Nothing moving

Since the squirrel population appears to be low, I decided to only hunt with my revolver. I sighted it in quickly in the field a couple weeks ago but the sights haven't been fine tuned at a range. I spotted 3 squirrels this afternoon, two small ones in the same tree and a larger squirrel a bit later. The two small squirrels were as dumb as I was a bad shot. Every 15 minutes or so they'd come out and sit on a branch and I'd pop off a few shots at them. They'd hide; I'd wait and in 15 minutes it would start again. I ended up shooting about half a box of ammo without hitting them. I should have thrown the gun at them like they do in the movies. If I had my Varmint Express they would have both been in my bag within 30 seconds, but what fun would that be? I didn't get a shot at the third squirrel, but it didn't matter because I would have missed anyway. There's no hunting on Sunday in this state, but I'm sure the fields will be flooded anyway. The temperature tomorrow is supposed to reach a record 65 degrees!

A great way to cook a squirrel

CLICK HERE

WARNING - Mountain lion sighting

I usually take a walk around the industrial park where I work when I'm taking my morning break and lunch. Today I was stopped by a salesman who was driving by. He warned me that a couple of years ago he was standing at the doorway of a company a few building down the road from where I work when all of a sudden a huge mountain lion stepped out of the treeline and and into the middle of the road! The salesman said it scared the heck out of him, but he stood still and studied it closely. He said that others have told him that he might have seen a bobcat, but he has no doubt that it was a mountain lion. He described the long tail, the massive forearms and distinctive head. He said this thing was big! Just like something out of a wildlife TV show.

Two years ago I also spotted a mountain lion crossing the street at Roraback WMA at a distance of about 35 yards. I have no doubt about what I saw. Be warned friends that there are mountain lions roaming the woods in CT, no matter how many times the DEP may deny their existence. One of these days there will be a severe injury or death caused by a run-in with one of these predators, and I think the state will have a law suite on its hands. So will the Obama administration if they outlaw handgun ownership, which is really our only means of effectivly dealing with a run-in with one of these powerful cats. I've been warned and now so have you.

CHRISTMAS DAY UPDATE

Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 9:53:36 AM
Subject: Re: Hidden Dangers at Roraback

I was just looking up up some information on Roraback and came across your post. I know exactly were you are talking about and it's funny you mention this mountain lion story. I along with 2 of my buddies were squirrel hunting the day after thanksgiving 11/28/08 right across the street from that parking spot you are talking about. We came across a few large piles of skat and some paw prints. i had told my buddy to come check it out & we seemed to both agree that they did not look like bear tracks rather large cat tracks . My friend had said it could be a mountain lion & there had been some sightings threw out the state. I more or less ignored the whole thing until I came across you sight . I figured I would just drop you a line about my findings .

Graham D.

An email from Dirk received 12/26/08
Subject: Paw Print

"Hey Bob I was looking at your blog today when I saw he pictures of the paw prints. This fall I was at the club in Woodstock with Lucy. We went down to change our targets when she spotted some tracks same as the ones on your blog. The one we saw was about 4 inches long. At first glance i thought it was a big dog and she said NO WAY. Then as i looked closer she was right I thought to my self that is a big cat. Then Lucy says, I think we should bring a gun with us when we go downrange from now on. Now we do!" ~Dirk

Boots and first snow!

I finally got smart and went out and bought some knee-high hunting boots last night so I can cross the flooded areas Saturday and hopefully get at the squirrels hiding on the other side of the water. I went to Dick's near my house and their Field & Stream brand w/ Thinsolate were going for $99.99. That's a lot and I know they're marked up like crazy, so Monday I hit another Dick's on the way home from work. The same boots were on sale for $89.00 and I got a $10 off certificate in the 2009 Hunting Guide which you can pick up for free at Wal-Mart. When I brought the boots to the register they rang up at $59.99 and with $10 off they came to $49.99! Half price. Now you're talk'n my language. So I'm ready for Saturday. I don't know if I'll have any better luck, but at least I'll know they're not just sitting there waiting for me on the other side of the water. I also will no longer have to try to get through those nasty thorns and pricker bushes to circumvent the water. Wish me luck.

SATURDAY REPORT

It was nice to wake up to 8"-12" of fresh snow on the ground. At 17 degrees, most of the remaining floodwater as frozen or soaked up by the snow. There was a light flurry in the air which I think kept the squirrels from coming out. Basically no tracks to be seen anywhere and except for a single set left by a squirrel. The only other guys out there made it there before me, and I arrived at 7:00. They were a group of three and I talked with them a bit. I'm always asked about the revolver because most people don't think it's legal to hunt with them and they are happily surprised when I tell them it's legal. Their eyes usually light up when I tell them the revolver is a .17 magnum because I don't think most people have ever seen one. I received an email this week where I was asked if it was legal to carry both a pistol and a rifle. I replied that there's no law restricting us from carrying both. I wonder where such rumors originate from because there sure are a lot of them going around. I didn't hear a single shot fired all morning.

Rising Floodwater

Here's my 17HMR Ruger SingleSix in the Cheyenne Western Holster and cartridge belt that Triple-K sent me. I'm sure glad I had my hands free as I attempted to make my way around the flood water.

HERE'S SOME OF THE THORN BUSHES TAKEN 1/1/09
The 4-6 inches of rain we recieved has caused the worst flooding I have ever seen at the meadows. Today was cold, windy and the paths were flooded and impassable. The animals were smart because they stayed in bed and most hunters turned around and went home. But I stayed and made my way around the water through thorns and prickers which resulted in me shredding my pants and legs. I'm sure the squirrels enjoyed watching me make a fool out of myself as much as you will. It's time to buy a pair of knee-hi boots.

Next time I think I'll stay home and just do this: CLICK HERE
Have fun!

A flooded muddy mess

Last night we were hammered with 4-6 inches of rain and the meadows were flooded much worse than I had ever seen it. Last week I put in for today off specifically to hunt, so last night I had to decide whether to hunt in the rain or go to work and take a different day off. I decided that a bad day hunting is better than a good day working, so I took the day off. It was raining steadily until about 8am, then turned into a light sprinkle. I would normally get up around 5am to hunt, but today I decide to sleep in and get up without the alarm clock, which is an extremely rare occasion. Jamie had to get off to school which woke me up at 7:00, so I was able to have a nice breakfast with my wife before heading out at 8:30.

As you watch the video you'll see that my normal hunting spots were totally submerged and the land that I hunt was cut in half by flood water. The area that is available to hunt is small, and the floodwaters cut that area down by about 75%. The places I could get to were mud. It continued to sprinkle until 9:30, then the sky began to clear. The temperature was 41 when I arrived so there wasn't ice to deal with, but a cold front was about to hit at noon which promised to drop the temperature by at least 10 degrees.

"...he told me that not long ago while on the job a small deer came running by his truck chased by a coyote. The deer ran into a fenced in area and was so panicked that it ran full speed into the fence and injured itself. The coyote then attacked the wounded deer and killed it right before of his eyes..."

There were no other hunters in the field and very little was moving. The only game I saw all day were 2 squirrels that were obviously dislocated due to the flooding that leaped out of some tall grass that grew along the trail, ran across my path and disappeared into the trees. I only saw them for a matter of seconds so I never got off a shot. I circled around to the back side of where they had gone in, then pushed as quietly as possible toward the trail I had been on, moving through dense brush and thorn bushes. When I finally arrived at the spot where the squirrels had disappeared, a truck passed by and scared everything away.

The truck's driver's side window was open so I said hello and he stopped. He was from the Water Company and said he was checking manholes. Some areas had so much water pressure from the flooding that the steel manhole covers were lifting off the manholes. That takes a tremendous amount of water pressure. I told him that I was small game hunting and had seen coyotes in the area, and he told me that not long ago while on the job a small deer came running by his truck chased by a coyote. The deer ran into a fenced in area and was so panicked that it ran full speed into the fence and injured itself. The coyote then attacked the wounded deer and killed it right before of his eyes. He told me he was too scared to get out of his truck. The odds of seeing something like that are a million to one! I'm guessing that yote had to be really hungry to attack and kill a deer like that. Remind me to never hurt myself when hunting alone in the woods.

I carried my Ruger Single Six 17HMR revolver with me in the new holster that Triple-K sent me this week. I didn't get a chance to use it on game, but I did take a few shots and was able to get the sights adjusted. I'll be back tomorrow and hopefully the small game will want to get out and stretch their legs a bit.

The curse has been broken

SQUIRREL NUMBER 32

I'm happy to report that this turned out to be a fun morning. My hopes were zero of seeing anything considering recent hunts, but things might be changing. Pheasant stocking ended last week, so when I arrived in the parking area there was only a single pickup there. Quite a change from a couple weeks prior. There were about a half dozen hunters parked in the duck and goose hunting area, and I could hear them popping off rounds from time to time. About a minute after I arrived, a pickup pulled in and 2 loud, barking hounds jumped out. "That's great" I said under my breath, but in a bit stronger language. The guy had a shotgun and he walked the path while his dogs went bonkers running through the brush. I thought I might be able to make some use of them by walking parallel to them on the other side of the tree line. I was hoping that the dogs would flush a rabbit in my direction. I didn't happen. I looped around and asked the guy if he had any luck since I heard him take a few shots, but he said "No". He then asked me if I was hunting deer and I said, "No, squirrels". He smiled and we kept walking. I think his attitude changed when I went from a deer poacher to a small game hunter in his mind. The Varmint Express is a rather large rifle, so I think people mistake it for a lever action 30-30.

For some reason that was the last I heard from that guy and his dogs. I then proceeded to take my normal route through the woods and for the first half hour saw nothing. I thought to myself, "It's going too be another one of those days". The temperature was in the low 20s and the morning sun was streaming through the trees. I started out at about 8:30 because I was so ticked off about what CVS posted on their web sight regarding guns and children that I spent a couple hours posting the info on my blogs and writing a letter to the company. That was time well spent, but it did cause me to get a late start.

About a half hour into my rounds, I saw a squirrel at quite a distance out running for a tree. It looked like a nice one so I decided I wasn't going to let this one get away. My normal inclination would be to sit it out for 10 minutes or so, then keep walking, but squirrel sightings have been so few that I was determined to stick this one out. I lost sight of it, but kept my eye on the tree so I wouldn't mix it up with another. It was a large tree so I knew the squirrel would be difficult to find. I stood behind a tree trunk and looked over all the branches but it was gone. I then moved about 30 degrees around the tree and sat out a spot for another 15 minutes. I think I did this 4 times, the last time being on the back side of the tree, directly opposite from my original position. I waited a bit over one half hour and since I was loosing the morning, I decided to wait just another 5 minutes before moving on. All of a sudden I caught something move in the corner of my eye. It was the squirrel! and it was starting to head down the tree. It would be a fairly long shot because the tree was so big, so I increased my scope's magnification to 6X. I could only see about half of it because a branch blocked the rest, so I aimed at its head and squeezed the trigger. CLICK! "Damn!" It was a misfire. I hadn't had one of those in months. That's my luck. I then cycled the lever quickly without making too much sound, got the cross hairs on the squirrel and slowly squeezed. BANG! It dropped and I heard the THUD when it hit the ground. I love that sound. YES!! I finally broke the curse that had been on me since pheasant hunting began. Everything has been spooked since mid October, so this gave me hope that things would soon be returning to normal.

"It would be a fairly long shot because the tree was so big, so I increased my scope's magnification to 6X. I could only see about half of it because a branch blocked the rest, so I aimed at its head and squeezed the trigger. CLICK! "Damn!" It was a misfire..."

I located the squirrel and it was a beauty. I took a few photos and movie clips for the blog and headed out to my favorite spot. I saw nothing for the next half hour and as I walked through my favorite spot, there was nothing. I thought to myself, "Because this area was good last year, it might not be the same this season". Just as I said that to myself I saw a squirrel run through the branches about 100 yards out. I moved as quickly and quietly from tree to tree as possible to get within range. I lost sight of it and stood behind a big tree waiting for it to show up again. All of a sudden I heard something running towards me. I turned and pointed my gun... it was a big bird dog that had earlier run up to me along the path. Two young guys were hunting with him, and it was obvious that the dog was young and wasn't trained well. I was angry because I figured that nothing would come out since the dog did a couple of laps around the area before leaving. I was wrong.

I took a seat on a stump under a tree in hopes that the squirrel would eventually come out. There was a small hill directly in front of me and I couldn't see what was directly on the other side. All of a sudden a big squirrel leaped over the crest of the hill and came running full boar directly at me. I'm guessing it was in a panic after seeing the dog. When it spotted me, it gave out a grunt, turned to my left and shot up a tree trunk that was less than 10 feet from me. It ran up about twelve feet and literally dove into a hole. This all happened in just seconds. "This is great!" I thought, and once again took a seat. About 15 minutes passed and about 75 yards out I spotted another huge squirrel running through the branches. Then about 10 minutes later it ran down the trunk. What a dilemma. I had a squirrel hiding literally a stone's throw in front of me but it wasn't moving. Now do I leave it and go after the other, or continue to sit out this one? I decided to go after the one I could see.

I proceeded to move about 20 feet and hid behind a tree. Where did it go? The squirrel was gone. My head was turning from left to right as I tried to keep my eyes on the hole to my left and the tree to my right. All of a sudden about 100 yards out I saw a squirrel run into a viney area at the very top of a large tree. I'm not sure, but this could have been the squirrel that I lost sight of to my right. It was WAY up there and I could only see it through 9X magnification. I fired 2 rounds at it but I either missed it or the small 17HMR bullet was deflected by the brush. It doesn't take much with such small fragile bullets. The squirrel went flying down the tree, jumped into another and was gone. It was now past 11:00 and the sky had gotten dark. That's it I thought. It was fun, but nothing moves in this weather. After about 15 minutes I left. So at least I had a nice one in the bag as well as a story for the blog. Let's hope this continues through the remainder of the season.

Mike and Mikey Adams

Mike Adams, host of the Up North Journal Podcast sent me these two photos of himself and his son Mikey (his sidekick on the podcast). Man, what beautiful lighting! I know they're not holding rimfires but they're great photos, they're my friends and this is my blog. Thanks Mike! ~Bob

"Both Mikey and Me were near Alpena Michigan last year deer hunting. These photos were taken on opening day of firearm deer season Nov. 15th, 2007. Mikey and I are holding a model 94 Winchester 30-30 lever action rifle. This year I let him use my Remington and I opted for a Remington Bolt Action 30-06. ~Mike Adams"

An up close coyote sighting

THANKSGIVING DAY, NOVEMBER 27

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. First let me give special thanks to our troops and their families; especially those who have to be separated from each other over the holiday. If not for you, who knows what this country would have turned into after 911? My family thanks you, wishes you a complete and speedy victory, and God's hedge of protection until your return. If not for you I'm sure I wouldn't have enjoying the blessing of this morning's leisurely hunt followed by dinner with my family.

It was 7am, and as I was about to turn off the main road and into the WMA parking area when guess what trotted out of a yard and directly in front of my vehicle? A huge, beautiful golden coyote! It was less than 25 feet in front of me and I studied it to be sure it wasn't a domestic dog. I studied the ears, the face, tail and long thin legs. Yes, this was without question a very large coyote. Yotes I've seen in the past were gray, but this one was gold, had a beautiful thick coat and a large, bushy tail. I've spent so many days in the woods in this area looking for them and striking out that I was absolutely amazed to see this one. My son Jamie and I saw a large gray coyote in the parking area on opening day this year, but that was from around 50 yards. This yote lumbered from the south out of a yard and moved north across the path of my car in a way that was similar to the red fox I saw on the way to work a month or so ago. The coyote headed toward the field where I had seen furry scat and dead moles over the summer. Now there's no doubt that they're around, and likely responsible for the disappearance of rabbits in the area. At the first opportunity I'll be setting up my blind in the area.

The morning was absolutely perfect. It was a cloudless blue sky with rays of warm light pouring through the branches. The temperature was in the upper 20's and everything was frozen. It had recently rained, so the leaves crunched with every step. I carried my Varmint Express in hand and my Single Six in my backpack. There were 10 cars in the parking lot, but very few hunters in the field. Most were waterfowl hunting and out of sight.

I walked all the best areas over my 4 hour there and did not see as much as a chipmunk. It seemed unnatural that on such a perfect, calm morning that nothing would be out. After my third hour of walking I decided to switch to the revolver and take a few shots to check my sights. I fired 2 rounds, made sight adjustments, shot two more and did the same. After 6 rounds the windage which was previously hitting to the left appeared to be right on, but I was shooting a few inches low. That should be OK because the wood block I was shooting at was only about 25 ft away, and parallax should bring the round up at typical hunting distances (about 30 - 50 yards). This time I remembered to bring ear plugs so unlike last weekend, my ears aren't ringing.

After returning to my vehicle I dropped off my rifle and backpack and just took the revolver. The odds of seeing anything were so slim that I figured I might as well travel light. By 11:00 I was packed up and on my way home to give my wife a hand with the Thanksgiving dinner. I found it strange that I had walked for 4 hours and I actually wanted to stay longer. That's unusual when having zero game sightings. I guess the morning was so beautiful that I really wanted to enjoy it. During my time in the field there wasn't a single shot from a pheasant hunter. Two guys told me that bird stocking had ended last weekend, so hunters should start thinning out quickly. My hope is that as their numbers are reduced, squirrel sightings will increase.

NOVEMBER 28

Hey, I'm a glutton for punishment so I went out again this morning. This morning wasn't sunny, but it still felt good for hunting. About 2 minutes from my house I passed the golf course and for the first time I saw deer standing on the fairway; not one, but three! That was a good sign I thought and within 5 minutes of being in the woods, I spotted a squirrel running for a tree in the distance. I felt in my bones that this was going to be the day that I broke the curse. The only hunters in the area were hunting waterfowl, so even though there was a lot of shooting, it was off in the distance. I was hoping it would simply be ambient noise to the game. Not much further down the path a hen pheasant popped out of the high grass to my left and landed in the middle of the path about 15 feet in front of me. It then walked right down the center of the path in the direction away from me; it then flushed and flew to the left. It was either suicidal or very confused. What looked like the start of a great morning turned out to be nothing when for the next three hours I saw absolutely nothing. When I began seeing the appearance of pheasant hunters and their dogs, I decided it was time to leave.

"...The slower, more confident and less instinctive squirrels quickly die, leaving the more instinctive, faster and more cautious squirrels alive. This is 'survival of the fittest', or 'natural selection'. Generation after generation, the breed gets stronger and smarter...."

