Today I carried the shooting sticks with me. I am a really poor offhand shooter. Left shoulder is pretty much shot (needs a replacement) and holding the for grip out steady shot is tough. I can lean against a tree or something and do OK. Where this mornings hunt was going to be it is open and available rests are few and far between. A bunch of walnut trees scattered. I had a day of three and a day of two a couple weeks ago. So at daylight I was there watching the sun rise. It was quiet with no wind early. First two grays showed up together. I was actually sitting at a picnic table facing some big oak timber where I knew most would of the targets would be coming from. Both squirrels went into a huge red oak. Shooting sticks ready the first one stopped on a limb to check out the area before hitting the ground to run to the first walnut. Ranged at 39.8 yards. I got on him and pulled the trigger and down he went. This alerted the second one who stopped on a limb facing away and started barking. I barked at her and she tuned her head and then there was two down. I turned away looking to another place thinking there would be a pause in the first place. Well a third came from the previous area and took off across the grass into the walnuts and did not stop going right past me to way off to the other end of the walnuts. It worked the top until it found a suitable nut to hull and cut and start cutting. I worked myself over slowly but not slow enough and it disappeared behind the tree. I took a seat on the ground and set up the sticks and waited. Soon from around the tree he came out and perched on a limb and began to start hulling again. I ranged again at 29 yards pulled the trigger and third one down. Got my prizes picked up and watched for awhile as the wind began to pick up. Enough I could not hear and pick out any with leaves moving. Left the three sitting on picnic table and walked down a hill into more protected bottom area. Down there I seen one moving from tree to tree and headed that way. As I got closer it began to bark. I was close but could not find it. I kept creeping and there it was. CLOSE. I dropped the legs on shooting sticks and did I say close? Less than ten yards. I am sighted at 40 yards, have a hold over of four and a half mil dots. That is where I sighted. Pulled trigger and missed, flat whiffed the shot. It left and I continued my walk. Went another bit and turned around. On way back another gray over my head in tree tops and over a dry creek bed on a branch stopped for a few seconds. Shooting sticks already set no time to range took the shot and ker thump it went down. Very satisfied with my morning back up the hill for a couple pictures. On the flip side belly pic you can tell which three have been cutting our native black walnuts,
My next post will be picture heavy as I do a step by step on how I clean my squirrel.
