Tumblernotch
69 Cal.
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2005
- Messages
- 3,370
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- 11
Saturday was the first day of squirrel season here in WV. I had been looking forward to it since I haven't gotten to hunt it for 4 years due to committments with my daughter's high school band. Well, she's in college now, so I made my plans. They almost fell through since I drive a school bus and got called out to drive a football team to a game in another county. To make a long story short, I didn't get to bed till 2:00am. I wanted to be in the woods at daybreak. Didn't make it. With 4 hours of sleep, I hit the woods just after daybreak.
I had debated whether to use my .40cal longrifle or my Charleville musket with shot. I decided to just use my rifle. I immediately regretted my choice as right behind my house on the hill, I saw two squirrels chasing each other in some treetops. Could have easily gotten both with a shot charge and they were moving too fast to take a headshot. Besides, I was looking East and they were backlit. I could only see them clearly when silhouetted and I don't like to shoot without a backstop and I knew there are houses in that general direction. They finally went scootin' over the hill out of sight and I walked over to my shooting bench and sat down for a little while and pondered my next move. The sun was just starting to break over the hill, but it was obvious that the squirrels were going to their dens early. The ground here was literally covered with mast. I have seen heavy mast crops, but this year beats them all, particularly white oak. I brought a few acorns home to my wife for her to take to her preschool class. They measure 1 1/8" long and are very fat. The critters will eat well this year!
Anyhoo, I'm driftin'. I meandered up the ridge onto my Uncle's place and climbed a hogback and sat at the foot of an old oak where a root forms a seat. One of my favorite deer and squirrel hunting spots. I can look down into two hollers from here and nearby is the spot where I killed my first squirrel when I was almost 9. I had taken my cell phone along to see if I could get service (I can't at my house), and had gotten it out to check. I don't necessarily like those things, but they do come in handy and could be a lifesaver in the woods I reckon. I was getting a signal, but couldn't get it to ring in at the house. As I was putting it back in it's pouch, I looked to the left and lo, there was a spike buck about 15 yds. to my left and just below. He looked towards me a couple of times, but kept walking slowly until he got to the trail I had just climbed. He stopped and browsed a bit, every once in a while looking up at me. He was fat and healthy and believe me, I was tempted. I had been in the habit of carrying a digital camera when hunting, but it was my daughter's and she had forgotten to bring it home this weekend. I was setting there thinking,"I wish I had that camera", forgetting that my phone is also a camera. The quality ain't real good, but as he was now within about 10 yds., it would still be a pretty good picture. So I just sat there admiring that beautiful animal and watching him as he surveyed all around him. I was a little amazed that he never spooked as I didn't make any real effort to stay still. However the wind was in my favor. He finally walked down the road, probably to one of the four fresh scrapes I passed on the way up.
After a little bit, I got up and walked down to the road and turned up the holler. I had just passed the spot where I had killed my first ML deer years ago and had stopped where the underbrush crowded the road. The leaves were thick and out of the corner of my eye I saw a tail flicker. Soon the squirrel ran across a log and disappeared. I was watching the road to see if he crossed, but somehow, I guess when I turned my head for an instant, he got across. I saw him as he started over the hill and went behind another log. He then committed his first and only mistake. There was a bent sapling next to the log. He jumped on the log and standing on his hind legs and holding onto the sapling, he looked at me. I already had my gun up, all I had to do was get his head in my sights. I squeezed off and he disappeared. I walked down to the log and there he was, behind the log. I'd got him just at the back of his head. It was a big boar, beautifully marked. As it was now getting late in the morning, I started back. Since my knees had been giving me trouble, instead of coming down the steep hill behind my house, I came down the road behind my Uncle's barn. As I neared the barn, I looked to my left at an old beech and I be durned if there wasn't another woodrat hangin' there watching me. I was carrying the one I'd shot hanging from a leather thong in my left hand and without dropping it I raised my rifle and shot this one in the head. I must admit that it was only about 5 yds. away. He was a young one and hadn't learned yet. Reckon he never will.
