BR Rimfire Hunting 2009

Readying the Henry H00T1 Lever Action Octagon ~ Frontier Model 22

2012-01-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

LASERLYTE GREEN LASER IN THE H00T1 OCTAGON BARREL

I'm happy to report that Henry Repeating Arms sent me their H00T1 Lever Action Octagon ~ Frontier Model 22 last week to field test. I was hoping to get the rifle to the range this weekend, but since there's been nothing but rain and sleet today, I figured there's no way the state range would be open this weekend. Instead, I spent some time today putting my LaserLyte green laser on the 22 and checking the sights to get the rifle 'on paper'. I was surprised to discover that the sights were right on the money, which I haven't found to be the norm. I then gave the barrel a good cleaning and took a few photos for this post. Tomorrow I'll lock in some range time for next weekend, though I will be out pheasant hunting again Saturday morning. Check back Sunday afternoon to see how I made out in the field and at the range.

"...new shooters enter the sport via the 22 caliber. By making 22 caliber ammo scarce, you are hurting your own sport"

One last thought. I was as Walmart today and could not find a single brick of 22 ammo. First we had the shelves emptied of centerfire ammo. Now that centerfire is plentiful in my area, 22 ammo is scarce. This is the first time I can ever remember this happening. I realize that people are shooting 22's more than they were due to the increase in ammo prices, but they're not shooting THAT much! The biggest gunshop in the state was literally cleaned out last week, and this is a store that always has cases of every kind of 22 ammo that you can imagine. It's obvious that people are hording again. If that includes you, realize the problem that you are creating. Manufacturers are cranking out ammo 24/7, so there's no reason for a shortage. Some of us would like to hunt and shoot, and new shooters enter the sport via the 22 caliber. By making 22 caliber ammo scarce, you are hurting your own sport and making it difficult for new shooters to enter the sport. These are people you and the NRA badly need to save the shooting sports in America. Give us all a break and STOP HORDING AMMO! Thank you.

NOTE THAT HENRY HAS MOVED FROM BROOKLYN NY TO BAYONNE, NJ

2009 Season Highlights

2010-11-25T21:24:00.005-05:00

Bagged my first chuck with a Ruger Single 6 revolver

Bagged my first pheasant in about 40 years

2009-12-30T12:58:00.000-05:00

ME IN MY TEENS

MY FIRST PHEASANT SINCE THEN

No, it's not that I'm such a bad shot; I just haven't bought a pheasant stamp since I was a kid. This was definitely one of the highlights of my 2009 season. An elderly widow gave me her husband's old 20 gauge bolt action shotgun and I used it to take two birds the first two weekends of the season.

Why aren't non-hunters required to wear blaze orange in WMAs?

2009-12-28T10:48:00.004-05:00

My letter to the DEP:

Dear DEP,
Who do I contact to request that a regulation be changed regarding WMA's? I hunted today covered with blaze orange and I saw a bird land which I went to investigate. To my knowledge I was the only person hunting Cromwell Meadows WMA this morning, and was surprised to see some guy sneaking around directly behind the bird on a side path birding or doing something else dressed in beige and green. He would have been impossible to see if it wasn't for the fact that he was moving. He could have been shot by accident and I would have been held responsible. Why aren't non-hunters required to wear blaze when they are walking the same property at the same time as hunters? If anything, hunters are the people who should be concealed, especially when hunting small game such as squirrels. There's no reason for any hiker or a birder to be walking through a WMA without blaze orange on. Last month I was stopped by 2 high school girls while I was in the woods squirrel hunting at the Meadows, asking me where to find a store to buy cigarettes! This is crazy as well as extremely dangerous. The regulation needs to be changed and the areas better posted. I've been ignored in the past when I've brought this to the DEP's attention, and this time I would like to see some action taken before someone is accidentally wounded or killed.

Please either put me in touch with the person on top who deals with these matters or forward this email to them.

Thank you.

End of year report

2009-12-26T19:17:00.009-05:00

I made an end of year video in the woods while hunting today, but I'm sorry to say that it was so windy that you wouldn't be able to hear what I was saying. I'll try to recap what I said:

If you remember, hunting was really bad last year from the opening day of pheasant season through the entire summer. I hunted chucks during the summer and nailed a few, including one with a 17HMR revolver. Other than that there was rarely a squirrel to be found. As usual, I saw an occasional rabbit, but those all disappear prior to the start of hunting season. My expectations for squirrel season 2009 was zero, but I was pleasantly surprised to have seen and bagged 19 during the first couple of months of the season. Henry Repeating Arms let me field test their Hoo1T octagon barrel 22, which worked out better than I could have imagined. I bagged every squirrel that I aimed at on the first shot. I didn't even have that kind of accuracy with the 17HMR, so I couldn't have been happier with that rifle. Special thanks to Anthony Imperato, the President of Henry Repeating Arms.

Once November arrived the appearance of squirrels came to a grinding halt. From the beginning of November through the end of December I averaged 2 hunts per week and in those 2 months, the number of squirrels I spotted could be counted on one hand. I think Nov 9th was the last day that I bagged a squirrel.

I bought my first pheasant stamp in 30 years this year, and hunted with an old bolt action 20 gauge that an elderly neighbor gave me. I bagged a bird right off the bat on opening day, and another early the following weekend. From that time on I haven't seen another bird, nor did I see anyone else put one up. Throughout the months of November and December I rarely heard a shot, even from hunters who had as many as 5 dogs. It was obvious to me that the DEP was not stocking late Friday or Saturday, but instead sometime during the week if at all. I'm guessing someone was getting a heads up or the retired guys who hunt during the week were bagging them all, because there were none left for Saturday, when most working guys hunt. These areas are called 'Wildlife Management Areas', but I haven't seen much management, including CO's in the field. In fact, I haven't come across a conservation officer in 2 years! Prior to that I rarely walked in the woods without being stopped and having my rifle and backpack inspected. I'm wondering how many birds are being brought out per hunter during the weekdays? I really hope I'm wrong about this.

Why no small game? I believe the answer is that a major predator problem has developed. For the past 2 years I had seen 3-4 hawks constantly patrolling the hunting areas at all times. Once while coyote hunting, 2 hawks dived on a tree out of nowhere and ripped a squirrel off a trunk a stone's throw in front of me. This year I saw a hawk dive down and nail a rabbit about 25 yards from my vehicle. I contacted the DEP about the predator problem and the biologist suggested that I trap fisher cats, which he believed to be the cause. I did see my first fisher this year, but at a distance. Coyotes were a problem, but I believed they moved out of the area this year because I haven't seen scat, tracks or any other trace of them. The discouraging thing is that even the predators appear to have left the area. I have a feeling they have moved off to patrol the housing areas where most small game live and die on the roads.

What amazes me is that the nut crop has been huge this year. There are nuts everywhere. I had a lot of fun earlier in the season when the leaves were on the trees. The trees were so full of nuts that I could sit under certain trees and listen as pieces of nuts fell from the treetops. In time the squirrels would show themselves and sometimes I'd get a shot through the dense leaf cover. That was a blast, but I'm sorry to say that it didn't last long. Once the trees became bare, on very rare occasions I'd spot a squirrel on ground level running for a few seconds, but that became and extremely rare occurrence and I never got a shot. My hope for the remaining two months isn't very high, though I will be out there just the same. This season I've hunted on absolutely perfect mornings, plus in snow, rain and sleet. The results have been the same; nothing.

I hope to spend more time target shooting at the range and reloading throughout the Winter and Spring, so check those pages to see what's new. I sure hope you are having better luck hunting where you live. If so, consider sending me photos and a story that I can post because we all would be encouraged by some success. My email is brshooting@sbcglobal.net. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year.

2009-12-16T17:44:00.002-05:00

"Success is waking up in the morning and bounding out of bed because there's something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that you're good at - something that's bigger than you are, and you can hardly wait to get at it again."

-- Whit Hobbs

Brett comments on squirrel hunting in the rain / My response on which Henry to choose

2009-11-27T21:37:00.016-05:00

Hey Bob,
I'm torn between one like yours and a golden boy. Its going to be a while before i do it, they are a little pricey for me this close to Christmas, but its on my "To Do" list.

I saw your note on hunting in the rain. One of the best squirrel hunts I was ever on was in a heavy wooded area in a light rain. The rain covered our sounds as we walked in the wet leaves. My buddy was about 50 yards out front with a shotgun, and I was in the rear with a 22. As I sat at the top of a hill and watched him slowly move down through a low spot, I was amazed how many squirrels he never saw would keep the tree trunk between them. Easy pickings for me in the rear.

I thought I would pass along a few things I've found. These are just small clips from his video's for sale, so the one on ageing small game is not complete, but he gives some info on how to care for small game.

Braised Squirrel
Ageing Small Game & Game Birds

Happy hunting,
Brett

Brett, thanks for your comments and the links. Regarding hunting in the rain, looks like I should have had a second guy with me today because I hunted 2 hours in the rain, got soaked and saw nothing. There was also another guy hunting but since there were no shots, he obviously didn't see anything either. I can't remember ever seeing a squirrel move in the rain, but if it works for you, that's great! I wonder if it has something to do with the type of squirrel and the location? Like Brett said, the one thing I really like about hunting in the rain is that I can walk over brittle reeds, leaves and sticks in almost complete silence. I was happy to come across a fresh gut pile today because that tells me that the guy I felt sorry for last week sitting in the tree stand bagged one! The rain kept the bird hunters away and he obviously took advantage of the quiet. The pile hadn't been touched, so I'm guessing he nailed the deer at sunrise.

Brett sent me a link to this YouTube video as well:
How to clean a squirrel
PETA must love this guy LOL!! He has some good tips, including using scissors instead of a knife and he uses the tail to pull off "his pajamas" (I love that!). He says he used to eat the brains (disgusting!) but stopped due to brain disease, and he feeds the heart, liver and the rest to his dogs. I definitely won't show this video to my wife. :)

11/28/09 WHICH BARREL TO CHOOSE
(Top to bottom: H001 22, H001T 22, 17HMR Golden Boy)
Brett, I have a Golden Boy in 17HMR and the H001T 22LR. A few years ago I owned an H001 like your son's and last year I hunted with the 17HMR Varmint Express which I've since sold. Here's a few things to consider when making your choice. The H001's are nice little rifles, but they become inaccurate when you shoot a lot and the barrel heats up. The H001T is the solution to that problem with its heavy octagon barrel. There is a trade-off for the accuracy, and that is additional weight. The H001T and the Golden Boy both have the octagon barrels and they are both balanced beautifully, making it easier to make a steady standing unsupported shot. So the choice is a nice light brush gun or a heavier, more accurate rifle.

GOLDEN BOY OR H001T?
If you've chosen the H001, you can stop reading. If you now need to choose between the Golden Boy and the H001T, keep reading. These two rifles are very similar and the biggest difference is the finish. The H001T has a painted aluminum alloy finish, which is basically maintenance free. The Golden Boy looks beautiful, but you'll likely be afraid to mar the finish in the woods. It also literally reflects the sun light a flashlight, and many times I've had to put the receiver under my arm because it projected a reflection of the sun on the ground in front of me, just like I was holding a mirror.

The solution is camo tape, but be careful. If you look at the photo to the left, you'll see that though the receiver cover is brass, the guts and the brass section at the bottom of the receiver are not. They are aluminum, and the underside has a thin brass film over it. It looks exactly like the real brass, but I discovered the hard way the camo tape can pull off the finish. In fact, it ruined my Golden Boy and Henry offered to give me a new rifle or replace it with another. In my case I took the Varmint Express. I don't know if they would be as generous with you, so don't take the chance. This year I used the non-stick camo bandage which only sticks to itself. That worked great and didn't do any damage. So the choice here is between looks and function.

WHICH CALIBER?
The next decision is 'which caliber' to choose? 22 magnum is illegal to use on CT state land, so my choice was limited to 22LR or 17HMR. 17HMR is straighter shooting over longer distances than the 22LR. There are trade-offs. The 17 is much louder than the 22, which I've discovered scares game into hiding more often. 17 ammo is much more expensive than 22, and choice of ammo is limited. The 22 can shoot everything from shorts to hyper-velocity.

There's also damage to consider. The 17 HMR is awesome! I've hit woodchucks and totally gutted them with a single shot. Hit a squirrel with a 17 and the exit wound can be as big as a quarter. Using a good 22LR hollow point bullet, I've yet to hit a squirrel with the H001T which I didn't kill with the first shot to a vital area. In the photo above you'll see a chuck that I bagged with my H001 22 with a shot to the head, so I'm not saying that a 22 is no good for chucks, but it's not my first choice. So for squirrel hunting, my choice is the 22 and for chucks it's the 17, but no matter which gun you buy, I know you're going to have fun. Good luck making your choice and let us know what you decided on.

Simple squirrel

2009-11-26T22:04:00.003-05:00

Here's a short video I found of a guy cooking squirrel over a camp fire. It's going to rain tomorrow, but now I want to squirrel hunt anyway. If he can cook'm in the rain, I can hunt them as well!

