Yea, I haven't seen him yet either, but I did have 5 squirrel try and run me out of the woods this morning. I have one area on my place where the squirrels are really mean. I don't know if it's the water or what, but they think they have the deed to the place. I was sitting, full cammo (to keep the skeeters off my skin...), on my cammo x-large lawn chair (very cumfy and roomy!) when I heard a squirrel behind me on the trunk of a big oak tree, scratching at the bark. It was a 35 yard shot but I took careful aim, took my time, and squeesed off a perfect shot. He hit the ground and I reloaded the rifle, still facing behind me. I watched for movement for a couple minutes and then turned around. To my surprise another squirrel was on the ground 12 feet from me and had been sneaking up on me as my back was turned. I shouldered the rifle and he quickly jumped and ran around to the backside of a tree. I could here his claws on the bark running up the back of the tree. I scanned all of the notches and crooks looking for his beedy eyes looking at me when I heard a leaf crunch 10 feet to my side. I swung the gun up to my shoulder as I turned and it was another squirrel. He took off, taking a few steps and stopping, then another couple of steps. I tracked with the barrel pointed where I saw twigs moving and then all the sudden he stood up. I dropped my cheek down to the stock, put the crossairs on his chest, and squeezed off a shot as he started to drop back down in the short under brush to hide. He disappeared but I knew I got him but then I saw a tail whip up and run off. I reloaded and scanned the ground first, then the trees, then the ground again. I checked behind me and both sides. I turned back to my right and 15 feet way, directly above the place where I'd shot at and missed the previous squirrel was another squirrel slowly making his way on a branch that led to a short jump to the tree I was sitting next to. I swung the rifle up and quickly fired, dropping him to the ground. I quickly reloaded again and sat there. Continually scanning, low then high.
I did that for another 10 minutes and decided that I was quickly running out of time before I had to leave for church and had two squirrels to clean. I got up and went to retrieve the original squirrel, a large female. Then I went to retrieve the last squirrel and found two male squirrels laying there. The one that I had shot at and thought I'd missed because I had seen him run away, but had actually seen another one run away, and then the one that I shot at the very end. So I had three tree rats to clean (now in the freezer) and two that got away.
I'm heading back to that spot tomorrow. I shot over 20 squirrels from that spot last year. So far this year I have a three day total (thurday morning, Saturday morning, Sunday morning) of 5 squirrels. They've not overrun me yet, but I think it's a possibility with just a 22 mag single shot sportster. So I'm thinking I'll take my 22 mag colt revolver as backup. I saw 5 squirrels today, but I wonder how many where actually there. How many got close but I never saw them. Regardless, tomorrow there will be 3 less. :wink: Unless they get reinforcements! :eek:
My friends can't understand why I love squirrel hunting. My wife thinks I'm nuts. "I say, well as long as I'm nuts then I guess I'm bait!!!"
OH, and this is a true story. If I wasn't so pressed for time I would have taken some "trophy pictures" of my three and the sportster mag. Then the wife would have know I was "nuts". :wink:
later,
scruffy