I reckon I was pretty windy telling about my day, but no amount of words can describe how beautiful a day it was in the woods. When I get some work done today, I might just go again. It's another beautiful day. Even if I hadn't gotten anything, just seeing that buck up close and sharing the woods with him and seeing the leaves as they start changing color was worth it all. Two headshots in one day were just the icing on the cake. This is just another memory to cherish when the day comes where I won't be able to do what I can now. Please pardon the length of this post.
:yakyak:
I had debated whether to use my .40cal longrifle or my Charleville musket with shot. I decided to just use my rifle. I immediately regretted my choice as right behind my house on the hill, I saw two squirrels chasing each other in some treetops. Could have easily gotten both with a shot charge and they were moving too fast to take a headshot. Besides, I was looking East and they were backlit. I could only see them clearly when silhouetted and I don't like to shoot without a backstop and I knew there are houses in that general direction. They finally went scootin' over the hill out of sight and I walked over to my shooting bench and sat down for a little while and pondered my next move. The sun was just starting to break over the hill, but it was obvious that the squirrels were going to their dens early. The ground here was literally covered with mast. I have seen heavy mast crops, but this year beats them all, particularly white oak. I brought a few acorns home to my wife for her to take to her preschool class. They measure 1 1/8" long and are very fat. The critters will eat well this year!
Anyhoo, I'm driftin'. I meandered up the ridge onto my Uncle's place and climbed a hogback and sat at the foot of an old oak where a root forms a seat. One of my favorite deer and squirrel hunting spots. I can look down into two hollers from here and nearby is the spot where I killed my first squirrel when I was almost 9. I had taken my cell phone along to see if I could get service (I can't at my house), and had gotten it out to check. I don't necessarily like those things, but they do come in handy and could be a lifesaver in the woods I reckon. I was getting a signal, but couldn't get it to ring in at the house. As I was putting it back in it's pouch, I looked to the left and lo, there was a spike buck about 15 yds. to my left and just below. He looked towards me a couple of times, but kept walking slowly until he got to the trail I had just climbed. He stopped and browsed a bit, every once in a while looking up at me. He was fat and healthy and believe me, I was tempted. I had been in the habit of carrying a digital camera when hunting, but it was my daughter's and she had forgotten to bring it home this weekend. I was setting there thinking,"I wish I had that camera", forgetting that my phone is also a camera. The quality ain't real good, but as he was now within about 10 yds., it would still be a pretty good picture. So I just sat there admiring that beautiful animal and watching him as he surveyed all around him. I was a little amazed that he never spooked as I didn't make any real effort to stay still. However the wind was in my favor. He finally walked down the road, probably to one of the four fresh scrapes I passed on the way up.
After a little bit, I got up and walked down to the road and turned up the holler. I had just passed the spot where I had killed my first ML deer years ago and had stopped where the underbrush crowded the road. The leaves were thick and out of the corner of my eye I saw a tail flicker. Soon the squirrel ran across a log and disappeared. I was watching the road to see if he crossed, but somehow, I guess when I turned my head for an instant, he got across. I saw him as he started over the hill and went behind another log. He then committed his first and only mistake. There was a bent sapling next to the log. He jumped on the log and standing on his hind legs and holding onto the sapling, he looked at me. I already had my gun up, all I had to do was get his head in my sights. I squeezed off and he disappeared. I walked down to the log and there he was, behind the log. I'd got him just at the back of his head. It was a big boar, beautifully marked. As it was now getting late in the morning, I started back. Since my knees had been giving me trouble, instead of coming down the steep hill behind my house, I came down the road behind my Uncle's barn. As I neared the barn, I looked to my left at an old beech and I be durned if there wasn't another woodrat hangin' there watching me. I was carrying the one I'd shot hanging from a leather thong in my left hand and without dropping it I raised my rifle and shot this one in the head. I must admit that it was only about 5 yds. away. He was a young one and hadn't learned yet. Reckon he never will.
I reckon I was pretty windy telling about my day, but no amount of words can describe how beautiful a day it was in the woods. When I get some work done today, I might just go again. It's another beautiful day. Even if I hadn't gotten anything, just seeing that buck up close and sharing the woods with him and seeing the leaves as they start changing color was worth it all. Two headshots in one day were just the icing on the cake. This is just another memory to cherish when the day comes where I won't be able to do what I can now. Please pardon the length of this post.
:yakyak:
