ShadowCamo's first day out

[shadow]

After a long slim winter of hunting in the snow the day's were warming up and the sun was expected to shine down today so I figured it was a good time to test the camo. This would be my first day back on the private land hunting grounds and I felt like a new man as I soaked in the sun and fresh air and headed into the wood's. With the snow all gone I switched back into my spring camo and the B26 with her new coat of camo would be right at home in the wood's. I made my way to one of my old hides which had held up well over the winter and by 8:30am I was tucked into the hide and scanning the tree's and ground for movement. The tree's are still bare but I noticed some bud's wanting to burst out and the ground was covered with the dead leaves of last year. About an hour and a half went by and I was really relaxing into the hide when I noticed movement on the game trail twenty or so yards out. The B26 was already laid out in front of me so I rested in behind the scope to see what's on the menu.  I was excited to see a large Squirrel working it's way back and forth from tree to tree then digging up the nut's that had been stored in the ground to hold them over through winter. I already had the cross hairs in hot pursuit when it stopped next to the base of a tree and began working on a nut. I was presented a perfect side profile so the cross hairs zeroed in on the sweetspot and the CPHP was sent. The Squirrel dropped on the spot then gave a couple quick twitch's of it's tail and then expired on the spot. I settled back into the hide and reloaded slowly and silently since it wasn't going anywhere and went into the search and destroy mode again. Another fifteen minutes passed and I spotted another nutter but it was moving the other direction on a limb up and over the creek to no man's land. I did a quick scan of the tree's behind me when I caught a smaller nutter zipping along on a limb about twenty five yards out but as I watched it I realized that it was a Red. I got myself turn around then shouldered the B26 and followed along with the scope on em. The little guy stopped on a branch to get a look at me but he was already zeroed in and another CPHP was released. Their was a distant "POP" sound then the Red dropped stone dead from the branch. I decided to call it a day since I'd gotten my nutter and this guy will taste great, waited all winter to taste one again. I crawled out of the hide and stepped off some yard's to the Fox Squirrel which came to twenty seven yard's and he was a very nice sized male nutter. I grabbed him up and then posed him for some pic's with shooter then stowed him in my game bag. I made my way back to the hide then headed the other direction to step off some yard's to the Red, 18 yard's and a hit to the fusebox. I snagged him up for some pic's also and was just about finished up when I caught movement just a few feet away. What's this hehe this little guy was just standing in a hollowed out log watching me snap some pic's of his distant kin. I really don't take Chipper's with a shooter too much but wanted to get a pic of this little guy hehe. He never moved as I loaded up the gear and made my way out of the wood's. You all probably thought that I had retired from hunting hehe but I'm back on my private land's and really just getting started. Ed

[shadow]

Start looking for private land's to hunt guys and gals. Visit the farms etc. and make some new friends who own wooded land and with the owners permission you can hunt certain critters all year long but always check your local law's concerning this. Ed

[Gene_SC]

Hey Ed great take buddy. You even snaped a pic proir to nailing him in the head.. Great shot as always brother.Did you use your gun or was that a finger shot.. hehe

[1377x]

great shooting
nice rig
great pics

[shadow]

Thank you brother's and Gene the one I shot was a Red Squirrel and the one poking his head out of the log is just a little Chipmunk. I had already taken the Fox Squirrel and the Red Squirrel and the Chipmunk was watching me as I took some pic's of the Red Squirrel, shot the Chipper with the camera hehe. Ed

[dk1677]

Nice day hunting Ed! Great pictures! and that camo looks very nice!

[shadow]

Thanks Dave and it was a great day to be in the sticks. Ed

[atchman2]

Great shooting and great pictures! Looked like a wonderful day to be afield.  

I'll have to check into the local laws about private lands.  That may be a way to keep up the hunting a lot longer.  

I'm not too hip right now about shoosting the local squirrels anyway. They are all about making baby squirrels! Besides TN squirrel season starts in a few weeks anyway

[shadow]

Thanks Randy and I have four locations of private enclosed land that I've left alone all winter so it's time to thin em out some. Ed

[jake]

great shooting and pics ed!

[only1harry]

Wow a fox and a red in the same day!  Nice shooting and pics buddy.  Love the camo job on your shooter!

Hey everybody, Ed is back! hehe

[shadow]

Thanks Jake and Harry and the night patrol pest hunt's will start up soon too. Ed

[longislandhunter]

Now that's how you do it !!!  Outstanding buddy...  That is one healthy looking nutter and the rifle is just absolutely beautiful....   Great hunt buddy and super pics..  

JEff

[Furseeker]

Ed, that is one great looking rifle, you are truley very talented. Your work is fantastic, makes me look at my guns as kind of plain janes. Can't wait to see the night patrol results. Might have to start doing a few of my own night patrols. Great looking rifle man.

[atchman2]

I'm ready for night patrol too!  Too many months of watching my ineptitude and no night patrols!