# The squirrel hunt.



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Saturday morning I got ready to take the dog out for her first walk of the day at 7:00 AM. A bit windy out but otherwise a nice morning. Returned the dog then got dressed in my light weight camo, got the 20ga. Beretta silver snipe OU and a hand full of shells. Went out on the screen porch to pick up the bucket I had painted flat black for doing just this. Walking down the trail thru the vacant field to the spot where I wanted to start it began to sprinkle. Since it was only a sprinkle I continued on my way figuring it would stop soon. By the time I arrived where I wanted to start it started raining harder so I crossed the creek went up the hill to one of my deer blinds. Got settled in the deer blind got the windows open ready to go. Took about 15 minutes and a gray phase fox squirrel was going up a wild cherry tree out the south facing window. Up the tree and out on a limb, the 20ga. spoke to collect squirrel #1. About 10 more minutes there was a nice red phase squirrel hanging on the side of a Oak tree out the west facing window. Again the 20ga. spoke to collect # 2. Rain isn't letting up in fact there are tiny ice pellets falling with the rain, After a half hour of seeing no more squirrels a lull in the falling rain seemed to be the time to head for the house. Open up the blind door and see two red phase squirrels about 20 yards away. Again the 20ga. spoke collecting # 3 and # 4 Collect the squirrels and put them in my pail and head to the pole barn. At the pole barn I put the knowledge I had gotten from Mister squawks video to use. Boy is that a slick way to clean a squirrel I did all four in about 10 minutes and it was my first time. Not badly shot up either probably had something to do with trying for head shots with 7 ½ shot. Once the squirrels were clean it was time to pay attention to the shot gun. In my gun room I break it down and run a couple patches thru the barrels and wipe down the entire medal parts with an oily rag I keep just for this. While there decided to clean up something and put stuff away as it was still raining with no quit in sight. 
Whoa hoo, I discover a new unopened box of 500 22LR shells 36gr. hollow points just the ticket for squirrels. Since it was raining and cold I didn't go get the camera for pictures.

 Al


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Nothing much more relaxing to me than a warm, calm fall day with the Hawken in my hand walking slowly through the trees, or sitting in the leaves just watching wildlife as you wait for squirrels. I'm going to have to try work that in between Yellowstone, grandsons youth deer, Nashville, and rifle deer season. Hmmm hunting in the snow isn't bad either. 
Archery squirrel is fun too. Back in the early 1980's I bought 1000 premium port oxford cedar shafts for $180. I wish I could do that again. Anyway, I used empty 357 brass for the head and stripped goose feather for fletching. The arrows cost me about a quarter a piece to make. I'm not hunting squirrels with $160 a dozen Carbon Express.
I wish they still made the CCI small game bullets. They had a flat tip like a semi-wadcutter and dropped a squirrel in it's tracks without blowing up like a hollow point. Realistically my next squirrel hunt will perhaps be with the 22. I just picked up a Savage Mark II bolt action with a threaded barrel ready for a silencer. I will not have the silencer until about next summer I would guess. The trigger is 1lb 13 oz and I can't wait to get it into the woods.


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Sounds good. 22LR are so hard to find here in any amount I used the 20ga. Saturday. Looked at a Ruger MK II 77-22mag, nice rifle for a decent price but that stock is so ugly I'm afraid the rest of the guns in the safe would refuse to let it reside in there with them. Not a big fan of Tupper ware stocks in the first place then they have that ugly design.
I'll keep looking.
In the mean time am practicing with the single six pistol with the mag cylinder.

 Al


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