Staci Matheis
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As some of you know, the woods and streams always have been my first and greatest love! Lakes and bass boats came along much further down the line and will always run a distant 2nd..... I had posted these two threads over at GunsandBullets.com and one of the guys suggested that I share my weekend with all of you..... So.....
Friday, May 27th.
I headed into the woods early this morning for the beginning of squirrel season...... I've spent a good deal of time in the last 5 months tinkering with the trigger and action on a new Ruger 10/22. (The 3rd Ruger 10/22 I've owned over the last 25 years.) This was to be it's first chance at real game! I chose a spot that I had come across this last winter while coyote hunting. I hadn't called in any coyotes there - but there were big red fox squirrels all over the place!
What I hadn't counted on was the amount of undergrowth. I was right next to a corn field and the uncultivated land next to it was thick - with poison ivy! The leaves were really heavy on the trees, too.
I saw 4 squirrels before I finally got a shot at this one. I love the "Thud!" made by a big red squirrel hitting the ground! He was about 35 yards away and 25 feet up. The shot was off-hand - I sometimes amaze myself! He managed to land in some of that poison ivy - but I wasn't about to let the first squirrel of the year and the first taken with the new 10/22 go without a picture. I haven't gotten poison ivy since I was about 9..... I hope it doesn't come back now.....
You can see in this picture how I've had the stock shortened on the rifle to a 12 3/4" length of pull to fit me. About 1" came off the butt end.
I probably saw a dozen more squirrels but just couldn't get off shots at them in the heavy foliage. I did finally find 2 more chasing each other around a tree and managed to pick them off..... But..... Their "Thud's!" were right smack dab in the middle of a really huge patch of poison ivy..... I wasn't all that interested in stew..... I like McDonald's better anyway!
Early-afternoon, I came across a big groundhog at about 60 yards. He was Fat! Probably weighed about 15 pounds!
A bit later in the day, I went up into the hills on the right in the groundhog picture..... This is all about 10 miles south of Hannibal, Missouri along the Mississippi River..... I saw several gray squirrels - or should I say "glimpsed"! :lol: There wasn't much ground cover because the canopy was just too thick..... But there was just enough that, for the few moments a squirrel was bouncing along the ground, I didn't even have enough time to get the rifle up. They didn't stay on the trunks long - just there in passing from the ground to the tree tops.
Actually, I was in there for a couple of hours..... I took a nap against a tree trunk! :lol:
I don't ever remember hearing more birds singing! WOW! It was a gorgeous day! 60-ish in the morning; low-70's the rest of the day!! Lot's of sun! Nice breeze!! It was wonderful! I'm going back out on Monday!
So..... That was my day! Lots of fun! And I gotta tell ya..... The 5 months I spent tinkering on that little .22 were well worth it! All I had to do was think "shoot!" and it did! I love it!!
me!
P.S. added on Sunday morning..... No itching!
Friday, May 27th.
I headed into the woods early this morning for the beginning of squirrel season...... I've spent a good deal of time in the last 5 months tinkering with the trigger and action on a new Ruger 10/22. (The 3rd Ruger 10/22 I've owned over the last 25 years.) This was to be it's first chance at real game! I chose a spot that I had come across this last winter while coyote hunting. I hadn't called in any coyotes there - but there were big red fox squirrels all over the place!
What I hadn't counted on was the amount of undergrowth. I was right next to a corn field and the uncultivated land next to it was thick - with poison ivy! The leaves were really heavy on the trees, too.
I saw 4 squirrels before I finally got a shot at this one. I love the "Thud!" made by a big red squirrel hitting the ground! He was about 35 yards away and 25 feet up. The shot was off-hand - I sometimes amaze myself! He managed to land in some of that poison ivy - but I wasn't about to let the first squirrel of the year and the first taken with the new 10/22 go without a picture. I haven't gotten poison ivy since I was about 9..... I hope it doesn't come back now.....
You can see in this picture how I've had the stock shortened on the rifle to a 12 3/4" length of pull to fit me. About 1" came off the butt end.
I probably saw a dozen more squirrels but just couldn't get off shots at them in the heavy foliage. I did finally find 2 more chasing each other around a tree and managed to pick them off..... But..... Their "Thud's!" were right smack dab in the middle of a really huge patch of poison ivy..... I wasn't all that interested in stew..... I like McDonald's better anyway!
Early-afternoon, I came across a big groundhog at about 60 yards. He was Fat! Probably weighed about 15 pounds!
A bit later in the day, I went up into the hills on the right in the groundhog picture..... This is all about 10 miles south of Hannibal, Missouri along the Mississippi River..... I saw several gray squirrels - or should I say "glimpsed"! :lol: There wasn't much ground cover because the canopy was just too thick..... But there was just enough that, for the few moments a squirrel was bouncing along the ground, I didn't even have enough time to get the rifle up. They didn't stay on the trunks long - just there in passing from the ground to the tree tops.
Actually, I was in there for a couple of hours..... I took a nap against a tree trunk! :lol:
I don't ever remember hearing more birds singing! WOW! It was a gorgeous day! 60-ish in the morning; low-70's the rest of the day!! Lot's of sun! Nice breeze!! It was wonderful! I'm going back out on Monday!
So..... That was my day! Lots of fun! And I gotta tell ya..... The 5 months I spent tinkering on that little .22 were well worth it! All I had to do was think "shoot!" and it did! I love it!!
me!
P.S. added on Sunday morning..... No itching!