2009-11-26T09:30:00.002-05:00

Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

A photo from Brett and some 22 ammo suggestions

2009-11-24T22:52:00.005-05:00

I just received a letter from a reader named Brett who asked me what my favorite 22 squirrel round is. He wrote, "I remember many times as a kid pumping 5 or 6 rounds into a squirrel only to have him crawl into a hole to die, and other times where one shot would gut the poor thing (nothing stinks like a gut shot squirrel)". I had the same problem and that's one reason I stopped hunting squirrels with the 17HMR. The exit wounds were often the size of a quarter and the meat would be damaged, so the 17 magnum is now my official woodchuck rifle. For the past three years my favorite 22LR round has been Aguila SuperExtra. They're not cheap but I consider a brick to be reasonably priced according to today's standards. CLICK HERE to see a post I put up some time ago on 22 ammo. I'm not an expert or fanatic about ammo. If I can take down a squirrel at 75 yards, I'm happy with what I'm shooting. The SuperExtra usually takes the squirrel down with one shot and doesn't damage the meat. That's good enough for me.

Brett attached a picture of his son Tyler getting in some target practice with his new Henry Model H001 .22LR on his step dads land. I'm looking forward to getting more photos when Brett's son drops some tree bacon with his new rifle.

A beautiful morning but only one in the bag

2009-11-09T13:51:00.005-05:00

This appeared to be another perfect morning for squirrel hunting. I was in the woods at 6:30 before the sun came up and reached a good spot just as the rays of warm morning light began cutting through the branches. Once again nothing was moving, but eventually a branch dropped and shaked; the kind of motion that only a squirrel makes. I was surprised that with so much motion in the tree, I still hadn't made visual contact. A few minutes had passed when it showed itself, running across the top of the trees. I had my scope on maximum magnification and followed it from tree to tree until it finally slowed down. I squeezed off a round and the squirrel stopped. It looked like an immediate kill, but it still hadn't fallen. I was preparing to take a second shot which would knock it off the branch, but it let go and hit the ground without my assistance.

During the hours that followed the trees were filled with flocks of robins but I didn't see a single squirrel. It was a disappointing morning, but coming home with one beats leaving empty handed. Watch the video for the rest...

Season total: 19 squirrels

Say a prayer for Cody

2009-11-07T19:26:00.007-05:00

Cody cheering up the vets at the VA hospital

I ran into one of my old buddies in the woods this morning, so I ended up not doing much hunting during the early morning hours. This guy never hunts without his best friend Cody, and I soon discovered that Cody wasn't around because he's fighting cancer. Cody is a number one hunting dog, as well as a dog model for some of the most well known hunting outfitters. You've likely seen Cody in their catalogs over the years modeling various hunting outfits in hunting locations. But beyond that, Cody is a well trained hunting dog and a best friend. He's had the cancer surgically removed from various parts of his body recently, and Cody's obviously in great pain. Chemotherapy will follow if necessary. If you're a praying person, please consider lifting up Cody and my friend (the Lord knows his name), because they are both going through a rough time. I am a cancer survivor, so I can tell you first hand that the Lord does answer prayer. Thanks!

I ended up not firing a shot today, but I have some vacation time to use up by the end of the year so I'll be out hunting again Monday. I'll let you know how I make out. Feel free to send me photos and stories that I can post (brshooting@sbcglobal.net).

4 more squirrels in the bag but no sign of pheasant

2009-11-02T17:05:00.010-05:00

The temperature was much better than Saturday. Instead of hot and rainy it was cooler and partly sunny today. The weather report said that the sun would likely be out in the early morning, then clouds would roll in at about 7:30. They hit it right on the money today. Lots of action for the short time the sun was out, but clouds brought an abrupt halt to the festivities. It was obvious that the squirrels wouldn't move under a sunless sky, so I called it quits and headed back.

On the return trip there were a couple breaks in the clouds which made me eat my words when I said something to the affect that experience has taught me when to quit. Those two momentary breaks of sunlight brought with them squirrel movement, and I was able to bag two additional squirrels. Today's total was 3 with the Henry 22 and one with the 20 gauge. I found that often the shotgun knocks down the squirrel but doesn't put it away, and thus I've discovered a new use for the NAA Mini-Master 22LR revolver.

Pheasant hunting was a waste of time and no one appeared to bag anything. In fact I didn't hear a single shot between 7am and 1pm. Last Saturday was the same. Is the DEP stocking this area? I'm going to shoot them an email to see if I can get some answers.

I was dead beat by 1pm and my legs were so tired I couldn't take another step. I don't hunt the paths like many of the bird hunters out there. I'm walking the swamps and pushing through brush most of the time, and that gets exhausting. No matter how tiring it gets out there, it's still better than a day at work.

Season total: 18 squirrels

NOTE: I just ordered a hammer extension for the 22 because the scope makes it impossible to reach the hammer with gloves on. They are somewhat difficult to locate, so here's where I found it: Brownells Model 2450 SKU #:593-245-000
SPECS: Steel, matte black finish. 1 ¼" (3cm) long, 3/8" (9.3) diameter. 2450 fits Win. 94 and Big Bore, Ithaca X-Caliber, and Henry lever action rimfire rifles. LINK

The price is $9.95 plus $5.25 shipping.

UPDATE: The hammer extension arrived in a few days and it fits perfectly. There must be less than 1/16" of clearance between the extension and the scope. Perfect!

Tick removal

2009-11-01T20:02:00.004-05:00

"I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great, because it works in those places where it's some times difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I've used it (and that was frequently), and it's much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can't see that this would be damaging in any way. I even had my doctor's wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn't reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say, "It worked!"

Please pass on. Everyone needs this helpful hint. "

I haven't tried this yet, so let me know if it works if you get a tick before I do. Thanks ~Bob

A beautiful morning and 4 squirrels dropped with the H001T Henry Octagon 22

2009-10-26T15:35:00.007-04:00

...and one in the swamp.

Season Total: 14

Mounting a scope on the Henry 22

2009-10-24T22:04:00.006-04:00

March 1st will be here before we know it, and our opportunity to squirrel hunt will be over until September. That's why I wanted to get a scope on the new Henry 22 and begin field testing it on squirrels as soon as possible. As usual, my goal was to keep the price reasonable. That's what this web site has always been about; hunting and shooting on a tight budget. Unlike some of my buddies, I don't buy $1000 scopes and expensive guns. My scopes run $80 tops. Scope mounts about $10, and from WalMart if available. Tonight after supper I decided to take a run to Cabela's to get the scope.

The gun counter was mobbed, and there was no one available to help customers. It looked like there were two guys manning the counter, but they were tied up in processing gun sales so they were unable to help anyone. What a system! Some people left grumbling. I took a number (about 30 away from being called), yet no one was calling numbers. Finally I salesman walked by with the gun that he was processing and I yelled at him, "Would you please grab me one of these scopes so I can get the hell out of here?!" Thank god he said "sure" and I was on my way. The least expensive scope I could buy ran about $40 and it was the Cabela's store brand. For just under $80 they had a Bushnell Banner 'Dusk & Dawn' scope similar to the one that I used for the past couple of years on my Henry 17HMR Golden Boy. This scope is a bit smaller and has a smaller, lighter objective lens (the front glass). It's a 1.5-4.5 x 32mm, and it looks like it will be exactly what I need to drop some tree bacon.

I drove home in a torrential downpour, and that's how most of the evening went. I discovered that the Weaver scope mount I had bought didn't fit. I didn't realize the mount built into the receiver cover is smaller than a Weaver mount. Wonderful! Looks like no shooting tomorrow. The next task was to remove the rear iron sight because it was touching the scope. As usual, nothing is easy. I hammered the crap out of the sight with a hammer and a wooden dowel to get the sight to slide, but it wouldn't budge. I finally decided to hose the sight down with WD40 because it's supposed to have penetrating properties. I put down the wood dowl and got a big brass screw. Putting the screw up against the sight I gave it a few good wackes and it came right out. Excellent! Next I had to solve the lens mount problem. I ripped my room apart hoping I had an old mount kicking around that would fit. I couldn't find it anywhere... until I realized that my son had used it on his airsoft gun. The mount worked and the rest was cake.

I took out my LaserLyte and leveled the rifle with the leveler that attaches to the front of the laser. It splits the laser into a horizontal line which projects on a wall perpendicular to the rifle barrel. First you level the rifle with the leveler's bubble, then rotate the scope until the horizontal crosshair runs parallel to the laser line. I then tighten everything down, removed the leveler from the laser and pointed the rifle with laser turned on out the basement door into the nearby woods. A few rotations and the green dot was dead center on the crosshairs. A few drops of Locktite on the screws and that's it. Tomorrow I hit the range.

The Henry H001T Lever Action Octagon ~ Frontier Model 22

2009-10-17T16:02:00.001-04:00

Mountain Lion sightings in Roxbury CT

2009-10-05T10:29:00.005-04:00

Here's more proof for the DEP that there are mountain lions in CT. My employer just called to tell me that he spoke this weekend to an elderly gentleman that lives in a high income area of Roxbury, CT (specific location withheld by request). He owns a big piece of land and he's recently seen 2 mountain lions in his back yard. The man's neighbor saw a lion kill a deer right in his yard and drag it into the bushes! Now try to tell me that this was a bobcat or a fisher. I told my boss to relay this thought, "Take a picture!".

2 in the bag with the Golden Boy

2009-09-29T20:20:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is the final day of squirrel hunting before all hunting is suspended for the first two weeks in October. Pheasant season opens on the 17th when hunting dogs, shotgun blasts and noisy hunters replace the silence in the woods that squirrel hunters now enjoy. I took a vacation day today to get in one last hunt with my Henry 17HMR while things are still calm. Watch the video for more.

Season count: 9

Sept. 26, 2009 - National Hunting & Fishing Day

2009-09-22T22:15:00.005-04:00

Great to hear from you Steve!

2009-09-20T10:08:00.001-04:00

"I had a chance to pick up a Ruger DSP, and did a Google on it. Your page came up and I am slowly catching up on all your stuff. Great piece of work. I too went squirrel hunting with my Dad when I was young. Growing up in Iowa, there were plenty of fox squirrels. Our hunts are still some of my best experiences in hunting. Like you, I have taken up squirrel hunting again. We have a pretty good population of gray Aberts up on our local mountain, and they are fun to chase. I use my Ruger 22/45 Competition with a Red Dot, and it is very accurate. This season I will try my new DSP, it seems to shoot well also. Keep up the great work and I will look forward to your latest and greatest experiences. Best of luck and take care, Steve from AZ.

P.S. Now that I think of it, I beleive I was Googling the Tech-Sight and your page showed up. Either way it was a positive experience, and I ordered a set of these sights."

Jake bagged his first squirrels!

2009-09-19T21:52:00.011-04:00

"Mikey went out for the Youth Waterfowl Hunt and I took Jake out for a squirrel hunt. Mikey took three ducks and Jake took two squirrels! Great morning for the boys and me!" ~Mike Adams

Congratulations to Jake Adams, son of Mike Adams from Up North Journal for bagging his first two squirrels today. Great job Jake! Like father like son. The Adams are from Linden, MI. It's interesting to see the variation in tail color between Jake's squirrels and the gray and white squirrels we have in CT. Jake was hunting with a 22 magnum, which surprisingly is illegal in CT. Mike suggested making 'squirrel dumplings' but Jake said he was going to check my site to make squirrel stew. I'm checking with Mike for the dumpling recipe, and if he sends it I'll post it. Here's an out-take from Mike Adam's blog:

"...He drew down on it and popped off a shot, immediately the squirrel scurried behind the tree and started chattering at him. I told Jake to get ready and wait, he might come back out again. The problem was that Jake was free handing the shot. I told him to rest up against the nearby tree to steady his shot. The squirrel came down the tree and hit the ground eventually popping up on a little stick looking at us. Jake took careful aim and BANG! Down he went! Jake looked at me with a big grin and said, "I got him dad, I got him!" I noticed that the squirrel began to move and I was afraid he would run off so I put another round in him. Jake went over to pick him up and he began to move again, so Jake pulled up and touched the trigger one more time..." MORE on 'The Up North Journal Hunting Blog'

The only thing better than seeing a squirrel run across a branch is seeing two

2009-09-19T19:42:00.005-04:00

The yearly company picnic was today and the weather was perfect, but there was no way I was going to miss out on an early morning hunt. I headed out at 6:15 and arrived just as the sun was breaking through the trees. I promised my wife I'd quit at 9. It was in the 40's and there were no bugs! Tonight we are getting out first frost, which will also drastically cut their numbers. Like it or not, soon you'll be seeing my face without the camo netting.

I had predetermined where I planned to hunt, so I headed directly to the spot and took a seat under a tree. It's interesting that since squirrel season opened, I haven't spotted a single woodchuck. There aren't a lot of hunters out, so I doubt that are being harvested. I have no idea where they are. I keep expecting to see one on the path when the sun is streaming in during the early morning, but the paths are empty.

Not long after taking a seat, I spotted a squirrel run down the trunk of a tree. It was a good distance away and about 30 ft up, but I took the shot. The squirrel dropped, hit the ground and slowly recovered. A ran toward it and tried to reload while on the run, but it managed to get its strength back, ran for the dense brush then into the trees. Another squirrel lost because I couldn't get off a fast second shot! I definitely need to pick up a magazine for this shotgun.

