The Ding Donger woke me up at 7:15am. I had a feeling it was Starlings and they were here for the Pizza I put out last night. I ran to the window and sure enough.. about 12-15 Starlings were picking up the large pieces of Pizza and flying off with them! I had purposely cut those 2 slices of pizza into large pieces hoping the Starlings could not pick them up but they sure did! Most of those pieces were 3/4 their size and just as heavy as a Starling.
I quickly opened the window since they were busy eating up in the trees, hoping I can get a shot off before they left. Yeah right. They all headed for the hills with the pizza in their beaks, except 1 bird that had no food just flew about another 10yds farther out to another branch. I quickly targeted it with the 850 and got it in the crosshairs. The picture was fuzzy since I had no time to adjust the A/O. I figured it was at least 30yds out so I aimed at its head/neck area hoping to hit the upper chest. As soon as I squeezed the trigger the Starling fell! It almost got cought in the thin Blackberry tree branches coming down but eventually it came free and hit the snow covered ground. It was like slow-motion because that Blackberry tree is very dense and was below the Maple tree the Starling was on. Snapped a couple of pics where it fell and it shows the shot front & back where the 14.3gr CPHP went through the middle of the body/chest. I adjusted the A/O when I got back to the house/window. It was 27yds to where it landed, and up at the branch (about 40ft up) the A/O cleared up at ~30yds. I love the 850!!
So I went out with the family and got back in the afternoon around 3pm. I pulled up to the driveway and saw a squirrel running through the trees in my property! I had not seen one for about a month! I ran inside and grabbed the Condor .25. The squirrel was too fast and by the time I got to a window and loaded a 31gr Kodiak, it was 33-34yds out closing the gap to the end of my property. Then I quickly lost visual because of the porch on my left. So I ran to the porch and opened a window on the left side. The squirrel kept jumping from tree to tree and now was on the last tree before it crossed over to the neighbor's. Distance was about 27yds and I had been following it with the scope on 8X. It had stopped on the last tree just inches from the neighbor's and was hiding where in a crevice right at or below where the tree splits into 2 larger branches about 20ft up - obviously well aware of my presense. A few secs later it stuck its entire head out and part of its upper body eye-balling me without moving at all. I quickly got the crosshairs between its eye and ear and squeezed the trigger. Nothing! Dang! SAFETY is on! I took the safety off without losing the squirrel through the glass and squeezed again. Next I hear the very familiar sound between a THWAK and a CRACK, but much louder.
I saw the whole thing through the scope. Saw the squirrel get hit in the head and go forward and down but why is he still haning there? I am thinking he is still alive hanging on with a claw like they do sometimes, and will drop any second. Nope! 10-15secs go by and he is still there and not moving. I zoom in a little more to 12X and I can clearly see the hole on the size of its head with blood coming out of it. He is dead and is stuck! I took another shot at its head trying to shake him loose. The pellet striked at what seemed the same exact same spot with another LOUD thwak. 75fpe of energy makes a loud noise no matter what you hit
I had chronied the gun last night before going to bed (wishing for the Coyote to show up, hehe) and the last shot through the Chrony was 1,043fps w/Kodiaks or 75fpe.
Anyway I shot the squirrel once maybe twice more through the shoulder and chest but he wouldn't budge. I grabbed the swimming pool rod which is 7' long and extends almost another 7' for a total of almost 14'. I am 6'1.5" and I only had maybe 1-1.5ft left with my arms extened up before I was able to shake the nutter loose, so he was 20ft up. Another foot or so and I would have never been able to get him down. It's funny how the Starling almost got stuck too, and it wouldn't be the 1st one for me. I had a Starling stuck at the top of the BlackBerry tree for all to see with its wings wide open all last winter. But it was way in the back so luckily it just looked like a black dot from the road
So all in all a pretty good day - Feather & fur, and tested out my newly crowed barrel and spring/hammer combo at the same time on fur. The Condor .25 is more accurate than ever now with a stock spring (but much heavier hammer) instead of a stiffer/stronger spring, and a fresh crown at the muzzle. It finally equals my .22 Condor and maybe surpasses it, so for now it's my go-to gun for fur
Took a few pics of the squirrel hanging there so there 's lots of pics here, but they are small in size (KB). Sorry for the long post! Hope you enjoy the step-by-step pics, hehe
