Went back in the woods yesterday. First time this year I've been out when it's pretty cold...23 degrees. I dressed pretty warm, and there wasn't going to be any wind. I get to my spot, which allows me to park right across the street. (barely a dirt road) I open the door to get my 22, and I see that I've forgotten my 'fanny pack'. I made the decision I wasn't going to use the fanny pack today, as it doesn't fit well when I've dressed in many layers. But I forgot to take the stuff I need out of it and fill my coat pockets.
So I have my rifle, my sling, 5 rounds of ammo...but I don't have my squack caller, my nut-cutting caller, and I don't have my GLOVES! My coat has pockets, but they're more for carrying stuff than for warming hands.
If I had parked in a place where I had to walk any significant distance to get to the hunting spot, I would have gotten back in the car and went home. (only 10-15 minutes away) But since I only need to walk 50 yards to get into the woods (and a total walking distance of less than 300 yards) I'll give it a try. If my hands freeze, the car is close.
The leaves on the ground are significantly crunchier than expected. (it rained yesterday, so I thought the leaves would be soft) So every footstep is
CRUNCH. There is no way I'm going to be anywhere near silent, but I still try to keep the noise down. I walk about 150 yards from the car and I figure I'm going to stay here for 30 minutes, and if I don't see/hear anything, I'm going to go back home.
I swear about 5-7 minutes of standing motionless, a big fox squirrel comes walking by. It's about 40 yards away. I unsling the gun, bring it to my shoulder. I let out a 'chirp' of my own, to get the squirrel to stop moving and stand still. I fire, down it goes.
2021-12-07_02-47-32 by
John Doe, on Flickr
And to give you a frame of reference to just how big the fox squirrels are in this area, here's a 22 next to the head.
2021-12-07_02-47-17 by
John Doe, on Flickr