I sat the spot out for the next two hours and during that time I could hear and see nuts dropping from the trees. I kept moving my position in order to pinpoint the squirrel's locations. There were a good half dozen, but they were at the very top of some very dense trees. I'd see them for a second and they'd be gone. I did get a shot at one, but I obviously didn't hit it with enough to drop it. While scoping out these squirrels, I heard a loud CRASH in the branches about 40 yards away. Two squirrels were going at it and appeared to be fighting as they flew across the branches. You have no idea how thrilled I was to see this again! In seconds the two were headed in a straight line away from me, with a large tree trunk blocking my line of sight. In seconds they were gone. What a great morning! It was 9:00 couldn't believe I had to leave because I assure you I would have preferred to spend the next few hours hunting out this spot. Sometimes obligations come first, so I picked up and left. Man, it burns me up that we can't hunt on Sundays in CT. My temporary one day a week layoff ended this week so I'm back to a normal work week, ending my Monday morning hunts. This was my first real break in 15 years. It was great that I could hunt on Mondays for the past few weeks, but I am sick of being broke and need to get back to the grind. I still have 12 days vacation left though...

This morning I was thinking about the lack of squirrel sighting from Oct of 2008 through August 2009. There are a couple reasons that I can think of for this. Have the squirrels have changed their feeding habits? In the past, I would usually see squirrels digging, eating or running across the ground every time I entered quietly into certain areas. This year I haven't seen a single squirrel on the ground. All sightings have been high up in the trees. That means that the only way to spot them is to take a seat and wait them out, which I wasn't doing during the summer. The only reason I can figure for what appears to be a change in feeding habits is that it isn't really a change. I'm guessing the ground dwellers were all killed off by predators and only the squirrels that remained high in the trees survived the pheasant hunters and predators.

It's been a long day so I'll end it here. Before I do let me first thank everyone who has been sending me encouraging letters over the past couple of months. Around where I live small game hunters aren't given much respect among pheasant and deer hunters and non-hunters can be hostile to the idea of hunting "cute little squirrels, bunnies and groundhogs". It's nice to hear from people to can relate to the pure joy of walking through the woods and the excitement of a small game hunt. Thanks for your support.

5 in the bag... like old times

2009-09-14T12:25:00.011-04:00

...Upon arrival I was greeted by the crashing of leaves in a distant tree. I was thrilled that it was obviously a squirrel. I put a bead on it and fired with the 20 gauge, but it disappeared into the tree. This was my first shot at a squirrel with a shotgun in years, and it reminded me to take my time, get closer and take better aim before squeezing the trigger. I'm guessing that by the time the BBs reached that squirrel, it may have only gotten hit with a few at most, and unless they hit a vital spot, the squirrel would keep moving. The next shot would be closer and placed more precisely. I decided to revisit the tree where I bagged the squirrel a week or two ago. That day there were two spotted, and twice I missed the second squirrel... The leaves CRASHED overhead and I froze to see if my old buddy would come into the open. I waited a few minutes and there it was. I carefully put my bead on it and fired. It dropped and hit the ground with the beautiful sound of a soft 'THUD!" I had my first squirrel with the 20, and this was the male that I had been hunting for weeks. I continued to watch the area for about 20 more minutes more. Nuts were falling from the trees, but I couldn't get a visual on anything. I decided to move to the spot that I dropped a squirrel two weeks ago... MORE

A Saturday morning hunt and a rotting coyote.

2009-09-12T20:06:00.001-04:00

This morning it was wet and drizzling and as expected, nothing was moving. When I pulled into the lot, I began putting on my gear and within a minute or so a police car pulled in and parked. I approached the car to find out if there was a problem and it was the same officer that questioned me about hunting for chucks "without a special permit" about a week ago. He remembered me as "The woodchuck hunter". He asked me if I looked into the matter since that event, and I told him that as soon as I arrived home I contacted the DEP Sgt and he told me that I was 100% legal. I also informed him that squirrel season has begun. The officer said that COs have been handing out a lot of citations in recent days. I haven't seen a CO in the lot in over a year, so go figure. Maybe they were cracking down on goose hunters.

When I came out of the woods to get back to my car, I took a different path. There was a bad stench of rotting meat, and I'm guessing that's what the guys and I smelled in the lot while we talked last week. It took a minute, but I finally discovered that the culprit was a rotting coyote carcus that I'm guessing someone shot in the parking lot and dragged into a brush pile. My son Jamie and I saw a coyote standing in the lot last year on opening day as we pulled into park. Over the winter I had a big one cross in front of my car right outside the WMA as I was about to pull in. Since then I haven't seen any signs of yotes, so I haven't bothered to hunt them. Maybe I (we) should reconsider.

A bad morning with a good ending

2009-09-08T20:48:00.003-04:00

It was a rather strange morning. The temperature was in the low 60's at 6:30, but the humidity was as high as it gets. The sky was overcast, and from past experience this didn't seem like a good combination. As I began my hunt I passed a couple guys at a distance who were obviously squirrel hunting. I didn't spot anything from the parking lot to the place I decided to sit out. Over the next hour and a half, I spotted one squirrel at a distance and a second on the same branch that I dropped the squirrel yesterday. I have a feeling this was the partner I waited out for so long but never showed.

What an oportunity I had! The squirrel was only 30 yards or so out and sitting still above me on a branch. There was nothing between me and the target. I even had a tree to brace myself against. I took my time aiming, covering up the squirrel with my front sight and slowly squeezing off the round. This would be an easy kill. CRACK! At first it didn't move, then it took off full out. It was gone. What the hell!? I can't be that bad! It had to be a flier. I don't want to blame my equipment for my misses, but this CCI hollow point ammo has proven at the range to be erratic. Three rounds will be within a half inch and the 4th will miss by 4". That had to be the answer; really. Oh well. It was starting to get warm and the bugs were getting hungry. I've been out every morning minus Sunday for the past 4 days, so I had enough. I could feel in my bones that nothing was going to move. I could hear squirrels cracking nuts in the trees, but they were staying put. Time to leave.

In the parking area I met the two guys I had passed earlier on the path. One knew me by name because he reads this blog (that's scary), so I'd better say something nice. Really, these guys made up for the hunters who blew me off Monday. Two really nice guys who turned a lousy hunt into a memorable morning. An equally nice non-hunter with a yellow lab arrived and joined in the conversation, and we discussed everything from the decreasing squirrel population to mountain lion sightings in CT. We were in agreement that increased numbers of predators, including Fishers, hawks and coyote are partially responsible for the low numbers. The DEP told me not long ago that if I want to increase the squirrel population, I should encourage the trapping of fishers. If you trap, go to it, but please be careful to trap where hunting dogs won't be working. God willing I'll be back in 3 days and will have something messy to show you. Until then.

Lots of action but just one in the bag

2009-09-07T11:34:00.012-04:00

What a beautiful morning it was today. At 7am the temp was in the low 50's and by 10 it was only up to 62. Bugs were few and far between and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Zero wind. There were a good half dozen squirrel hunters out there this morning, which is something I haven't seen in a couple of years. Here's a lesson in hunter courtesy: If someone wishes you luck and a nice day, say "Thank you" and better yet, wish them the same back. And if someone waves to you as you silently walk by, consider doing the same. Enough said.

I saw quite a few squirrels running around this morning, but there were few opportunities to get off an accurate shot. The squirrels were always on the run and only appeared for seconds before disappearing in the leaves. I nailed this one as it ran across a high branch directly over my head. The shot hit it in the heart; blood was everywhere. One round, one squirrel. That's how I like it. At this rate I'll need to buy a new box of 17's next season, but then too it will take me 40 weekends to bag my limit, and that's no good."

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul." -- General Douglas MacArthur

I need to start looking for a good squirrel spot that I can hunt when the leaves begin to fall where there are no pheasant hunters to interfere. It's nice to be able to see into the trees, but it doesn't help if the squirrels are spooked by hunting dogs with bells ringing from their necks, loud talking and shotgun blasts. The woods are a real zoo when these guys come out since stealth isn't part of their equation.

I hope everyone was able to get in a quick hunt before doing the picnic thing today. Consider sending me a picture and a story on how you made out today. Thanks.

2009 squirrel season count: 2

FINALLY - A fun morning in the field

2009-09-02T13:16:00.011-04:00

Today was one of those days that keeps me returning to the woods. I sat out the spot where I saw the squirrels and the falling nuts yesterday, and I'm pleased to report that the squirrels were back and active early this morning. They remained high in the trees and only moved for the short time that the sun remained out, but it was long enough for me to nail one with my Henry 17HMR and enjoy the rush that I get when I see these critters running around in the trees. One thing that I've noticed is that every squirrel that I've spotted over the past two days has been very small. I'm not sure why, but I'm hoping to see some squirrels that have a bit of meat on their bones.

It was nice to see what appeared to be a father and his son squirrel hunting this morning. I enjoy seeing that, as long as they're not hunting my spots. The teen said that he had seen a couple squirrels and tried to get a shot at one, but when he shouldered his rifle and looked through the scope, it was set on maximum zoom and everything was a blur. I think that's happened to all of us... once. When I hunt with a scope it's habit to return the scope to 2X any time I'm not focused on a target. I'm sure this young guy will be doing the same for now on.

Rich M. sent nailed a couple today with this awesome airgun. That is so cool! I want one.

"I see you got one today Bob, good for you. I got out again this morning and had better luck as well. I tried the waiting game where I had briefly seen some the day before but got bored after ½ or so. I figured I treat the rest of the morning as scouting, and if I jumped a few all the better. I found a couple nice areas’ I hadn’t discovered before and took two with my Crossman Marauder Airgun – Good times!" ~Rich

more from Rich on his airgun:
"The Crossman Marauder is $500, which is entry level for a PCP (Pre Charged Pneumatic) airgun. Crossman did a good job with this for the price point. A comparable fine quality airgun will run you twice as much or more. It can be pumped, but I fill it from an SCBA tank. Getting this all set up runs you into more expense and you have to have a place to fill it. Fortunately I have friends hunting buddies in fire departments that fill my tanks for me. Otherwise you can get a scuba tank and have it filled at a dive shop. This is my fourth PCP so the tanks work for any of them.

As far as comparing it to a rimfire 22 – Obviously a baffled airgun is quiet, so no hearing protection is required. You don’t have to clean the barrel because there is no powder fouling or corrosiveness. There is less energy delivered to the target with an airgun – The marauder has about 25 fpe muzzle energy, but I find it plenty for squirrels if the shot placement is right. Since the velocity is subsonic the trajectory is more “loopy” than a rimfire, and the lighter projectile is more deflected by wind.

The pressure reservoir size determines the number of shots before a refill is required, but you can trade shot count for average velocity and spread. With the Marauder I set it up for 30 shots at and average of ~860 fps with an initial fill of ~2,500 psi. If I need more than 30 shots on a hunt either my marksmanship really sucks or I’m poaching…"

Opening Day

2009-09-01T20:56:00.006-04:00

I scared the heck out of a River Otter today. It's the first I've ever come across. It didn't see me until I was right on top of it, then it dove into the water and disappeared. Very cool. Here's some INFO.

My plan is to get out early Wednesday morning, go back to the spot where I saw the activity, pull up a chair, fire up the TheraCell and wait. If nothing shows I'll be spending the rest of the day shooting at the range. Wish me luck.

Rich let this squirrel go because it wouldn't fit in his game bag

2009-09-01T20:32:00.006-04:00

An email from a reader:

"The state park I was hunting in has a few outhouses along a paved road that roughly bisects the park diagonally. After hunting a while in the morning I occasionally heard an odd banging noise in the distance. After not having any luck for a couple hours I decided to head back to my truck to have a snack and investigate the noise. I ditched my gun and vest and walked toward the outhouse expecting to find someone working on it.

When I rounded the corner from behind a few large pines I found myself about 8 feet or so from a young moose! It took me a second to rationalize what I was seeing… Then I spent another few seconds concluding it was big enough to be weaned, therefore its mother was probably not nearby (and pissed off). It was really calm, and as long as I moved slowly it was content to stare at me. I think it may have been scratching against the outhouse which was bouncing the door!

When I turned to go back to my truck it startled a bit and crossed the road. Then I remembered I had my camera! I probably should have kept my distance… but I walked over to her and snapped a few pictures and video clips of it eating. I was torn between enjoying this encounter and thinking I should scare her off so she learns to be wary of humans. In the end I just left peacefully. Enjoy the attachments."

- Rich M

Bagged my first chuck with the Single Six revolver

2009-08-15T12:33:00.009-04:00

All I can say is that it's hot as heck this morning. It's 93 and as humid as it gets. Even after being covered head to toe with 40 DEET bug spray, stopping 10 seconds means being covered with hundreds of bugs and mosquitoes. I knew this was going to be a short hunt, but since there's only a couple weekends before squirrel hunting begins and we have to start wearing blaze orange, I decided to give it my best. Last week I decided to hunt this weekend with the Ruger Single Six 17HMR revolver since I haven't bagged a chuck with it yet. It's all I carried today. The backpack contained the typical: binoculars, more bug spray, ammo, drinks, cameras and a few other things. Considering the heat, I tried to keep the load as light as possible. Most of the morning I didn't wear the hat because that keeps in a lot of heat. Gloves, long sleeve shirt and face netting are necessities in a bug infested area like this. The revolver was carried in my Triple-K holster, my gear was on and I started out.

The path I normally walk is a mile long, and I was somewhat surprised that having walked almost half its length I had yet to see a thing... until I rounded the next corner. This is an area where the path is very twisty, so if something is spotted in this area, it's likely in handgun range. The problem is that with a chuck's keen sense of hearing, they are usually gone before I come around the corner and get a visual on it. That didn't happen this morning.