TYPICAL WEAK AND STUPID SUBURBAN SQUIRREL
When I arrived home and took my dog for a walk, there were squirrels everywhere! At the corner tree 2 squirrels were chasing each other around the trunk. In one of my backyard trees a squirrel was squeezing into its leaf nest. A guy I work with knows I hunt squirrels so he regularly reports to me on how many he nailed in his backyard with a BB gun each week. Like most people that don't hunt squirrels, he doesn't understand why I'm having such a hard time finding game. I explained to him that it's like shooting your pet dog and asking a coyote hunter why he needs all those calls to draw them in. Domestic backyard squirrels have no fear of man so they freely multiply and don't run when they see you. Shooting them is like shooting fish in a barrel. On the other hand wild squirrels are born away from man during the summer when there are very few people walking the woods. When the season opens and they see people that don't belong there, they hightail it out of the area as soon as they hear the first twig snap. The slower, more confident and less instinctive squirrels quickly die, leaving the more instinctive, faster and more cautious squirrels alive.
TYPICAL STRONG AND SMART WILD SQUIRREL
This is 'survival of the fittest', or 'natural selection'. Generation after generation, the breed gets stronger and smarter. So what we have is the fat and stupid variety of squirrel in suburbia and super squirrel in the woods. The squirrels that survive the September hunt are mostly killed during pheasant season by bird hunters with 12 gauges. What's left are the few, the strong, the Marine Corps version that keep hidden. And that's what we are up against.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

LATER THAT DAY...

OK. I admit it. I have an addiction. What else can I call it when I strike out time after time and keep returning in hope that my luck will change? Sounds a bit too much like a gambling problem, doesn't it?

I returned at about 1pm and this time the parking lot was empty. About 1/2 hr later two bird hunters with dogs appeared and in time our paths crossed and we talked. They confirmed that pheasant stocking ended last Wednesday and I told them about the bird that landed in front of me this morning. I suggested that they walk the water's edge because I've seen birds fly into the reeds when I've put them up. It wasn't long before I heard a shot and I'm guessing they bagged one. Around the same time I actually spotted a squirrel about 75 yards out and running from tree to tree! I almost forgot what they looked like. Normally I wouldn't have taken a shot at a running target that far away, but since I hadn't had an opportunity to shoot my rifle at anything in weeks I cracked off 2 rounds. Of course I missed, but at least it was a little action. The sunset was beautiful with warm light illuminating the trees. I wish I could have hunted a bit longer but it was obvious that nothing else was moving and I was nearing 1/2 hr past sunset. That's it for tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday but for the first time in I don't know how long I plan to sleep in and not hunt.

4 Strikes and You're Out!

Toward the end of the week I was dying for the work week to end so I could get out and hunt this morning. Every day I'd show up for work and the weather just seemed perfect for hunting, so I was thrilled to hear that the weather was going to hold up through Saturday. They were right and the morning temperature was 21. Clear blue sky with sun streaking through the branches, which squirrels seem to like. I also figured that at such low temperatures, the bird hunters would wait to come out. The wind was brisk at the water's edge, so I was glad that I brought the mask that Arne gave me last year for winter coyote hunting as well as my ProEars, which greatly improved my hearing and kept my ears from freezing.

I arrived at 7am and the goose hunters had already arrived. Two cars were parked illegally right in the middle of my rabbit hunting area which really pissed me off. I was right about the pheasant hunters though; none were out yet.

By 8:00 the area began to fill with pheasant hunters, and to borrow that phase again from Mike Adams, it looked like a pumpkin patch, with blaze vests in every direction. No one was shooting, but there was a lot of commotion which killed any chance I might have had of seeing anything. A deer hunter with a bow was in a tree stand to my right. Wishful thinking I guess. It kind of reminded me of trying to hunt on main street. What a worthless endeavor. To make a long story short, I walked from 7:00 - 9:00 and did not see a single squirrel, nor anything else except a few birds in the trees. The pheasant hunters were wasting their time as well, and I told one guy that the stocking truck usually doesn't arrive until I'm on my way out of the woods at around 11am. So once again I left the woods without taking a single shot with my Varmint Express. It's really time to find a new area to hunt. These fields are great in September when nothing but squirrel hunting is allowed, but from October on it stinks. Why? I took over 30 squirrels by then, and in October pheasant hunters are shooting them out of the trees simply because they are there. I think the survivors are either smart or scared, and for the most part simply don't come out more than absolutely necessary. Maybe things will improve in December once the snow falls, but if it's like last year it won't improve by much. It's time to find a new spot to hunt on Saturday morning, and maybe better yet, it's time to break out that coyote blind that I bought last year.

Don't forget your ear plugs!

It's November 15th and the temperature was a balmy 65F with intermittent rain throughout the day. The only thing I have to wear that's waterproof are my 2 camo jackets. They are thin yet warm enough to wear in the dead of winter with a sweatshirt underneath. On days like today they are miserable. It was the kind of day where if I put on a jacket, I'd sweat to death. If I took it off, I'd get soaked from the rain. That helped make the day miserable. I ended up pulling my arms out of the sleeves and basically strapping the jacket to my body with my backpack. That worked OK, but it was still hot and in the middle of November, my chest and back are covered with huge bites of some kind. I thought everything was dead! That just added to the day's fun. I hunted with my varmint Express from 7:30 - 11:30 and only had 3 quick glimpses of squirrels. There was nothing I could get a shot at. For you guys (including my brother) who are so sure that if you wait 15 minutes, the squirrel will forget and come back out, let me just say, "YOU ARE WRONG!!". It isn't true; at least around here. I've waited an hour for squirrels and 95% of the time, once they are spooked they don't come back out, no matter how long you wait. So once you are busted, you might as well just keep moving. There were a few times when the squirrel came back out to give me a shot, but those instances are very rare and not a rule.

I thought the rain would keep the hunters away this morning, but I was mistaken. The lot was 3/4 full when I arrived, and I later discovered they were goose and duck hunters. Most seemed to be stationed in the swamp where I often hunt and their shooting spooked everything. By 9am the pheasant hunters and their dogs arrived, and whatever chance I had to spot something was gone. My buddy Mike Adams from the Up North Journal Podcast referred to hunting on state land as walking through a pumpkin patch. That is a perfect analogy. No matter where you look, there was a cluster of pumpkins (including myself). By 11:30 I returned to my car and left to grab something to eat, shower and clean my Varmint Express. I then decided to head out again, but this time with my 17HMR revolver. Talk about a glutton for punishment!

When I arrived at the WMA it was pouring and the temperature had risen a few degrees. Just what I wanted; more heat and no choice but to wrap myself in the vapor-lock bag I call a jacket. I reduced my pace to keep my body temperature down. Within a minute I stopped as I saw a dog with its tail turned under which had obviously caught sight of a pheasant. I stood and watched while an older hunter told the dog to find the bird. Within seconds a hen launched and two shots took it down. I don't have a great affection for pheasant hunting and dogs while I'm squirrel hunting, but I have always loved dogs and I really enjoy seeing a connection like that between a dog and its master. Unlike myself, they were both having a great time.

I walked 3 more hours but this time saw NOTHING! Not one lousy squirrel. I finally decided that I wasn't going to return home a third day without a need to clean my guns, so I stood a bottle against a log to take a few shots. I needed to check my sights anyway and most of the hunters were gone. The problem is that because it was raining, I didn't take my PoEars because I didn't want to chance shorting them out. On the drive up I was kicking myself because I realized that I had forgotten to bring ear plugs. I knew this wasn't going to be good.

While I took the lunch break, I watched an episode of one of my favorite mini-series, 'Band of Brothers', the WWII epic. I said to myself, those guys were shooting M1s without hearing protection, and they are way louder than my 17. I took the first shot and Riiiiing!!!! The 2nd shot and Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!! The third and Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! It is now 8pm, my ears are still ringing and I only have about 20% of the hearing in my left ear. STUPID!! I was never in combat, but I did go through military training with the Marines while in the Navy Seabees. There were battalions of men who were split into opposing armies firing M16s and M60 machine guns full auto at each other for two days, day and night. How the heck did I come out with any hearing?! How did the men on D-Day have any hearing left when the battle was over? I've shot next to guys on the range that were shooting M1s while double-plugged and the sound was still comfortable. My point is that I can't hear a damn thing tonight, so don't forget to WEAR EAR PROTECTION if you hunt with a handgun.

That's it. Nothing more to report. I'm really beginning to wonder if I'll reach my season total at this rate. My hope is that once the snow falls and the stocking stops, I'll be hunting alone again and the small game will once again be moving. Only 9 more to go, but in these conditions that goal is seeming a long way off.

Small game are spooked around here, but not in Michigan!

I just returned home from hunting and my feet are killing me! I arrived at my spot at 7am and was amazed to find that there wasn't a single car in the lot. It was a balmy, cloudy morning with a light mist in the air. Everything was wet from last night's rain and it was difficult to decide what to wear. If I put on something that was waterproof, I'd become so hot that I'd be drenched under the jacket in minutes. If I just wore a T-shirt, I might get really wet and sick. I ended up wearing a tank-top under a button-up cotton hunting shirt that I left open. I then wore the required blaze vest and hat over that. The jacket went in the backpack and I was good to go. Just as I was about to close up my vehicle, a pickup pulled in with a guy with his wife and young son, who were all going to bird hunt. We talked a bit and since it was his first time out in this area, I pointed him to where they usually drop off the birds.

I first hit my favorite spot, and there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. On the return trip I crossed paths with a guy and his teenage son, who both has shotguns and who were squirrel hunting. If that's not unusual enough, they were black, and black hunters are very rare in these parts. We talked for awhile and our paths crossed again in about an hour. It's nice to see a man exposing his son to hunting. I could tell that even though they weren't seeing anything, they were having a great time being together. I regret that my son would prefer to be in his room fighting a war with his networked buddies via their X-Boxes. Hunting takes patience and that's something that most kids don't have these days when they can have instant gratification at the flip of a switch.

By 8:30 there were dogs whimpering and barking everywhere while their masters blew whistles and yelled commands. No one was shooting but it turned into a total zoo. Everything is spooked so small game hunting was impossible. Over a 4 hour period I saw 3 squirrels. The first was an easy shot, but I would have had to shoot in the direction of housing, so I let it go. The tree was surrounded by dense thorn bushes, so by the time I could circle to the other side of the tree it was gone. I spotted two others, but both spotted me first from a distance so there was no chance of a shot.

I stopped and talked with another bird hunter that had two dogs. Like most, he was surprised that I hunted squirrels. He smiled and said that when he returned home, he was going to get his boys and bring them out squirrel hunting. Maybe I'm renewing a lost tradition in the area. He also said that they stop stocking pheasant after Thanksgiving, so things should start improving when the bird hunters disappear until next year.

The wet leaves that blanketed the ground were perfect for walking in near silence. Too bad there wasn't much to sneak up on. A wind was blowing and it was literally raining leaves. By next weekend the trees should be bare.

If you'd like to hear a story of an exact opposite hunting experience, here's an email I received from my buddy who creates the 'Up North Journal' podcast. It sounds like he had the day of his life in Michigan.

"What a day I had today, I missed the buck of a lifetime tonight. I took a shot right at dark and I shouldn't have, but it was one of those things that at the time seemed good. I saw 5 bucks this morning along with a skunk and bobcat! I heard a pack of coyotes at day break and they were pretty close by! My hair on the back of my neck stood on end!! I also heard a flock of turkeys coming off roost this morning. Then this evening I saw 24 deer and 6 of them were bucks!!! I watched three little bucks sparing one another. It was hilarious to watch them try to fight. Right at dark I started to come down out of the tower blind and I saw more deer coming towards me. I knew I couldn't get down and spook them, so I waited it out. Then I saw three more coming and I heard the big boy grunting! I knew it was the big one, so I waited and watched. Here he came and then he started fighting with the other two. Then they started to come in together and I couldn't tell which one was which becasue there was no light. I grabbed my field glasses and found him. All I could see was antlers! I let him get to about 20 yards and then I pulled back I had a hard time seeing the pin sight and then I let it fly, I really shouldn't have. I just bareley clipped him enough to say I hit him. It was a stupid move on my part. Then I got down and found a porcupine climbing in one of our old deer blinds through a broken window. So mr. porcupine and I had a knock down drag out fight in the blind. I won! He left with his quills between his legs! It was a beautiful day, warm, sunny, and you could smell the autumn in the air. What a day to clear my head! Life is good again, at least for a day! I'm back at it again tomorrow.

Oh yeah I forgot the story about this morning. My dad took a shot at a 8 point buck last night right at dark and couldn't find anything when he came down, including his arrow. So when I got out this morning in the same blind, I was watching the field right at day break and noticed something white flickering in the field. I grabbe the field glasses and saw a skunk! Right behind the skunk was my dad's dead deer!!! I couldn't believe it. A little later I was watching two little bucks sparing with one another, and then I looked back to the dead deer and noticed that there was something by it. I thought it was a coyote, and I looked through the field glasses again and saw that it was a bobcat trying to munch on the deer. I climbed out on the platform through the back window and the cat saw me and ran away. I took some photos of it and my dad. I will forward you one as soon as I get them uploaded. Take Care and good luck when you get back out."

Mike Adams
Mossy Oak Pro Staff
Up North Journal
www.upnorthjournal.com

I replied to Mike that if I've told him once, I've told him a thousand times; HUNTING IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE ZOO! ~Bob

A couple of small squirrels from my buddy Rob

Thanks Buddy, but that bottom one looks a bit like road kill to me ;)
Rob and I worked together for years and he now works for Cabela's.

These are some young squirrels that Rob picked off with 22 shorts. I was seeing a bunch of these small squirrels, and I did get one with my 17HMR revolver (scroll down to the Sept 27th post). Since then I haven't seen a single one.

A slow morning before the storm

The weather forecast said that a storm was going to hit at noon, so I kept my fingers crossed that the rain would hold off for the morning hunt and headed for the fields. It's difficult to see much this time of year before 7am, so I took my time getting out this morning. With the storm coming in, it was dark and cloudy, which delayed the morning light even longer. By 7:15 it was just bright enough to target a squirrel through my scope, so I put my gear on and headed out. The parking area was just about full, which means that there were near 20 vehicles; most containing multiple hunters and their dogs. I was expecting the same war-zone experience as opening day, so instead of taking my usual path, I hit another area first where I had seen and taken rabbits in the past. By the time I arrived in the area, there were already 3 trucks parked along the path, so the chances of catching a rabbit off guard were zero. Hunting with the scoped 17HMR pretty much requires that I spot a rabbit at a distance before it sees me. If I kick it out of the brush, it would be a very lucky shot to be able to roll one. Since rabbit hunting was now impossible, I turned off the path and swung into an area where I rarely see anything, though about a month ago I nailed one in this area. I was surprised that within minutes I spotted 2 big, beautiful squirrels about 100 yards out, but they had already spotted me. They ran full out so I took 2 quick shots and missed. I really didn't expect to hit them, but after that shot I made last week it was worth a try. Luck wasn't with me today.

Next I headed into another area that I rarely hunt. It's the place where I saw a woodchuck climb out of a tree during the summer. Within a few minutes I spotted a squirrel that went behind a tree trunk, not giving me a shot. I crept closer and took a seat in the grass. Within a few minutes either the same squirrel or another came running around another tree trunk. This time I was ready, acquired my target and fired. The squirrel dropped with a shot to the head, but somehow locked onto a branch and wouldn't fall. I had to hit it with a second shot to drop it. When I took this photo, I covered it with leaves to hide the mess. That was the last squirrel I saw all morning. The number of shotgun blasts I heard over the next 3 hours could have been counted on one hand. I talked to a couple of very nice pheasant hunters and both were discouraged and neither had seen anything. As I was getting into my Jeep to leave, the DEP truck arrived with a load of birds to release.

Though Pheasant season is open until January 12, very few hunters will be out once the first snow falls. I don't believe the DEP continues to stock the fields through the entire season, so once the stocking stops, bird hunting generally does as well. That's when squirrel hunting season really begins.

SEASON TOTAL (9/1 - 10/25/08): 31

Airgun squirrel hunting

These are a couple of airgun squirrel hunters I've come across over the year. At top is a guy I met today. Below is Vinny, a hunter I haven't seen so far this season. Check out the monster scope on the guy's gun I met today! Considering airgun kill range, it seems a bit overkill but as long has he's having fun with it, that's what matters. I like airguns in the same way that I hate using shotguns on small game. If you can increase the challenge, the more power to you. That's why I've started hunting with the 17HMR revolver. Problems do arise when game sightings are rare as they were for me today and you'd really like to bag the few game animals that you see. That's why half way through the day I went home and swapped my 10/22 for the scoped 17HMR. Also, if the gun doesn't have enough power to give you a clean kill, that's not good either. But if your gun has the power to do the job, airgun hunting is great! One of my sponsors is PredatorXtreme. That magazine has an excellent section on airgun predator hunting. Check it out. Vinny, drop me an email.

Regarding the squirrel below, I was just about to hang it up for the day and was on my final stretch to the parking area. I was passing through a heavily hunted area where I rarely see a squirrel, and that's why I was so surprised to see a big, fat squirrel with a beautiful white tail running from me on the ground about 40 yards away. I will usually wait until it stops for a moment to take my shot but I wasn't about to let this one get away. I quickly pulled the hammer, got my cross hairs on it and squeezed off a round. It rolled over! Nice shot if I say so myself. At least I had something to show the air gun guys in the parking area. I guess the moral of that story is never to give up and prematurely unload your firearm. I learned that lesson over the summer when unloading my 10/22 cost me a woodchuck.

SEASON TOTAL (9/1 - 10/20/08): 30

Opening Day 2008

The weather was perfect but it was like entering a war zone for the first two hours. Hunters and dogs were everywhere, so as you can imagine no squirrel in his right mind would be hanging out in those conditions. Not a single squirrel spotted in 4 hours! At least this year I had enough sense to pack it up by 11:00. Hope you had better luck.

Hunting season opens tomorrow. Enjoy it while we can.

Well friends, hunting season is here at last! I've been sick with a fever for the past 3 days, but it broke this afternoon so I'll try my best to be out there with you tomorrow. If worse comes to worse, this will be our last opening day in years when Obama isn't president and the liberals don't have total control of the White House and congress (God help us). I suggest that you get out there while you can and make some memories, because memories may be all we have in upcoming years.

IF YOU'RE NOT AN NRA MEMBER, WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! JOIN NOW! OR BE PREPARED TO HAND OVER YOUR GUNS TO THE SOCIALIST OBAMA REGIME.

THIS IS WHAT AMERICA WILL LOOK LIKE IF OBAMA WINS

First hunt with the scoped 17HMR revolver

A few days ago with the help of a B-Square scope mount I mounted a 2X fixed magnification scope on my Ruger Single Six 17HMR revolver and today was my first chance to shoot it. Immediately after mounting the scope, I used my LaserLyte bore sighter to get the revolver on paper at 50 yards (where it's set for parallax). There was no time to hit the range prior to this hunt, but I couldn't resist taking it out anyway to see what it could do. I brought a piece of paper with me and set it out about 50 yards and pinned it to a tree. I shot two rounds and was amazed that both bullets hit about 1-2" low and dead center! Not bad LaserLyte! Since I don't believe in target practicing in the woods, I decided to hunt with it as is.

THIS ONE SHOULD ONLY COUNT AS HALF ON MY SEASON TOTAL?
The day started out dark and drizzly, which didn't help with that tiny scope. I hate to report that the mosquitoes were back in full force so the camo netting had to go back on. I was amazed to see quite a few squirrels today through my foggy glasses considering the lousy weather. I'm sure that if I was carrying my Varmint Express I would have nailed 6-8. My fear is that at this rate, I'll hit the season limit of 40 by next month. Hunting with the revolver makes it unlikely that I'll hit the limit by the end of the season... unless I start getting really good with it.

A reminder not to put your cylinder up against a tree to steady yourself when you take a shot or you could burned yourself.

YOU WON'T GET A FLASH LIKE THIS FROM A 17HMR, BUT YOU GET MY POINT
As the day went on it became darker and rained harder. I bagged one squirrel, which was my first handgun kill. When I get this gun sighted in and get used to hunting with it, I think it's going to shoot as good as a rifle out to about 50 yards. Here's a few things I made note of:

• If the squirrel is at any distance, you'll want to steady yourself by leaning up against a tree. Be careful that if you rest your gun against the side of a tree that the cylinder isn't right up against it. I did that once and the flash came back to my hand, peppering it with gunpowder. I'm sure that if the position had been a bit different I could have been burned as well.
• The small scope I'm using has a narrow field of view. That means that unless my head and the scope are in correct alignment, the scope is black. You might want to consider getting a scope with a wider field of view so you can acquire targets quicker.
• The small scope also makes it difficult to see in low light and a few drops of water on the lens obliterates the view. I missed numerous squirrels today because of this.
• Be sure you have hearing protection on. This revolver sounds like a cannon in the woods compared to my rifles of the same caliber. My ProEars did a great job of reducing the gunshots while amplifying the sounds I needed to hear.
  

This is a scope for a bright, clear day. When I get the sights nailed down and get used to acquiring my targets faster, this gun will be a blast to hunt with.

SEASON TOTAL (9/1 - 9/27): 28

Mike Adams Colorado Outdoor Adventure

My buddy Mike Adams from The Up North Journal just returned from a Colorado hunting trip that I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing about. He posted a great podcast and there will be movies, photos and stories to follow. Click the links in the lower right column to get to his blogs. Enjoy!

5 In the bag

MY HENRY VARMINT EXPRESS 17HMR WITH NEW ADDITIONS TO MY TAIL COLLECTION
(THIS WILL MAKE NICE WALLPAPER FOR YOUR COMPUTER DESKTOP)

When I left the woods last Saturday and hit the highway, the CHECK ENGINE light lit up on the Jeep's dashboard. It never fails. I bag my limit and my vehicle breaks down. Thanks Murphy! So today I took the day off from work so I could have the Jeep repaired. I dropped the Jeep off at the garage last night and since I'm just hanging around waiting for the garage to call, I borrowed my wife's car for a few hours for a quick hunt. My son broke his nose playing football last Friday, so at noon today he needs to have it rebroken and set (OUCH!). The hunt will have to end by 10:00.

JUST A QUICK CLIP OF ONE OF THE FIVE

I arrived at the parking area at about 6:15, and since it's a Tuesday I wasn't all that surprised that there weren't any deer or goose hunters there. It was cooler than I thought, so this time I wore my blade hooded coat and carried my blaze vest, so when it begins to warm up I can put the jacket in the pack and pull out the vest. I didn't do that Saturday and I baked on the return trip

"While I was trying to spot squirrel movement in the trees the thought came to me that this is like trying to fish while something repeatedly tugs at your line making it impossible to know when to set the hook."

out of the woods. Within 5 minutes 2 deer stood a stone's throw in front of me and didn't move until I did. I should have been a deer hunter because how can you miss!? It's like they stood there saying "Shoot me!". I didn't see anything until I arrived at my favorite spot, but within 15 minutes I bagged my first two and a few minutes later, my next two. I was getting a lot of action but I could feel in my bones that it wouldn't continue. It was overcast and general activity in the woods was slow. I continued to hunt the area until 9:00, then spotted another on my return trip and dropped it. I had one misfire this morning when I had a squirrel's spine in my crosshairs at about 30 yards. I know I would have had 6 if the cartridge functioned.

Today was really a difficult day to hunt. There was a steady breeze for most of the morning that moved the leaves just enough to mask squirrel movement within the dense canopy. The sway of the trees also caused water drops and nuts to fall steadily from the trees. Without the ability to see leaf movement or notice them when they knock something to the ground, locating squirrels was basically limited to what I could see on the trunk and ground. It's frustrating to know that they could be right above me but I have no way to know. While I was trying to spot squirrel movement the thought came to me that this is like trying to fish while something repeatedly tugs at your line making it impossible to know when to set the hook.

As I've said in other posts, by 10am a majority of squirrel movement stops like clockwork. I know when it's time to leave when I'm thinking more about a Boston Cream and a cup of coffee than finding my next squirrel. Now to get Jamie's nose rebroken...

SEASON TOTAL (9/1 - 9/23): 27

A nose and vehicle update: The doctor decided against doing anything with my son's nose because he said that often kids break their noses multiple times. With the swelling down it doesn't look that bad so he'll wait till he's older to get it done. I told him I'd fix it for him...

Regarding the Jeep; my mechanic said that they just started putting an emissions additive in the gas for the colder weather and it's setting off everyone's 'Check Engine' light. All he had to do was reset it. It was a good thing I brought it in though because my brake calipers were locked up so they needed rebuilding and my front rotors needed replacing. What a difference driving home!... $325 lighter.

LIMIT!

Today was a beautiful, cool, crisp morning with temperatures starting in the low 40's with a high of 70F. It was my goal today to finally harvest my limit, which is 8 per day. To accomplish this I left a bit earlier and didn't allow myself to get sidetracked. Instead, I went directly to the spot that I had previously scoped out and took a seat while things woke up. It started a bit slow because instead of sun breaking through the trees, it was overcast and foggy. I've found that squirrels like that bright morning sun breaking through the branches. It gets them up and moving and most of their work on the ground is done by about 10am. So my window of opportunity is about 3 hours (7-10). After that it's always slim pick'ns.

Note that I had misfire problems again, with 4 out of 12 rounds misfiring. Considering that 3 were in a row, it had to be a gun issue and not the ammo. It could be that because I'm trying to be quiet I'm not cycling the lever hard enough to seat it correctly in the chamber. At least today the misfires didn't cause me to loose a squirrel because I dropped them both on the follow-up shot. Other than that the rifle was shooting great and not counting the misfires, it took 8 rounds to bag 8 squirrels with many of the shots being headshots. I called it a day at 11am when I bagged my limit. That was a nice feeling after being on so many lousy hunts last season.

This will likely be my last video from the field for some time. While my camera was in my pants pocket today I somehow managed to damage the screen. That means I won't have a camera while it's out for repair.

Season Total (9/1 - 20/08): 22

Firearm: Henry Varmint Express 17HMR
Ammo: CCI TNT Hollow Point

One in the bag on a humid nasty morning

It rained hard all night and this morning it was foggy and very humid. I hit the fields at around 6:45 and hunted until 10:00. I downed my first squirrel at 7:00 and that was it for the morning. There was an amazing amount of action, but the squirrels are very high in the trees and covered by a dense canopy of leaves. Twice I had squirrels directly overhead and when I looked up to take the shot, my glasses instantly fogged up from the high humidity. How aggravating! Then twice I had the crosshairs on a squirrel and my rifle went 'CLICK'. CCI, your TNT 17HMR ammo has some real problems! There are solid hits on the primer yet the round doesn't fire. This has happened on the range and while hunting with my 3 17HMR firearms. It's definitely an ammo issue, and I have emailed CCI about this in the past but they never responded. I'll email them again tomorrow after I shoot at the range. When this ammo does fire, it does a lot of damage and that's why I sighted my guns in with it. It's also available at WalMart for a bit over $12/box, and that's cheap considering Dicks has raised their price to over $15 for their lousy Remington cartridges! At the range tomorrow and I'll keep a count of misfires along with a percentage that I will report to CCI. When I arrived at my vehicle, I put the camera on the roof and filmed a few comments. Play the video for more...

One final comment: Hunting after a rain makes it much easier to stalk and sneak up on game. The leaves, dirt and sticks are soft and you can walk in almost total silence. Take advantage of it.

Season total to date... 14

Some thoughts I had tonight on hunting

Most people never stop to realize that animals in the wild rarely die a natural death. Earlier this year I witnessed a squirrel being ripped from a tree by a pair of stalking hawks. If this was put in human context, it would have been a death of the most violent and unthinkable kind. But in nature this is 'natur'-al.

The color and type of fir that I see in coyote scat tell me that they are getting their share of squirrels. Humans are predators as well, assigned daily and seasonal bag limits to keep the game population in check and to be sure that sufficient numbers survive to repopulate an area by next hunting season.

In areas where hunting is restricted, animal populations often get out of control; the coyote being a good example of this. Few people hunt these predators and hunting is limited to contained areas. Coyotes are intelligent enough to have migrated where they can be on top of the food chain; your back yard. These animals and others have lost the fear of man. Instead of chasing field mice, they are snatching the neighborhood cats and on occasion human children. Hunters do the community a public service by keeping these populations under control while being under the management of the state's Department of Environmental Protection. State supervised Wildlife Management Areas remain wild due to the fees paid to the state by hunters through their purchase licenses, guns and ammo. Chances are good that if not for hunters, these areas would quickly become developed and much of the diversity of wildlife would disappear.

Like it or not the fact is that like most animals low on the food chain, squirrels are destined to die a violent death. It amazes me that so many people have the impression that without hunters the woods would be an Eden. Fir-filled coyote scat tells us differently, and a quick death by a hunter's bullet is merciful compared to being eaten alive by a predator. Hunting is a humane and important means of harvesting this game. It puts meat in the freezer and I for one prefer to see humans fed by these animals rather than seeing an exploding, overfed coyote and mountain lion population. It also generates tax dollars paid by those involved in the sport which supports wildlife and Wildlife Management Areas.

Hunting is an extremely safe sport and is healthy to the mind and spirit. There are few people who take the opportunity to commune with nature and God the way hunters do. Hunters don't simply pass through an area as one does while on a jog down a path or while riding an ATV through the woods. I am sometimes amazed that I know every odd branch, stick and flower that could be mistaken for what it is not. Hunters carefully study the landscape while hunting; constantly looking, studying, listening, smelling. The tiniest crack of a twig or the movement of a leaf is often enough to put ones senses on high alert. Hunters love and respect the wilderness and the game they hunt in a way that few others can. It is not just what we do, but instead, it is who we are and what we believe. It ties us to our nation's past. In a small way we become one with those who pioneered this land and hunted for food with their firearms. When we hunt and shoot we are honing our skills as members of the militia, which is our 2nd amendment right and duty. We become sharpshooters, trackers, survivalists, develop self-reliance and commune with our Maker. As the Bible teaches, the attributes of our God can be clearly seen in the natural world, and I relate that to the way that the mind of VanGogh can be seen in his creations, his paintings. And these things we pass onto our children.

We should be proud to be hunters, and never allow ourselves to be shamed by those who do not understand. As hunters we are not hurting nature. We are partners with it. Happy hunting!

Mike Adams of the Up North Journal podcast and author of 'Hooks and Bullets' asked me if he could post this article on his blog. It received some nice responses. Click HERE to read it.

5 on 9-11

I took the day off from work today and spent the morning squirrel hunting. I was carrying my Henry Varmint Express 17HMR and shooting CCI TNT hollow points. If you look closely at the rifle you'll noticed that I removed both my front and rear iron sights. The VE has great iron sights that illuminate red in the front and green in the rear. The problem was that the glowing red sight can be seen through the scope. There's a single screw holding in both sights, which was a lot easier to remove than hammering out dove-tails.

Season total to date: 13

A leisurely evening hunt

What a change in weather since Saturday morning! Today was just perfect, and since I was chained to my tiny cubical all day like a veal calf to his stall, I immediatly headed into the woods as soon as they released the chain from my ankle. I hunted for an hour and came across 3 squirrels, but only got a shot at one which I blew. I did meet a friendly snapper along the way which let me photograph him. I also took this leisurely movie at sunset so I'll have something to watch tomorrow while I'm once again chained for the day. Enjoy.

A quick hunt before the storm

AN AWESOME SQUIRREL TREE

(TAKEN YESTERDAY)

I've hunted on plenty of miserable days before, but I honestly can't remember one worse than this. I arrived in the woods at 8:00 and hunted til 9:30. We are supposed to get hit with the edge of a hurricane this afternoon and this is the calm before the storm. It rained last night and now it's 80F with about 100% humidity.

When I arrived at the parking area, a guy in a pick-up pulled in soon after I put my gear on. 2 hunting dogs jumped out and began running loose around the area. The guy asked me if the season was open and I informed him that squirrels opened September 1st. His dogs were running loose, which is illegal in CT WMA's. In fact, this month it appears that all WMA's have been posted with signs that all dogs not hunting must be on a leash not longer than 7 ft.

The dogs were running all over and I thought to myself that this will kill any chance of getting the jump on any squirrels foraging on the ground. It wasn't long before the dogs dropped behind me and within a minute I saw two squirrels jumping from branch to branch. Soon more appeared and in total I counted 6. Since everything was wet and soft, I silently took cover behind a tree trunk, acquired the target in my cross-hairs and fired. The first squirrel dropped with a 'THUD!'. I sighted in a second and ....CLICK... misfire*. Damn! By then the squirrels had taken cover. As soon as I took my first shot the guy called back his dogs and left. I waited behind the tree for 15 minutes and a squirrel began to venture out and run along a branch.

"I silently took cover behind a tree trunk, acquired the target in my cross-hairs and fired. The first squirrel dropped with a 'THUD!'. I sighted in a second and ...CLICK... misfire*. Damn!"

I took aim, fired, and dropped it. Within the next 15 minutes nothing moved so I began walking. In a couple of minutes I spotted another squirrel high up in the branches, blocked by leaves. I moved in but that was the last I saw of it. For the next hour I walked the area, then returned to my original spot and waited, but nothing moved. By then I was soaked with sweat, my glasses were fogging so often it became impossible to hunt. If I took off the face screen, the mosquitoes and gnats would have been all over me. I had 2 in the bag and decided that since it was already 9am, it's likely that nothing would be moving again until after the storm passes. I turned around and left. I can't say it was a fun morning, but it brought my season total up to 8, which is half of my total for last year and I'm only a couple weeks into the season.

GUN: Henry Varmint Express

AMMO: CCI TNT 17HMR
*NOTE: I've had a continuing problem with 17HMR CCI TNT ammo at the range and when hunting. The hollow point has great expansion and is quite accurate, so I've continued using it on small game. There are usually major firing pin punctures in the cartridge rim, yet the round doesn't fire. I'll contact CCI to see if they have an explanation.

A Squirrel Hunting Story from Mathew C.

Hi there Bob!

I was just looking at your two new posts highlighting the start of squirrel season, so I thought that I would keep you up-to-date with my recent hunt. I am fortunate enough to be in contact with a fellow who owns 75 acres in my town, and he is kind enough to let me hunt there as much as I like. It's a wonderful piece of land, most of which is situated on a large, sloping hill. This Monday I headed over there to start squirrel season off right.

Decked out in my camouflage suit and orange vest, and armed with my Winchester 99/22 Legacy (with 3-9 power scope), I hiked up into the woods around 3 pm. After two unsuccessful attempts to lure the squirrels to me with my call, I decided to get up and go after them. This was a winning strategy! After only walking for about 10 minutes I happened upon a squirrel. I fired one shot as he came to a stop near a branch, but missed! Luckily I was able to keep my eye on him as he crossed over two other trees. Then, as he came to a stop again, laying flat atop a branch, I took aim and fired. This time the shot was true and I soon heard the reassuring sound of something falling through the branches of a tall tree. Hitting the ground, it took the squirrel only about 10 seconds before it expired. I quickly snatched him by the tail
and made my way to a point on the hill that overlooks the town (you can see for about 15-20 miles), and took a seat in some tall grass. The weather was just perfect! The sun was out, and there was a cool breeze that kept the heat down. As I looked at the squirrel I noticed that my shot had gone through his right eye and out the top of his head.

Having to get home by 4:30 I packed my trophy into my vest's game pouch and ran took a 15 minute hike down the hill to my car. All in all, though it was a quick hunt, it was a wonderful one! I'll be leaving work early tomorrow and heading back to see if I can't flush out another couple of squirrels. I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, what do you do with your squirrels? I attempted to field dress mine so that I could use the meat but that didn't work out. I ended up keeping the tail but burying the rest - leaving it as an easy meal for some local coyote or fox.

Mat

Fantastic Mat! I envy you having a private place like that to hunt. Thanks so much for the story and I'll post it for others to enjoy. Please keep me up to date and it would be great if you sent photos from time to time that I can post with your stories. Don't reveal your hunting spot because you have something good and you don't want guys out with 12 gauges walking through and blowing your squirrels away or kids with 10/20 scaring everything into hiding. I'm really glad you're having so much fun.

Regarding what to do with them, in my 2008 hunting page I show how I made stew that came out quite good if I say so myself. My suggestion is to gut them in the field soon after they die before they cool off and rigormortis sets in. If you make a slit through the fir in the center of their back, you can stick your two index fingers in, pull in opposite directions and their fir will come off like a glove. If you wait for the squirrel to cool and they stiffen up, it becomes MUCH more difficult to pull off the fir. In that case I'm usually so tired after a long hunt that it isn't worth the trouble, and like you take the tail and leave them as a snack for the coyotes. Bring a pair of pliers so you can break the bones at the wrists and they will be much easier to remove. Then cut through the stomach and up through the ribs and pull out the guts. I carry a pair of non-Latex gloves that you can buy by the box at CVS so you can do your cleaning and continue hunting without having a mess on your hands (so to speak). Thanks for writing and stay in touch!

Bob

Day 2 of squirrel hunting 2008

A beautiful day and 3 in the bag. NOTE: This movie was originally much longer and more detailed, but since the rise of the nutjobs in the political left over recent months, I've made the decision to mask personal information, locations, names, etc., so this movie was highly edited. In the future I'll film around these limitations and movies will go back to their normal length. Let's work hard for a McCain/Palin win so the loss of 1st and 2nd amendment freedoms are no longer an issue.

'VEGETARIAN': Old Indian work for 'bad hunter'

Opening Day of Squirrel Hunting with Jamie

JAMIE PATIENTLY WAITING
Today was a great beginning of the 2008 hunting season. My son and I pulled into the parking area at 6am. I had visions of a parking lot packed with small game hunters. Instead, the first thing that greeted us was a big, gray coyote standing where I normally park! In all the times I've hunted this area I've never see a coyote. As soon as it saw my Jeep it turned around and booked it full speed into the woods. Damn! Jamie is my good luck charm. I'm going to rub his head every time before entering the woods for now on.

"...the first thing that greeted us was a big, gray coyote standing where I normally park!"

It was a clear, cool morning with low humidity, but I knew that by 10am that was going to change. A light fog blanketed the area as we entered the fields. It takes about half an hour to walk from my parking spot to the place I usually turn around, and during that trip we only saw one squirrel at a distance. We stumbled across a couple of deer though, and that made it interesting for Jamie. I told him not to get discouraged because I had a feeling this was going to be a good morning once the sun began streaming through the fields. I was right.

"I fired at the one we had followed in and it fell like a stone. I lost track of the other squirrel so I turned to the squirrels at my right and dropped another."

We saw a squirrel run its' tail off across our path and head for a tree. We cautiously went in pursuit and moved from tree to tree. I taught Jamie to use the trees to keep hidden and to have some support while shooting. Leaves began bobbing about 30 feet up and I told Jamie to hold his fire because I knew it would make its way back toward us. It did just that and within 30 seconds that squirrel was joined by another. Then one popped out at our right and then another! I signaled for Jamie to take the squirrels to our right and I'd nail the ones in front.

It was tough shooting because the foliage was incredibly dense. Jamie got off a couple of shots but was unable to bring them down. I fired at the one we had followed in and it fell like a stone. I lost track of the other squirrel so I turned to the squirrels at my right, fired and dropped another. The remaining squirrels headed into the trees, and from past experience I know that the best thing to do is simply to walk away and check back later. Once in a tree these squirrels don't believe in the old theory that if you wait 15 minutes they'll forget and come out. This was Jamie's first close encounter with a squirrel being hunted, and I think he now has new-found respect for them...and me. These are not the squirrels that hang out in your back yard. They have keen instincts and extremely difficult to get the jump on.

We decided to push through some rough areas that looked promising and I was surprised that we didn't see anything. We then backtracked and it wasn't long before Jamie spotted a squirrel. Since it didn't see us, he wanted to wait it out. We took a seat under some trees and within 15 minutes must have spotted a half dozen, most in the distance which quickly disappeared. Once again Jamie watched the squirrels to the left and I went right and hid behind a tree. The squirrel I went after disappeared into a tree, so I went to back up Jamie. I spotted one that was blocked from his view by leaves so I took the shot. It went down, but as soon as it hit the ground it began to crawl away toward some brier bushes. I took another shot and told Jamie to shoot it since he was closer. After hitting it 3 times it finally stopped. This one wouldn't require gutting. It amazes me how squirrels will keep moving unless you hit a vital organ that kills them. I lost a few last season this way and I'm not letting it happen again. It is now my policy that if they are moving when they hit the ground, finish them off with a second shot from wherever we are standing. They are like machines and somehow always manage to make it into the briers if I don't act quickly enough. I had one heck of a job retrieving this one through thorn bushes.

We took a path back to the Jeep that required us to plow through a large section of thick, tall bug-infested brush. We were getting tired and Jamie wanted to take a break but I told him that if we stood still we'd get eaten alive by mosquitoes. Jamie agreed and we pushed on. Within 5 minutes we saw what could have been the same coyote we spotted earlier about 40 yards away. It too was plowing through the brush as it tried to get away. It disappeared in seconds so I wasn't able to get off a shot. A few minutes later something else jumped up very close to me at my right. I think my heart skipped as I quickly drew my rifle and pulled back the hammer. It turned out to be a deer and not a coyote.

Since it was Jamie's first time out in a couple of years I'm very happy that we had quite a bit of action today. I hope this is a sign of things to come this season. I'm taking tomorrow off from work and hitting the fields again. Maybe I'll get a crack at that coyote.

GUNS:

Henry Varmint Express 17HMR

Ruger 10/22

Preparing for opening day

I can't believe how opening day of squirrel season snuck up on me again this year. I'll never forget sitting in total silence while coyote hunting last year and all of a sudden hearing a ton of shooting going on in the background. I was really pissed because I figured it was some idiot just shooting at nothing and in the process they ruined my hunt. I didn't figure out what was going on until I got home and realized that I had missed the opening day of squirrel season!! I was the idiot! It almost happened again because I was thinking that the season opened the second or third week on the month and not on the first. I'll be there this year with my son Jamie if I can get him a license. He didn't hunt this year so I inspired him by basically giving him my 10/22 which he loves. I called Wal-Mart and they are out of 2008 licenses. My wife will try to get him one at the town hall tomorrow because he starts school the following day. If that fails I'll try Dicks. Time got away from me again because I should have done this months ago.

As I write this I'm washing our blaze vests and hats in Sportwash* to remove the brighteners from the clothing and prepare it to be treated with U-V-Killer* tomorrow night when I get home from work. This should kill the squirrel's ability to see our glowing blaze orange vests and hats. In in area we are required to wear 400 square inches of blaze visible from all sides. That means a vest and a hat. I was able to hunt from March until now in full camo but as soon as squirrel season opens the blaze requirement goes into affect. Don't forget about it.

Last weekend I sighted in my 17HMR Varmint Express and Jamie sighted in the 10/22 a week or two before. I'll be on a final chuck hunt this Saturday and I hope to verify my sights on a chuck's head. Monday is Labor Day as well as opening day and I'm scheduled to take Tuesday off from work as well so I can hunt without the crowds. I sure hope that day off turns out better than last year. I took the day off after opening day and hunted the WMA. It was HOT and I only got a shot at a couple of squirrels after walking for about 6 hours. I did drop one but the brush was so dense that I never found it. I did a lot of work in the heat and came home empty handed. I've been watching things all summer, so I think I have a much better handle this year as to where to hunt and where not to waste my time. Even that's no guarantee of doing well because someone could hunt the area before I get there or they could simply be laying low. The woods have been dead for weeks, so I'll be amazed if things start hopping Monday. I hope so for Jamie's sake. He was only hunting with me once and that turned out to be a dud which turned him off to the sport.

I'm hoping that Monday makes his 'Medal of Honor' and 'Tour of Duty' video war games look boring. I'll likely post again Saturday and for sure on Monday and Tuesday. Good luck friends and wish us the same!

* Click the links or check out my products page for more information on the products.

A very quick report

I hunted Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings and I'd like to report that at this time hunting stinks. The foliage and brush is so dense that it is very difficult to see anything. In the few open areas where I am able to see something I'm spotting very little; a few squirrels, a rabbit and some deer. Not nearly what I was seeing a couple of months ago, and no sight of any chucks last week. Squirrel hunting starts a week from today and my 14 year old son Jamie plans to hunt with me. He'll be shooting the Ruger 10/22 and I'll have my Henry 17HMR Varmint Express. I hope things improve by then, but I doubt it. It will be a war zone and everything will be dug into the trees. For info on the Varmint Express, check out the homepage and the 2008 Range Report. Good luck if you plan to be hunting next week. Maybe if there's more bodies for the mosquitoes to feed on in the woods they'll leave me alone.

What the best dressed men are wearing around the swamps

JUST CALL ME ITCHY

 A 10-12-08 UPDATE

I took a vacation day today to have a quick early hunt, then to take my wife to the beach as promised. It rained (again) last night, but for some reason the water had receded and the fields were accessible. I started hunting at 7am and for two hours the only thing I saw were squirrels. I was surprised that the bugs weren't bad either. I think it had to do with the fact that the temperature has dropped about 20 degrees from what it had been.

"A big fat chuck came running across the field about 30 yards in front of me and disappeared...I hit the dirt and within less than 5 second I must have been covered by a thousand mosquitoes!"

It was now 9am and I had to get home, but I decided to give it one last walk-through. This time I decided to lighten my load by jettisoning by revolver and backpack, which included my ThermaCELL unit. Well what do you know? On the return trip a big, fat chuck came running across the field about 30 yards in front of me and disappeared into the brush. I immediately hit the dirt, hoping to wait him out. Within less than 5 second I must have been covered by a thousand mosquitoes! I am not exaggerating. They were covering me in swarms. For some reason they were ignoring me for the most part as I walked, but whenever I stopped, they swarmed. I could feel them biting me through my gloves, shirt and face screen, so I said 'The hell with this!', got up, brushed them off and started walking. Within seconds most were gone. I was so angry that after all that work to locate a target, I couldn't take a shot due to those stink'n bugs. My wife is afraid that I'm going to come down with West Nile Virus or something because I'm getting bit so much. I don't think about it, but when there are that many, I'm out'a there. I'm thinking that I should wait until it drys out before hunting the area again, but if you know me, I'll be there again Saturday. I have a very short memory. Oh, while I was there I came up on two deer. I took the photo above of one of them.

10-9-08

I sat silently under a tree off the side of the road with my revolver in hand waiting for a big fat chuck to reveal itself. As I sat there motionless, I was surprised to see another hunter come walking toward me. It seems that around here I'm one of the few hunters pursuing small game this time of year. I enjoy trying to disappear when someone comes walking by, so I held perfectly still and a guy wearing a red plaid shirt, jeans and a hat who carried what looked like a 22 went walking right past me. I said to myself, "This guy has to be nuts, walking into this area unprotected from the mosquitoes". It's been raining off an on for weeks and the fields are flooded. The floodwaters have cut me off from many of my favorite woodchuck hunting spots this month. Mosquitoes are hatching and swarming everywhere. Did you ever see that 'OFF' commercial where the guy sticks his unprotected arm in the bag that's loaded with them and they immediately attack his arm by the hundreds? Well, that what it's like out here, but worse. They are not only hatching along the ponds and streams, but they are coming out of the wet mud by the thousands and they attack anything that has movement.

"He came RUNNING down the road toward the street like his ass was on fire..."

I took the picture above of myself when I came out of the woods to show you what I have to do to survive in this area. I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt that closes around my neck, a net over my entire head that exposes only my eyes, and they are covered with my glasses. The ProEars amplify sound 9X, keep me from going def when I fire my magnum handgun, as well as keeping my ears covered and protected. I wore a hat because if my balding head touches the net, they can nail it right through the netting. I also wear leather fingerless shooting gloves to protect my hands from thorns and keep them from being bitten. Long pants of course as well as boots. Recently I also started carrying a TheraCELL unit to repell mosquitoes and I douse myself with 40 DET before going out. With all this I STILL end up getting bit, but not all that much.

Remember that hunter that came walking by? In less than five minutes he came RUNNING down the road toward the street like his ass was on fire because I have no doubt he was getting eaten alive. He didn't see me on that pass either. LOL! Is it worth putting all this stuff on when it's in the 80's and my sweat is constantly fogging up my glasses? Of course not. It must have something to do with compulsive behavior because I always have the thought in the back of my head that if I don't go out today, that's the day that the chucks will decide to go tanning in every open field. That sure hasn't happened over the last two days. In fact, the last three times out I've seen nothing. My wife wants me to take a vacation day next week to take her to the beach again. I agreed if I can hunt in the morning and sleep while she drives me to the beach. Hey, I'm a glutton for punishment. When I got home and looked in the mirror I noticed that I had 5 bites around my eyes.

I shot at the indoor range early this morning before the hunt and I'll have something posted about it on the RANGE page.

"DON'T YOU KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE HIKING IN HERE?!!"

It won't take new small game hunters long to discover that run-ins with non-hunters that ruin your hunt is more common than encounters with small game.

Today I took a run up to the woods after work and decided to hunt a different, beautiful area. If you asked me to design a hunting spot in this area, this would be it. There's a nice pond with clearings around it for fishing that's perfect woodchuck habitat. Waterfalls and streams abound. Rock walls are everywhere surrounded by open areas of fields of short green grassland surrounded by all types of trees. The area is just perfect, except for one thing. I've walked this area off and on for 3 years, and I have never, let me say that again, never seen a single mammal in this area. Not a squirrel, rabbit, coyote, field mouse... nothing. "How is it possible?" I ask myself every time I hunt the area. It's looks perfect and it's totally dead. I remember posting over a year ago that the area seems as if it was hit by a neutron bomb. You know, the type of weapon that kills all the people and leaves the building standing. I know there are packs of yotes in the area, but could they have cleaned out everything?! The DEP says the habitat isn't right for rabbits, but no squirrels? I still don't get it.

I did take a few shots with my Single Six to check the sights, and after firing my second round, I hear, "DON'T YOU KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE HIKING IN HERE?!!" There was a couple on the path around 30 years old walking a dog and the girl was yelling at me. They must have followed me in because there wasn't a single vehicle in the lot or sound in the woods until now. I answered back, "THIS IS A WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA RUN BY THE STATE AND HUNTING IS PERMITTED HERE!" They turned around without a fight and left, likely because I was holding a rather large revolver. I figured that it was getting near sunset anyway, so I soon made my exit out of the woods.

When I arrived at the parking lot, the couple and their dog were standing by the stream. I took off my camo face netting and walked up to them. I think they were a bit worried until I said, "Sorry I messed up your walk, but this is state hunting land", and I pointed to the sign. The girl said that she was sorry that they ruined my hunt, and that they walk the area regularly. I explained that though it's off season, some of us still hunt coyote and woodchucks in the area. The girl suggested she wear a blaze hat and I told her that it wouldn't be a bad idea. We didn't talk long but I know that the conversation defused the situation and they didn't leave the area hating hunters.

The problem still remains that it seems that no matter where I hunt in this state, there are always non-hunters using the area for non-hunting recreation. It is dangerous as well as impossible to do the type of hunting that I do when people are walking the trails or driving down them scaring the game into hiding. I'm not really sure what to do at this point. The only solution I have at the moment is to hit the fields at 5 or 6 am and be out of there by 9. I'd like to see some sort of 'hunter's protection act' passed, so that we can carry out our sport free of harassment. Considering that most of us working stiffs only have one day a week to hunt, an intrusion of this type is unacceptable.

First Hunt with the 17HMR Ruger SingleSix

As soon as work was over today I rushed to the gun shop to finalized the purchase of my new Ruger SingleSix 17HMR revolver. I sold the 22LR/22Mag version that I bought from my brother earlier this year to one of my friends for what I paid for it. It's a great revolver but since I can't use the magnum cylinder on state land, I wasn't getting the firepower I needed. The 17HMR cartridge is straight shooting and fast, as my Henry 17HMR lever rifle proved this year. When you are shooting through a 6.5" barrel, you need all the velocity you can get out of your cartridge. A 22LR just wasn't cutting it. The 17HMR cartridge has the same velocity at 100 yards and a 22LR does at the muzzle... and my ears are now ringing to prove it. I'll start wearing my ProEars in the field as soon as the temperature cools down a bit.

I drove home as soon as I got my hands on the 17, quickly ran a bore snake through it, stuck my LaserLyte into the barrel and gave it a fast check to verify the sight alignment. It didn't look bad, so I headed out to the field with two hours left till sunset.

THE NEW SINGLE SIX 17HMR NEXT TO MY HENRY 17HMR LEVER ACTION BRASS RECEIVER COVER

On my first lap through the fields I spotted a chuck about 50 yards out. I didn't want to miss my opportunity to take a crack at it so I aimed and fired two rounds from a standing position with nothing to support myself against; a big mistake. I missed both times. Over the next hour I almost stepped on small deer on three occasions, which is always fun to do. When I got home I put the laser in the barrel and this time I really looked at it. I was shooting about 5 clicks of the rear sight screw to the right, which looks to be about about 4" at 25 yards. Who knows? I might have hit it if my sights were on. This chuck was in a new location, which is always a good sign.

The Ruger looks and feels exactly like the one built in the early 70's. I'm amazed that they made so few changes in over 30 years. I believe my 22 model was the first year of Ruger's 'New Model' SingleSixs. I felt right at home with the new single action wheelgun, and I'm looking forward to using it as a primary weapon against the chucks.

Another hunt ruined by non-hunters

Fantastic! After a year of searching, I finally located a cluster of woodchuck holes so I quickly took a seat under a tree to see if something surfaces. After sitting 20 minutes in absolute silence, I head a motorcycle in the parking area revving its engine. "Great" I thought. That's all I need. Some inconsiderate @#!* scaring the game into hiding. For the next five minutes I could hear someone riding a dirt bike through the grassy fields that run perpendicular to the parking area, which happen to be favorite woodchuck spots. "Nothing is coming out after this" I thought, so I headed back to the car.

I was surprised to see that the person on the bike wasn't a kid, but rather an adult on a new, black dirt bike. I stood at the edge of the parking area because my rifle was still loaded and we are not allowed to carry a loaded firearm where the cars park. I stared at the guy as he rode around to see what his next move would be, but when he saw me he waved and left before I could get a license number. I honestly don't think that the guy was intentionally trying to harass me. He likely just thought it would be a fun place to ride, and may have thought that my lone car in the lot was just someone going for a hike. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, but whatever his intension, he was breaking the law and would have likely had his bike impounded if he were intercepted by the DEP.

Saturday my hunting was interrupted by a couple that think the WMA is a park and a nice place to hike. The man had on a huge fanny pack that held what looked like 2 DunkinDonuts lattes (that's a new one). A couple of weeks ago there was a family with a young boy on at ATV riding down the main path, a clear violation of law. The last time I nailed a chuck it was just after running into a guy walking his dog (off its leash, which is illegal) and the dog growled at me because (the owner said) it couldn't see my face. If I didn't see the owner and had confronted this growing dog in the woods, I would have put it down to keep from being mauled (even though I love dogs and am a dog owner). Something really needs to be done about this because it's becoming more and more difficult for small game hunters like myself that hunt outside the normal season to carry out our sport. Last year at the WMA I was confronted a half dozen times by neighbors who interrupted my hunt because they thought I was poaching deer. No one seems to know that there are people like myself who hunt coyote and chucks this time of year.

I have once again contacted the DMV and asked them to have the police periodically patrol the parking area and listen up for motor vehicles. If it isn't against the law for non-hunters to use our hunting land as a recreational park, it should be. There are very few areas that we have available land to hunt, and we pay a great deal in taxes and fees to maintain this land. Their very presence is nothing short of hunter harassment. How about I stand in the middle of their tennis court with my rifle? Would that bother them or interfere with their sport? If what they are doing is not illegal, it should be.

It is now woodchuck season and woodchuck habitat is in the clearings along roads and paths, the very place that these non-hunters are traveling. They need to understand that during small game season, we hunt the paths. It would not be a good idea to be rounding a corner when a round from a 22 or a hi-velocity 17HMR is fired at a chuck that's standing at the edge of a path. Hunters look for other hunters and have the courtesy to signal each other and stay clear of the area that they are hunting. These non-hunters appear oblivious to the possible dangers that are around them and for their own good, as well as that of the hunter, they need to be kept out.

Hunting with ThermaCELL and Woodchucks do climb trees.

