Holy Cow!! The Squeaks Are Out!!!

J

jdscholer

New member
I was out and about yesterday and saw that the ground squirrels (we call them squeaks around here) were out.

I got up this morning and assembled a shooting contraption from a tripod that I got at a yard sale for a few bucks. Loaded up the 222, shells, bags, and binocs and headed out to a good spot a couple miles from the house.

The squirrels were many and very aggressive,:rolleyes: but my 40 gr. V-Max's taught them a hard lesson. After nearly 100 rounds I figure my tally at around 30 or 40 squeaks. Most shots were from 50 to 150 yards, and my tripod worked well. I'm thinking of a few improvements.

Here's a few pics
jd
 

Attachments

  • tripod web.jpg
    tripod web.jpg
    174.8 KB · Views: 251
  • 100_2470.jpg
    100_2470.jpg
    176.9 KB · Views: 248
We call em gophers here :D

None out yet, it was really nice for a few days, but winter's back now :mad: Was really hoping to get a few out to start shooting with .22s.
 
Yeah- I played golf today and they were everywhere
Click to expand...

Golf.--- Isn't that one of those sports where ya walk around and try to hit a distant target with a small projectile? How weird is that. jd
 
We call 'em tree rats in Connecticut.
Click to expand...
Easterners . . .:rolleyes:

I really miss springtime in CA, grass turning green, wildflowers stretching their roots in the incredibly fertile soil, peeking up through the new growth to enjoy the sunshine, the ground squirrels popping their cute little faces up out of their holes, playing and laughing in the warm sunshine (Walt Disney-ish;) ), and catching a 55 grainer at 3,900 fps and making the soil fertile. One of nature's little-understood mysteries, I guess.:)

Wish I was there with you. Think of me as you send them a little "present", will you?
 
Gophers and tree squirrels are different species than ground squirrels.

Ground squirrels are more closely related to prairie dogs, though are usually a bit smaller.
 
When it warms up a bit and the new grass and alfalfa begins to sprout, it gets pretty bizarre around here. The squeaks, (Belding's Ground Squirrels I believe they are called) don't like to take time out from gorging on the greenery even when the lead is flying. On more than one occasion I have killed more than one with a single shot as well as hit them with a ricochet.

There have been days when I killed so many that I felt positively dirty.:rolleyes: jd
 
I like your tripod set up. And I have to admit, that snowless, mudless, sunny landscape looks damn nice about now! I used to hunt an area called Harvey Valley in Lassen with that same beautiful landscape. Lots of badgers in that area.

Knock em dead! Looks like fun.
 
In New England, where I grew up, we had wood chucks, which we called whistle pigs. If they happened to see you and scooted down a hole, you could go to the hole, lay down and be quiet for a moment and then whistle. When they stuck their heads up to see what the noise was you got them.

(An Aside: The Town of Hopkinton, RI use to have a bounty on them. I think it was .15 cents a nose. We would pack the noises in salt and then get a ride to the town hall and collect our money. We found out that if we left them on the counter, the town clerk would give us an extra .15 cents to take them out and throw them away. :D Then it was off to Kenyon's Store (where the post office is now) to buy the candy and soda.)

Gray Squirrels where referred to as tree rats.
 
The high pitch squeak they make in communicating amongst each other also tells us where they are, hence the word SQUEAKS (Belding's ground squirrels). On a good day you can get out in a field, setup your table and bench rest, and shoot 3-5 hrs. in one spot without moving. Much more fun than Prairie Dog Shooting. That's because the shooting is non-stop. The only problem is your rifle gets hot and you need to switch guns. Because they are breeding right now they don't hear your guns reguardless of the calibur. Where you see the ground moving with squirrels when you drive up that signals a good day.

K-Falls, Or. and Cedarville Ca. are good places to shoot.
 
That landscape behind my tripod is about a mile from our house and the little town where we live. I called several coyotes "right there" this winter, and spent many happy hours flinging lead at the quail which hang around the fringe areas. (even hit a few) There are some pretty nice bucks around, but I've not killed any yet. A lot of the land is BLM with pretty good access, and I have permission on several private places. When I here some of ya talk about trying to find places to hunt/shoot, I realize I've got it pretty good. jd
 
I have already got my .17, .22, and .223 out and whacked 74 already, I got one of those little counters and hang it from my rearview mirror and am keeping count, I think they are called Richardsons ground squirells around these parts but they get names like.....gophers, whistle pigs, Bas**rds, and on and on it don't matter what you call em' as long as they wind up dead I guess...:D:D
 
I leave on the 27th for a week in Idaho BLM killing as many Whistle pigs as I can hit. I got 10k rounds of 22lr and 3k of .223. My son will be using the 10-22 and will be his first trip to kill squeaks. I will be using my Encore and will be my first trip with a pistol for squeaks.


MAN I CANT WAIT!!!!
 
I will be there on the 28th or really early on the 29th. Going to hit the BLM land east of Payette for a few days. Then I am headed to Baker city Oregon to visit my brother and kill some squeaks out there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top