Combat trained squirrels?

Joe Williams · 11-01-2009

Who the heck taught the darn squirrels to zig and zag, anyway?

We found a neat new place to set up for our squirrel hunting, overlooking some ravines, lots of likely looking squirrel homes, and wonderful backstops for our .22s. Saw a ton of squirrels, longer shots, though. Little buggers wouldn't sit still. Best shot I had was 70 yards, and missed. Reckon my eyes just aren't what they used to be with open sights :( Cathy and Sean cut loose on a little one, but Sean had the bad luck to blow up a sapling in front of me with his 20 gauge, and Cathy missed her shot for the half second the little beast sat still. For the most part, the critters made excellent use of cover as they moved from one hidey hole to the next. Sean had a great shot on a cat sized mutant, but impressed me when he passed on it. He would have had to shoot too close to a trail where people could have been walking without us seeing them, and stopped before I could even tell him to. He still gets too excited when he sees a squirrel, though. He had two he could have gotten easily, sitting up in a branch enjoying the day I guess, but he jumped and whipped his gun around real fast, and they booked.

So, no squirrel stew, but we still had a ton of fun today. The weather was gorgeous, we got to check out a pair of hawks doing their share of hunting (probably the reason the squirrels were so... squirrely), and some woodpeckers banging away in trees next to us.

We did decide to double check to make sure Cathy hadn't nailed her squirrel. Someone tell me... how is that if the chick takes the shot, the dudes are the ones who have to go frigging mountain climbing to look for it?

Edit: Oh, and Sean stole my new Mossberg Plinkster. He's fallen in love with it's weight, how handy it is, and the fact that it is the perfect size. He's been wanting to take a .22 hunting, but his Cricket is a little small for him now, and the Savage MKII we bought him for straight A's in the '07 school year is still to big and heavy for him. He wanted me to list his Savage for trade here or trade him. Frankly I like it better than the Mossberg, since it is a perfect fit and balance for me, so we traded. Sorry to anyone who wanted a Plinkster

Me and Sean, at the bottom of ravine, contemplating the vertical climb on the other side

IndyBeerman · 11-01-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Williams

Who the heck taught the darn squirrels to zig and zag, anyway?

Oh come on Joe, didn't you know that squirrels are trained to zig and zag in their part of the Animal Conspiracy, they are the forward recon and surveillance experts specially trained to harass and gather info about the human species.

YouTube - Tim Bedoer - Vague But True: Animal Conspiracy

or mp3 that you can save:

http://www.vaguebuttrue.com/bt2_4416m.mp3

Woodsman · 11-02-2009

They go to SERE school before leaving the nest as young.

feriil · 11-02-2009

=)
I know what you mean about the zigs and zags.

You've just go to take it slow. If you know where they are move in and sit down motionless, after a little while they get used to your presence and come back out.

Be sure to use .22 shorts or something small so the sound of a round going off won't cause them to scatter for long periods of time after they are back.

Course your probably already know all this, and that's boring with a partner. If you just want 'something' to bring back, try to see them outzag buckshot from a 12 gauge.

boman · 11-02-2009

did they look like this?

KC9NMO · 11-02-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by boman

did they look like this?

LOL

Wrong BDU though...

SC_Shooter · 11-03-2009

I carry a squirrel call when I'm out for them and it works very well for getting them to stop on a limb and look around (usually with their tails twitching). It does not work all the time, but if you've got squirrels bouncing around putting nuts in the ground and carrying more leaves up trees, it is a pretty good way to get them to stop and look around.

You can also hit it some when the woods are just dead and sometimes get a few off in the distance to start barking back. Then it's just a matter of time before they have crosshairs on their little heads!

11-01-2009	#1 (permalink)
Joe Williams Master Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 4,725	Combat trained squirrels? Who the heck taught the darn squirrels to zig and zag, anyway? We found a neat new place to set up for our squirrel hunting, overlooking some ravines, lots of likely looking squirrel homes, and wonderful backstops for our .22s. Saw a ton of squirrels, longer shots, though. Little buggers wouldn't sit still. Best shot I had was 70 yards, and missed. Reckon my eyes just aren't what they used to be with open sights :( Cathy and Sean cut loose on a little one, but Sean had the bad luck to blow up a sapling in front of me with his 20 gauge, and Cathy missed her shot for the half second the little beast sat still. For the most part, the critters made excellent use of cover as they moved from one hidey hole to the next. Sean had a great shot on a cat sized mutant, but impressed me when he passed on it. He would have had to shoot too close to a trail where people could have been walking without us seeing them, and stopped before I could even tell him to. He still gets too excited when he sees a squirrel, though. He had two he could have gotten easily, sitting up in a branch enjoying the day I guess, but he jumped and whipped his gun around real fast, and they booked. So, no squirrel stew, but we still had a ton of fun today. The weather was gorgeous, we got to check out a pair of hawks doing their share of hunting (probably the reason the squirrels were so... squirrely), and some woodpeckers banging away in trees next to us. We did decide to double check to make sure Cathy hadn't nailed her squirrel. Someone tell me... how is that if the chick takes the shot, the dudes are the ones who have to go frigging mountain climbing to look for it? Edit: Oh, and Sean stole my new Mossberg Plinkster. He's fallen in love with it's weight, how handy it is, and the fact that it is the perfect size. He's been wanting to take a .22 hunting, but his Cricket is a little small for him now, and the Savage MKII we bought him for straight A's in the '07 school year is still to big and heavy for him. He wanted me to list his Savage for trade here or trade him. Frankly I like it better than the Mossberg, since it is a perfect fit and balance for me, so we traded. Sorry to anyone who wanted a Plinkster Me and Sean, at the bottom of ravine, contemplating the vertical climb on the other side __________________ "How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded, controlled, supervised, and taken care of." -- Former Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp (TX) Last edited by Joe Williams; 11-01-2009 at 20:06.

11-02-2009	#5 (permalink)
boman Plinker Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: indianapolis Posts: 297	did they look like this? __________________ NRA Endowment Member-FFL since 1980

11-03-2009	#7 (permalink)
SC_Shooter Squirrel Stalker Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bloomington Posts: 785	I carry a squirrel call when I'm out for them and it works very well for getting them to stop on a limb and look around (usually with their tails twitching). It does not work all the time, but if you've got squirrels bouncing around putting nuts in the ground and carrying more leaves up trees, it is a pretty good way to get them to stop and look around. You can also hit it some when the woods are just dead and sometimes get a few off in the distance to start barking back. Then it's just a matter of time before they have crosshairs on their little heads! __________________ "Never, never, never quit" ~Winston Churchill

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11-02-2009	#3 (permalink)
Woodsman Marksman Join Date: May 2009 Location: stuck in WI for now Posts: 455	They go to SERE school before leaving the nest as young.

11-02-2009	#4 (permalink)
feriil Plinker Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: West Lafayette, IN Posts: 58	=) I know what you mean about the zigs and zags. You've just go to take it slow. If you know where they are move in and sit down motionless, after a little while they get used to your presence and come back out. Be sure to use .22 shorts or something small so the sound of a round going off won't cause them to scatter for long periods of time after they are back. Course your probably already know all this, and that's boring with a partner. If you just want 'something' to bring back, try to see them outzag buckshot from a 12 gauge.