ThermaCELL strapped to my backpack
I went chuck hunting this morning, but today I brought a new weapon against the bugs: ThermaCell. It's a portable bug repellent unit that you can easily carry into the woods. You put in a flat dry repellent mat about the size of a stick of gum and it's ignited by an internal butane cartridge. Turn the unit on, push the igniter button a few times and you are good to go. Turn the switch off and the unit automatically shuts down. Sweet! Check out the product at this ThermaCELL Dealer: http://www.pestrepellents.com/

Another chuck and a turkey attack

After a sweltering hot week and a couple days of rain, there was finally a slight break in the weather today. Having expected this to happen, I brought my hunting gear to work and at 3:30 punched the clock, changed into my camos and headed for the woods.

The hunt began slow, though I saw a few rabbits. No sign of squirrels. I know I can't hunt them, but it's nice to know that they are there for the upcoming season. As I pushed through the field, I came across a group of tiny birds that were wandering around. They were little tiny turkeys, and as I got closer, some began pealing off into the higher grass. Some didn't appear to be as healthy, and they didn't budge. I was thinking about taking some pictures to show my wife but my camera was in my backpack and I didn't feel like taking it off. I continued pass them, when guess who comes out and stands in my path? Big Momma Turkey! I immediately stopped and began walking backward. I passed the chicks and the protective mother decided that I needed to be chased off. I quickened my pace, but so did the bird. All of a sudden it broke into a run, flapping its wings. Realizing that it was simply protecting its young, I yelled at it to stop but it kept coming. Finally when it was just a few steps in front of me I cocked my 17 and fired a shot in its direction (not at it). Immediately the turkey went 'exit, stage left!' and did and airborne 180 with feathers coming off in all directions. It flew high into a tree and was gone.

I soon met up with a guy who was taking his lab for a walk. It was obvious that the dog wasn't real happy to see me so I stretched out my hand for her to smell. The owner told me that his dog couldn't see my face so she didn't know what to make of me. I lifted the netting, stretched out my hand and the dog calmed down. One animal attack is enough for any day.

It was getting late so I decided to head back to the car. On the return trip I spotted a dark shape about 50 yards out that resembled a stump or bag. I was loosing light so it was impossible to make out what it was. I stopped and watched it, waiting for some sign of movement. It didn't move so I didn't shoot. If I can't identify my target, I hold my fire. I continued to wait for any type of movement... when all of a sudden the shape broke into a run. Damn! It was a chuck and I blew the perfect opportunity for a shot! I refused to go home empty handed, so I decided to wait the chuck out. Within a few minutes the guy and the dog returned and walked right by both of us. "Hang it up for the day" I thought. "This thing must be dug in for the night". It was now 7:00 and the sun was setting quickly. I decided to wait it out for the last half hour before sunset. Everything was wet so I took a spot standing behind a tree. 15 minutes later another smaller chuck appeared from the opposite direction of the first. I could see its head through the dense brush, so I took aim at it and fired.

I can't believe the amount of damage a tiny 17 cal. hollow point can dish out!

The chuck rolled over. Don't believe guys who tell you that a 17 can be deflected by a blade of grass! I didn't realize it was a head shot, but it was still moving so I decided to quickly finish it off. I've made it my policy to immediately take a second shot rather than to let the animal crawl off wounded. I lost too many squirrels like that last season. When its body was visible, I took aim and fired again. This time all movement stopped. When I examined the chuck, the first shot went through its head and the second amazingly just about gutted it. I can't believe the amount of damage a tiny 17 cal. hollow point can dish out!

I left the chuck right where it was and I'll check back Saturday to see there is any evidence that a coyote or a hawk picked it up. I'm sure it won't be there by morning. That's 2 chucks down and Saturday I'm going back for that running tree stump.

GUN: Henry 17HMR Golden Boy

AMMO: CCI TNT 17HMR

A quick update for Saturday

This is mostly for Mike. What a miserable morning. It's overcast, humid and should reach almost 100F today. On the way to the woods I whacked a possum with my car, and that was it for kills after 3 hours of walking in the heat and bugs. No sign of chucks today and not a single squirrel sighting. I did see a half dozen rabbits as I did yesterday, so this should be a good year for them. While exploring a back road that I've never hunted I saw a head above the brush at about 100 yards. I slowly walked toward it trying to figure out what it was. Being nearsighted didn't help. Three times it looked at me, I froze and it returned to what it was doing. When I got within about 60 yards, it dropped out of sight. It didn't leap away like deer usually do, but instead, ducked down and disappeared. It could have been a coyote, but I'm not sure.

"Woodchucks hibernate from October through February, so they eat heavily during the fall, sometimes doubling their weight. During hibernation, their body temperature drops to 40°F, and their hearts beat only four to ten times per minute."

I'd like to end this discouraging day with an encouraging thought. Early this year I saw squirrels everywhere. Now I'm seeing very few squirrels and lots of rabbits. I'm also seeing chucks where I thought none existed. Today I walked for three hours and saw very little of anything. My point being that even when the woods appear to be empty, they are loaded with life. Animals seem to be in sync. When squirrels are out, they are often out everywhere from one end of the WMA to the other. When they are dug in, there are none to be found. One day I'll see squirrels, the next rabbits. Sometimes the woods seem to be dead, but I now know that they are not. I hope you can find encouragement in that when you head out time after time and see nothing. They are there, but you just might need to return tomorrow to see them.

I will say one thing for you, you are a hard core small game hunter! You hunt harder for small game than anyone I have ever talked with. Now taking game with your vehicle is not considered hunting, except down south where my family is from! LOL! I find it encouraging to read your posts, even when you don't find game or take game. It shows me that hunting is still ALIVE! Sometimes I don't feel like getting out, then I think of how fortunate I am to be able get out, both physically and still having the opportunity to get out without the laws telling me I can't. It isn't always about taking or even seeing game, it is about the experience with nature that fuels the soul. Keep after those varmits and it won't be long until the fall seasons open for us both! Man I can't wait to get into the woods!

Mike Adams, The Up North Journal

LISTEN UP ATV RIDERS...

I went hunting after work today. It was 95 degrees and absolutely miserable at 4:30PM. Ya, so I'm nuts, but I figured that chucks might like the heat, so I gave it a shot. Well, I did come across a big, fat chuck which went into the brush before I was able to get close enough to attempt a shot. So I decided to dig in and wait it out. I sat there cooking in my long sleeves and a net over my head so as not to be eaten alive by bugs. All of a sudden a man, his wife and a boy about 10 on an ATV come down the center of the path, passing by me and the chuck. That killed the day for me. I realize that this is a family trying to give their kid some quality time, BUT THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO DO IT! IT IS ILLEGAL.

When I got home I called the DEP emergency dispatch number and asked them if this was illegal. They said it sure was, and suggested that I call them next time it happens and they will send someone out to serve them with a citation. If you ride an ATV into a WMA and I see you, I will report you, and I suggest to all hunters out there that you do the same. It only takes one inconsiderate person to ruin the day for everyone. If getting their machine confiscated and a stiff fine is what it will take to give these people an attitute adjustment, so be it. You have been warned.

My First Chuck of 2008

Thanks Mike for the 'Good Luck' before heading out to the WMA after work. Today was absolutely beautiful with a clear blue sky and temperatures in the 70s with no humidity. As the afternoon went on, I could feel it starting to heat up and by the time I was out of work, it was near 90. Man, after getting a shot at that chuck Saturday, I've been just itch'n to get out there again. As soon as work was over today, I changed, jumped into the Jeep and headed for the woods.

When I got there I saw 2 vans of people in the lot. I had no idea what they were doing, but thankfully for the bugs, no one in their right mind without a mission would subject themselves to the flying onslaught. Both vehicals took off before I finished putting my gear on, but I wasn't too pleased to see them since I saw that chuck Saturday not all that far from the parking area. I figured that it was a good possibility that they made enough noise to scare things off. I headed into the woods with lowered expectations. I passed the area where I saw the chuck over the weekend and saw nothing. Within about 5 minutes I was a brown shape moving about 100 yards away. I hunched down and stayed tightly along the edge of the grass until I was about 40 yards away. By then the shape had moved out of sight. Though I couldn't see it clearly, I knew it was a chuck by the way it moved. I took a seat and waited. I honestly didn't think I'd see it again, but within a few minutes I saw its head and shoulders pop out above the brush. I took aim with my Henry 17HMR Lever with iron sights, fired a shot, and it rolled over dead. Something in the forest will eat good tonight and I'm hoping this is a sign of things to come this season.

Yeah, Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice shot, and nice exit hole. You've got more determination that I do, 90 degrees? No way would I have sat that one out. Mikey said, nice job, and wants to know are you going to skin it out? LOL ... Now back to the chuck, find his or her den if you can. It shouldn't be to far away. Keep looking the area over there should be more of them around the same area. One down and many more to go. Mikey shot at one two days ago. These kids are crazy, they fight over who gets to shoot the chucks. I think I will send them out to you to help you thin them out. Now another thing I would try with that chuck carcass, is go back to where you left it and look for coyote sign. If you can't find any, try to put it in an area where you could look for coyote tracks. Maybe in a spot that has soft dirt around that would show some tracks. This might be a good way to check for some yotes in the area. Good Luck.

Mike Adams
Up North Journal
www.upnorthjournal.com

Congratulations, and thank you for sharing. Hope all is well. We are in final stages of moving our factory to Bayonne New Jersey.

Anthony Imperato, President
Henry Repeating Arms, Co.
110 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215

GUN: Henry 17HMR GoldenBoy

Ammo: CCI TNT 17HMR

Never unload your firearm in the field!

Two rabbits in the parking lot

I went coyote hunting this morning, but the totally unexpected happened when I came face to face with a big chuck, and both my guns were unloaded! UPDATE: On September 1st 2008, which is opening day of squirrel season, my son and I saw the biggest coyote I have ever come across standing in the parking lot as I pulled in. When it saw my vehicle, it was, 'Exit, stage left' and it ran full out down the road.

U-V-Killer on a blind

This morning I was thinking, "What's the good of putting on my camos if my blind is going to light up like a light bulb due to reflected UV light?" This evening I sprayed down the blind and made a short film of how that works. Check the Products Page later in the week to see the post.

Too much food?

Happy Independence Weekend! Here's what's been going on: I coyote hunted the last two weekends and I'm happy to report that I've seen an amazing number of rabbits and squirrels; all very young. Both weekends I set up my blind, used scent confusion, a decoy and a new electronic call. As far as I can tell, all elements were working, yet I did not bring in a single coyote. The question is, "Why not"?

I wrote a hunting buddy about it and he suggested that there's such an abundance of food that the yotes don't have a need to respond to my calls. He may be right. Rabbits and squirrels are so young, slow and inexperienced that I had numerous opportunities to take easy close-range head shots. The season isn't open on small game, but who can resist bringing the rifle up and putting the cross hairs on them? If it would have been that easy for me to fill my game bag, the yotes stomaches must be busting with food. That would explain why I'm seeing so much coyote scat, which consist mostly of animal fur. And this is the Catch 22: The coyotes need to be killed off or they will devourer all the small game by September, but how do you kill the coyotes if they are so fat and happy that they don't respond to calls? Small game hunting stunk last year, and I'll be damned if I'm going to just sit back and wait for the coyotes to clean the area out again. Eventually they will make a mistake and it will prove to be lethal for them. I'm new at coyote hunting, but logic tells me that considering the availability of food in the area, the wounded animal routine isn't the way to go. I'll have to check in with Arne to find out the time line on coyote mating and challenge calls. If food doesn't bring them out, a hot female or a good fight by an intruding coyote might.

The lousy thing about hunting during this time of year is the heat and bugs. Without this head netting, it would be impossible to spend much time in these swampy woods. My face and head are under constant attack by all types of bugs, flies and mosquitoes, so these nets are a necessity (as well as keeping me camouflaged). As you can see in this photo, they can be a problem for us guys who wear glasses. When the temperature and humidity is right, they fog up constantly and there's not much that can be done. It's a pain, but a lot better than being eaten alive. They also allow you to enter the woods without a hat, which keeps your head cooler and allows my bald head to maintain a nice tan.

The Adams are woop'n those chucks!

"Unfortunately my buddy couldn't make it to the range with his pistol. Instead, the boys and I went to Kevin's and finally started to do some reloading. We made about 200 rounds of .22 Hornets. I let the boys make a dozen each to shoot themselves. They thought that was pretty cool. I actually got to use one of my homemade rounds this morning. Momma Coyote (the wife) alerted me again to those pesky ground hogs on the stump. I dropped a hollow point on him. It did a nice job passing just above the hip and exiting the opposite front shoulder. A clean entry hole and a nasty exit hole. It gives a little more satisfaction to use a round that you made yourself. I will blog on it later with pictures and a video Kevin and I shot yesterday. I have included some photos of the varmint and the rounds we made. If you look closely you can see the empty case in the up-close photo of the ground hog. That makes 2 this week and 4 this season. The boys have taken one each, so we have eliminated 6 of those pesky hole diggers."

Mike Adams, The Up North Journal

I'm green with envy Mike. While we speak his young daughter Mackenzie has another chuck in her sights. She shot at one earlier today and missed. Later she was able to hit it but it got away. With chucks you often have to nail them in the head to roll them away from their hole or they'll make it back in to die there. Mike lives next to some farmland, and his wife often spots the chucks and coyotes and sounds the alarm. Sure beats driving half and hour and not knowing if there's anything in the area. Nice shooting Mike and Mackenzie. When's the next flight out of Bradley?

For links to Mike's blogs and his podcast, scroll down the left column to 'Blogs You Should Visit'. The top 3 links are his.

What I carry into the field

Below is a list of items I carry when I go coyote hunting. It seems like a lot, but just about everything fits into a small pack which the chair is built into. I'm always afraid that I'll forget something. For instance, if I forget my magazines, the hunt is over before it begins. Use this as a starting point and take what works for you. ~BR




FIREARMS
Rifle
Revolver and holster
Ammo (22LR)
10/22 magazines (4)
Gun cases
Shooting stick

CANVAS ITEMS
Blind and carrying bag
Blind poles (2)
Blind stakes (4)
Backpack
Chair

ATTRACTING DEVICES
Decoy (squirrel tails and wires)
Predator Bomb (3 cans):

• Fox
• Fawn
• Coyote

Electronic call:

• Speaker
• Extension wire
• Main unit
• Sound chips (3)

Mouth calls

PERSONAL ITEMS
Bug Spray
Basic first aid kit
Sunglasses
Glasses (if required)
Wallet

ELECTRONIC
Camera
Extra batteries (if required)
Cell phone
Game call, speaker and extension wire

CLOTHING
Leather shooting gloves
Camo face covering
Extra socks and sneakers (Keep in car)
Towel (Keep in car)
Camo hat
Boots
Jacket (when required)
Blaze vest (when required)

LEGAL
Hunting License
Pistol Permit

FOOD
Something to drink
Munchies

Hunting coyotes from a blind

My wife bought me this 2-man blind for Father's Day, so I thought I'd give it a try before my vacation ended. I can tell that this is going to be a great tool for coyote hunting. I thought it would be hot in the blind, but it wasn't. In fact, since I'm enclosed and can look and shoot through one-way screens, I was able to take my face screen and hat off, which made it much cooler. A nice breeze came through the 4 windows and there were no mosquitoes, and that really made life a lot nicer. I used 4 small metal stakes to nail the blind to the ground. A thunderstorm was coming in and the wind really started to pick up. The stakes did the trick of keeping the blind in place. It also helped that I set it up against a small tree.

My setup consisted of my squirrel tail decoy set up about 30 yards from the blind. I doused the area around the decoy with PredatorBomb coyote, fawn and fox urine to create scent confusion. Since the window screens in the blind are open at the bottom, every hour I pointed a can out the window and sent a few blasts into the air. I'm sure if there was anything around, they would have come to check it out. When I exited the blind at the end of my 3 hour wait, even I could smell the pungent scent of urine.

I had to get my sister to the airport this morning at 4am, so I was dead tired. The blind was so comfortable that I nodded off a few times over the 3 hours that I waited (not that that's a good thing to do while hunting). Without the blind I usually don't even like making a move to get a drink, pick up a call, swat a bug or whatever, and you never know when something is going to sneak up behind you. Those things aren't a problem when using a blind, though I still tried to keep movement to a minimum.

Long spring-type bands sewn into the edges give the blind its shape and the first time I opened it these bands made it difficult for me to fold the blind back into a little package that's the size of a small backpack. The instructions that come with it stink and made it more complicated than necessary. This is the third time I've opened it and this time I was able to fold it up in less that 60 seconds. I had visions of driving my Jeep home with a sail tied to the roof rack.

These blinds list for $99.99 and was on sale for $69. Most of these 2-man blinds seem about the same, so keep an eye out for a sale. I think it will prove to be well worth the investment. Hmmm... maybe in the Fall I can park this baby in the middle of Squirrelsville and shoot subsonic ammo at them through the screens. Interesting.

So that's where all the squirrels went!

My sister is flying in from Washington state to visit with us for a week, so I thought I'd get in one quick hunt before I have to pick her up at the airport. Today I didn't see a single rabbit, but more squirrels than I could count. As I entered the woods, a deer pealed off at my left. About half an hour later, I found a spot to call for coyotes, set out my decoy, scented the area and then took a seat with my back to a tree. I was giving wounded rabbit calls, when all of a sudden two huge hawks came swooping down, one following the other, and blew right past my decoy. At that moment there was a loud ripping sound as a panicked squirrel came blasting down the trunk of the tree that was next to the squirrel tail decoy. Within seconds the hawks reversed direction, dove down and nailed the squirrel, ripping it off the tree trunk and flying away with it. It was absolutely amazing! I've read that decoys should be tied to the ground for this reason. I'm wondering if the rabbit call brought them in, if they saw the decoy or if they just spotted the squirrel that happened to be near my setup? I'm wondering if the hawks and not the coyote are responsible for last year's thinned out small game population?

Just before I left I decided to take one last walk along a dirt road. Within a couple of minutes something jumped up from the high grass very close and immediately to my right. It was a small doe that I obviously startled. It took a couple leaps forward and stopped. I froze and the deer turned to look at me. I expected it to run, but instead, it turned toward me and slowly stepped out of the grass. It stood motionless like a deer caught in headlights. "My camera is in the side pocked of my backpack" I thought. I knew if I reached for it the deer would be gone. Instead, I remained still. The deer was only about 25 feet away and it stared at me for about 30 seconds. I then started walking toward it and it slowly pealed off into the woods and disappeared.

No coyote sightings this morning, but there was a lot of action. People who don't spend time in the woods have no idea what they are missing.

