Well the score today is still low but it isn't zero! Walking around this morning I nailed a Grackle at 25 yards or so with the TF 89 shooting Superdomes. For some reason my China guns LOVE German pellets! He was sitting in the top of an old dead tree. I fired offhand and dropped him. He plummeted into the windbreak. Since I was warned about rattlesnakes I decided not to go try and find him. This afternoon my kids were riding bikes and found one! My brother-in-law Kyle, dispatched it with a shovel to the head. It was a nice on with about seven rattles. I'm glad my kiddos know what they look like!
Later in the morning I went out to the prairie dog pasture with my wife, father-in-law, and Kyle. We were going to burn down two old buildings that were out there. They were so rickety that they weren't worth saving. In a few minutes two barns, and two HUGE piles of old tree branches were up in flames. I was 300 or so yards away and I could feel the heat.
I had missed a couple of shots at the dawgs with the .223. I'm sure it wasn't zeroed correctly, but I wanted to burn some rounds anyway. I moved down to get away from the burning barn a bit. I took a couple more shots at some to get the range and they bailed back underground. Patiently I sat on my nice turkey hunting cushion with my rifle on my home made shooting sticks. Finally one came out of his hole and started sneaking over to the next one. The first shot was high, as I suspected my zero was off in that direction. I dropped down about 2" and fired. This time he pitched over and went down-first kill for the HandiRifle!
After waiting a few more minutes, I went back to the truck to get the video camera. I stepped off the shot and it was 149 paces (about the same in yards as I have BIG feet). When I arrived I found the prairie dog, but I didn't find most of his head! Anyway, I was pumped, took some pictures, and when I was done it was time to eat lunch.
When I went back to the truck I kept waiting and waiting for my wifey to finish. So I went back to SHOOT SOME MORE! This time I caught one unaware with his head out of the hole. I had adjusted the scope down four clicks to hopefully get it to shoot 1" lower. I hit him right at the level of the hole and blew him to bits! So my last two shots at least I was two for two. So $10 worth of ammo, which is $5 per dog; and I complain about pellet prices.
I decided I hated the stock scope on the rifle and "stole" the Barska scope from my TF 99. It is a 12x scope with an adjustable AO and mil dots. A LOT better than the POC that came with the rifle. When I got it mounted, I took it out and shot about 20 rounds through it to establish a zero. I put two in the bullseye and decided it was okay. I can't group a powder burner nearly as well as I can group an air gun.
Hope you enjoy the pictures of my adventure.
This is my hunting spot. It is probably the only remaining prairie dog town in Rawlings County, Kansas. It is about to be no more as Kyle needs to use it for cattle. I'll have to find a new place to hunt the next time I'm out here.
The first kill ever for my .223 HandiRifle! It is a H & R with a bull varmint barrel. I like it because it is light and easy to carry. Hopefully it won't be long until the next victim!
This is my rifle and the "Bi-Fur Pod" shooting sticks. I made them from directions on varmintal.com They are standing over their first kill.
It is a kinda low-res picture, but here I am happy about my first firearm prairie dog kill!