I slowly and quietly rounded the corner and about 25 yards out, a good size chuck had just broken through the brush onto the path. I could tell it was aware of my presence, but I startled it and it didn't have time to react. It was standing perpendicular to the path, so I had an excellent clear shot. I quietly drew my handgun from the holster and pulled back the hammer as I attempted to get the chuck in my sights. I could tell I was a little shaky, and I was determined not to blow this shot like I did with the rifle last week. I told myself "FREEZE!!" and my breath and movement froze. I put my sights on its head and gently squeezed the trigger. "CRACK!!".. I'm glad I had my earplugs in because these 17 magnum revolvers are deafening.

"Yes!" The chuck rolled over but was still kicking. Before taking another step I took a second shot to put it away. The shot had hit it in the neck. I took the Single Six to the range a few weeks ago and was able to sight the gun in better than any time in the past. That was proven with today's shot. Within seconds, the chuck was covered with all kinds of bugs, including flies, bees, mosquitoes and whatever. It amazes me how they seem to be able to smell death. Death for something else equals life for them. I took some photo for the blog but this time left the chuck on the path. I'll be out again in two days, and I want to see if it's snatched away by a coyote.

I continued on to the end of the path and made a return trip. It was too hot to go on so I packed up and left. I had bagged my trophy and was happy. The perfect beginning of my 24th wedding anniversary celebration. Next I get myself cleaned up and take my wife out to a movie and dinner. Enjoy the weekend.

"VERY nice!!!! Sounds like the single six did the job!!!! He looked aweful furry for a mid summer chuck. Maybe that is just the way they are in your area. Ours seem to have little fur on them. Congrats on a great hunt and great shot!!!"

Mike Adams, Up North Journal

No kills but some good sightings on the the best and worst days of 2009

2009-08-08T10:30:00.003-04:00

8/8/09 - A perfect morning

OK, I missed them this morning, but I have Monday off. The problem is that it's likely going to be the nastiest day of the year so far; in the 90's and extremely humid. Do I want to be in that bug infested area in those conditions? Not really, but if I was confident that I could bag some additional chucks before the beginning of squirrel season, I'd go for it. It's always a gamble. I'll make my decision tonight. I should actually find a new primary hunting spot for next month because squirrels have been few and far between since October.

8/10/09 - A miserable morning

It's Monday and I went for it, despite the awful heat and humidity. Over the past couple of days I've seen chucks, though not many, and I'm not getting many opportunities to take a shot. Most sightings last only for seconds. I'm usually so close when I see one that the chuck is aware of my presence much sooner than I'm aware of it. That means my targets are usually just a momentary blur. I guess that's what makes this type of chuck hunting so rewarding. It requires persistence, keen stalking ability and marksmanship, and in my opinion, this is what real hunting is all about. One last thing; I did see a few squirrels this morning, even though my eyes were glued to the ground and not focused up it the trees.

Next weekend I'll be hunting with revolvers.

A nice morning in the woods; if you're a mosquito.

2009-08-03T19:34:00.004-04:00

The fields that I usually hunt were so badly flooded that I could only access half the fields. The path where the chuck was spotted this morning is on higher ground that consistently remains dry, even after the worst storms. One thing I've observed over the past few years is that small game always hunkers down during flooding. Logic tells me that during such times, chucks would leave their tunnels in search of dry ground and squirrels would have to dig for food under trees that are not submerged. In other words, displaced animals should be moving around after a storm like human hurricanes victims wandering a devastated area. This seems logical but it never happens. I've hunted these areas countless times during flooding and the one constant is that nothing moves. Don't ask me why, but it appears that when their nesting areas are disrupted, small game hunkers down somewhere and doesn't show itself. If you've experienced something different I'd like to hear about it.

This year's persistent rain has increased the mosquito count to a miserable level. The flooding was at least a foot deep which made the path impossible to cross even with knee-high boots. Considering how saturated the ground is I have no idea when the water will recede.

Between last Saturday and today I've spotted only a single squirrel, when during a normal year I should be seeing dozens. I realize that I am taking a count during a flood, but things weren't much better before the rain began. My only hope for squirrel season is that come September as I push deeper into the woods, I'll discover where they've all been hiding. If February was any indicator, we shouldn't expect much since the squirrel population seemed to all but disappear after the opening of the October hunting season. The only hope is that with nature we can never be sure of anything.

My dad

2009-07-26T12:54:00.005-04:00

I know it's not hunting, but it's the next best thing; fishing! My dad lived to fish. When he wasn't working or fishing for large mouth bass on a lake, he was standing in a fast moving river fishing for rainbow trout. I never remember my father coming home without filling the sink with bass, bullheads, or rainbow trout. I spent many a weekend sitting for 8 hours straight in the blazing sun fishing from a small boat in a CT lake. My dad always had a pith helmet in the boat, and when it would get too hot, I'd fill it with water and dump it over my head.

Dad used to rent a small rowboat and he'd attach the gas motor that he owned. We'd always spend a part of the day trolling the lake, and he'd let me man the controls. I'd usually have a couple drop lines over the side along with my rod and reel, and nothing was more fun than when we'd run into a school of pickerel. I'd be sinking the hook and pulling them in as fast as I could and it would seem like it would never end. I also pulled in some monster bullheads from that lake. Once I remember thinking I had hooked a boot, which ended up pulling in the biggest bullhead I had ever seen. My dad's favorite was Large Mouth Bass, and he never came home empty handed. At home he'd cut off the heads of the largest and let them dry on the clothesline (my mom must have been a saint). Once dry and picked clean by the flies, he'd varnish them and proudly display them over his workbench. He would have never considered spending our much needed money to properly mount a fish. I still remember cleaning the bullheads and watching their severed heads in the sink gasp for air. I'm glad squirrels don't do that.

When dad wasn't bass fishing, he was standing in a river fishing for rainbow trout with either fly or worm. Dad passed away over 30 years ago, but he left me with some great memories that I'll never forget.

Hurting Dogs and Chucks

2009-07-25T12:12:00.009-04:00

If you read my last post you know that I took a vacation day last Wednesday and spent the afternoon at the beach. While there I walked the entire length of it twice at the water's edge. I guess I was enjoying the day so much that I hadn't noticed that my sandal straps had rubbed the skin off the top on my toes and feet. That on top of the sunburn and blisters. Now that I've totally grossed you out, the reason I bring this up was I was wondering if I'd be able to walk and hunt today since I could barely put on my sneakers for work without intense pain. Well I did manage to go, and walk I did. I hunted from 7 to 11, and most of it was nonstop walking.

I saw absolutely nothing for the first two miles, which really surprised me. It rained hard last night and this morning it was partly sunny, so I expected to see some chucks out of their holes drying themselves off (as Jake says). I moved on to the area where I may have see a Fisher last Wednesday. As I rounded the corner to enter the path a big fat chuck bolted out of the high brush right in front of me, turned the corner and disappeared in the grass. I could see its path as it pushed down the grass as it ran, but in seconds it stopped. It must have made it into its hole.

Continuing on about 3/4 of a mile, nothing moved so I turned around and headed back. As I approached the spot where I just saw the chuck, I slowed down and was surprised to see its head sticking above the grass. I shouldered my rifle and it immediately dropped out of sight. It's not getting away that easy! I circled around and found a big rock in the shade with a clear view of the den area. With my Therma-Cell burning, I waited 30 minutes for that chuck to re-appear, but it didn't. They rarely do. I've read that their dens typically have multiple entrances (or exits), tunnels can be 30-40 ft long and can be 30 or more feet deep. Any wonder why I rarely get a second chance?

"...Hunting is a game of luck. The more area I cover the greater the odds that game will cross my path. There's that nagging feeling that as soon as I give up, the animals will decide to come out of hiding and I would have missed it. Sure it's unlikely, but I guess it's the way compulsive gamblers think..."

The temperature had risen to 80 degrees and the sun was now blazing. I was all buttoned up with netting over my face for protection from the bugs and it was getting hot. I walked another 2 miles and just before that pass was finished, a big chuck came out of nowhere and ran across the path a stones throw in front of me. It dropped out of sight as quickly as it appeared, so quickly there wasn't time to react. I continued on and stopped at my car. Hot and tired, my bruised feet were starting to hurt, but I decided to check those two chuck spots before leaving. My wife asked me why I keep returning when I don't see anything. I told her that I think it's similar to a gambler's mentality. He keeps playing for fear that the moment he quits the next person at the machine will score the money that should have been his. After all, his failures increased the odds of success. The same is true of hunting. Hunting is a game of luck. The more area I cover the greater the odds that game will cross my path. There's that nagging feeling that as soon as I give up, the animals will decide to come out of hiding and I would have missed it. Sure it's unlikely, but I guess it's the way compulsive gamblers think.

I made my way around again and there was no sign of the first chuck, and when I rounded the corner to revisit the spot were I saw the second, it was there! I could clearly see it through the brush, on the path around the corner. Should I take the shot through the brush or drop my gear, crawl around the corner and hope it doesn't sense that I was there? I had the feeling it would run since it was only inches from dense brush, so I got into a solid standing position, put the front bead on it, and fired! The chuck went airborne... then disappeared into the brush. I have a feeling I whacked it in the backside, but I can't be sure. I actually hope I missed so I can pursue it again next week. At least I had a little bit of action for all the work I put in this morning.

I'm home now, and as soon as I write this I'll be soaking my aching dogs. Until next time, enjoy the weekend!

I have no idea what I saw this morning

2009-07-22T22:44:00.002-04:00

I took a vacation day and hunted early morning before hitting the beach at noon. I walked 4 miles and saw nothing but a small deer and a single squirrel... until I got back in my truck and began pulling out of the lot. While still in the WMA, I slowed down and looked down a side dirt road as I usually do when I leave as a last chance to see something moving. This time I did.

About 75 yards out on the left of the road stood a large medium brown furry shape. I had no idea what it was. It looked about twice as high as a fire hydrant, and it seemed to be all balled up. I stopped to try and get a better look at it, and was surprised that it still didn't look my way or run. It was obvious that this wasn't a deer, chuck or coyote. I needed to get my binoculars and they were in the back of the vehical. I was hoping to sneak out, open the back and grab my glass, but it didn't work. As soon as I stepped out the door, the animal straightened up, looked at me and started to run to the other side of the road and into the brush. It had a very large, bushy brown talk that stood straight out from behind it. It didn't move like a coyote or fox, but more like I would expect a fisher to move; sort of like a Slinky spring toy; or like an otter. I've never seen anything like it. The only fishers I've ever seen are on display at Cabela's and those are black. This was brown. I've walked this area countless times and I've never seen anything like it. The DEP biologist wrote me not long ago that I should consider trapping fishers when the trapping season opens because he suspects that they could be responsible for the decrease in the small game population. I wonder if I just proved him correct? The reason I don't hunt this path very often is because it's straight and wide open; almost impossible to travel without getting busted before getting into iron sight range. What I saw today was so large that if I could have taken a crack at it, I would have hit it, though I would never shoot at something I couldn't identify. Right now the only species legal to shoot in CT are woodchucks and coyote. This was clearly neither. I'll be looking for it again over the weekend, purely for my own knowledge. I've been studying the game populations in this area for years, and this is something totally new. What was that thing?...

Birthday Hunt

2009-07-07T12:27:00.010-04:00

I wasn't going to bother putting up a post on this hunt, but my buddy Mike Adams from Up North Journal wished me a Happy Birthday and asked me how I made out this morning. Since I already wrote this to him, I'll post it for you so I can be even more humiliated.

I walked 4 miles with my backpack on and 17HMR in hand, and only saw the ass end of one chuck for about 2 seconds as I rounded a corner. On my final pass I was really dragging and told myself that I was likely too tired to hit anything. At that point I began 'walking' back to the car instead of 'hunting' (if you know what I mean). Then Murphy's Law kicked in. I spotted a big chuck digging around in the dirt about 50 yards out. It didn't see me (which is very unusual), but kept its head down with its attention on something else. This rarely happens! I've missed too many by taking the time to get into a proper shooting position because they sense my movement and in seconds are in the brush. With that in mind I rushed the shot, shooting from a standing position without support. Being tired I was all over the place. I missed, but it STILL didn't see me! It was looking around but couldn't locate the direction of the sound. It then began running directly towards me. I fired and missed again, just before it disappeared into the brush. Oh well. It was no surprise. The shot was too long and I was too tired. I've seen a chuck in this area before, so I'll be looking for a den next time out. At least after all that walking I had a little action. Now I'm home and going to hang out at the Air Museum for the rest of the afternoon until the family gets home. Having a good birthday not working!

...I skipped the museum and returned after the thunderstorm.

CHUCK 1

CHUCK 2

Trapping predators to increase small game population

2009-07-03T21:37:00.002-04:00

An interesting suggestion from the DEP Biologist in response to my letter voicing concern over the diminishing small game population in CT:

" It could be a predator issue, which is part of the natural cycle. The cycle includes a rebound, so I would expect them to increase over time. If you are concerned about predators, try some fisher and fox trapping in the area during the season......"

I'm not a trapper, but you guys who are might want to consider the DEP Biologist's suggestion to help increase the small game population.

Hit one, possibly two this morning

2009-07-03T10:41:00.021-04:00

The morning started out with dense fog, and minutes after the hunt began I came across a small deer feeding on the path. I've seen so many lately that I just kept walking, and when it realized I wasn't a tree it took off leaping down the path. Over the three hours that I hunted, I had shots at two big chucks (unlike the small one in the post below). Both were long for iron sights, and I thought I missed the first. It was walking the edge of the path when I fired, which made it turn abruptly and head into the dense brush which averages from 5 to 7 feet high. Once game enters that mess it simply disappears. When I reached the spot were it was standing, it was obvious that I hit it because of the blood trail. I kicked through the brush but couldn't locate it. I'm sure the hawks or coyotes will be having a nice dinner.

