I could not resist. It was cold, bitter cold, but I had to get out just one more day to enjoy one of my favorite hunts…squirrel with a handgun. Usually it is a single action pistol but this time it had to be the racier semi-auto. Good thing…I needed it!
I sat for over an hour knowing full well that the squirrels would be holed up in a tree den, defying the arctic cold temps and wind. I tried calling them but nothing. I even grated my wood call against my shooting stick to mimic a feeding squirrel. I guess they are smart enough to know squirrels don’t feed in this weather. The sunlight was starting to fade and I knew I only had enough time for one more trick. The rabbit distress. Over the years, this trick has accounted for more squirrels for me than any other. Twenty to thirty seconds of wailing on the distress call was all it took. In a large cottonwood 40 yards out. Two beautiful fox squirrels appeared from a hole in a large branch and scurried down the tree. Now…if you have ever tried to steady a pistol with frozen hands I can tell you…it ain’t easy! I steadied the red dot on the lead squirrel and squeezed the trigger with a finger so cold I could not feel the release as the trigger broke clean at 4 lbs. The crack of the 22 echoed through the woods and that squirrel nearly fell off the branch from laughter. A clear miss! If you have never witnessed a squirrel turn on its back a laugh hysterically you are missing out! Now the second squirrel was pitched on the tree trunk. I quickly reorganized my shooting stick and placed the red dot on the furry critter. At t he crack of the 22, I knew it was a good hit.
I will get through but the close of so many seasons in one day is tough on me. Maybe we should stagger them if just for a few days so we don’t have to suffer so much on January 31. But wait…there are coyotes to call and turkey season is just around the corner…Oh the anticipation is just killing me!
Jeff