Gun: (Morning) CZ 452 American 17Hm2
Scope: Weaver V-16 4-16x42AO Duplex
Ammo: Eley 17gr.
Gun: (Afternoon) CZ 452 American 16″
Scope: Clearidge Ultra XP 6-20x40AO
Ammo: Federal Automatch 40gr.
Brad, Mike and I all decided the Mach 2’s should get the go for this morning hunt. Brad and I ran our CZ’s, while Mike opted for his Remington 504. We all sat within 30 yards of one another as I wanted some video coverage. It was a hot area with plenty of recon from a ladder stand during deer season. As I waited, I watched Mike and Brad both raise and lower there rifles multiple times to track on squirrels that would never give them shots. After an hour and a half, Mike and I decided to ease back behind us, as the movement was heavy. There is this knotty sweetgum tree that the squirrels love to go back and forth to. As Mike started to move a squirrel made him, and decided to investigate. Bad idea, squirrel. I was drawing a bead on said squirrel from my location, when it went to Mike’s side of the tree. Mike made a free handed shot right to the bean! We had previously sighted in that 504 at 50 yards and you could put 3 shots touching in the center of a dime.
After this shot, the movement stopped and I glassed the knotty sweetgum to see a squirrel quartering away, backed to the trunk of the tree, about 3/4’s the way up. I told Mike I had a spine shot but he said, “Go for the noodle.” So I opted for another position to shoot this squirrel from, and it changed locations on me. The squirrel ended up in a “V” higher up and I had an excellent shot opportunity. Well I didn’t do my part and pulled the shot, striking the tree, thus making the squirrel change positions. So I regrouped and but the second shot in the noodle, as Mike would say.
From here all three of us got together, reviewed the kills and made a plan to move over the hill, to a ravine, to see if we could catch up with all the squirrels that were out of Mike’s range. It was nearing 10am. No sooner than I sat down between Mike and Brad, I caught movement of a bouncing twig. It was a squirrel. It posted on the left side of the tree only for a few seconds, before moving to the right side and posting up. I fired a anchored shot, startling Brad, the squirrel dropped and the bullet impacted the maple branch behind it. This was a mature male. Not much movement after this and we headed out for lunch.
So for the afternoon, Brad and I headed right back to the morning spot as the activity there was great. I brought along Sassy and Koda, as Brad had never hunted over dogs before. As we started down the trail Sassy took off treeing a squirrel in a red oak. I ran video as Brad found a steady rifle rest to take the shot. Well his mini mag impacted a branch in front of the squirrel on the first shot, but the second one found its mark. Brad didn’t get a shot all morning so I think he missed on purpose just to get to fire the gun!
The nest squirrel was spotte in that knotty, sweetgum by Brad. He let me take the shot. I used my stix again and made an accurate head shot. I parallaxed down to just over 30 yards, but the shot seemed further. The afternoon seemed to fly by and these were the only two squirrels taken.
