It was a really nice day today...temps in the high 70's and the grass looking like green velvet. The first wildflowers are starting to bloom and the early oaks have leaves the size of squirrels ears. I grabbed my gear, tossed it in the jeep, and headed out. I drove a bit, then parked and headed up a canyon on foot with my bow to scout for turks and do some stump shooting.
The ground squirrels were out everywhere. I started out with a few easy ones at 15 and 17. Then I shot one at 42 and another at 37. Feeling good about my set up, I ranged one at 67. I watched my arrow peak out and then decend followed by that distinctive "pop". The fletchings wiggled momentairly and then relaxed. That never gets old! Three more at one tree from 55, 42, and 49. I overshot one at 38...I must have picked up the grass behind his dirt mound.
I wound up making about a five mile loop and saw several herds of deer but no turkeys. I managed to get a few more and decided to call it a day. I was headed back to the jeep and had stopped for a drink when a squirrel ran up out of the stream bed to a hole in a bluff at eye level. I eased up my rangefinder and he was exactly 30. I let my water tube drop as I came to full draw...settled the pin on his front shoulder...and let it fly. Classic "pop" followed by the end of the arrow wiggling. What I didn't realize is that there was a dead root behind him and the arrow glanced instead of sticking into the ground. That squirrel was free to run and pulled my arrow into his hole. I jumped the creek and as I approached his hole, I watched in disbelief as my 30" FMJ just disappeared!
The ground squirrels were out everywhere. I started out with a few easy ones at 15 and 17. Then I shot one at 42 and another at 37. Feeling good about my set up, I ranged one at 67. I watched my arrow peak out and then decend followed by that distinctive "pop". The fletchings wiggled momentairly and then relaxed. That never gets old! Three more at one tree from 55, 42, and 49. I overshot one at 38...I must have picked up the grass behind his dirt mound.
I wound up making about a five mile loop and saw several herds of deer but no turkeys. I managed to get a few more and decided to call it a day. I was headed back to the jeep and had stopped for a drink when a squirrel ran up out of the stream bed to a hole in a bluff at eye level. I eased up my rangefinder and he was exactly 30. I let my water tube drop as I came to full draw...settled the pin on his front shoulder...and let it fly. Classic "pop" followed by the end of the arrow wiggling. What I didn't realize is that there was a dead root behind him and the arrow glanced instead of sticking into the ground. That squirrel was free to run and pulled my arrow into his hole. I jumped the creek and as I approached his hole, I watched in disbelief as my 30" FMJ just disappeared!
