Squirrels and Sunshine
Posted on May 19, 2008 - Filed Under Hunting
So yesterday was the first chance I had to be outside in the sunshine. I had been wanting to shoot squirrels, but it had been too cold and I was always busy. I loaded up my gun on the 4-wheeler and headed out with Buddy (my brother). There was lots of sunshine…and a few squirrels. A couple of years ago, we had completely demolished the squirrel population on our property and they are just now getting reestablished. All the babies were out, which made for more fun considering they are about 1/3 of the size of their parents. So, here I am with a gun I have owned for MAYBE 3 days and all these little babies that I can’t see. I get all settled and aim right at the little suckers. I pull the trigger and dirt flies…2 feet behind them. I adjusted my aim and pull the trigger again. This time, I was 2 feet IN FRONT of the squirrels. Now, through all of this, the squirrel just stands there. Pretty sure if I was getting shot at, I would run and hide. Instead, 5 other heads pop up to see what the commotion is about. So, Bud opened fire. The dust settles, and there are three less babies. Three down, 1,000 to go. I fiddle with my scope and try to understand why I can’t hit anything. Surely it is equipment malfunction. It has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the operator. Two hours later and only one death later, I head home. Tuna sandwiches and ice tea.
At 2:30, I am rudely awaken from my nap by the sound of a diesel pickup coming down the driveway. My brother’s friend Clay has decided to help us with the population control. After commenting on my sunburn, he decides all three of us should go. So, here we go again. I try to explain that I can’t hit anything because my gun doesn’t work. Clay says he will fix it. While I was shooting squirrels with his .22, he is seeing where the gun is shooting. All of a sudden he exclaims, “It shoots in a circle. I aim at one spot everytime and it shoots all around it.” See…I told you. Equipment malfunction. Not my fault. He continues to “experiment” while Bud and I continue population control. Two hours later, my gun still doesn’t shoot straight, I am completely fried, and the boys used all MY shells. Apparently, they can afford gas, but not .22 shells. Go figure.
Today, my adventures in shooting continue. This time, with a shotgun.
To be continued…