I spotted another one as I approached the parking area. I was pretty sure I nailed it, but there wasn't a trace. Someone dumped a load of brush and stumps, and it looked like the chuck disappeared into it. There was no blood trail, so who knows? I'll check back tomorrow to see if it's still around.

I noticed that a tree went down along the path, which might have gotten hit by lightening. A house about 75 yards across the street from my house was hit by lightening yesterday evening. We had torrential downpours with thunder and lightening which was forecast to start again this afternoon. I had enough walking for one day so I decided to head back home before all hell breaks lose. The weekend is young, so if all goes as planned I'll be out again early tomorrow morning before the 4th of July picnic begins. I picked up some camo tape today because as you can see in my photos, the brass on this rifle reflects the sun like a spotlight. I'll let you know how it goes.

Small game report: 2 rabbits spotted. No squirrels.

July 4th. Not worth another post. Here's the camo tape I put on last night. It's more like a bandage than tape, which sticks to itself and not the metal. So far it's holding on even better than the tape. I saw 2 chucks this morning but for only seconds each. Walking the stone path that the DEP laid down is like trying to sneak up while walking on bubble wrap. They hear me long before I see them and they are usually on the run as I round a corner where I can see them. The only chance I have is on the long stretches where I can spot them 75 yards out. Then I have the advantage, or at least they don't see me before I see them. I was expecting to see Noah today, having seen 2 squirrels, two chucks and 2 deer. No rabbits today. Squirrel season is only two months away and if it keeps up like this it will be terrible. This is the worst I've ever seen it.

First chuck of the season

2009-07-01T19:17:00.012-04:00

I really don't like to miss, and I haven't forgotten that shot I blew last weekend. Some things I can't let slide, like being outwitted by a chuck, so last night I packed up my Jeep with the intention of going directly into the woods after work. The weather wasn't promising, being cloudy and having rained during the afternoon. Determined to redeem myself, I ignoring the prediction of thunderstorms and arrived at the parking lot about 4:45.

As I pulled into the lot, a big chuck tore across my path and disappeared into the brush. "Alright!" I thought. It doesn't get better than this when beginning a chuck hunt. I quickly parked, changed clothes and put on my gear. The temperature was around 72 degrees and the humidity was gone. There was even an occasional cool breeze. Perfect.

This time I was going to be ready. I had my left hand under the receiver while my right thumb was on the hammer. I started the hunt without applying bug spray or lighting my thermacell, and within minutes I was being swarmed with hundreds of biting mosquitoes. I threw down my pack and quickly doused myself with DEET and lit the cell. They didn't bother me much after that. I can't hunt while being distracted by bugs.

I walked the entire length of the WMA and saw nothing. My wrists were getting a bit stiff by this time, so I relaxed a little on the return trip. The sun broke for about 15 minutes, but I didn't see a thing all the way back... until I neared the final turn. This was my last chance for the day. "Get ready", I thought. Pulling back the hammer, I positioned my left hand under the receiver with the butt against my armpit. As I turned the corner I saw something brown beginning to move quickly down the path about 50 yards away. It wasn't weaving, but moving straight down the path. Knowing that any second it would break left into the brush, I stopped, calmly put the bead on it (which totally covered the animal) and squeezed. The rifle fired and the chuck began moving slower and from side to side, but it was so far I wasn't positive it was hit. Taking a few more steps, I stopped and fired again. This time it wasn't moving.

When I got to the chuck, it was not only dead, it was gutted. I am absolutely amazed by the amount of damage that tiny 17 caliber bullet is capable of. The chuck was small compared to others I've nailed in this area, which made the 50 yard shoot even better. As I proved on the range a couple weeks ago, the iron sights on the Henry Golden Boy are right on the money, which makes it harder to understand how I missed that chuck last Saturday. Oh well. The ice is finally broken and I hope this is the first of many successful chuck hunts to come this summer.

How could I have missed?

2009-06-27T12:54:00.011-04:00

What started out as a near perfect morning turned into a miserable, short hunt. The temp was 71F with no humidity. It had hailed and rained the evening before, so everything was still moist. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was blazing. Perfect chuck hunting weather, or so I thought.

Remember last weekend I said that I had given up trying to second guess small game? The weather had been terrible, yet I saw more small game than ever. Today was the opposite. There HAD to be chucks out on a perfect day like today. About 5 minutes down the trail a deer stood with it's back to me, and it wasn't until I was less than 25 yards away that its ears went up, it looked over its shoulder and leaped into the brush. I which chucks were that def! I did not spot a single squirrel the entire day, nor a chuck as I continued to the far end of my hunting area.

About half way on my return trip I turned a corner and a big brown chuck butt was staring me in the face only about 25 yards away. It immediately sensed my presence and started running down the path. This time I was ready; having cocked my Golden Boy before taking the corner with the rifle already up near my shoulder. The chuck ran full out, weaving from side to side. I got a bead on it and fired. Missed!! Now it went into overdrive and took a sharp left to enter the brush. I fired again. Another miss!! If I could have turned around and kicked my own ass I would have. How could I possibly miss a shot like that? Last week I was putting bullets through the same hole at a longer distance than this at the range. For whatever the reason, I missed and it turned out to be the only chuck of the day. Mosquitoes were at their worst, though I was covered with bug spray and carried a burning Therma-Cell. Normally a miss like this would have gotten my juices flowing and I would have turned around to head out again. Instead, when I arrived at the car, I put the rifle in the trunk and left. That's not like me. I was disgusted with myself for missing that shot, it was getting very hot and the mosquitoes made it miserable. It was one of those morning that I had wished I had stayed in bed. I debated with myself all the way home whether I should give up hunting until the fall. I'm not really sure who won the argument.

Small game everywhere!

2009-06-24T12:43:00.003-04:00

Today is Wednesday and I received a call from the boss at 6am telling me that there's a power failure and the company is shut down for the day. It's drizzling lightly out but I'm already up and I'm not going to waste the morning. I headed for the woods...

Mike's rubbing it in again

2009-06-15T10:38:00.005-04:00

OK Mike, rub it in. Mike Adams from Up North Journal sent me these photos of a very recent chuck kill to get me jealous. Well it worked. I got'a get me one'a those! Nice work Mike, and thanks for the photos. I'm guessing you used your 22 Hornet. Mike has a shed in his yard and from what Mikey told me, they have tunneled from their shed to the adjoining field. It must be nice to be able to pop off chucks in your back yard.

Check out Mike's excellent new web site at www.upnorthjournal.com.

Mountain lion or dog tracks?

2009-06-09T22:15:00.006-04:00

I sent Donna's track photos to the DEP and they forwarded them to the state biologists. The DEP's verdict is that Donna photographed tracks belonging to a dog and not a mountain lion. You decide. Here's the DEP biologist's responses:

Letter 1
"Thank-you for sending the track photos. Most of the tracks in the photos
were difficult to see clearly. Photo #2 seemed to be the best of the
group. The structure of this track is not consistent with a cat track.
In a cat track, specifically a mountain lion track, the metacarpal pad
(heel pad) forms a much larger proportion of the track than what you see
in this photo. Also, in a cat track the metacarpal pad shows 3 very
distinct lobes on the bottom, and 2 distinct lobes on the top. These are
not present in this track. The track in the photo is consistent with a
canid track, specifically a domestic dog. If you look closely you will
see claw marks registering above each toe print. Claws rarely register
in a cat track. The relative symmetry and proportions of the track are
also consistent with a canid. The round shape and size eliminate other
canids such as coyote and fox. It should also be noted that the closest
wild population of mountain lions occurs in the Dakotas. A considerable
distance from CT. These photos were also viewed by the head furbearer
biologist who agreed with this identification. Hope this information
helps. Take care..."

Letter 2
"The diagram on the right side of the image you sent does not represent a
cat track in any way. In fact, add some claw marks and it would be a
perfect dog track. You may have misunderstood the website where you
found the track diagram. It is written in a confusing manner, see link
below:
http://www.cougarsanctuary.org/tracks.html
The diagram you sent (also the bottom picture on the web page) is
actually their example of a dog track. If you read #8 carefully, you
will see where they are describing the difference between a dog track
and a mountain lion track. On a dog track you can draw 2 lines between
the toes and the X does not form in the metacarpal pad as it does in a
mountain lion track (directly above the dog track diagram). So as you
yourself described, the X on your track photo forms above the metacarpal
pad, indicating it was made by a canid, not a mountain lion.

If you look at the image of the actual cat paw that you sent me you will
see what I was referring to in the previous email. Notice the 3 large
lobes on the bottom and the 2 large lobes on the top of the metacarpal
pad. If this were a cat track, these lobes would be well defined in mud.
The "peak" represented at the top of the metacarpal pad both in your
photo and the diagram you sent strongly suggests it was made by a canid
(dog). You must be careful when using the internet to identify tracks
and other sign, it contains a wealth of unreliable information, or in
this case just confusing information. Feel free to respond with any
further questions. Take care..."

Letter 3
"I would not let the possible presence of a mountain lion stop you from
walking where you want to. As I said we do not have a wild population in
this state or any state within 1000 miles. People mistake deer, coyotes,
bobcats and other animals for mountain lions all the time. We have
investigated at least a 100 alleged mountain lion sightings over the
last 10 years or so. All turn out to be bobcats, coyotes or other
animals. I assure you, at a quick glance a bobcat can look like a small
mountain lion. People often see a trailing back leg they mistake for a
long tail. People that have spent their entire lives in the woods have
sent us pictures claiming it was a mountain lion.......all of them turn
out to be bobcats upon our inspection. We pick up 30-40 bobcats, 10-20
bears, 60-70 fishers, and thousands of deer each year on the roads of
this state. We have never picked up a mountain lion. We have never been
given an actual picture of a mountain lion (imagine this with all the
trail cameras out there). We have never been given a picture of a track
that even resembled a mountain lion track. Talk to a biologist in any
nearby state and they will tell you the same thing. As far as the horse,
a bear can do a number on a horse (although they rarely attack
livestock) I assure you, we do not have a wild population of mountain
lions in CT. Hope this helps,"

Furbearer/Bear Program
CT DEP Wildlife Division
Sessions Woods WMA

So this is where all the small game are going!

2009-06-06T16:31:00.008-04:00

Here's a video of today's chuck hunt, where I discuss the difference between shooting and hunting. Watch through to the end of the film. Less than a minute after leaving the fields, a hawk nailed a rabbit on the roadside less than 20 yards away from my Jeep, so I pulled over and filmed the event. What I didn't say in the movie is that my camera was in the back of my Jeep, so I had to get out, open the back, get out the camera and return to the drivers side. Through all that motion, the hawk sat still on top of its kill. I wasn't long ago that I wrote the DEP about the abundant predator hawk population which is wiping out our small game population. Now I have an occurance on video. To date the DEP has not responded to my letter requesting that something be done to manage this problem. I think it's now politically incorrect to discuss thinning out the hawk population. I also sent them the mountain lion track photos that were shot this week. I wonder if they'll respond to those photos? If not, I'll send them to the local newspapers.

Here they are. CT Mountain Lion Tracks!!

2009-06-04T10:35:00.010-04:00

"This occurred at the intersection of Keegan Rd and Todd Hollow Rd at the Hancock Dam entrance way."

Thanks To Donna Simpkins we finally have proof that there are mountain lions in CT. I'll be sending them to the CT DEP. Thanks again Donna!

If you look back at my 2007 hunting page, you'll see a post where I had a very close encounter with a mountain lion at Roraback WMA. The DEP rejected my report.

A farmer who owned the land where I coyote hunted in the next town over from where this sighting occurred told me that he had a horse ripped to shreds and killed by a mountain lion.

Last year I was stopped by a man driving a car while taking a walk in the same town that Donna encountered this mountain lion. It was a salesman who stopped to warn me that not long before, he was calling on a client and standing on their porch when all of a sudden a mountain lion came out of the bush and sat in the middle of the road. The guy told me he was panic stricken. The DEP needs to realize that bobcats are small and they don't scare people. Mountain lions are very big and are as scary as hell. I sent Donna's photos to the DEP and asked them to forward my letter and file attachments to the state biologist. Then I asked that he contact me with the results. I'll let you know if and when he does. Until then, be careful in the woods.

6/2/09 Chuck Hunt. 5 Spotted!

2009-06-02T14:33:00.005-04:00

Get this: Yesterday Dave, a guy I've worked with for 14 years, informed me that his daughter was taking a walk somewhere around Terryville CT when she was confronted by a mountain lion a stone's throw away! She was afraid, but kept her wits and reached for her camera phone, but by the time she got it out the cat took off. Dave said that his daughter was able to get some good photos of the cat's tracks next to something she put down for size. Now that's being on the ball! If I can get her to release the photos to me I'll post them here, and also send them to the CT DEP, since they still refuse to admit that there are mountain lions in the state. I ran into one last year, so no one has to convince me. In fact, I will no longer call coyotes at Roraback while alone with just a 22cal rifle because I'm afraid I might call in a mountain lion instead. This is great!

So close and yet so far

2009-05-09T15:37:00.005-04:00

A reminder that woodchuck season is closed until June 1st

Just about everyone I know including myself has been very sick from allergies over that past few weeks. Two weeks ago the temperature jumped 40 degrees overnight and it lasted three days. Everything opened and for a week I had flu-like symptoms, including a 103 fever. This is the first day in weeks I've felt well enough to walk the fields, though my wife and I still can't shake the cold-like symptoms. I never had a problem with allergies until last year and this is the first year for my wife. I guess this goes hand in hand with living in the asthma capital of the country.