Some great info on Eastern Coyote Hunting in the June issue of Predator Xtreme magazine

Predator Xtreme is my favorite hunting/gun magazine. It's the only magazine out there that consistently puts out important predator hunting information and stories. I've worked as an art director and a professional commercial designer/illustrator since 1982, so I think I can say with some authority that this is one of the highest quality magazines on the market today. If you're not a subscriber, you should be. You can't beat their one year, 6 issue subscription price. If you buy a magazine or go into a bookstore and steal a subscription card, you can get it for $12.99. Or you can get it legally on the web for just $14.99. Either way, it's the best magazine around. Get it.

The following are a few interesting quotes from the article, 'Eastern Coyote Ph.D.' by Emory Josey from the June issue:

"...Still others achieve a measure of success, then experience a declining ratio of sightings-to-calls and wonder why. This might happen to Western callers, but is more prone to happen in the Eastern and Southern states. The reasons are simple. First, our terrain is denser, and the predator, especially the coyote, has the opportunity to get closer to us before it is sighted. The coyote uses its magnificent nose, discovers us for the frauds that we are and turns on the afterburner, and we never know it was there...

...on a given tract of land, we kill a few, educate even more, and eventually reach a point where we get little or no response. At that point, it's time to make some adjustments...

...Once a small Eastern tract is hunted a few times, it must be rested. When you do everything right and take a couple of dogs, don't go back for at least a month...

...very low volume baby cottontail cry (my favorite short-range coaxer) and I leave the caller running. By adding the turkey and crow talk before the distress cries, I have increased my sighting-to-call ration threefold!...

...I've said that the rabbit scent is a must. The mixure of coyote, fox, fawn and rabbit seems to often cause a coyote to ignore or at least tolerate human scent and is my best combination to date..."

Sorry, but that's all I'm willing to type with my two fingers. You'll have to get the magazine to read the rest. Man, could I relate to this article. When I think about it, the areas that I hunt are so small that if one other guy hunts there once or twice during the month, I might as well forget about having a dog respond to my calls. It's time to really rethink my strategy. ~BR

What the heck was making this noise?!

I was chuck hunting today when all of a sudden what sounded like a cross between a very loud snort and a steam locomotive came from my left, then from by right; back and fourth for about 5 minutes. About a minute into this, a deer jumped out from in front of me and took off. A squirrel was going nuts the entire time chattering from the tree over my head. To tell you the truth, I would have felt a little better if I had my 38 on my hip instead of my 22 SingleSix. MIke Adams said it was likely two deer snorting. Every time I started the movie rolling, the noise stopped, but I did manage to capture about 10 seconds or so. Believe me, it was A LOT louder that it sounds in this movie. Also listen for the crazed squirrel :)

Mike Adam's youngest son nails his first chuck!

"BR:
Well, I am happy to report that little Jake took his first game animal today! He came home sick from school a couple of hours early today. He was moaping around, when the wife yells out ground hog! I scurry to get the gun and took one look at Jake and asked him, do you want to take the shot? He looked at me and grinned, Yeah! So we sneaked into position and I positioned the gun for him and held it tight for him so he could steady up to take the shot. The chuck stayed still long enough for him to place the cross hairs on him and pulled the trigger! Over it went. I was so proud of him! He took his time and waited until he settled down to take the shot. At first I thought he wouldn't take it because he couldn't get a good sight picture on it. So he repositioned himself and took aim again. Bang! All of a sudden he wasn't sick anymore! Go figure! I will send pictures when I get them downloaded from the camera tonight. This all happened about 45 minutes before I had to leave for work. He wanted it skinned out to keep, so you should have seen me skinning that thing in 90 degree weather! I was a skinning fool. Fingers, knifes and elbows just a flyin' We got it skinned and Michael fleshed it out and preserved it when he got home from school. Quite the day. ~Mike

Great work Jake and congratulations. Send some chucks this way. I haven't even seen one in 2 years! Jake took the chuck at 60-70 yards with a Ruger .22 hornet.~BR

Trail Cam Shots from Mike Adams

Good luck this weekend. I just had to reply back, I just checked my trail camera at the back of the yard, guess what? I got the yote on camera along with some deer, The photo of the deer is a nice buck in velvet, check out his antlers. The yote is in the same spot only 10 days earlier. He is out right in the middle of the night check out the times. The last photo is a young deer along with probably the mother doe, the stump behind it in the field is where I shoot the groundhogs. You can see a large maple tree over the back of the older deer to the right. About 30 yards past that tree line is where I shot the coyote last January. Although, I was up in the yard a lot further when I shot at it. Thought the photos would get your coyote blood pumping for next year!!!!

Mike Adams
Up North Journal

Thanks for the pics Mike. I'll do my best to send some photos to you soon of yotes that have assumed room temperature. Maybe you should paint your camo to look like a camera and stand straight like a tree. ~BR

Squirrel Stew

(PHOTOS TOP TO BOTTOM)
1-FROZEN SQUIRRELS ADDED TO CROCK POT.
2-DEBONED MEAT, BROTH AND VEGETABLES ADDED.
3-THICKENING BROTH.


I'm no cook by a long shot, but when in a pinch, I can always throw something together or cook on the grill. I have a lot of squirrels in the freezer and because the thought of eating squirrel grosses everyone out in my family, I'm on my own. Last night I decided to make a stew in the crock pot. Squirrels can be tough, but slowly cooking them in the crock pot for 6 hours or so will make them so tender that the meat falls off the bone. Using ingredients that I had in the house, this is my recipe:

• Put 4-6 frozen squirrels in a crock pot. Cook on high until boiling, then turn to low.
  
• Simmer for 4-6 hours until tender. Remove meat and debone.
  
• Dump liquid and added 2 cans chicken or beef broth. Add the meat, a chopped union, garlic, carrots and potatoes.
  
• Season to taste: I add salt, pepper, parsley flakes, crushed oregano, and Cajun's Choice Creole Seasoning (I put this on everything).
  
• Add water until covered. Simmer on low overnight.
  
• To thicken broth, add flour to a glass of water and stir till smooth. Slowly add to stew and stir to desired thickness.
  

And that's it! It was actually very good and tender and if I didn't know better, I'd think it was roast beef.

~~ SEASON TOTAL SQUIRREL HARVEST ~~

(Sept 2007 - Feb 2008) 19 for sure went into the freezer plus 3-4 at the beginning of the season that were not recorded. 4 were knocked out of trees but were able to get away. Not bad for my first season in 30 years and having missed opening day.

A must read for the small game hunter

"To master squirrel hunting, you need the same set of skills - awareness, patience, stealth, marksmanship- necessary to every good big-game hunter."

Mike's first chuck of the year!

MIKE ADAMS WITH HIS FIRST CHUCK OF HE YEAR

I'm extremely envious of my buddy Mike Adams from The Up North Journal because he's blasted his first woodchuck of the year. Mike just emailed me this photo and he has the full story posted on his blog (CLICK HERE). Here's part of the email he sent:

"...I thought you might like to use this one since it is with the Ruger .22 hornet. I really don't know why I originally picked the hornet. I guess because it was different and that for a small caliber rifle it packed one hell of a punch! Once I saw it I fell in love with it and haven't regretted one bit since I bought it. It is one loud little .22 though, and it does quite the job on the varmints. I've wanted to take a coyote with it but haven't had the opportunity yet. The day I shot the chuck was like the day I shot the coyote, I just grabbed the closest small caliber rifle with a scope out of the safe. I guess the other day for what ever reason the hornet was in front. The day I shot the coyote it was the .22 mag up front..."

Scroll down the column at the right and look under 'Blogs you should visit' for links to Mike's blogs and audio podcast.

An April coyote walk-through

A QUICK REPORT ON TODAY'S SIGHTINGS

Monster Fish!

I took a quick walk through the woods prior to hitting the range this morning. When I pulled into the parking lot, there were 2 turkeys standing there to greet me. Then I walked by a pond that I frequent while squirrel hunting and watched what appeared to be large carp rolling the water surface, submerging and coming up elsewhere.

Coyote hunting hat

Here is a very fashionable and effective coyote hunting hat, but be warned that it does have its drawbacks and could be dangerous if worn in the field.

A Biblical understanding of hunters and the 'antis'

Some of you guys might think I'm 'out there' with this post, but that's OK. It's my blog and I'll write what the heck ever I want to. I am a Christian and have studied the Bible for many years. I don't mean that I just dissected it as some do to find holes, but rather, I prayerfully studied it on my knees (so to speak). After reading Mike's letter regarding trapping and an angry response to it on his blog, I began wondering why some of us love hunting so much and why some hate it, as well as us. Here's my conclusion from my Biblically based understanding of reality:

In the early age of Adam there was no sin or death. The concept of hunting did not even enter man's mind. Then 'man' brought sin into God's perfect world and disease and death followed.

For some strange reason God then declared that man was allowed to eat meat (hunt) . Why? I believe it could be due to the fact that death, disease, over population, and other never before heard of things were now part of this world.

The so-called ‘environmentalists’, vegetarians, etc would like to return to this, pre-Adamic state (without the sinlessness of course) but they do not realize that they can’t. We live in a sinful, fallen, disease and death ridden world which includes their very being. They would likely be shocked to know that they have actually become one of the causes of disease and death.

A hunters' longing to hunt and kill are also the result of his Adamic sin nature, but he is necessary and in harmony with this sin and death ridden environment, and I believe that is why God approved of eating meat. Killing is actually part of his duty to keep the existing world in proper balance, reducing over-population, thinning out the herds to reduce animal starvation and the destruction of their habitat, etc.

The 'antis' think they are above all this, but in truth, they are just as bad, if not worse than the rest. Their rebellion against God’s instructions to kill and eat meat has widened the problem. The truth is that they are so evil that many of them have actually killed us in their heart (which Jesus said is the same as actually doing it) to further their godless, self-righteous, distorted understanding of reality. That is the REAL sin.

BR

Putting my squirrel tails to use

(click thumbnail to enlarge)
Here's something I've thought about doing since the fall and I'm finally trying out. Last night I straightened out a wire clothes hanger and bent it in the shape of an upside down 'J'. Tied to the hanger is a thin green wire that my wife uses to make crafts, and 3 squirrel tails are tied together at the end. The long end of the hanger wire goes into the ground and the thin wire dangles the tails in the air. I walked upstairs with it and my dog (a Jack Russell Terrier) who was dead asleep caught the scent, jumped up and stood on her back legs to get a better smell. I let her snuffle it for about 15 seconds, and then it went in the Jeep. She's been following me around for at least an hour with her nose going a mile a minute. I hope the yotes respond in the same way. I took it to the woods this morning but didn't get any responses to my calls. I don't think there's many out there. I'm going to find a stick that I can tape the hanger wire to so it lifts the tails a bit higher off the ground. The tails were swaying in the breeze, and I'm sure anything around would have been attracted to it. After calling and waiting an hour, I took a walk through along the path. About half way through, I saw something rustling in the brush to the right of the path. I thought it could be a yote, so I started to sneak up. All of a sudden about 25 ft (pistol range) in front of me 2 deer came bounding across the path from my left to the right, one following the other. Awesome! I'm still wondering what was in the bushes that could have been following the deer.

Mike's New Mount

I finally got the mount back today, here are a couple of pics as it sits in my office. The pictures don't do it justice.

Mike Adams, Up North Journal
www.upnorthjournal.com

Thanks Mike! This is a beautiful mount, but it seems to have lost that handsome smile in the translation :) ~BR

7 deer roaming the WMA

CLICK TO ENLARGE AND SEE 4 OF THE 7 DEER

On my way down the main path yesterday I counted 7 deer run by me to my right about 50 yards away. Today after the hunt I did a walk through the woods and ran into the same 7! When the first 4 saw me, they froze and waited for me to move. When I raised my camera, they made a mad dash, single file to the right and 3 more not in this photo followed. I later ran into them again, this time even closer! Since I destroyed my digital camera in the woods last year when I was caught in a hail storm, I now carry an old piece of junk with me. This is one day I wish I had the good camera with the zoom. The large photo above is a cropped version of the original which you can see by clicking on the thumbnail. They were actually closer than they look in this wide angle photo.

Here's an email I just received from Mike at the Up North Journal:

"My taxidermist told me this week that a lot of guys around here are having success with a wounded woodpecker call. I can't seem to find one around here though. He told me that since everyone is using howlers, rabbit distress calls and mouse squeakers, that the woodpecker is a new and unique call that they are not used to. Maybe give that a try if you can find one."

Mike Adams, Up North Journal www.upnorthjournal.com

Hey Mike, Where can I get that woodpecker urine? ;) The WMA is LOADED with woodpeckers. Maybe I'll give it another shot if I can find a call. Thanks for the info.

Second hand information is often wrong

Over the past year I have been told the following things from experienced hunters:

• Baiting of coyote is not allowed.
• Dead coyotes must be kept in a freezer until they can be tagged, even if you do not hunt them for fur.
• Electronic calling of coyote is not allowed.
• You cannot conceal carry a pistol larger than 22LR on state land at any time, even when not hunting.
• You cannot hunt with both a pistol and a rifle on state land.
• Blaze orange need not be worn at any time when hunting coyote on state land.

I contacted the DEP about these statements and none of them proved to be true. Though I appreciate that most hunters are trying to be helpful, many any are passing back and forth bad information and some older hunters are unfamiliar with new law. When in doubt, check the most recent 'CT Hunting and Trapping Guide', but since this book has proven to be incomplete, email the DEP with your questions. I prefer email to calling so I have something in writing along with a name if I am later questioned. If they send you something interesting, please forward to email to me so I can post it.

Here are the names of some people from the state who can supply you with answers. Don't be afraid to contact them. They will usually send you back an answer within a week:

• Sergeant James Wolfe, ECON Police
  James.Wolfe@ct.gov
  
• Naomi Davidson, Webmaster, CT DEP (she will direct your question)
  dep.webmaster@po.state.ct.us
  
• Paul Rego, State Wildlife Biologist
  Paul.Rego@ct.gov
  

I received the following from the DEP 3/17/2008

"Mr. BR,
The tagging requirement applies to the pelt or the whole animal. If you were to sell a whole coyote to a taxidermist it would require tagging. In the case where you are hunting coyotes but intend to make no use of them just reporting your harvest by phone or e-mail will be sufficient. I hope this helps. Paul Rego, Wildlife Biologist"

a second reply from Mr. Rego, 3/19/08:

"Mr. BR,
For a number of years we had a voluntary coyote collection program. We have discontinued collecting carcasses of these animals. People could drop the carcass off at some of our offices and we appreciate the efforts of trappers and hunters that cooperated. For now, we are not collecting coyote carcasses. Paul Rego, Wildlife Biologist"

"Yes you can bait for coyote on state land, you can also use an electronic call for coyote on state land. Sergeant Jim Wolfe, ECON Police"

Bill's First Hunt

My retired friend Bill and I decided to go it alone this morning because Arne had to work. We were almost rained out, but it stopped at 9am, so we decided to give it a shot. My hopes weren't very high because I don't know too many dogs that like the rain. This was Bill's first time hunting, so whatever the outcome, it would be a new experience for him and more fun than hanging around the house. A few weeks ago I drove Bill to Cabela's and Dicks to help him buy a camo jacket and face netting, so I was rather surprised this morning when he arrived wearing white pants! "He's going to stand out like a lighbulb" I though to myself, but it was too late to do anything about it. I had taken it for granted that he had a pair of camo pants. Oh well...

We got into the woods at about 9:30 and everything was a muddy mess. I decided to stake out the road that runs to the right of the parking area because it runs parallel to the highway and there's a dead coyote lying in the area. This dirt road is only 30 yards or so from the highway, and about 30 ft below it. Our backs would be up against the bank to the highway, so nothing can sneak up behind us. A dirt road was about 30 ft directly in front, and beyond that is dense brush and woods. I found a big leg bone from who knows what lying where I set up, so I moved it onto the path and doused it with PedatorBomb coyote, fox and fawn urine. If anything comes to check it out, this would turn into a real close-quarters Eastern coyote hunt. I positioned us so that I was on the left and Bill about 25 yards to my right. I called for an hour, and after the coyotes had a good laugh at Bill's white pants, we packed up, dumped off some equipment in the Jeep and took a leisurely walk through the woods. This was Bills first time there and he was amazed that unlike his back yard, there wasn't a squirrel anywhere to be seen. People who don't hunt squirrels (including bird hunters with their 12 gages) think it's so easy. It was a learning experience for Bill, and I'm happy that he mentioned that he needs to buy more camo.

Thanks Mike Adams, from The Up North Journal for sending me this link. It's an animal sound search engine and you can download the sounds of coyotes, squirrels, foxes or whatever. Play them back in your iPod or just become familiar with their sounds from your computer. This is an excellent resource. Thanks again Mike! ...CLICK HERE

First Coyote Hunt of 2008

FROM BEHIND MY RUGER

Arne Thompson doing the calling. There's not a lot to write about today so I'll keep this post short and to the point. Last night we received 4-8" of wet snow. When I left for the WMA at 6:30 this morning, the snow had turned into a light rain, but since the WMA is further north, I kept my fingers crossed that the change to rain didn't take place. About half way there, the rain turned into snowflakes the size of quarters so I knew we were good to go. Bill opted out due to the storm, so I met Arne at work where we did most of our talking, so when we entered the woods we were able to do so quietly. Arne had on a white cotton suite he bought at Cabela's and I had on a white painter's jumpsuit that only cost me six bucks. We set up in two spots between the hours of 7:30 and 10:30. Arne forgot to renew his license when he returned from his deer hunting trip in Florida, so he went along without a gun to be my caller. Come to find out, when we were questioned by a CO before leaving, you are required to have a license even to call, so Arne received a verbal warning. I'm sure he's buying his license this afternoon.

We used PredatorBomb, an electronic caller and mouth calls, and after all that time we saw nothing. The CO said there are yotes in the area, but I think they were all hunkered down to ride out the storm. It was beautiful sitting in the fields while the snow fell with the sounds of electronic coyote howling in the background. We'll try it again in 2 weeks so check back.

FOR MY REPORT ON THIS TYVEK PAINTER SUIT, CLICK HERE.

Last squirrel hunting weekend until Fall 2008

Hunting a WMA, Friday 2-20-08

When I left for work this morning, it was cold with 3 fresh inches of snow on the ground. The roads were treacherous with ice under the surface. It was predicted that we'd have 8" of snow by end of day and they hit it right for once. I brought my 17HMR to work to try and squeeze in one final squirrel hunt at the WMA before end of season. I really didn't expect to get anything because the area was pretty much cleaned out of squirrels after opening day last September. I just wanted to do a walk-through and experience the fresh snow for the last time of the season, though there's always a bit of hope that I'll get a shot at something.

