I haven't posted in a while, because I've not been in the woods much lately, and when I have, I've shot nothing. Strangest hunting season (for squirrels) ever. Sept= nothing. October=22. November= just a few. Dec=I think nothing. Jan=2
For the one below, I was out, and soon realized I had a competitive hunter...an owl was up in a tree near me. I wondered if that might ruin my chances. But after a while, I saw a fox squirrel moving...but this was every bit of 75 yards away. The ground is covered with brown leaves. We haven't had rain in many days and the leaves are all crunchy. It will be very difficult to move closer to the squirrel. I tried calling, but it wouldn't come closer. However, another squirrel started barking back at me! (but too far away and in the other direction) I decided I've got to try to get closer....perhaps a 45-50 yard shot...which is a long one for me. It takes about 5+ seconds from when your sole of your boot first hits the leaves to when you finally can put your weight on it. Any faster, and it's just a big loud CRUNCH! Moving VERY slowly, I do manage to get to my 45-50 yard range. I even kneel down on one knee as I lean against a tree. The squirrel is just sitting on a branch (broadside to me) soaking up the sun. I look through the scope, feeling relatively confident that my wavering is so slight that I'll hit the squirrel. I fire and...MISS??? (how did that happen?) But the squirrel didn't move. I chamber another round, fire, and the squirrel immediately drops to the ground. No sound of leaves, so I'm confident it was DRT. As always, I wait a few minutes in case there's another. After about 5 min, I start walking over towards the tree and I see another squirrel! Is it the same one...just wounded and trying to climb to safety? Or is it a 2nd squirrel? I shoot 22lr standard velocity. It's quiet, slow, and at that distance, I can hear the 'thwack' as the bullet hits the squirrel. It was such a loud and meaty sounding 'thwack' that I'm sure it couldn't survive...but yet here's another squirrel running up the same tree. So I waited. After 10 minutes, I never saw a thing. I finally walked over to the tree, and I see a dead squirrel on the ground. So I know the 2nd sighting was in fact, a second squirrel. But I never saw it again. Oh well.
2021-01-10_05-26-57 by
John Doe, on Flickr
2021-01-10_05-27-25 by
John Doe, on Flickr