Had such a good time yesterday popping starlings at the duck farm that as soon as I got home from work this afternoon I grabbed the .22 Panther, some CPHP's and headed for the farm. I brought the Panther cause I figured I might run into a G-hog and I wanted to be ready...
Instead of going to the sniping location I did so well at yesterday I decided to just slowly hunt the perimeter of the farm and see what targets presented themselves. My first shot was a 35 yard shot at a starling that was feeding on the ground up ahead of me. I didn't have anything to lean on so I decided to just take an off hand shot. Put the crosshairs in the middle of his back and pulled the trigger. A second later heard that lovely "POP" as the pellet slammed home. The bird rolled over and expired on the spot.
I spend an hour trying to sneak close enough to a large flock of pigeons that were gulping down duck feed, but they spotted me every time and I never even got a shot at em. To bad too cause they were some really fat pigeons,,, would've made a nice meal :)
I gave up on the pigeons and made my way to an old piece of farm equipment that was within 30 yards of a clump of old, scarred trees that the birds are nesting in. I got 2 shots and nailed 2 starlings before the birds realized I was hiding there. I sat there for another 30 minutes but the birds simply would not come in and land. So,,,, I moved on.
As I was walking around the farm I spotted 3 different G-hogs and attempted stalks on all 3, but each time I got busted and down into the earth they went. Oh well,,,, at least I found 3 new G-hogs to target in the coming weeks. I also came across a series of G-hog burrows in a small field that apparently is home to 3 or 4 of the cutest little G-hogs you ever saw. I sat 15 yards away from them, concealed behind a grain silo, and watched these tiny little brown fur balls scamper through the grass and chase each other around the dirt mounds surrounding the burrows. They were so small they would've easily fit inside my cupped hand. The looked like tiny puffy fur balls running through the grass. I had a blast sitting there watching them play. I never did see momma but she must've been down there somewhere...... When I came out of hiding to walk back to my truck the little fur balls stood up, looked at me and scampered down the nearest hole.....
I took a couple of pics when I got home so I could show off the Panthers kills :)
Jeff