At 3:30 I left work and headed to the WMA. 8 fresh inches of snow had fallen and it was cold. Without the 4 wheel drive I would have never made it into the unplowed parking area. I parked the Jeep, threw on my gear and began walking the main dirt road. There was a set of cottontail tracks that crossed the road, but I didn't spot the rabbit. Unlike the swamp area, on days like this the area is totally silent except for the sound of my own breathing and the gentle wind. I walked to the corn field and then along the thorny brush line in search of more rabbits, but I didn't even come across a track. Sunset was at 5:30 but it was obvious that nothing was moving so I headed home. Tomorrow morning I hit the other WMA for the last time this season. I'll really miss the Saturday morning hunts. Coyote hunting starts March 1st (the following Saturday), but I'll miss the cold morning walks through the woods.

Hunting a WMA 2-21-08

I was the first one in the field, as can be seen in the photo of the virgin snow on the main path. There was 5-6" of fresh snow covered with ice on the ground, and it was extremely difficult to walk. After 6 straight hours of plowing through this stuff, I was extremely tired and the worse part was that I didn't see a single squirrel. Earlier in the day the water and air were filled with more ducks and geese than I had ever seen in this area. Fresh deer tracks were everywhere, and Vinny later emailed me that he ran into the deer (read his letter below). The squirrels must have marked their calendars this weekend, because they knew that if they could just lay low until Monday, they will be in the clear until September. Oh well, have lots of babies over the summer so we can have more fun in the Fall.

Remember the good old days when a hunting outfit consisted of a red plaid jacket and a pair of jeans covered by a heavy pair of beige canvas pants?

Vinny later showed up with his air rifle. His big news was that he's going to buy and start hunting with a flintlock muzzle loader! That should be a lot of fun. Neither Vinny nor a guy I passed on my way to the Jeep saw anything today. From what I have experienced this year, it's clear to me that squirrels do not like the cold, wind, rain or snow.

This season was the first time since I was a teenager that I had an opportunity to squirrel hunt, which proved to be a lot more work than I remember. Having obtained the age of 53 doesn't help, but when the action was hot, the hard work paid off and it was even more fun than I remember. Half the fun of squirrel hunting used to be spending the day shooting with my older brother.


(THIS IS MY BROTHER'S BROWNING. CLICK ON THUMBNAIL TO ENLARGE.)

Tonight I'm washing my blaze clothing and tomorrow I'll re-treat everything with U-V-Killer. When it's all dry I'll pack everything away in a garment bag for the Fall. As of March 1st we loose the blaze and go all camo.

"It should be illegal for non-hunters to wander the fields and let their dogs run free"

As I was leaving the parking lot in the Jeep and rounding the bend, an older woman with 2 big black dogs were walking in the middle of the road and if I wasn't paying attention, they could have been history. This isn't the first time I've seen this woman and her dogs there, and this time there were two teenage boys with her, playing in the middle of the road in the tunnel. None were wearing blaze and the big black dogs only had on collars. Considering how small, few and far between hunting areas are in CT, I think it should be illegal for non-hunters to wander the fields and let their dogs run free. Here's why:

• They scare the game animals away which in my opinion is hunter harassment.
• They put themselves in danger of being shot and put the hunter in the position of possibly killing someone they couldn't see.
  
• When a hunter is surprised by one or more non-hunting dogs running loose in the field, he could be left with a split second decision whether or not to shoot to protect himself.
• The dog could be mistaken for a coyote or other animal and be shot by mistake, getting the hunter legal trouble.
• While hunters are in the field, non-hunters including children have access to the unattended vehicles which may contain guns and ammunition.
  
• Non-hunters have access to all state hunting land on Sundays when hunters are restricted from hunting. Then why shouldn't non-hunters be restricted from walking through these areas on the other days?
• Making it illegal for non-hunters to access hunting areas Monday thru Saturday would greatly decrease the possibility of hunter harassment.
  

Hunters pay to keep these areas open with taxes paid on guns, ammo and licenses. These dog walkers wouldn't consider letting their dogs run loose on golf courses or ski slopes. So why is our hunting land open to anyone? If the state is unwilling to designate this land for hunting only, they should at least require that everyone wear 400" of blaze, and dogs should be made to wear blaze and a bell. Maybe I'll organize a petition this summer to see if we can get the current laws changed.

Vinny just reported in after getting home...

"Hey Bob,

I didn't see any squirrels at all... I went to the south end of the forest. I stood at the big circle of brier thicket looking at the highway. I was looking at a tree that was dying and it had to be about ten feet high. It has brier thicket on it and the thicket makes it look like a Indian tepee. Well I stood there for about two minutes and then at the bottom of this tree something jumped up it was a doe. Then another one and another one until I saw six doe run off towards the marsh*. That was a first for me in the WMA. Well I guess I'll have to wait until September first. On the way out I saw the bird hunters shooting up into the trees...Well that was my day and I had a fun season and a learning one too. Stay in touch I'll see you in September. ~Vinny"

*UPDATE: Look at my Easter weekend post. I ran into this herd twice and took a photo.

I also heard from Vinny and another hunter in the field today that a guy who was walking his dog had a run-in with a large coyote. The dog was jumped, but the guy had a concealed 357 mag and scared it away. That's the second time this has happened in less than 6 months. We start coyote hunting next Saturday.

"Bob: I just read your last post. I couldn't agree more with you on the non-hunters on hunting land issue. We have the same problem here in Michigan where we hunt. Most of the people we see are horse riders on the trails through the state land we hunt. Atleast they are usually smart enough to wear blaze orange. A couple of years ago, (during deer firearm season) my hunting partner was in his tree stand atleast 100 yards off the trail, when he saw coming towards him 3 people on horseback! They rode right under his tree stand! What are these people thinking! I have heard hunters starting to talk about trying to get state wildlife departments to think about requiring hikers, riders, walkers, etc... to start buying permits to be on state land!!!! Wow what a concept! Finally, let them pay to use the land like we do with our hunting permits. Might keep a few people from venturing out, they might go somewhere else where they wouldn't have to pay. Well that's enough of my ranting. I might get out tonight if the moon cooperates. Let the yotes howl!!!!!"

Mike Adams
Up North Journal
www.upnorthjournal.com
http://michiganhuntingtoday.com/hooksandbullets/

The 2nd to the last squirrel hunt of the season

I decided to get in another hunt this morning because the season is drawing to a close, so I was in the woods by 7:30. We had a major weather shift overnight; today being sunny with a blue sky but cold (it started out at 18F) and windy. The water level was still very high, and my usual path was 2 feet under water. The level did drop a bit since yesterday and crossing the road was no longer an issue. Since everything was frozen, it was easier to walk through the fields without sinking in the mud, but when it gets this cold, the inch of snow on the leaves gets very crunchy. Every step was so loud that I might as well have been yelling, "RUN AWAY!".

In 4 hours I only saw 4 squirrels. The first was spotted at 50 yards while running for a tree. It was on the ground and obstructed by branches and brush so I waited on a shot. It ran up a mid-size young tree so I approached it figuring I'd see it sitting on a branch. I didn't. After looking that tree over for ten minutes I gave up and couldn't believe it was gone! Many squirrels are much better at hiding than I am at hunting. The tree didn't look old enough to have holes in it, yet it must have. I examined every inch of it with my scope from 4 angles and I couldn't find it. Amazing.

Don't shoot it if you don't plan to eat it.

The next two were running way out in the distance but I never saw them again. I then decided to take a seat and see if anything comes out. I'm now experienced enough to carry a couple sheets of clear painter's drop cloth in my pack to keep my rear end dry while sitting in the snow. In about 15 minutes I saw a squirrel come out on a branch at around 100 yards. I set my scope magnification to 7X and took a shot. It didn't move. This time I aimed a couple inches over in. Crack! It dropped but grabbed onto a branch and hung there. "Oh great!" I thought. "Am I going to have to fill this one full of lead to knock it off the branch." In about 20 seconds it did let go and dropped to the ground. When I reached the spot I thought it landed I couldn't find it. I went back to where I had been sitting and looked again. I discovered that I was looking under the wrong tree. It was one to the left. I went there and there it was. It was a beautiful squirrel and seemed not to have a mark on it. I looked it over and discovered that it had a tiny hole near the stomach. I was amazed that shot was enough to drop it because squirrels usually require a shot to the head, heart or spine to stop them. When I got it home and opened it up, I discovered that the bullet blew open the stomach and totally shattered its left rear leg bone. Though the external wound was small, it had done a great deal of internal damage. I dropped this female out of the same tree where I blasted all the males a few weeks ago.

On the way back I ran into Vinny Angell who was airgun hunting. He's considering going to a 4-10, but says he really enjoys hunting with the pellet gun so will likely stick with it. It's hard to believe that there's only one more weekend to squirrel hunt. I'm going to really miss it. Coyote hunting will start in March, and if my pistol permit goes through, I'm going to try to get the permission of some local farmers to hunt woodchucks with the 22 magnum Ruger Single Six. I only had 4 hours sleep last night so it's time for a nap.

The fields are flooded

HERE'S AN OUTHOUSE I PHOTOGRAPHED LAST WEEK AND TODAY. CHECK OUT THE WATER LEVEL THAT WASHED IT AROUND TO THE BACKSIDE OF THE TREE

I decided to take a vacation day to hunt before the season ends so I was in the field today. The temperature has skyrocketed into the 40's, and tomorrow a cold front moves in so I decided to take advantage of the warmth. Something that ran through my mind yesterday turned into a major problem today. With warmth comes flooding. This was a strange weather week, with snow, hail and a couple inches of rain. With heat added, everything was a mess. The water line had moved in about 50 yards and the road was flooded. I did find a place to cross the flooded road early in the day, but I hightailed it out of the far end of the field by 10:00 because as it continued to warm, the water level continued to rise. A was lucky to find a tiny strip of land that was still above water, or I would have ended the day with wet, frozen feet.

HERE'S A NICE SPOT WHERE I TOOK A BREAK. NOTICE HOW THE BEAVERS HAVE BEEN NICE ENOUGH TO SUPPLY US WITH WOOD TO MAKE ADDITIONAL FURNITURE.

The morning was very disappointing and over a period of almost 6 hours, I saw only a few squirrels. I just treated my clothes in U-V-Killer (see my PRODUCTS page), and I think that had something to do with being able to jump a squirrel at 15 yards. I looked up and there it was. It didn't spot me until I tried to slowly bring my rifle from knee level to my shoulder. Then it darted off and in seconds was up and into a nearby tree. I sat it out for 20 minutes and when it popped its head out, I dropped it. That was really the only action I had from 7:30 - 1:00. I'd like to say that this is it for the season, but I'll likely eat my words and be in the field tomorrow morning. I'm a glutton for punishment.

All right, where are they?

SITTING AND WAITING
Feb. 9

Considering the weather this morning, I didn't expect much and that's just what I got. I drove into the parking lot at about 7:15, which I thought was early for squirrels, and Vinny's car was already there. When we met up, Vinny suggested that we hunt together. I took the right, walking the water's edge while Vinny covered the road. It didn't take long for us to loose each other because I guess I'm used to hunting alone. The sun broke through the clouds for a short time and I located Vinny by the sound of his air gun (which was surprisingly loud). He took about a half dozen shots at a squirrel, but he ended up empty handed as well. Vinny mentioned how he was amazed that a squirrel could run toward a tree, zip around behind the base of the trunk then simply seem to disappear. You have no idea how many times I have seen this happen. Considering that they have brains the size of a nut, The Lord did program them amazingly well with a large playbook of defensive maneuvers. In total I saw three squirrels from a distance, but I never was close enough to take a shot. In fact, I didn't fire my rifle once this morning.

I came across a dead raccoon that wasn't there last week. The swamp was flooded, which seems to keep the squirrels from moving, and I had to spend more time walking along the road than I would have liked. The area was covered by a thin sheet of ice, and as the temperature began to rise, ice started crashing all around throughout the morning. This is the kind of thing that you'll likely never experience unless you winter hunt. It was an eerie sound, like coyotes were falling through the ice, and we couldn't help but look every time it happened. When I was about 5 minutes from the parking lot, it began to sprinkle, and when I was in the car it changed to snow. Maybe that Saturday 2 weeks ago was my grand finale for the squirrel hunting season.

Arny and I are going to set out a camera after work to see if we can photograph some coyote movement. The dog hunts will start in the beginning of March. Bill Bailey will be along with us, so next weekend I'll take him to Cabela's to buy the things that he needs to get started. Bill's not a hunter, so this should be especially exciting for him. I have a feeling this will be a good year.

A TIP: I learned this the hard way; carry a zip-lock freezer bag with you when you hunt. Then if it begins to rain or snow, gather all of your electronic gear, including cell phone and camera, and put them in the bag. Last year I got caught in a hail storm and when it was over my digital camera became a paper weight.

Feb 2

After last weekend's successful hunt, I had high hopes for today. Yesterday started out with sleet, then changed to rain. The forecast predicted that the rain would stop early today, then the sun would break through and the temp would rise into the mid 40's. Things were looking good, so I was in the woods just before 8:00. The rain did stop, but the sun never came out and it became very windy, making air which was in the 40's feel more like the low 30s.

Someone was illegally target practicing between 9:30 and 11. I counted groups of 10 consecutive rounds , so it's a good guess that the guy was shooting a Ruger 10/22. In total this guy shot about 200 rounds. He had stopped shooting and his vehicle was gone by the time I was out of the woods. I saw Vinny the airgun squirrel hunter on my return trip. The plinker ruined Vinny's morning as well as mine, and he could have easily shot either one of us because according to the shot up bottles I discovered, he was shooting a lot of those rounds chest high, without a backstop and in our direction. It is illegal to target practice on state hunting land, and for good reason; it could easily turn deadly. It appeared that this guy was putting bottles on branches and shooting at them, which could send numerous rounds for a mile at waist level. I can understand if someone on occasion shoots a couple rounds at a bottle, but plinking around other hunters is dangerous and whoever was doing this should have known better. If the shooter is reading this, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't know that we were out there. The Glastonbury state range opens in a few months, or you could spend $18 to shoot at Blue Trail Range in Wallingford. That's a lot cheaper than loosing your hunting license or doing time for shooting someone. Vinny said that he saw another coyote this morning, similar to the dead one he told me about and I photographed 2 weeks ago. He pointed out the area where the yote was spotted, and that's the same place that I heard crashing branches not long before. So that's 3 dogs in less than a month without even looking for them. No need to wonder rabbits are so scarce in this area considering the beautiful habitat.

Vinny (at left) said that he saw a few big squirrels this morning, but his rifle didn't have the power to reach them. Vinny has the right idea; move and shoot quietly. When I think back to last week, how many squirrels could I have taken down with a hi-velocity air gun? After all, if they don't hear the shot they likely won't run, even if one of their buddies fall. I directed Vinny to my secret hot spot so maybe he can have some fun there. I thought it was interesting that since he only gets one shot before he has to charge the rifle, he carries a sling shot to get them into a good position. Now that's real hunting; almost like King David taking down a bear with a sling...well almost.

I SHOULD HAVE CAMOUFLOGED MYSELF WITH A TIRE TREAD PATTERN
Since I'm on the topic of inconsiderate people, let me bring to your attention some of the garbage in this place. I started walking these fields with my older brother while he bird hunted when I was 10, and I carried my own shotgun here at age 12. I continued to hunt this area for the next 10 years, and in those days the area was clean. It's since turned into a dump and needs to be cleaned. I'll be sending some photos to the DEP to see if they can schedule a volunteer clean-up day. Vinny recommended that I contact the Boy Scouts. That's a great idea. You guys that hunt with dogs, how about leaving with the balls you brought in. If you loose one, pack out someone else's. Everyone, pack out your water bottle or what else you brought in. And you boozers who are leaving your empties...do I really need to say anything? If everyone would pick up a few things every time they left the woods, a big part of this problem would be eliminated in just a few weeks (minus the tires and other large items). State hunting land is few and far between. Lets take care of the little that we still have.

A warning: Look out for falling trees. They have been coming down all around the swamp during the last couple of months, and many are just waiting for a tap to come down on someone. Keep an eye out.

Dropped 6 on a perfect day

I had a feeling today was going to be good. Pulling out of my driveway, it was in the lower 20s. There was a layer of thin clouds, but not enough to make it a dull day. As I drove about 100 yards to the first stop sign I saw 2 squirrels run across the street. There was also another one in a yard across the street and about 25 yards down the road was another! "Man, this is a good sign" I said to myself. When I arrived at the parking area I was pleased to see that I was the only one there. That means the place would be still. Within 5 minutes the sun broke through. I thought to myself that this was a perfect day but I began to have doubts when I walked a good distance and saw nothing. That would normally discourage me, but for some reason I felt that if I made it to the spot I had in mind that I'd start getting some action.

As soon as I neared the spot I saw 2 squirrels running around at a distance. No chance with iron sights, so I slowly crept up on them, but they disappeared into a tree and didn't come out. At least the ice had been broken and things are moving. I waited for them to come out for ten minutes, then decided to move on so as not to miss this morning light. Within a few minutes I saw another squirrel. It did a lot of running, but made the fatal mistake of stopping. One shot brought it down. That's one in the bag before 8:00. I'm happy with that. I kept moving forward into the area that was my intended destination. Because I had expected some action here, I began walking heal to toe, watching every step to remain as silent as possible.

"...It was like I was in the center of a swarm of rats! I fired at one in the nearby tree and it dropped, then another. About 100 yards out I saw at least 4 more in various trees..."

I couldn't believe that I was seeing nothing in this area. I considered backtracking, but decided to first move forward another 50 yards. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye I saw movement on a tree. I couldn't believe it. There were at least 7 squirrels chasing each other around the trunk near the top of the tree. I haven't seen that all season! I crept up, leaned against a tree and began to fire. I dropped one, then click (misfire!), click (misfire!), click (misfire!), click (misfire!). "FOUR MISFIRES! WHAT THE %$!!!##**!!!" The next round fired but they soon disappeared into the tree. I brought my small folding coyote hunting stool and set it up. Within 15 minutes they were at it again. They started running around the tree as before, but this time, in a tree to my left at about 75 yards at least 7 more were doing the same thing! This was almost scary. It was like I was in the center of a swarm of rats! I fired at one in the nearby tree and it dropped (number 2), then another (number 3). About 100 yards out I saw at least 4 more in various trees. This was like a dream. When everything went into hiding, I moved my chair closer to the other tree. In about 20 minutes everything was moving again and I dropped another 2. This area is full of thorn bushes so when both of these hit the ground (and left a lot of blood), they managed to drag themselves deep into the brush and into a tree to die. I plowed through the thorns both times and ripped my legs to shreds to get them, but the thorns slowed me down so much that they had time to get away. What a waste.

I wish I had my 22 with the scope! To my right I saw squirrels at a distance everywhere, but they were spreading out and disappearing. It was almost time to leave because I had an appointment for a haircut (what a time for a haircut!). I counted at least 20 squirrels this morning.

