Journal Entry 12/28/2012

Rifle: CZ Scout

Scope: Weaver RV7 2.5-7×28

Ammo: Winchester SS 40gr. HP

Back to Stacey’s again this morning, starting out around 7:30am again, but I didn’t over sleep this time. It was cold this morning, probably in the mid 20’s. Sassy made her first tree almost in the same exact spot as yesterday, but by the time I saw the squirrel it was headed toward a holly tree that housed a giant nest. So number 1 was a den, bummer. The second squirrel she treed was by the ravine, I was just on the wrong side. Also had to run down to the place to cross which was probably about 75 yards away, so by the time I made it to Sassy the squirrel was timbering. Before I could get my wits about me the squirrel made a hole in a maple tree. Another den!

Treeing went cold after this. The first squirrel of the day was shortly after 8am behind Sid’s ladder stand down by the creek. It was the same tree that I took a squirrel out of last year. The squirrel was almost in that same position. Only difference was that this year I had the Scout, and last year I had the T-bolt. I settled into my stix, on the path and leveled the crosshairs. The shot entered the neck and exited the lower ribcage, exposing some gut. That’s never a good thing, but the extreme angle was the cause.

Next we went up the path toward the “poacher” stand, and I figured Sassy would tree one off of the corn on the path but no luck. As we got to the stand, I decided that we’d go down the clearing by the old electric fence. As Sassy went down the path she started her hopping trying to flush a squirrel. She did tree one, but the only way I knew was that she was wagging her tail and looking up in the hickory she was at the base of. When she is in eye sight of the hunter, she has a tendency not to bark. I went to investigate to find a big female up towards the top. It was one of those squirrels that when you move, it counters your movement. So I went around with this squirrel, trying to get the dogs to go to the other side of the tree. Finally they did, and the squirrel moved to my side, but up the tree not exposing her head for a shot. I crouched down up against the tree I was posted on and took a shot, right in the noggin’. Two shots, two squirrels, Awesome! Well it was until this last squirrel.

I was planning on heading out around 9:30, but Sassy had other plans as she treed another squirrel behind the trailers on Stacy’s land. I walked over to the area and figured that the squirrel had denned in a sourwood tree. That’s about all those trees are good for is squirrel dens. It took me a couple of times walking around the trees and lots of glassing but I found the squirrel, nestled in a “V” about ¾’s the way up the tree. I settled in for a shot, steadied against a tree and missed. The squirrel decided to bail out into a pine and hide. My next to shots were not the best to choose, as I hit debris that was in the way. The squirrel stayed put, so I found and open shot and put that Winchester HP right in the gourd.

Glad to have gotten the dogs out to hunt the past two days. It was certainly more enjoyable to be hunting than working.

Shots taken: 6

Squirrels taken by myself: 3