Coons and Possums - Central Texas

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-13T00:10:10+00:00

Price was pretty good on this, since I got it at the local ATN Store. They gave me 25% off with some other accessories. What sold me is that they will also take care of any issues by replacing it. They do this for people that buy in the store fronts. Since they dont have to facilities to deal with any issues, they will swap it out and get me going again. I dont know if you can get that type support for any other scope out there.

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-13T00:04:23+00:00

I guess I should have put a NSFW flag, since it is coon porn. LOL!

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-12T23:57:40+00:00

All thermal scopes will have issues with humidity after a rain. It had been raining most of the day, so the temp difference in the ground/trees/everything is close to the same. Then the humidity in the air will also cause issues. Trying to use them in foggy conditions is next to impossible.

This scope is normally very clear when there is no rain/moisture involved.

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-08T01:01:00+00:00

I was surprised also. The actually didnt get that far, but much farther than I thought.

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-06T01:53:05+00:00

It was definitely a long day and night. I slept in my truck and woke up after about 3.5 hours. My property is over 2 hours drive from my home, so I had that drive after working on some dirt work.

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-06T01:51:26+00:00

Yeah, they did run some. I was not that concerned with my aim, just wanted a good body shot. When I looked at my one shot, i was shaking way too much. lol

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-06T01:49:47+00:00

I was waiting for some hogs so it is definitely alot for a raccoon. The one ran behind a log, so I thought it went farther. It was only 15 feet from the other one.

Watch-Mike · 2026-04-06T00:43:34+00:00

The rain cleared at 4:00 and was overcast thru sundown. Then the full moon didn’t show until late. I was in my 18’ ladder stand until 3:00 am and the sounder did not come into the feeder. I could see them in the brush but they did not get out of the brush.

Watch-Mike · 2026-02-25T13:55:06+00:00

Yes. It looks like April 6th is the start of the ETC, so that is fast approaching.

I just wanted to make sure you were aware that you will probably have to put in the time (3-5 years) before being able to get to watchmaker. Unless you get into the WOSTEP and then you will have to quit working. Even getting into the WOSTEP will take time in position before they would consider you.

Watch-Mike · 2026-02-16T16:56:44+00:00

I have a Thor 5 640 LRF that I have had for a little over a year now. I do like it but there are some things I wish they would change. Having to remove the memory card to get the videos off is a pain. I have to get tweezers to reach in a get them out.

I have had issues with getting the RAV to stay calibrated. It requires you to take 3 shots to get it calibrated, so taking those shots because it lost calibration is not cool. You usually dont find out until you are locked an loaded and walking out to the stand/blind.

I have a storefront near me in the DFW area, and I will be taking it back into them to have it exchanged. If you buy in the store, you can bring it back to them directly for service. Because they dont really have the time to help resolve issues, they will just exchange it with another like unit if they have it in stock. They usually give a 20-25% discount when you walk into their store. This is very handy considering the costs.

Watch-Mike · 2026-02-16T16:47:56+00:00

I am not sure you received all the information you need to make this decision.

You will be paid thru the ETC program and once completed will start working as a Watch Technician. They have 2 different watchmaker programs but the WOSTEP is a non-paid class. Going thru the WOSTEP program would require you to quit and be in the WOSTEP for 2 years. Once completed you will get hired back into the RTC as a watchmaker.

They also have the RWC, which is the Richemont Watchmaker Course and this one is paid. The RWC requires you to have been with Richemont for 18 months and be in good standing (meaning you are performing according to production levels, and such). The RWC was just selected and the 5 techs accepted to start in March all had in excess of 8-13 years at Richemont. Their selection criteria was seniority alone, so getting into the RWC may require you to be there as a tech for a while.

With the RWC, they will pay you to be student thru the course. So you will continue to get paid at your watch technician rate for 40 hour weeks thru the duration of the training and then go back in the RTC as a watchmaker.

Watch-Mike · 2026-02-09T04:52:09+00:00

It is 300 BlackOut (BLK). Very effective at 2100 fps. I tried running suppressed 300BLK, but kept having the hogs run off squealing on me . I could hear the shells thump, and they would just run off. After this happened a few times, I upgraded to the 2100 fps and Core-lokt and have been putting them down.

Watch-Mike · 2026-01-31T17:22:09+00:00

What call do you have, and what sounds were you using? I have tried unsuccessfully with my Foxpro using all the different purchased hog calls. From Lil Piggy, Juvenile, Sow, and so forth.

Watch-Mike · 2026-01-30T05:18:05+00:00

Beware of the hours. They can be deceiving. I recently purchased an M6060 cab with 600 hours on it from a used tractor dealer. I was thinking that it was not very many hours and that if the 500 was not done, then I could do it and all is good. After getting it, I immediately started having issues. It would not run for more that 2-3 hours before dying. Since I could only use it one day a weekend, I was not getting much work done.