Today was in the low 70's and it's once again bug net weather. I recommend wearing face netting and a long sleeve shirt so you can keep your focus on hunting instead of swatting bugs. When I pulled into the meadows I slowed down to check out the crossroads that run left and right of the parking area. As I slowly rolled the vehicle by, I spotted a chuck running across the road to my right, then it disappeared. I parked the car and headed down the path. Not long after, a turkey came running out onto the path in front of me and headed down the path. It reminded me of the turkey last year that did the same, but instead came running toward me. In two hours of walking that was all that I saw. Once again, no squirrels and no sign of coyotes.

I just sent a report to the DEP that some kind neighborly person dumped 12 tires in the duck hunting parking area over the past two weeks. To do that they had to drive over the rocks to bypass the gate that closes off the road. I have requested that they send someone to pick them up, as they did the hot water heater and the couch I reported over the past year.

On my way out of the parking area I stopped at the stop sign. Directly in front of me less than 25 yards was the biggest chuck I'd ever seen, foraging around in the grass at the edge of someone's yard. I put the car in 'park' and sat there and watched it. It ignored me until I decided to leave, at which time it rather slowly leaped away. I'm hoping that as the season goes on, it will become adventurous and wander across the street. At least there's a couple out there to keep an eye out for when the season reopens next month.

One final note: Over the past month I contacted the DEP regarding muskrats and the laws regarding harvesting them with a rifle, as well ask requesting that they read my post regarding the decreasing squirrel population and the glut of predatory hawks in the area. So far they have not responded.

The dissapearance of small game at Cromwell Meadows

2009-04-25T19:27:00.008-04:00

Today was an absolute perfect day for hunting. In the morning it was in the mid 60's. By afternoon the 80's. Blue sky, bright sun. What more could I ask? I didn't get out too early because I know chucks like to sun themselves and I've rarely seen one in the very early morning. To make a long story short, I walked the Meadows for three hours and searched as hard as I could using binoculars for any sign of squirrel. Once again there were none. When I reached my favorite squirrel hunting area, two hawks silently circled the area at treetop level obviously searching for anything that moved. Yesterday there were three hawks doing the same while I hunted chucks at Roraback. A couple of weeks ago I did see a chuck at the Meadows, but there's been no sign of one in the two times I've hunted the area since.

I've come to the conclusion that the problem not only lies with predator coyotes, but also the explosion of the hawk population over the past few years. I've told you the story of how I was sitting under a tree motionless coyote hunting in full camo when two hawks glided down out of nowhere and ripped a squirrel from the tree that was directly in front of me. About a month ago a hawk hovered at rooftop level in my back yard attempting to snatch a dead bird from my porch. Weeks ago there were at least a half dozen hawks circling the highway on my way to Cabela's. Outside of my window at work lies a large open field. It is not unusual to see a hawk sitting on the branch of a nearby tree or to see two or three circling the area. If you read down the blog you'll see photos of a hawk up close and personal that were taken by the installation crew where I work while installing a sign on a rooftop in Hartford. Hawks are everywhere, and I believe they have destroyed the small game populations were I hunt.

Roraback has five packs of coyotes, and with the increased hawk population it's no wonder that small game is nearly nonexistent in the area. The Meadows has coyote as well (I've seen three over the past year), though I believe the numbers are far less than Roraback. But hawks are on patrol 24/7, and nothing can escape their keen eyesight, stealth and speed.

I will request that the CT DEP to seriously investigate this problem and begin managing it in the WMA's (Wildlife Management Areas). I have walked these woods nearly every weekend for the past two years and I will notify them that I perceive this to be a growing problem. September was an excellent month for squirrels, but since October the squirrel population has all but disappeared. During the winter of 88-89 hunting was not great, but I would usually see squirrels moving, if only from a distance, and had harvested quite a few after the snow had fallen. This year small game nearly disappeared once pheasant season opened. I used the excuse that the spooked squirrels were hiding in the hollow trees. Once the snow fell and the hunters left I was baffled as to why the squirrels had not begun to reappear. Though I did see a few, there were not many and instead of the population increasing over time, they decreased and now are basically non-existent.

If you read this blog you know that I am an avid squirrel hunter. I know of no one else who's regularly out on the weekends hunting them during the season in this area. While others are hunting pheasant and ducks, I'm hunting squirrel. I enjoy squirrel hunting so much that you know I believe we have a serious problem when I will be recommending to the DEP that they suspend all squirrel hunting in these areas and others if necessary until the population recovers. I also request that the DEP look into the explosion of the hawk population and if necessary, do something to manage it. CT needs to bring back its small game population. Some say that this is a habitat issue, but I don't believe it. This is a predator problem.

I for one have decided to suspend all small game hunting in the area until further notice, and I am requesting that you consider doing the same. Any shooting I do over the summer will consist of coyote hunting or range shooting. I don't think this problem will reverse itself without DEP intervention, but I hope I am proven wrong in September. I do hope the state takes my concern seriously and takes any action required to assure that there is a healthy small game population available for future generations of Connecticut hunters.

NOTE: If you believe that I am mistaken, please report what you have seen to me at squirrelhunting@sbcglobal.net. And as always, feel free to send me your rimfire stories and photos. Thanks, Bob

A perfect day for walking the fields of Roraback

2009-04-24T23:22:00.005-04:00

What a perfect day today! All I could think about as I sat at my computer at work today was how nice it would have been to have called in sick. The temp was 74 with a deep blue sky so right after work I headed out for Roraback WMA and walked the fields for an hour looking for chucks and keeping an eye out for small game. As usual there was nothing, but once again there were hawks circling the field above me; this time three. Any wonder why there are no small game animals? Between the 5 packs of coyotes that are known to be roaming the area and hunting hawks, small game doesn't stand a chance. When is the DEP going to realize that they need to get these birds under control. How about opening season on them for a week... or even one day?

With the nice weather comes the bugs, so be protected. I came prepared, having put mosquito netting in my vest, which went on soon after entering the corn fields. It sure beats the annoyance of having bugs landing on your face while trying to concentrate on watching the fields. The red barn was full of hundreds of young hornets, so be careful. I'll be out looking for chucks in the morning before it gets too hot, and I'll let you know if anything interesting happens. Have a great weekend in the outdoors!

How to mount a squirrel by Mikey Adams, Up North Journal

2009-04-20T22:32:00.008-04:00

Hey Bob,

For mounting a squirrel (red, fox, gray ect.) you are going to need some basic material's if your looking to start taxidermy on a squirrel:

Squirrel (preferably fresh)
Form to match the squirrel (any taxidermy supplier carries)
Dry Preserve (get from supplier or 20 mule team borax will work)
Skinning knife and fleshing tools
Thread
Needles
Clay
Eyes (plastic or glass [from supplier])
Wire
Small push pins (to hold facial and foot area in place when drying)
Hanger/mounting brackets
Tail Stripper (optional)

1st off take your squirrel and thaw it all the way through if it was in the freezer. For a running up mount like mine you are going to want to make an cut from the rectum to the brisket. Now all you are doing is taking the hide off the squirrel so you don't have to get fancy about it. Be careful to not cut any hole's in the hide. If you do, don't fret you can sew it up later! Skin the squirrel all the way down the legs to the last knuckle before the nail on the paws and clip them with wire cutters (on both hind legs). Next advance to the tail section, skin it down about 2 inches and use the tail stripper for the rest of it. If you don't have a tail stripper just skin it down all the way to the tip. Its best to use a tail stripper because you are going to have to sew up that tiny tail. With the tail stripper all you have to do is put a wire with the borax down the tail. Advance up the chest of the squirrel and do the same thing to the front legs as you did to the hind legs. After that move on to the head. This is the most important part of the mount so TAKE YOUR TIME!!! Carefully skin around the ears jaws and eyes, and make sure to keep the nose on the hide!! You will be using it later, Next its time to flesh the squirrel. You can use a spoon, butter knife, fleshing knife basically anything all I use is a scaple with a brand new blade on it. In the fleshing stage you are going to be taking off the extra meat and fat off the hide that you didn't get off in the skinning stage. Yet again take your time!!! If you make a hole you can sew it up later, make sure to slice open the lips and extract the fat from them also. You will be using the inside skin to tuck the lips later. Ok, now you have a skinned and fleshed squirrel! Take you squirrel over to a sink or hose and take dawn dish soap and give the squirrel a good bath. After all the soap is out squeeze out the water and dry it with a hair dryer to fluff the fur. Now your ready for mounting!!! Take the form and put wires into the paws on the form, you will be using them for attaching the squirrel to wood or any habitat. Take some clay and fill the eye cavity flush to the edge with clay and insert the eye, also do the same with the ear holes on the form. Take the borax and get it into the hide, this will preserve the hide and make it moth proof. Slip the hide over the form and you need to make a hole on the pad of the foot so the wire will go through. Get the hide fully on the form and move the ears , eyes and mouth into position. What really helps here is to have a good reference website or pictures of live animals. Pin down the skin around the mouth, eyes and ears to keep them in place during the drying process. Sew the little bugger up and then attach it to the habitat/wood with the wire and pin the toes to the wood with needles for the drying process. Allow it to dry for a week before putting it up on the wall. Remove pins and you have your squirrel!!!! ~Mikey (Adams, co-host of the Up North Journal podcast)

FANTASTIC! Thanks Buddy. You did an excellent job. Keep me up to date as you mount more. At this rate you'll be mounting yotes by summer! Readers, if you listen to this week's Up North Journal podcast (Episode 106), Mikey discusses his mounting methods. ~Bob

Mikey Adams nails his first chuck of 2009

2009-04-19T18:52:00.005-04:00

Mike Adams Jr., co-host of the Up North Journal podcast

Mike Adams Jr. (Little Mike), co-host of the 'Up North Journal weekly podcast nailed his first chuck of the year today in a neighboring Michigan farm field. His dad Mike Sr. sent me this email:

"Bob, the round he used was one of the polytipped .22 hornet cartridges I reloaded last year. Can you believe that exit hole!"

Mikey told me that chucks are making holes under their shed and through a neighboring farmer's field. The farmer gave him permission to clear the area of these destructive varmints. Very often a cow or a horse will step into a woodchuck hole and it results in a broken leg, sometimes requiring that the animal be put down. They also do a great deal of damage to crops. Mikey reported to me that this was a running shot which makes the kill even more impressive. Great shot Mikey! The chuck never felt a thing and that's how I like it. Thanks Mikey for showing me up.

Here's a link to the Up North Journal blog, which also has links to Mikey's blog and their podcast. I highly recommend that you look up the podcast on iTunes and subscribe to have the podcast automatically downloaded each week. Mikey also makes and sells fishing flies that I hope you'll consider buying. He has photos on his personal blog and if you shoot him an email he'll get right back to you with more information and prices. Some of those flies are make with CT squirrel fir harvested by yours truly.

Chucks are moving!

2009-04-18T17:59:00.004-04:00

Thanks Mike for the 'Up North Journal' hat. A reminder to check yourself over for ticks. I brushed two off when I got home.

Woodchuck report from my buddy Jim

2009-04-08T22:31:00.001-04:00

Woodchuck report!

Started with doing a little sighting in of his 17. Right on, nickel size groups at 30 yrds. Still doing nickel size at 60. Backed off to about 120 yds. Couldn't hardly hit an oil can. Hmm, could have been his shooting. Tried myself. Same result. Another hmmmm. He turned his scope up to 9 power. Was shooting at 4 before. Could be it, I thought. Turned it back down, same thing. Should hit same at double the distance, shouldn't it?? Still puzzled bout that. Any suggestions?? (I suggested trying different ammo ~Bob)

Got out to the fields. Immediately saw one in buddies back yard, bout 70 yrds. First shot, miss. Second, could hear the 'plump'! Got him but was a body hit and he made it back to his hole. Went to another field, too much people traffic. No chucks. Got a call from my buddy, said there's another one right out back. 'Course, his 'back' yard is a new hay field and you can see about 300 yrds all around! Would love to live there, can tell ya.

One about 200 yrds, way out there. Laid on the little ridge in his back yard and proceeded to waste a few rounds. Didn't even come close. Saw another one out there. Told Jason to do the sneak on him, close the distance a bit. He got to about 70 yds for this shot and could see the tail doing the 'wave' thing. Good thing, head shot. Happens everytime! Ever see a squirrel 'helicopter' down from a tree? Sure sign he'll be there when you walk up. We bought a DVD camera thing that has a 2000 X zoom on it. Had it on a tripod and could see Jason quite well at that distance. Full screen picture. Love that little thing. First time I've used it like that. Gonna use it more can tell ya. Got his first woodchuck kill on tape and had to use my cell phone to call him and tell him to bring it back. 17's make a chucks head like mush. Was amazed. Still not impressed with the long distance shooting ability but put some of that on the shooter, if ya know. Think we can make that little gun do lots better.

Now it was my turn. Saw one run long way out there. Had to do that belly crawl to get within about 70 yds or so. All I could see was his head poke up, then he'd be gone. Sneak a bit more. Head up, I'm not moving! Down again, up again, not much of target. Bout size of a Snickers bar what I could see. Was prone and of course, shot right over his head! He knew the jig was up and was last I saw of him! Oh well, we saw SIX of 'em running around from my buddies yard! Was quite fun!

