Today was a good day. I've been busy removing squirrels and rabbits and chipmunks from the lands as usual but I hadn't really done anything worth mentioning till today. I'm still a bit amazed myself.
For those of you that know me and my "hunting" you'll know this one's the truth. For the new folks around here, well....it's true.
As many of you know I semi-recently bought a new Talon SS that was stock. I've been working with it...alot. Maimer comes over about every other weekend and we shoot at all sorts of ranges but limit our really long shots to the high powered .22s. As you may know a Talon has that ... in spades. We regularly shoot out at 50+ yards with our big guns and have become accustom to doing so.
Today I finally blooded the Talon in squirrel blood. (Yeck..lots of it actually) I spotted an acorn burying bugger out by the acorn tree this afternoon around 3:15pm. I quietly got out the Talon and set up on my shooting bench on the back porch. He was frolicking with my nemisis, the albino squirrel. Once I got the gun ready and loaded, I realized that I'd forgotten to get my chair (an old cooler) and it was sitting out in the sun drying off. Reluctantly I got on my knees and did my best to sight him in. Being my weight, I quickly found that bare knees on a wooden deck is a bit uncomfortable. Still, I had a chance so I endured. He and the white mistress were all over the place and I had trouble keeping him in my sights. I spent 5 minutes trying to get a shot and had to give up. It was time to pick up my oldest at school. I kept my patience however because I knew he was having too much fun to go home.
Sure enough, when I got back home and looked out the window, there he was eating and digging. I pulled the Talon out again, told my oldest to watch the youngest for a minute and snuck out to my bench. Once again I realized I had no chair so I grabbed a double stacked mini table hoping it would hold my weight. It did...barely. As I sat down and began to look for the gray bugger he bolted from the acorn tree headed for Garthton. I was not necessarily concerned because he was also headed directly for a tree there...at 40 yards. He then upped the game by not stopping at the 40 yard tree and continuing to the 50 yard tree. Again, I wasn't really concerned because 1" groups at 50 yards is common with a Talon SS. Then he did the unthinkable and continued on to a tree that Maimer and I had only ever shot our 350's to. The dreaded 73 yard tree. Now, in all fairness we have taken gallon jugs at that distance many times until Garth told us about our "blow through". Then we gave it up.
As luck would have it, I've been watching a rabbit in Bruceland that comes out of a large bush/tree haven every night around 7:15 and JUST TODAY decided I'd try to bag him even though he was at 65 yards. In fact, this very morning I took a rabbit target out there and sure enough, on 18 power it only takes 3 mils high to put one in his eye. So....you see.... Mr. squirrel was screwed and didn't know it.
The nutter seemed rather content at his assumed safe range. I watched him through the scope for about a minute realizing he wasn't leaving. I adjusted my scope for clarity and decided to try anyway. I checked the wind (none) and began breathing. Five seconds later I brought the scope up 4 mils and planted it on his head. A few breaths later I felt the gun go off and there was a split second of ???? then "Pop!" and the squirrel started his electric dance. At 73 yards the hit sounded like taking a 1X4 and dropping it from 2" up onto a concrete floor. Anywho, he stopped twitching but I was skeptical so I loaded another round and actually hit him again! No reaction.
I took the long walk to find him way dead with blood everywhere. So much so I couldn't see where I'd hit him. I took him home and washed him off to find my entry point. I found it on top of his head! He was looking down when he got it. I also found the second shot. It broke his rear right leg so severely that bone was sticking out. At first I actually thought I might have beaten Maimers 81 yard squirrel but after dragging the girls outside to measure the distance I was right all along. Only 73 yards. Still....Woot!
For those that are curious, I used a 15.7 grain BSA Wolverine that left the barrel at approx. 23 ft lbs. The shot was from my bench using the bipod.
Here's a couple pics.
