to go back in and see if anything can be done. I doubt it, though, as we've tried many meds over the years, and the only thing that has ever helped with symptom relief is Zomig -- and I am ever-so-grateful for that one as it does indeed make a big difference. But you can only take a certain amount within 24 hours, and with the current frequency, I am left to tough some of them out.

But I look at the bright side. If I had missed that bobcat, at least I would have had a valid excuse...

Not to diminish the work that's being done but there has been some good success with acupuncture. Have you considered trying acupuncture?

Yes, I am seriously considering it. At this point, I am pretty desperate and will look into any potential option for relief.

I keep thinking there has to be some catalyst setting them off -- something we have not yet pinpointed. From what I have read, the amount I am having now is not common at all.

And while living in a rural area allows me to literally hunt from home, so to speak, it is pretty inconvenient for specialized medical care as the nearest larger town is an hour away, and Austin, San Antonio & Houston are all 90 minutes to 2 hours distant.

I can't say that success has been universal but a young man we know has been headache free for several months after a series of acupuncture treatments. I hope you are successful in getting those doggone things under control.
Cliff

Bobby,

I too suffer from migraines. Have for many years. They seem to come and go, but certain things can almost guarantee getting one.

One thing that will always bring one on is wine. If I drink ANY wine, I mean one glass will do it. Also, if I let myself get too dehydrated, or have a single beer while I'm dehydrated.

Another way I get one is to stay up for too long and get over tired. Not every time, but a lot of the times I will feel one coming on, and my vision will start to "go funny".

If I stop right then and take some Excedrine Migrane (like 4 of them), and some ibuprofen (like 4 of them), and go lay down for a while, it will not turn into a full on migraine. If I don't catch it in time, then I'm in for a ride.

I feel for you, as I know migraines are no fun. The best way I can describe a migraine to someone who's never had one is, imagine the absolute worst hangover you've ever had in your life, and that is an "average" migraine.

I've done the whole neurologist thing with mine, CAT scans, MRI's, yada, yada. They don't know "why" I get them either. I do have high blood pressure, but it's controlled with a regular prescription.

I will definitely talk to my local doctor about acupuncture and see where the nearest clinic may be. I'm sure the amount of Zomig going into my system lately can't be good for me, either.

Slowpoke Slim-I am sorry to hear that you suffer from migraines. Your description of them is right on the money. For me, anything with alcohol, vanilla, MSG, autolyzed extracts, hydrolyzed proteins, chocolate, shellfish or aged cheeses will set them off. So will a lack of sleep, and that -- along with blood pressure that has yet to respond well to any meds -- are factors, I am sure.

I never thought about the hydration angle, but considering my other problems, there could be another link to the migraines as well and something I will keep an eye on. I appreciate you mentioning that.

Due to the chronic colitis and polyarthralgia, I don't get to sleep much at one time -- and that brings on the migraines, too. But the BP is still a mystery, though indirectly I am certain is has to do with the digestive issues.

For the BP, I am taking 300 mg Cardizem, 0.2 of clonidine and propanolol (don't recall the dosage on that one right now) daily, but my resting BP still hovers around 145/105.

For the bone/joint pain, we've tried lots of things, including methotrexate in combination with other drugs, and got minimal relief. My immune system is weak from the colitis, and I am prone to infections (always seem to have fever), so that minimizes some meds with high risk factors. Tramadol helps somewhat, but I hate the side effects (including no sleep which takes me back to the migraines) and actually am a bit afraid of that one as it is supposedly highly addictive. But when it gets to be more than I can handle, I do have to take it.

One thing that has helped me is sulfasalazine. 4000 mg daily minimizes the awful cramping that comes with the digestive issues. I had been taking it for several years and recently stopped to see if the cramping would return...and it did. So I will have to get back on the sulfasalazine regimen.

I still feel there is something that has yet to be pinpointed at the core of my problems. That's why I am still trying to get my adoptive birth/medical records as it could help with our kids if some type of intervention may keep them from developing any of these health problems.
---------------
EDITED TO ADD:
Just thought of other triggers for anyone suffering with migraines:

nitrates/nitrites (bacon, sausage, lunch meats, etc)

certain nuts such as walnuts, cashews, etc.

stress

onions (doesn't trigger them for me but does for others I ahve talked to)

milk/dairy products (gets me 2 ways as I am lactose intolerant)

wheat products

caffeine (does not bother me but my specialist says it is a common offender)

Maybe we could compile a comparative list to share. I don't know of any carved in stone as everyone is different and may ahve different triggers. But it certainly could not hurt to compare lists.

I edited my post above a bit as it sounded like nothing but whining and venting on my part -- and there's no need for that!

Bobby--just read a homegrown remedy treatment for MG's is to drink 2 bottles of Gatorade when u feel it coming on--course u'll probably substitute pancreatic cancer for MG's instead then--HA! I also get bad headaches a lot and take 2 of the aspirin, tylenol, caffeine pills and that almost always kills it (along with a slight [legal] caffeine high that lasts about 20 minutes too). There's no better feeling on this earth though than the relief experienced when eliminating those pesky headaches.

Nice cat BTW.

Bobby,

No worries.

I also remembered that about 15 years ago, when I was having severe migraines a lot, like every week, my doctor at the time prescribed a new (for me) medication. I can't for the life of me remember what the name of it was, but when I was talking to one of the kids that worked at the gun store, he got very excited when I told him the name, said it was "synthetic heroin", and wanted to buy some from me. He claimed it was what they gave to heroin addicts to get them off the dependency of the "real" stuff...



Naturally I passed, but I maid sure to always keep those pills safely away from the wrong hands.

Point is, that medication worked when nothing else would. I have always had a high resistance to pain medication, but this stuff always worked. It would kill the pain, no matter how severe the migraine was.

I never liked the side effects though, so didn't like taking them unless I had no other options, and could stay home all day. It would make me "thick headed" for about a day afterwards too. No driving or even working for a couple of days.

Bobby & friends,

Sorry to hear about your struggle with the migranes. My wife has them from time to time, and it's hard for someone who hasn't (like me) to understand the effect - it's pretty bad from what I gather.

Glad to see that you're still able to be active to some degree during a migrane; my wife keeps "plugging ahead" through them, and I often wonder how I'd fare in her shoes.

Best wishes, and God bless,

Chris

I was blessed to take another ‘cat a few days ago. Here are some photos.

As to the migraines, though I have not changed anything with my daily regime, today is the third straight day that I have NOT had a migraine. I have some other issues cropping up today to significantly slow me down, but yesterday afternoon/evening I felt good for several hours and even had a decent night’s rest for the first time in a long time. For times like that, I am truly thankful.

As to your wife plugging along through a migraine, I truly admire her strength and perseverance. Those things are incapacitating. I can't drive, can't concentrate and just want to bury my head in a pillow while blocking out all light and sound. The really bad ones make me nauseous, too.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
I edited my post above a bit as it sounded like nothing but whining and venting on my part -- and there's no need for that!

Bobby.....Don't even apologize..we all have our daemons. My family is either hyperactive, depressed, or has anxiety.

BTW...those all raise your blood pressure and men are the worse to admit they have these issues!

From one hunter to another ....it doesn't matter the cause, but treat the issue not the symptom.

We need all sportsman/huntress alive and well...and that is what matters not pride not machismo, not anything. I want to see people like you here to perpetuate the sport and the lifestyle!

Bobby, I could use a lot of words to describe ou but "whiner" is NOY on that list. You are a good man and it breaks my heart that your health issues have no resolution. Your strength inspires me to push on regardless of the clutter that gets in the way.
I'm proud to call you friend.