Birthday gift to myself

[Phantom 631]

I actually put this story onto the end of Malt's Happy Birthday thread, then realised that it was in the General Airgun section, so decided to post it in here as well.

 

I'd checked Zero all fine and dandy, nothing doing in the cemy so had a slow wander (In a bit of a daydream really) over to the paddock, caught a glimps of something in Mrs G's Orchard on the floor.

Thought at 1st glance it was one of her cats, then it moved, a flash of grey fur and "ah a bunny!", just as that thought entered my mind, the fur began ascending a tree trunk "What the feck?" then the voice in my head told me "It's a Squirrel" and I looked away for a split second, then I found myself saying out loud "Squizzer, it's only a Squizzer" then it hit me "IT'S A FECKING SQUIZZER! and more to the point..... IT'S ON MY FECKING LAND!"

My heart began to race, could this be true? A Squirrel on my land? Only ever seen one there before and that was way, way back in the past. I couldn't believe my luck

Up came my baby and the crosshair settled just in front of a branch waiting for the head to pop up so I could give it a slap on the back of the noggin. Head appeared, my breathing went to hell, and CRACK! The pellet hit wood

The noise certainly got the Squirrels attention!

But I'd blown it, the little critter flicked round and gave it legs down the trunk, it's bushy tail flicking as it went, I followed it with my eyes as I reloaded, it ran up the next trunk and I raised my baby again, Dammit! It vanished, where the hell did it go, it still had to be in Mrs G's Orchard surely?

I took my head away from the scope, disheartened my time to shine and pop my squizzer cherry had passed

 

I looked up into the canopy of the Horse Chestnut tree that I was stood under expecting a dozen or so woodies to take to the sky as they always do the second they see the whites of my eyes. Nothing moved, come to think of it I hadn't seen a Woody all that day

As I moved my head down, there not more than 4 yards in front of me, just above head height, I saw this head staring right into my eyes, it's shoulders hunched down, tail hanging below the branch, it seemed to have a "You wanna piece of ME?" look about it, again my eye went to the scope, my left hand turned the Mag down to 6, the Squirrel cocked it's head slightly and I instantly decided on a heart shot. This one HAS to count

4 mildots hold over on its chest and I released the shot without thinking about it, Nutkin's jumped over to another branch Damn! I'd missed again...... Or so I thought!...... Less than 3 seconds, as I brought my gun down from my shoulder to reload, a grey lump of fur dropped sideways out of the tree and landed almost at my feet I saw no blood and half expected the bushy tailed bugger to jump up and run! I quickly reloaded and put the Twink MKII at the base of the ear and phut, I wasn't taking any chances.

The body didn't move

I've done it, I've successfully shot and killed my very first Grey Squirrel

My tiny first effort to help our endangered Red Squirrels

 

 

There was a very distinct lack of blood the reason became very clear when I put my knife in to clean the kill. The shot had gone in through the top of the heart and exited out the bottom, and the animals blood had filled the chest cavity, as the knife went in, the blood poured out of the cavity and all of a sudden it dawned on me just how much blood a little critter like this has in its body!

 

 

 

What a birthday gift to myself, I feel like a kid that just opened his most wanted gift at xmas!

 

Tony

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Kebab?

 

It is good when you finally nail one isn't it? At least you did not have to play squirrel snooker using a rake and avoiding the peacocks....

Edited July 7, 2012 by secretagentmole

[Phantom 631]

 

In the years I've been shooting on those 3 pieces of land Mike, I've only seen two of them, this one is the first one I've ever had chance to shoot The first one I saw, I was so suprised by it, that I just sat there gun in my hands while I watched it run across the cemetery.

 

I did the one Adam shot for me Mexican style, think this one is going Cajun

 

Tony

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

Well done pal. congrarulations and happy birthday

[porkycrook 466]

Happy birthday Big man enjoy your feast.

[ghillies 209]

sat at a range in the middle of no where, i've just set the X2 with bisley magnums out to the 50m mark, erghh theyre ok out to 50 but the ring splaters the same from about 40 lol (the grouping), any road... sat board, nipped all the dandylions, the grass heads, a few daiseys left and i think, hmmm i could just do with a fezzie apearing up there..nice for tea that.

 

sat for 5 quietly, then heard a comosion as two cock fezzies came hertling from the side of the shed and promply ran up the middle like a pair of road runners, the loser just in front !!

 

i let ten off trying to head shot from 7 yard to 40 lol watching the further pellets 'group' nicely all around but no where near! arghhhh loading the mag like a pregnat goafer in birth here... and then they stop at the back dropp, the loser being a little concerned about where to go just as the top dog starts ripping into him, one shot dropped the loser, the one on top got well into pommaling the dead one! and bang goes number two..cushty dinner.

 

foooood lol.

 

happy birthday mate.

Edited July 7, 2012 by ghillies

[AR177 588]

Happy birthday tony and congrats on popping your cherry

 

ATB

 

Adam

[secretagentmole 1,701]

They does taste nice Tony!

[Robbie uk 24]

Happy 21 st Tony.........Again lol

[Phantom 631]

Cheers guy's,

 

Sat here stuffing my face with the squizzer now, slow cooked for 3 1/2 hours in Medeterainian herbs with flash fried onions and red and green peppers laid on a bed of mildly spiced long grain rice.

 

Simply Exquizzer :laugh:

 

Tony

[Ticker 0]

Great story! Thanks for sharing it and congratulations!!

Proper job

[davyt63 1,845]

hi Tony

nice shot buddy,and in field autopsy

[Phantom 631]

Hiya Davy,

 

It had to be in the field this time, I rubbed my fingers down the back (she had a lovely thick pelt) toawrds the hind legs and felt a solid lump!

I had a really bad feeling that it was my pellet. Indeed it was my immediate thoughts were that the pellet had travelled there and had probably ripped through the stomach and the intestine and would probably taint the meat making it unedible

So the quicker the guts came out the better.

Luckily, that was not the case and I ate the Squizzer last night

 

Tony

[pro extreme hunter 10]

hi tony

Happy birthday, Nice shot and good long story to go with it.

Edited July 9, 2012 by pro extreme hunter

[stealthy1 3,964]

Shot Phantom, know someone who makes soup from squizzers, keeps saying he will drop of a recipe