Weather was gorgeous. 60 or so, sunny, calm winds, now today, windy, cold as heck, and 1 to 3 inches forecast! Sheesh, welcome to beautiful NE Ohio!! Cracks me up. Is the Easter storm we usually get. End of the week, back to 60. Go figure!

Anyway, that's the hunting story. Hope to send you lots more now that we know where some groundhogs are!

Jim~

The BR 'Walking' Journal

2009-03-28T22:38:00.005-04:00

An additional note: Soon after arriving home I headed our to pick up some targets at Dicks via the highway. On the way I saw 7 hawks flying together about 70 feet above me. I've never seen this many in one area, which supports my thinking that the hawk population is getting out of control and could be partially responsible for the absence of small game in the WMAs. Come to think of it, I'm no longer seeing squirrels in my yard and around the neighborhood either.

Muskrats

2009-03-21T20:11:00.006-04:00

A STOCK PHOTO OF A MUSKRAT

I'll keep today's post short and sweet. I got to my spot at sunrise and as soon as I hit the water's edge, I spotted 3 muskrats swimming slowly about 15-20 yards away. I had read that muskrats are getting scarce in CT, so it was good to see them. This was a first for me in this WMA. It's legal to trap them (for now), but since I can't find anything about hunting muskrats on the DEP website, I'm assuming it's illegal.

Squirrel season ended last month, but I'll keep an eye on the population and their movements until we can hunt them again in September. I walked 3 hours and only saw one fat squirrel lumbering along at a distance just before I quit for the day. When I returned home I took my dog for a walk, and I didn't see a single squirrel anywhere, including in the cemetery, and that's very unusual. Why they are out one day and not another is beyond me. Today got up to 40, and the morning was windless, clear and sunny. It seemed like a perfect morning for squirrels to be out, but they don't ask my opinion.

I didn't see anything else moving this morning. I had my eye out for coyotes, but I didn't even see a trace of scat. Woodchucks should be out of hibernation by now and looking for food, so I'll keep an eye out for them. I saw a dead one on the side of the road last week, and like a shark, the blood put me into a feeding frenzy.

I'm hoping to get into some serious coyote hunting with Arne soon if we can get access to some private land. Until then, I'll be walking the woods just because I like to walk in the woods. I'm also looking forward to the state ranges opening soon... if CT's 'public servants' didn't cut them out of the state budget. If the ranges are paid for by the Pittman-Robertson fund (a special tax of about 11% on all ammo, gun, bow, and arrow sales, designated to go solely toward wildlife management and hunter safety courses), that doesn't guarantee that the ranges will be open either. I've read that CT politicians may have gotten their hands into this sacred fund, and directed OUR money elsewhere. If this is true, take the time to find out who is responsible and don't forget them at the next election.

Walking the woods with Sandy

2009-03-14T14:07:00.002-04:00

This is REALLY the final hunt of the 2008 - 2009 season

2009-03-01T10:35:00.004-05:00

When the September 2008 squirrel season was about to end, I had planned to have a final hunt that Saturday. Come to find out, the season ended on Friday! Now it's the regular hunting season which I thought it closed Friday. It really was open till Saturday! At least that's a mistake in my favor so I gave it one last shot in the morning. This video was taken when I was back in my vehicle reflecting on the season.

My last squirrel hunt of the season

2009-02-21T13:21:00.002-05:00

Today was just a beautiful day; 33 degrees at 8am with a blue cloudless sky. Except for a few white patches, all the snow is gone. It appeared to be a perfect day for squirrels. I walked the perimeter of the WMA, which is the more difficult route, but it usually provides much better opportunities to get some squirrel action. It took 3 hours to circle the entire area, and over that time I did not see a single game animal. So what else is new? Come to think of it, I'm not even seeing squirrels in my yard or neighborhood. Nor am I seeing roadkill. This has been a really bad and disappointing squirrel season considering September started out so well. Next Saturday is the final weekend of the season, but I've decided not to waste another morning, which is going to leave me 7 squirrels short of the season limit. I'm still kicking myself for that. I misjudged the length of the September squirrel hunting season, thinking I had an extra weekend, when it actually ended on a Friday. If I had taken Friday off from work to hunt, I believe I could have bagged the 40 season limit. That won't happen again next year I assure you.

I'm taking a vacation day next week and spending it at the range. I'll be bringing all of my guns with the purpose of getting them sighted in and trying out my hand loaded 44 magnum ammo. I might have the opportunity to hunt coyote in the Spring on some private land that's crawling with them, so I want to have the 44 magnum ready should Arne give me a call. When I hunt the state WMA's, I'll be using 17HMR's. I took the scope off the varmint express because it makes the Henry excessively heavy, and everywhere I hunt the target is up close and personal. Today I brought the Golden Boy and I was putting holes through small fishing bobs that had washed ashore at 30 yards. I don't think I have much need for a scope, but should I change my mind, the state ranges open in a couple of months and I can make the swap then.

I expect to be spending a lot of time at the range this year because I'm now reloading. I'll be experimenting with various component combinations, and considering that as a kid I was always messing around with chemistry sets and fire, this is right up my alley. Check the 2009 Range Page later this week to see how I made out with my hand loads.

After the hunt, Saturday Feb 14

2009-02-14T13:46:00.004-05:00

Bagged one with the SingleSix

2009-02-07T14:19:00.009-05:00

I did a George Costanza this morning and did everything opposite of yesterday. Instead of carrying a heavy rifle I carried a revolver. Instead of a green camo jacket, I wore blaze orange. Instead of sitting out one spot, I walked. Yesterday I took everything but the kitchen sink with me and today I carried almost nothing... and it paid off. I actually saw a squirrel today. It's been so long that I was starting to wonder if they were phantoms of my imagination. I saw it from a distance and it booked up a tree.

Mike Adams emailed me a story on squirrel calling which I read last night and it got me thinking about using that tactic more. I hid behind a tree, started calling and what do you know? I saw a head pop out from behind the trunk. I got its head in my 2X cross hairs and squeezed off a round. It dropped! I couldn't believe it. There's nothing like the sound of a slab of tree bacon hitting the ground. Watch the video for details.

One final note: I'm not used to hunting with a handgun, and I forgetting my ProEars electronic hearing protection. I ended up going back to my vehicle and jamming a ripped napkin into each ear to keep from going def for the next three days. As soon as I got home I dropped 2 sets of plugs into the bottom of my holster in case I forget my ProEars sometime. I suggest you do the same.

Season squirrel total: 33 (7 to go)

Set up my blind and froze this morning

2009-02-06T18:48:00.008-05:00

(I have no idea what this picture is. I saw it on an ad for an ancestry website and the guy had a squirrel on his shoulder so I thought I'd better post it).

Say what you want, I gave it my best shot today. It was about 11F and I was out before sunrise carrying about 40lbs of gear. Trudging through icy snow, I hiked as fast as I could to get a good spot before the squirrels started coming out. I carried the Henry Golden Boy 17HMR with octagon barrel which isn't what you would call a light rifle. The pack on my back opens into a chair, so it was heavier than usual. I also had the awkward task of dragging my blind along. I call it awkward because there was no way to get the blind on my back with the chair/pack there so I had to carry/drag it for a mile or so with my left arm. It was so cold that I decided to wear my knee-high boots for protection. They also weigh a ton. For clothes I had long johns under my hunting pants, a T-shirt, a long sleeve pullover, two sweatshirts and my waterproof hunting jacket covered with my blaze hunting vest (OK Mike. quit yelling at me for wearing cotton). By the time I reached my destination I was hot, but it didn't take long before I began to feel chilled. Once you stop moving you are fully dependent on what you have on to stay warm. My suggestion to you is to buy a thick pair of hunting coveralls that pull up to protect your upper body. I'm definitely buying a pair for next year.

It was now time to unpack the blind. I left it in the truck overnight and the freezing temperatures left it brittle and stiff. Though it is lined with spring steel to pop it open, it didn't unpack as usual and required that I go through all kinds of contortions to unfold it. When it was finally partially opened, I crawled inside to install the 2 spring rods that attach to the inside roof. Because the fabric was stiff, the blind refused to open to it's full size and I ended up ripping a nylon pocket off the inside of the blind which holds the end of the supporting rod. "F$!!!&K! After a bit of experimenting I managed to make the other rod support the one I screwed up. I tied them in the center and the blind was finally erected. The last problem was how get the short stakes into the ground through a foot of snow? I couldn't, so instead I weighed down the edges to keep the blind from blowing away. All this was done as quietly and as hidden as possible. I took a seat and opened the 4 windows and dropped the camo screens to block the view of the inside. So much for protection from the wind coming off the water. By now my snow covered pants were quickly becoming soaked and I was getting cold. It reminded me of when I would go sledding as a kid and would get soaking wet. At least then I was moving. But now I had to sit still for two hours in hope that my body heat would dry the pants. It didn't and man was it cold. I don't know how you deer hunters can spend hours in a tree without moving.

I used my squirrel call and barked for the next two hours. Birds were landing on the blind, so I guess I was hidden well enough. Over the past few weeks I've seen Raccoon and other tracks in this area, so I thought I might spot something wandering by; even a coyote. There was nothing. Not one thing in two hours. Though it was cold, there was occasional sun so I can't blame the weather. The past 3 months have been so bad using my usual hunting tactics that I've been contemplating sitting out a spot like this for some time. I've daydreamed of seeing the trees come alive with scampering squirrels gathering nuts before daybreak. By now it was obvious that a daydream it would remain and I was about to strike out again.

Two hours had passed and I was cold and resigned that there's just not many squirrels left to hunt in the area. Now I had to face the task of folding the blind up, which would prove to be even more fun than setting it up. Being exposed to the cold, the fabric, and now my fingers, were stiffer than they had earlier been. Since I hadn't folded this contraption since last summer, I had a great time getting the spring-loaded monster back into a bag that is smaller than a car tire. I finally manage to get it bagged to make the return trip to the truck.

Being a glutton for punishment, when I finally made it back to the truck I unloaded everything, put on lighter boots, threw the pack in the truck and headed out again in a different direction. I pushed through brush following rabbit tracks and treelines for the next hour and still I saw nothing but numerous very plump robins. When I returned to the parking area, I noticed that though the hot water heater that I had reported to the DEP was gone as they said, it had been replaced with a bed and mattress. Though the Bible teaches that we are to carry each other's burdens, some people seem to have no problem dumping their burdens on their neighbors.

I headed home, showered, changed and headed to Cabela's to pick up the 'Classic Lee Loader' for 44 magnum plus the reloading manual that I had ordered. I usually can't stand spending much time in that store because it's so crowded that it's difficult to really look at things. Being a Friday (I took a vacation day from work), the store was basically empty and I could leisurely look around and experience sticker shock looking at ammo prices. 44 magnum ammo averages between $35-$45 per 50 round box. That's nuts. I have visions of throwing a dollar bill down the range with every squeeze of the trigger. The year before last I was shooting 150-200 rounds on average every Saturday with my SKS. Imagine what that would cost today? 7.62 x 39 ammo has doubled in price since then and Cabela's had two signs posted that they are totally out. These are pre-micro stamping prices! The libs are well aware that if they add the cost of micro-stamping to ammo they will price the sport out of existence. Over the next couple of months I'll be giving reloading a try, but looking at component prices I can tell that it will still be expensive to shoot. This was not an encouraging day, but even so, tomorrow I'm heading out again with my scoped SingleSix to try out the holster that I picked up this week for it. I'm not expecting to see anything but old water bottles and tennis balls on the ground to shoot at until Spring.

Coyote Attacks Woman in Litchfield, CT

2009-02-01T12:55:00.001-05:00

1/29/2009
A woman walking along the Litchfield Turnpike in Bethany, Conn., was attacked by a coyote Tuesday night and suffered minor injuries.

Connecticut state police say the attack occurred around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The woman suffered cuts to her lower body, but is expected to fully recover.

Local authorities say there have also been two recent coyote attacks on dogs, the Associated Press reported.

While coyote attacks on humans remains rare, the state has seen an increase in attacks on small pets. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection recommends not allowing pets to run free. After Tuesday’s attack, some people might want to keep a watch out as well.

NOTE: Last year I reported two cases of dogs and their owners attacked by coyotes at Roraback WMA in Harwinton, CT. I personally spoke to both victims and I'll be gunning for those packs in upcoming months. ~Bob

Fresh coyote tracks

2009-01-31T19:06:00.006-05:00

MY HENRY GOLDEN BOY 17 HMR AND A NEW SCRUFFY BEARD

This morning was a cold one; 17 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like the single numbers. Every step cracked though the icy snow's surface and revealed my presence for at least 100 yards. Forget about sneaking up on anything.