I returned home, cleaned the squirrels and my rifle, then got my hair cut. Grabbed some food and my 10/22, and headed out again (my wife thinks I'm totally nuts by now). I still could get an hour or two in before sunset. When I arrived I noticed that there was a truck in the lot. Then I heard a shot. "Man! This guy's going to screw everything up". I headed into the woods and within a few minutes I came across a guy about 30 years old with his dad. I've seen and spoke to these two over the past few months. They are bird hunters, very nice people, but this time the son had a 22 and his elderly father, a shotgun. "There's nothing out there" he told me. I told him that I just got 5 and his face lit up. He was as surprised as I was. It's all about being at the right place at the right time. The forest is crawling with squirrels.

Within minutes I saw a squirrel at a distance. It went into the tree and I didn't have time to wait it out because the sun was dropping fast. As I neared the spot I planned to hunt, I heard rustling behind me. A huge fat squirrel ran by about 5 yards away! I pointed my rifle but the scope had such a zoom dialed in that everything was a blur and I couldn't see it! That really caught me off guard. A squirrel running by that close was another first.

The squirrel went up a tree and I zoomed out the scope. Usually when they go into a tree like that, they are gone for good. I looked the tree over and almost left...until I saw a bit of a tail poking out from a branch. Then I saw it's rump. I fired and hit it, but it didn't fall and looked like it was dead on the branch. It took the entire clip to bring it down. By then it wasn't looking very healthy. I moved ahead another 25 yards and found a spot to sit for about 15 minutes. There were 2 at a distance, but nothing close enough to shoot at. Darkness was quickly moving in so it was time to head out. Six squirrels. That's a good day. If I didn't have those misfires, I know I would have had my limit. They're busted. I know where they live. Maybe I'll get them next time. This is quite a difference from the beginning of the season.

Check out the photo I took this morning and the exit wound. This is what a 17HMR hollow point does on the way out. I find that amazing for such a small bullet. Now a Ruger 10/17 would be really nice! I'm going to have to contact Henry about those misfires. I'm wondering if the firing pin stuck since there were 4 in a row, then it functioned normally. I believe if it was a head space issue, it would have continued to misfire. If it was bad ammo, it would not have been 4 in a row.

One last thing; I think I discovered Brokeback SquirrelMountain because every squirrel I recovered today was a big male. Until today, all of the squirrels I had taken were female. What's up with that?

1/31/08 UPDATE

I (get this Ruger...) EMAILED Henry Repeating about the misfires and Anthony Imperato, the President of Henry instructed me to ship the gun back because he believes it's a head space issue. If so, this will be my 3rd return for this problem in 2 years (once for my Hoo1 22 cal. and twice for the 17HMR), which isn't good. I am thankful that unlike Ruger, Henry's customer service is so good that it's not that big of a problem. I email them my address and a couple of days later I receive a new shipping box and pre-paid shipping label via UPS. The gun is picked up and I have it back in a week or two. I'll be using my 10/22 Saturday and for coyotes, so it shouldn't be much of an inconvenience. I'm sure there are 4 squirrels very pleased with the malfunction.

Mike Adam's first coyote

I'm VERY happy to report that Mike Adams Sr. from The Up North Journal sent me an email today with this photo to let me know that he bagged his first dog today! He has a great story posted on his new blog: http://upnorthjournalhunting.blogspot.com/. You definitely need to go and read it. Here's a short excerpt from the post:

"...They headed back across the field towards me, but about 150 yards out. They were running the near fence line, but started to turn away. I knew that it was now or never if I was going to get a shot off. I could see a small opening between some brush and trees. I had my Winchester 94 22 mag up and ready, looking through the scope, as soon as the yote stepped into the opening, Crack! The yote snapped around at its rear end as if someone had bitten it. It was then I knew that my shot connected! I watched as it danced around and ran about 50 yards. Finally one last leap and over it fell. YES! All the while the second yote was at a distance watching..."

One note about the end of his story; I really like the fact that there was some sadness in Mike because he took a life. As you can see in his story, even predators watch out for each other and have some sort of connection. If coyotes are anything like domestic dogs, I'm sure they have feelings of some kind and it should be normal that at bit of sadness go along with the pride of taking one of these animals. It really bothers me when I watch coyote hunting videos and the hunters laugh like fools after making their kill, then throw the carcases around like they are handling a bag of garbage. Thanks Mike for sharing your feelings. I sometimes have similar thoughts after bagging a lousy squirrel, especially if it's female. Questions come up like, "Did it have young and if so, will they just die?" Those thoughts don't stop me from hunting, but they do go through my head.

Mike said he hit this dog at 150 yards with a 22 magnum! That's some good shoot'n Mike. So much for 22 magnums not being good at a distance! I'm sorry to say that under our restrictive CT hunting laws, that gun would be illegal on state land. We're stuck with using 22LR or 17HMR. I'll be going out coyote hunting with Arne and Bill in a few weeks, and it will be a tough decision deciding on which rifle to take. I'm finding that on squirrels, the 17HMR, though a smaller bullet, creates a heck of an exit wound when I use a hollow point CCI 'Gamepoint' cartridge. The benefit of the 10/22 is the ability to unload a 10 round clip quickly on the target. If there's time to aim for a head shot, I think a single 17 magnum round would do the trick. But if fast shooting is required when the shots might not be placed with that kind of precision, I'll go for the extra firepower. I have a few weeks to make the decision. Thanks for the story Mike. May it be your first yote of many and I hope I have a good story to send you sometime in February. By the way, I really like that hat. Mike said he got it at Cabela's. I need to get me one 'a dose.

Got one, but I was hoping for more

Man, I was itching to get out hunting all week. Last night I set the alarm for 5:30, the time that I get up for work, but I woke myself up at 4:00 because I was so psyched to get out and hunt. That was too early, so I managed to nod out till 4:45, and was at the Meadows before 7:00. I was the only vehicle in the lot. Within the first 10 minutes I saw 2 squirrels at a distance darting around a tree. When I got to within about 50 yards, they were dug in a hole somewhere and were not coming out. "This is great!" I thought. I've been shooting so well with the Henry lately that this time out I decided to take the Ruger 10/22. Within the first hour I bagged my first squirrel. It dropped out of a tree and crashed through the ice into the swamp. It took a few minutes, but I found it and pulled it out.

All morning it looked like the sun was going to break through the clouds, but it never did. On top of staying cloudy, it seemed to got windier and colder as the morning went on. It turned out to be just another dull, cold day when not much wants to come out. I walked from 7am till 1pm, always figuring that if I took one more pass, it would turn into 'Squirrel Fest'. It didn't. I didn't want to give up, but me aching legs and feet made the decision for me. It's tough getting old. One thing I really noticed today is the amazing number and varieties of woodpeckers out there. That's likely why there are so many tree holes available for the squirrels to hide in.

Before taking off, I decided to look around for that dead coyote Vinny wrote me about last week. It took a little while, but I found it and took a picture for you to check out. So now we know they're around. I wonder if that's why there are no rabbits? The habitat is perfect for them, but since opening week of the hunting season, I haven't seen a single one. Maybe that will turn out to be a good summer coyote hunting spot. I'm not sure if the season is still open, but for you deer hunters out there, I saw fresh tracks everywhere.

Mike's new handgun

Mike,
I said you were supposed to shoot the rabbit, not shoot WITH a rabbit! Mike Adams from the Up North Journal podcast sent me this photo. He said his dog found this frozen rabbit, so until he's old enough to buy a handgun, this rabbit will have to do. Thanks Mike, and watch where you point that thing! It has a HARE trigger ;) ~BR

The Meadows are Flooded

Today was my first hunt in a couple of weeks because I've been fighting off a really bad case of bronchitis. It rained yesterday and today it was supposed to get up into the low 50's. The snow had melted off and the leaves were wet and soft, so this should have been the perfect morning for squirrels to make an appearance. We're supposed to get 6" of snow tomorrow, so any squirrel in its right mind should be out gathering nuts in this warm weather; or so I thought. I was shocked when I arrived at the meadows to discover that the water level had risen so high that my entire hunting area was submerged! To get around the water I decided to walk the path, which is the high ground that runs between the two marshes. A few minutes down the path I noticed that the entire path and surrounding area was submerged. I tried to walk through the water and continue down the path but within a few steps the water was over my boots. The marsh water from east and west met at the road and cut the area in two, turning the other half of my hunting area into an island. There was no possible way to pass, and that drastically limited my hunting options. I figured that since their nuts were now under water, squirrels would be out looking for a new supply of food. I was wrong. I'm now guessing that the area had been flooded for days due to the melted snow due to a week of 50 degree record breaking January weather. It was quite beautiful though, so I took the opportunity to take some shots that I'll post. There was a light fog on the ground with steam emanating from the tree trunks. Everything was wet and the branches were covered with water drops. The crisp clear sky and rising sun made the branches sparkle. The forest was covered with loudly chirping birds, but there were no squirrels.

On my return trip to the parking lot, I saw a gray flash about 50 yards away. It was obviously a squirrel that caught sight of me and was making a mad dash for cover. I kept a low, steady pace toward it with my eyes fixed on where I had seen it last. All of a sudden I spotted the very tip of a tail from behind a large tree root. I stopped and cocked the hammer. The tail went down and I now had a glimpse of what appeared to be its head. This was a good 40 yard shot, but I knew this would likely be my only change to bag something today. I took quick aim and squeezed off a round from my 17HMR. I lost sight of the head but didn't see it run. I quickly walked toward it and couldn't believe that it was lying there. I figured it was grazed and would bolt off, so I took aim but it just laid there. It dropped right where I shot it and it had a nut locked in its jaws! I hit it in the back of the neck and the hollow point exploded its lungs, killing it instantly.

I looked up and saw another hunter to my right who waved at me and walking over. Vinny shook my hand and congratulated me on the shot, also amazed that the squirrel was still holding the nut. He said, "That was like a deer kill! What a great shot!" Come to find out, this guy was also squirrel hunting and was happily surprised to discover I was doing the same. He said that when he would tell other hunters he was hunting squirrel, they would react like be was an alien from Mars. I told him that I know the feeling. He was hunting with a high power air rifle, and I found that very interesting since I've been considering getting one myself. He sounded like me earlier in the season, discouraged that he hasn't seen much action anywhere. I encourage him by letting him know that there have been some good days scattered among those dead weeks of hunting and seeing nothing. I hope I run into him again and I should have taken his picture! I told him about this blog, but I really need to make up business cards because no one can remember the long URL for this page. I quit at noon and gutted the squirrel near the parking lot. I figure it's a way to feel the area wildlife as well as keeping my wife off my back for dirtying the kitchen. This was my first harvest of 2008. I hope it's the start of a good year.

Tomorrow morning I go to the police department to get fingerprinted for my pistol permit and to turn in the checks and paperwork. I'll let you know how that goes. Coyote hunting with Arne should begin in a few weeks and our buddy Bill will be hunting with us. Check back for updates. The squirrel hunter I was talking to said he saw a dead coyote on the side of the access road. Interesting.

SUNDAY 1/13/08

Vinny located this blog and sent me an email today. Man, did he have some action, and that's the fun of squirrel hunting, even more so than the kill. Thanks for writing Vinny. You'll get 'em next time, but please leave some squirrels for me and send me a photo to post. Regards, Bob

"Dear Bob,
This is Vinny from (withheld). We met Saturday while hunting. I just was on your blog. It's a nice blog and I like it a lot. After you left with that nice kill I had four more shots at three different squirrels. They were at one time in the same tree top fighting for space as I was shooting at them. They were so fast and allusive I didn't get one kill. I did wound one but it and the others disappeared into and behind the tree branches. I realize I made a mistake on the very first one I saw that morning before I met you.

"...I had four more shots at three different squirrels. They were at one time in the same tree top fighting for space as I was shooting at them..."

I shot at it as it was four feet from the ground. It froze for a second and ran back up the tree. My continuing efforts proved fruitless as I tried to get a few clear shots but that squirrel as I told you that morning also disappeared into the tree. I think that wma is a great place for squirrel hunting on the right days. It has a lot of aged trees with natural cavity's in them. I saw a total of five squirrels and shot at four of them. I had fun! I hope to talk to you again. ~Vinny Angell"

On Jan 14, 2008, at 7:35 PM, NELLIE ANGELL wrote:

"Hey Bob,

I forgot to mention to you that I saw a coyote for a brief second disappear into the brush. It was on the access road right to your left as you enter the wma just as you come out of the tunnel underpass. I hope that helps your future scouting efforts. Fellow squirrel hunter, Vinny Angell"

Vinny also says there's also a dead coyote on your left as you come out of the tunnel under the pine trees. I walked right by it and didn't see it. I'll look again next time I'm in the area. That is strange. I've never seen a coyote without calling it out. I remember on opening day a guy shot two rabbits in that spot with a 17HMR. I saw a rabbit there myself early in the season when I was pulling in the parking area. Now I know why they're not there anymore. I have seen coyote tracks in that area. You need to start blast'n those dogs! Thanks Vinny. Maybe I'll hit the area with some calls. ~Bob

Some important info on huning knife length

Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 10:07 PM
To: DEP Webmaster
Subject: Question regarding hunting knives

Dear DEP,

I would like to purchase a fixed blade knife to carry while hunting. Am I correct that the maximum legal blade length is 4"? If so, what am I measuring to calculate the length?
Thank you for your assistance.


Sir, The statute regulating your below question is CGS 53-206. Carrying a knife with a blade over 4 inches is prohibited, however there are exceptions for hunting/fishing. You can legally carry a longer knife when legally hunting. For further questions reference the aforementioned statute (CGS 53-206).

Sergeant Jim Wolfe, Encon Police.

A Great Rabbit Hunt from Mike Adams Jr., Host of the Up North Journal Podcast

Hey BR,
We went rabbit hunting today! We took my family that was up from Ohio (we have an interview with my uncle on the show this week). My other uncle knew a guy who had some private land and called him up. So there was my Grandpa 'bird dog' (listen to show lol), Uncle Les, Uncle Jim, my dad and I. Just like last time had a hard time trying to figure out what to take. I wanted to take my .22 but I'm glad I didn't. I took my 12 ga which later I traded my dad for his 16 ga.; an old side by side! That's fun to shoot! The land we were hunting had 3-4 huge corn fields next to a pheasant farm. Some very THICK little fields with lots of brush PERFECT!!! and some woods. We made a long drive line and pushed thru the first field. My dad kicked one up and he has not been rabbit hunting since he was my age! It was on the run... click. He forgot the safety. BOOM! Miss.... click.... Double trigger. BOOM! miss!

"My dad kicked one up... It was on the run... CLICK. He forgot the safety. BOOM! Miss.... CLICK.... Double trigger. BOOM! Miss! He reloads and saw it sitting 20 yards away...BOOM! Bagged him."

He reloads and saw it sitting 20 yards away...BOOM! Bagged him LOL. Everyone was laughing at him by now. Then he kicked up another one about 60 yards further and popped him first shot this time. Then we walked through a brushy fence row and my Uncle Jim kicked up 2-3 and shot one of them; his first rabbit! That was cool! So we stood and talked and made a game plan and walked the fence row back again. We kicked up the first one and no one could get a shot. It went to another pile and kicked it up. I shot once and missed. Darn! lol We started to walk through the field and my dad shot the two. I was in the back of everyone and they all walked past this little pile. I thought, "what the heck". I kicked it and one ran behind all of us. I shot him and scared the poop out of everyone! We had to blood track him cause I clipped him in the back, so we walked to a pile about 50 yards away and kicked him up again. My Uncle Les took 3 shots at it lol and we tracked that rabbit 350 YARDS!!!!! then had to kill him. So we now have 4 in the bag. We walked in one more field and my dad kicked one up. The same thing happened to me with the safety cause we traded guns. Dad took a shot and dropped him, so now we had 5 in the bang and called it a day. It was sooooo fun !!! For my first time Rabbit hunting I'm HOOKED!!!!

Little Mike
Up North Journal PodCast
http://upnorthjournal.mypodcast.com/

Does the moon phase impact coyote hunting?

The question: "...He wanted me to ask you if you had ever gone coyote hunting at night? We were going to try here locally. Also he wanted me to ask you if it's correct that you would go day the before a full moon, during a full moon, or the day after a full moon?..." ~Mike Adams Jr., Up North Journal Podcast

I don't believe night hunting of coyotes is legal in CT, so this was never an issue. My friend Arne Thompson has hunted coyote in various states, so I contacted him for an answer. The Adams hunt in Michigan. ~BR

The answer: "It's illegal to hunt at night except coons, and possum (in Connecticut)..... the moon phase has no effect on dog hunting...... they hunt to eat.... anything that sounds like it is in distress is a meal to them...... if they are within ear shot of the type of call you are using, consider that they will come. If nothing shows within 45 min. or so, move on to the next spot.... at lease 1 to 1.5 miles away from your previous stand." ~Arne Thompson

Thanks Arne!

How NOT to start out the new year

It's New Years day and it is the worse possible weather for squirrel hunting; frosty in the low 20's, overcast, soon to rise into the low 30's followed by rain. No one in their right minds wants to be out in this weather, including animals. Not being in my right mind, I decided to make this morning the first hunt of the New Year. I wasn't expecting anything, but I didn't want to waste a day off being cooped up in the house. Hey, you never know. I could get lucky.

My problems started early. My mother-in-law and my wife had parked their cars behind my Jeep so I was boxed in. It was only 7am, and I dare not get anyone up after New Years Eve to move a car for me. I had the keys to my wife's car, but not to the car behind me. Everything was covered with thick frost, so I did my best to clear things off and backed her car into the street. I now had a parked car close behind me, a fence at my right, a concrete porch at my left and bushes in front. This was going to be a tight squeeze. To make a long story short, I ended up swinging my right front fender into the steel fence, causing the paint to get scraped off my fender in an area the size of a dime as well as receiving some minor damage to my right front fog light. This is my first ding...ever! Happy Feak'in New Year!

GOOD EAT'N

Of course I was the only one dumb enough to be in the Meadows parking lot. Everyone else was likely sleeping it off from last night's party. I don't drink enough to mention, so that wasn't an issue. Forget walking silently. Every step on the frozen leaves sounded like I was breaking sticks and I could be heard for who knows how long. I did see 2 squirrels far in the distance, but when I reached the areas were I saw them, they were gone. That was it from 8:30am - 12:30pm. Nothing. The birds were even staying away...and it began to rain steadily when I was deepest into the woods. Thank goodness I have a waterproof camo jacket with a hood. As the ground got wet I was able to walk in almost total silence due to the wet soft leaves. That's something to remember if it rains and the sun later comes out...but it didn't today. It only rained harder. Being a glutton for punishment, I decided to also walk the two side roads where I ended up also seeing nothing. I did shoot this photo of some recent beaver activity but didn't see the beaver. It was likely inside sleeping like everything else that had intelligence.

The moral of this story: When the weather is not fit for man nor beast, stay home. Oh, by the way, to top things off, by dinner time I had a temperature of 102F.