I’ve been able to get in the woods and chase a few squirrels the last couple of weeks and got to go Friday and Saturday of this week. The squirrels are there, but the leaves are still hanging in the trees which makes getting good shots very difficult. I’ve also added some shooting sticks and have experimented with two types of chairs this season to try and make my hunts better. The sticks have worked great, but I’m still getting use to them. They are the tripod type made by Allen Company. They are a little tricky as far as getting the right height for each shot. What I’ve done is get it set to a height that is about eye level with me sitting in the chair then I adjust the height by spreading or closing up the three legs. It causes me to move a little more than I like but if you are patient you usually can get it set up to the right height and not give away your position. As far as the chairs go, I am using a turkey hunting chair made by Browning and an old 5 gallon bucket type with the the swivel seat. The turkey chair is super comfortable and is low to the ground which helps with concealment, but it limits your ability to see on each side of you and behind you. It’s also more difficult to get in a comfortable shooting position. If a squirrel is in front of you or just a little left or right it’s perfect but any thing beyond this is difficult. I have some bad disc in my neck so when I’m in this chair it hurts my neck to look in all directions for a few hours. The plastic bucket seat is not as comfortable, but it’s much easier to look in all directions and you are at a more comfortable height for most shots you take. The other problem with all this crap is hauling it through the woods. I’m working on a few ideas to try and make it easier but for the most part it’s a pain in the ass. I know some people will say I’m making it more complicated than I need too, and yes I still do some stalking with just my rifle and me which is a blast, but I do love the comfort of a chair and a good rest to steady my rifle to make my hunt more comfortable. As far as hunting goes I’ve seen on average about 10 squirrels a hunt and killed between 2-3 each hunt. Just because you see 10 doesn’t mean you get to shoot at all 10. I usually shoot at 4-5 each hunt. Now yesterday I saw 15 and only killed 1. I should of killed 4, as I missed some ridiculously easy shots. Some were as close as 10 yards and one squirrel gave me two shots and I still missed. Another thing I’ve had happen this year is I will shoot at the squirrel and knock it out of a tree and when it hits the ground it just runs away. Obliviously I’m either missing it completely and maybe hitting the bark and it knocks the squirrel out the tree or maybe I’m barely nicking the squirrel and this causes it to fall. I tend to believe I am totally missing them, as the CCI hollow points are devastating no matter where you hit them at. I try for head shots, but sometimes you gotta take what you can get and take a body shot. The cool temps have been nice and for me just being in the woods is a good thing, as I get to slow down just a little and and in today’s world that’s always a positive in my book. The next week will be decent, so get on up at the crack of ridiculous and get in the woods and hug a tree or two. For those wanting to know I’m hunting with a Ruger 10/22. It’s got a green mountain stainless barrel and was sent off to CPC in Connecticut for a full tuneup. He tunes up the bolt, trigger, and barrel to make the rifle as accurate as most bolt guns. The gun shoots way better than my abilities. It’s topped off with a Nikon Rimfire 3x9 with a 42 or 44 mm front glass.
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