Author Topic: Squirrely Days in Missouri  (Read 4371 times)

Offline Curtis

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Squirrely Days in Missouri
« on: October 16, 2011, 06:45:36 AM »
With the trees turning beautiful colors and the mornings getting cooler I have been unable to resist the urge to chase after tree rats the last couple of weekends.  One morning I even got a bonus varmint!  All taken with .50 roundball.





Curtis
Curtis Allinson
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Sometimes, late at night when I am alone in the inner sanctum of my workshop and no one else can see, I sand things using only my fingers for backing

roundball

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2011, 12:55:05 PM »
Looks and sounds like a great day in the woods, congratulations !
I know yotes are spreading through out North Carolina but as much time as I spend in the woods year after year, I've yet to see one...red and gray foxes, even a bobcat, but haven't laid eyes on a coyote.

Our squirrel opened this weekend but I only have a fairly small place to hunt (surrounded by other wooded property) and my Deer season opens in 2 weeks so I never go into the area right before Deer opens to avoid spooking it all up...but after the rut I'll be trying for some grays.

Anyhow, that hunt of yours will be a memorable one for sure...
« Last Edit: October 16, 2011, 12:56:55 PM by roundball »

Offline alyce-james

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2011, 04:57:16 PM »
A great hunt in the woods to store in your memory bank for golden years. Thanks for sharing and rekindling hunts in all of our pasts. AJ
"Candy is Dandy but Liquor is Quicker". by Poet Ogden Nash 1931.

Offline hanshi

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #3 on: October 16, 2011, 05:57:06 PM »
Great hunt!  When I lived in Ga. coyotes were everywhere.  I saw them in the woods, fields, dead on the road, at anytime during the day.  They're in Va. but I still haven't seen one here.
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Offline wattlebuster

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2011, 06:12:14 PM »
Good shootin. Good lookin gear too!!! ;D
Nothing beats the feel of a handmade southern iron mounted flintlock on a cold frosty morning

greybeard

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #5 on: October 16, 2011, 06:55:50 PM »
Do I smell squirley stew and dumplins???  Try a bit of maple syrop on a dumplin for desert.
Awesome!!     Good shooting too!!
   Cheers    Bob

nosrettap1958

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2011, 01:01:22 AM »
Curtis,
Tell us more about your rifle.

Huntindawg58

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2011, 04:27:26 AM »
Hey hanshi come to my part of Va. you can hear em and see.

Offline Curtis

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2011, 03:20:41 PM »
I appreciate all the great comments, guys!  We live on 40 acres that are about 60% wooded, with lots of oak, hickory and walnut trees, and I am next to 5,000 acres of conservation ground I can hunt on.  Here in Missouri we are fortunate enough to have large populations of both red and grey squirrels - the greys tend to be smaller and more tender, the reds bigger and meatier.  My wife fixes them a number of ways - fried, baked, stewed, with dumplings and in the crock pot.  Last year I tried fixing a couple of squirrels on the smoker and believe it or not they were fantastic!   I haven't ever been hungry enough to try coyote just yet.....   ;)

I shot this young and dumb 'yote probably less than 100 yards from where I shot the grey squirrel that morning.  After shooting the squirrel I reloaded and retrieved the squirrel, then proceeded to walk down the hill - I spooked a deer as I picked up the grey, then spooked it or another one again as I went down the hill.  The shot didn't seem to scare it, but me walking towards it did.  Same with the 'yote, it was bedded down and jumped up about 25 yards from me as I stalked through the woods, then paused to look at me about 65 yards away.  I took that opportunity to dispatch him!

I have to admit I enjoy listening to the coyotes at night, and lately there have been a lot of them to hear - however the rabbit and turkey populations have been dwindling.  The same morning that I shot this one, I woke up after sunrise to the sounds of coyotes nearby.  I went out to investigate an there was at least a pair of them working my neighbors cattle... the neighbor's cattle had a number of very young calves in the field.  I took a 450-500 yard potshot at one 'yote that was away from the heard but missed it by a couple of feet.  I think them critters need thinned a bit!

Curtis
« Last Edit: October 17, 2011, 03:31:55 PM by -SquirrelHeart- »
Curtis Allinson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes, late at night when I am alone in the inner sanctum of my workshop and no one else can see, I sand things using only my fingers for backing

Offline Curtis

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #9 on: October 17, 2011, 03:28:46 PM »
I forgot to tell about the rifle in the picture...  It is the first muzzle loader I ever bought, it is a left handed Cabelas "Hawken" that I dressed up a bit to look more traditional and less clunky.  I got it and the .50 caliber pistol used from a guy off a blanket, they are both left handed.  They are neither one anything special or fancy, but they shoot great and helped spark in me a great passion for muzzle-loading and gun building!

Curtis
« Last Edit: October 17, 2011, 03:32:26 PM by -SquirrelHeart- »
Curtis Allinson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes, late at night when I am alone in the inner sanctum of my workshop and no one else can see, I sand things using only my fingers for backing

omark

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Re: Squirrely Days in Missouri
« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2011, 06:40:25 PM »
im like you, i love to hear and see the yotes, but they do need thinned some.  people around here are having trouble keeping cats and small dogs. they seem to be high on the yote menu. they are also hard on small game and bird populations, for sure.    mark