Robert Egler
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2007
- Messages
- 1,319
- Reaction score
- 26
So last week I was squirrel hunting in a semi-new area. I was familiar with the area in general, but not this particular hollow.
I spot a squirrel about 20 feet up in a tree about 25 yards away at the bottom of the hollow, as I was coming down the side. I know there's a creek at the bottom, but I can't really see it from where I am because it has high banks.
Shoot the squirrel.(54 cal smoothbore flintlock 70g ffg 1 oz 7 1/2 shot)
Squirrel falls.
I see big splash of water, and I’m thinking 'that isn’t just a shallow little creek.'
I go down the hill, and find that the creek isn’t particularly deep, mainly a foot or so generally, but the squirrel had fallen into a large, apparently deep pool.
And sunk.
I get a branch and start fishing around in the pool, which turns out to be about 4 feet deep. I can’t find the squirrel. I try this for 20 minutes or so. No squirrel surfaces.
I really do not like to shoot something and not recover it, or at least try my utmost to recover it. So I stand there knowing what I have to do. I’m thinking ”˜Damn!’ (I almost never swear, but considering the situation and what I was about to do it seemed appropriate. :redface: )
I strip down to my underwear and wade into the cold water with the mucky-mud and sharp dead branch bottom. Can’t find the squirrel with my feet. Must be caught under something. ”˜Damn!’ again. So I have to bend down under the water and search for the dang dead squirrel with my hands. Recovered the squirrel, he was lodged under a stick near the edge of the pool.
Squirrel and I are obviously very wet. I keep a small towel in my pack, meant to dry my hands on, but I have to make due for my whole body, and thus am not completely dry when I get re-dressed. If he hadn’t already been dead I’d have shot him again for all this trouble.
I spot a squirrel about 20 feet up in a tree about 25 yards away at the bottom of the hollow, as I was coming down the side. I know there's a creek at the bottom, but I can't really see it from where I am because it has high banks.
Shoot the squirrel.(54 cal smoothbore flintlock 70g ffg 1 oz 7 1/2 shot)
Squirrel falls.
I see big splash of water, and I’m thinking 'that isn’t just a shallow little creek.'
I go down the hill, and find that the creek isn’t particularly deep, mainly a foot or so generally, but the squirrel had fallen into a large, apparently deep pool.
And sunk.
I get a branch and start fishing around in the pool, which turns out to be about 4 feet deep. I can’t find the squirrel. I try this for 20 minutes or so. No squirrel surfaces.
I really do not like to shoot something and not recover it, or at least try my utmost to recover it. So I stand there knowing what I have to do. I’m thinking ”˜Damn!’ (I almost never swear, but considering the situation and what I was about to do it seemed appropriate. :redface: )
I strip down to my underwear and wade into the cold water with the mucky-mud and sharp dead branch bottom. Can’t find the squirrel with my feet. Must be caught under something. ”˜Damn!’ again. So I have to bend down under the water and search for the dang dead squirrel with my hands. Recovered the squirrel, he was lodged under a stick near the edge of the pool.
Squirrel and I are obviously very wet. I keep a small towel in my pack, meant to dry my hands on, but I have to make due for my whole body, and thus am not completely dry when I get re-dressed. If he hadn’t already been dead I’d have shot him again for all this trouble.