It was obvious that no one had walked this trail in a good week since there were no fresh human footprints. About 25 yards down the trail I came across the fresh tracks of at least two coyote. I followed them for a few hundred yards and every 50 yards or so the yotes stopped, peed and dug holes through the snow into the leaves. Fresh scat sat on top of the ice. I followed the tracks to see where they headed, then decided to break it off considering anything living could hear me coming a mile away. I also saw quite a few squirrel tracks and they were also digging through the snow into the leaves. That's something I hadn't seen them do much of since the snow began to fall, so they must be running low on food. Though I saw signs of game this morning, I did not see a single thing. I sat out one spot that was loaded with tracks for half an hour until I lost feeling in my backside. That was enough for me. I hate the fact that if I strike out on Saturday, it's over for a week! When the heck is Connecticut going to do away with its Blue Law restriction on Sunday hunting? It is discouraging since there's only one month of small game hunting left this season. I need 8 more to make my season bag limit but the way things have been since October, I doubt I'll reach my goal unless I try something new. I'm not going to say that small game hunting this year is worse than last because September was fantastic, but I will say that October through January this year was much worse than last. It's not that I'm not bagging anything, but rather that I'm not even seeing anything. At first I thought the squirrels were over hunted, but I no longer believe that to be fact. I'm seeing enough signs that tell me that they are there, but just not moving. The area that I hunt is filled with old, rotten trees and there are woodpeckers everywhere constantly creating new places for squirrels to live and hide. Tree holes are plentiful so instead of living in nests, these squirrels live deep in the trees. There's plenty of places to storehouse food so there's little need for them to come out during this extremely cold and snowy winter.

After my hunt I took a run to Cabela's to pick up a camo shoulder holster that I ordered to carry my scoped SingleSix. It fits perfectly and is exactly what I've been looking for. The price was under $30. Man, I wish I could hunt with it tomorrow! Since no one is out there hunting, maybe I'll take a day off from work this week or next, set up a blind, break out my squirrel call and see if I can draw some out of the trees. I am bound and determined to nail 8 more by the end of this month.

They don't get closer than this!

2009-01-27T06:58:00.000-05:00

I'm the design director of a large sign company that often designs and installs illuminated corporate logosets very high on large city buildings. Last month our installation crew was doing work on the top of The Hartford insurance building and our Installation Supervisor Kurt Forster saw this hawk sitting there watching them work. Thanks Kurt for letting me post these beautiful photos.

Took the revolver out this morning

2009-01-24T11:54:00.002-05:00

Once again I walked from sunrise until 10:30 without spotting a single squirrel, though I did see a lot of tracks though. Something just dawned on me. Usually when you see tracks, you'll see holes in the snow or leaves where squirrels have been digging for nuts. I'm not seeing signs of digging this year. I'm spotting tracks going from tree to tree, but I don't see any signs that whey are one the move to locate food. My guess is that they stashed so much food in the hollow trees in the Fall that there's no need to come out in this weather. The area was covered with nuts this year and in September when hunting was good, the squirrels must have been picking up those nuts and moving them into the trees. If I'm mistaken please email me and fill me in on what's going on because this is very frustrating. Squirrel hunting was lousy last winter and it's worse this year. Today is Saturday and there were no other hunters in the woods which tells me the same is true for others.

Today I carried my scoped revolver instead of a rifle and after walking for 3 hours, I came across a new green tennis ball. That was too much to resist, so I put it on a stump, moved back a distance and took a shot. The ball dropped and the bullet hit dead center. I did this 3 times in a row. Obviously the 1/2 hr at the range last weekend was time well spent. Now if I can only find something warm to shoot at!

One last thing; I'd like to thank the person that dumped the hot water heater in the WMA parking area. I can't begin to understand such thinking, and I thank my parents for that.

GOOD NEWS
I shot an email to the DEP and they picked it up during the week.

Lots of tracks and a Lee Loader

2009-01-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

It was below zero last night so after weeks of seeing nothing I said "forget it" to getting up at 5am to hunt. Instead, I stayed warm under the covers this morning and didn't get into the field until 11:00. By that time the temperature has risen to 16F and it was clear and sunny. I hunted for about 2 hours. There were squirrel tracks everywhere and it was obvious that they were digging for nuts. I'm guessing their stash in the trees is starting to get low. Most of the tracks were very fresh with no melting from the sun. Would they have actually been out in sub-zero weather? Over the two hours I walked the fields I did not see a single thing. Who knows? I didn't want to waste any more of the day so I booked it.

Dirk (the guy who bought my 2 SKSs and my SingleSix) was nice enough to give me a Lee Reloading setup for my 38 Special with a scale, a bag of bullets and another of empty casings. I'm not sure what to do with it yet, but over upcoming weeks I'll be studying up on reloading 38 Special cartridges. YouTube will likely be a good resource to actually see someone reloading with this kit. As I move forward with this I'll set up a reloading page to share with you as I learn in case you're interested in getting started. Once Nobama gets into office, who knows if reloading will become illegal since there's a good chance he will push for microstamping. I think it's a good idea to buy what you need now because in 6 months reloading may become illegal and reloaders will be looked upon as the moonshiners of the Prohibition era. 'Load'm if you Got'm!' Thanks again Dirk.

Squirrel Stew

2009-01-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I grossed out my wife and kids by making squirrel stew. I had 4 squirrels stashed in the freezer since September, so I thawed them in the microwave, then quartered them and tossed the parts into a pan of hot oil. I deep fried them for about 5 minutes, then put the pieces into a crock pot with 2 cans of beef broth and a couple of beef bullion cubes. It cooked on low from 2pm till about 10, then I added garlic, a chopped onion and some carrots. By morning the broth was a dark gravy and the meat so tender that it fell off the bone. Some people can't get past their psychological aversion to eating a squirrel, so it looks like I'll be eating this great meal myself. Oh well.

Has the squirrel population relocated?

2009-01-03T20:43:00.000-05:00

It was a better morning for small game hunting than I could have ever hoped for. At 7am the sun was a blazing orange ball rising into a clear deep blue sky. It was a windless 26 degrees and the trees were bathed in a warm orange light. If there were squirrels in the field, I couldn't imagine why they all wouldn't want to be out scavenging for food through the remaining 3 inches of snow. It was so perfect that I couldn't get myself to stop hunting long enough to pull the camera out of my backpack to take a picture. Instead, I kept walking and scouting... for the next 4 hours and only spotted one squirrel for a matter of seconds. It was more frustrating than I can put into words. I ended up leaving in disgust at 11:00 to eat and run my Jeep through a car wash; the entire time contemplating if I should give up squirrel hunting entirely until September. On the way home the sky quickly clouded over and we were hit with a snow squall for about an hour. It quickly passed and returned to the clear crisp sky of this morning.

I'm a positive person by nature, so by noon those discouraging feelings had passed and I was back in the woods by 1:00. My wife on the other hand said, "You're nuts!" Though I had gotten beyond my disgust, I'm not stupid, so instead of lugging my backpack and heavy Varmint Express rifle, I put on my holster and only carried my SingleSix handgun with me. This time my intention was to do more track scouting than hunting, walking the side of the woodland opposite of where I normally hunt.

Though the sky was clear and blue, the wind seemed to reach gale force; at least that's what it sounded like with my ProEars amplifying sounds by 9X. Trees were swaying further than I had ever seen them and branches were slamming together and falling. This was not good for squirrel hunting, but who cares. This morning was perfect and I didn't see much of anything either, so I continued my scouting. Within half an hour I began to sight numerous squirrel tracks running from tree to tree. There were large holes in the snow where black leaves sat on the surface. Squirrels were obviously busy doing their thing in this area not very long ago. The further I walked, the more tracks I observed. "This is great" I thought. Maybe the Fall and early Winter floodwater displaced the squirrel population into this area! It's obvious that these squirrels had been active between New Years day and today, and since the temperature was rising and the snow was still flaky, most of the tracks appeared to be only hours old.

I decided to stop and sit out this area to see it anything would appear, though it wasn't likely considering the force of the wind and the racket it created. Within minutes a pointer appeared running back and fourth about 75 yards out and closing. This was followed by the loud yells and whistles of its owner; not a few times but continually. He obviously saw me but did not have the courtesy or sense to quiet down and work his way around me. Most bird hunters seem to consider their sport somehow superior to small game hunting and think they own these fields. They don't have a clue that some game is noise sensitive and their yelling and bell clad dogs spook the entire area for hours. Never mind walking around me; this guy walked right behind me and said, "Hello", as if he didn't have a clue that he ruined my hunt. Many bird hunters are courtious and realize that not all hunting consists of making a racket and kicking though brush. Some of us hunt in silence. A bit of courtesy toward fellow hunters would be appreciated.

I got up and moved on since any chance of seeing anything was now gone. I continued to spot tracks everywhere for the next half hour, at which time I returned to the spot where I had hunted earlier this morning. This is the area where I saw dozens to squirrels last year, but strangely there were only a few sets of tracks. My conclusion was reinforced that the floodwaters moved the squirrel population to the extreme other end of the WMA, so that's the area I need to start hunting.

This time out I decided to try using a different ammo in my revolver. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I use CCI TNT Hollow Points in my rifles and for that application it works fine, but that isn't true for the handgun. Over the summer I did a test at the range comparing CCI TNT against Hornady Varmint Express with V-Max Bullet, which is their ballistic tip. The Hornady groups where much tighter and fliers were greatly minimized. I carried that ammo in my gun this afternoon, though I haven't had a chance to zero it in at the range. I put my LaserLyte bore sighter in the revolver last week and that usually brings it right on at close handgun range. I stood up a thick sheet of ice at the base of a tree and took a few shots to check the sights. they were cloe but no cigar, so I need to spend an hour at the range this week tweaking them.

A local reader of this blog contacted me about a month ago and asked me to hook him up with my buddy Arne. It's my understanding that this reader is a big time hunter and expert shooter who has a great deal of hunting property in my area which is overrun with coyote. He wants to learn how to hunt them from a coyote hunting expert, so I hooked him up with my buddy. Arne invited me to join them when they hunt, and I'm currently debating the offer. My sole reason for hunting yotes is to bring back the small game population where I hunt, and not to kill them for pelts or simply for the sake of killing something. It would be nice to hunt on private land for a change, but I'm not sure I want to get involved in this hunt. I'll let you know what I decide. Until next time... BR

REGARDING COYOTE HUNTING

My buddy Arne asked me to come along with him to hunt coyote on someone's land that I hooked him up with through this web site. I've made the decision today only to hunt coyote if they are taking out small game where I hunt or becoming a problem in the community. I'm a dog lover so I have a hard time getting excited about killing them just for fun or for their pelts. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's just a decision for me. I have one of those coyote hunting DVDs and I really don't enjoy seeing the dogs shot, and it really ticks me off when the hunters laugh while the animal is dying. I guess that's why I haven't been hunting them aggressively lately. I assure you that if I see one while hunting I will shoot it, but I've decided not to hunt them where they are not harming anything. I told Arne that even though I don't want to get involved in his hunt I would like to report on how he does. I'll also be setting up my blind to hunt coyote in my hunting areas as soon as small game season ends.

A quick New Year Day hunt

2009-01-01T20:21:00.000-05:00

SQUIRREL TRACKS

It's New Year's Day and and a bitter cold morning. It snowed all day yesterday and this morning it was 6 degrees with a wind chill below zero. There was no way I was going to hunt at sunrise in that cold. I would consider it if hunting had been good over the past month, but it just isn't worth the effort when chances are good that I wouldn't see a thing. Instead, I had New Years breakfast with the family and headed out around 10:30. The sky was blue, temp had risen to 16 but it was still windy. Squirrels don't seem to mind cold but they don't like wind. That can't detect predators when everything is blowing around and making noise, so they don't move much.

HERE'S A PHOTO OF THE THORN BUSHES I RIPPED MY PANTS ON A COUPLE WEEKS AGO TRYING TO MAKE MY WAY AROUND THE WATER THAT FLOODED THE PATH. THEY WERE A REAL INCENTIVE TO FINALLY BUY A PAIR OF KNEE-HIGH WATERPROOF BOOTS.

I gave it a shot anyway and made in into the field by about 11:00. Some jerk with a snowmobile had already been down the trail, which is against state law. He was gone by the time I got there or I assure you that snowmobile would have been impounded. I've really had it with that kind of intrusion on our hunting areas. There were very fresh deer tracks in front of me headed down the stocking road, and as I turned the corner, there was a deer there to greet me. It was as surprised to see me as I it, and a few seconds later it pealed off into the bushes. Deer tracks were everywhere. The flood water that crosses the path and usually stops me from proceeding was frozen solid, though parts were thin. Since I had on the knee high boots I bought for Christmas, I took my chances and walked across, though it was extremely slippery. The water and ice stopped the snowmobile, so other than the animal tracks, I was walking on virgin snow. As I said earlier, it was very windy so not much was moving. I did see squirrel tracks but no squirrels until my return trip.

On the way back I crossed a father with his young son. We stopped and talked and they were pheasant hunting. I doubt they stood a snowball's chance in hell of seeing one, but as the father said, it was a nice morning to be out, especially with a young son (who looked about 10 years old). I'm guessing he received the shotgun for Christmas.

A few minutes later someone else came down the path, but this guy wasn't hunting. I'm not sure what he was doing, because he had a big bag over his shoulder, no gun, and was walking a large unleashed yellow lab. The dog growled and barked at me, then stood on its back legs until its master yelled at it to back off. It smelled me and continued on.

Within minutes an entire family came down the path laughing and making a racket. They too had a large dog that was growling at me. Now I was pissed. I told them that they were breaking state law by allowing their dog to run loose in this area. Their young boy asked me why I had a gun and I informed them that they were on state hunting property. Since there were hunters in the field and they were not wearing blaze, their family was in danger. They said they thought it was a public park and I informed them that it's posted everywhere that it's a WMA. They continued down the path until I took 2 shots at a squirrel, at which time they abruptly changed direction and headed out of the woods. I love it when people use the few hunting areas we have available as public parks. Maybe we should hunt squirrels in their public parks. I doubt they'd appreciate that but I'm sure I'd leave with a full gamebag.