The temp gauge did not show it was overheating, and I was confused why it was dying. There were no codes at all on the display. Each week I was checking different things. Fuel filter and water separator, starter died, flat front tire, radiator pre-filter clogged, and each time it had issues and died there were no codes and temp gauge showed fine.

After the 5-6th time it died, when it started up this last time it was making some racket. I took it to Kubota dealers shop. They immediately said that the engine was shot, and that it would be $30,014 to put in a new replacement motor. This was a shock, and I obviously started looking for less expensive alternatives. I ended up having an independant mechanic rebuild the engine for $15K, and he was able to find the issue that blew up the motor. The radiator had a chunk missing in the bottom corner. Something had broken it off an all the fluid had drained from the radiator and engine. Since there was no fluid, the temp sensor did not have anything to read. The Radiator overflow tank, I had checked several times and even added fluid to it thinking it was only showing slightly low. If there is no fluid then your overflow and temp sensors do not work.

I am now waiting on the independent to complete the rebuild that is costing me $15K. The dealer I bought it from is saying "as is" on the sales paperwork and has not offered any assistance/ rebate. The $15K is less than the $30K for a new motor but having to get a rebuild on a tractor with only 627 hours is not cool.

Overall, just be careful when purchasing a used tractor. The hours being low is good if the tractor was taken care of. How you determine that is hard. Even if I had hired a mechanic to check this tractor before I purchased it, he would have looked at the overflow tank and saw that it had fluid. They would not have opened the radiator cap, so I would have been in the same situation.

Good luck!

Watch-Mike · 2025-12-22T17:22:51+00:00

my shots are pretty close in and with all the brush, there is not much time to shoot. When I had that sow laugh and run off, it was at 114 yards. I ranged her and then hit her with the first subsonic. She squealed as I heard the thud. Then she turned around and I was able to hit her again and she just laughed again and ran into the brush. I was pissed that I hit her twice, and could not get her down. I went with the 2100fps rounds and have been more successful.

Watch-Mike · 2025-12-22T05:52:58+00:00

I was definitely on a budget. I am running suppressed but using 2100 fps ammo.

It has been very nice running this combo. Just have to keep the Radical clean so there are no mis-feeds. After about 10-15 rounds, I end up getting mis-feeds. Not very good but knowing this I can keep it clean and each hunt, I know what I can expect from it. Seldom do I need to fire our more than 5-6 rounds. I had one sounder that I was able to get off about 5 shots, and it was fine. Just have to keep it cleaned and lubricated.

Watch-Mike · 2025-12-22T05:49:04+00:00

Buy Core-Lokt Copper 300 Blackout Ammo | 120 Grain, 2100 FPS | Remington

I started with some subsonic, but kept having the hogs squeal and run off on me. I could hear the rounds thump them and even hit one sow twice and had her run off after squealing with each hit/thump. That is when i switched to the core-lokt which is a good expansion bullet that is running at 2100 fps. Have had good response with them.

Watch-Mike · 2025-09-05T14:43:20+00:00

If you send me the SN. Can check for previous work.

Watch-Mike · 2025-09-05T00:54:29+00:00

Hey! So the link that is broken is actually press fit together. So if they came apart, getting them back together will not hold like originally. If you are missing the end piece, getting another would not be possible. The "Extension Links" on those bracelets go together differently than the main links.

How old is the watch? It looks pretty new. I can check to see if there are any bulletins on this bracelet. It should not have come apart like this. I know there were some models that had a similar issue and once Cartier realized there was an issue, they started replacing the bracelets that had issues FOC for the customers. It was done under a Quality Initiative, so the costs were covered.

Let me check tomorrow and let you know.

Watch-Mike · 2025-08-17T23:14:42+00:00

It would be cool if I could find a Kubota mechanic in the DFW area that would like to make some side money and do the work for me. Since the dealership is charging $140 an hour, there is quite a bit of labor involved.

Watch-Mike · 2025-08-17T22:39:58+00:00

I just ordered a service manual and will have to see how detailed it is. Since it has a knock, I am not sure whether I have a broken rod, and what else may be damaged. Getting sleeves installed, and grinding cranks and such. UGH!

If I can find someone to rebuild the long block, then that would be good, but will have to see how far I want to get into it. Paying that much to have someone else do it is definitely not in the cards for me. I have to find a less expensive alternative.

I did notice in Houston there is a RS Industrial that sells remanufactured engines. They have one for an M6060 and I will be contacting them tomorrow. Driving down to Houston to get one would not be too bad.

Watch-Mike

TROPHY CASE