Considering yesterday’s rain, it was relatively easy to stalk up into the woods this evening. I covered a decent amount of ground. The bad part is that I found myself stalking up on deer I didn’t know were there until I startled them. As a result, I set off a chain of warning sounds from various deer and squirrels the first hour or so. I did manage to stalk up on a squirrel and lined up a shot that I wound up missing. I have no idea where the shot hit, but it was a clean miss. Afterwards the squirrel took off. They seem to know the Lelya *ping* because a few started barking after I missed. Next the deer went off, then the squirrels again. It was pretty apparent that they knew I was present in certain areas, but I remained patient so that I didn’t completely give myself away. I needed up working my way around the area in a horseshoe shape and entered the timber again with the sun to my back. I stalked up on some deer again (a group of about three) and there were a few in my yard when I got home. I just looked at them and walked past.
Anyhow, after I made my way in, I sat for a while and had a couple squirrels bark at me I mostly waited them out. I managed to catch one moving through the trees and moved into an area where I could get a clear shot. I took two shots and missed. I heard one shot richochet off of a branch. By the time I lined up my third shot, he was on he way down the trunk and paused too long. I lined up the final shot and pressed the trigger. I heard the impact *thwap!!*. The squirrel stepped, stumbled off of the branch, and began to tumble. I took a photo to mark where it fell (the first photo). I tried to wait out some others, but the woods remained quiet for sometime aside from a squirrel behind me that busted me. I tried glassing with binos and my rifle scope and couldn’t locate it. The foliage and vines were too thick to see clearly out past 20-25 yards at best. It wasn’t until around sunset that I began to hear a little movement in the canopy about 50 yards out. I moved out of my post to get a better line of sight then realized how far the shot was. It wasn’t clear and I didn’t want to take it. I then retrieved my carcass and tied it up, moved to another position and tied it to a small bent tree. I waited a little longer to catch others heading back to their dreys, but I’m convinced I’d burned that spot up for the day. So I headed home for the evening with the one. I did have my thermal scanner with me just in case, but didn’t need it.
Position from where I began stalking squirrels in the pic the below. I actually started after I crept just a bit inside of the brush you see in front of me in the pic below.
I believe this is the photo of where I shot from. I recall that horizontal branch as a landmark. I took this photo to mark the location it fell so that I knew where to start looking to retrieve it. And I did have to reference after trying to locate the barker behind me.
I think I just took this photo to give some sort of idea about how the woods look in certain parts of where I was hunting.
Here’s the squirrel where I found it.
Where I hung him while looking for another opportunity.
At least I know my Lelya 2.0 is back in business after I rebuilt the regulator yesterday I did a little target work until is shot the way I’m used to, then I hit the woods. I’m content. I’m shooting a .25 Lelya 2.0 topped with a Vector Veyron 3-12x44mm FFP shooting 25.39 grain JSB King diabolo pellets.
Anyhow, after I made my way in, I sat for a while and had a couple squirrels bark at me I mostly waited them out. I managed to catch one moving through the trees and moved into an area where I could get a clear shot. I took two shots and missed. I heard one shot richochet off of a branch. By the time I lined up my third shot, he was on he way down the trunk and paused too long. I lined up the final shot and pressed the trigger. I heard the impact *thwap!!*. The squirrel stepped, stumbled off of the branch, and began to tumble. I took a photo to mark where it fell (the first photo). I tried to wait out some others, but the woods remained quiet for sometime aside from a squirrel behind me that busted me. I tried glassing with binos and my rifle scope and couldn’t locate it. The foliage and vines were too thick to see clearly out past 20-25 yards at best. It wasn’t until around sunset that I began to hear a little movement in the canopy about 50 yards out. I moved out of my post to get a better line of sight then realized how far the shot was. It wasn’t clear and I didn’t want to take it. I then retrieved my carcass and tied it up, moved to another position and tied it to a small bent tree. I waited a little longer to catch others heading back to their dreys, but I’m convinced I’d burned that spot up for the day. So I headed home for the evening with the one. I did have my thermal scanner with me just in case, but didn’t need it.
Position from where I began stalking squirrels in the pic the below. I actually started after I crept just a bit inside of the brush you see in front of me in the pic below.
I believe this is the photo of where I shot from. I recall that horizontal branch as a landmark. I took this photo to mark the location it fell so that I knew where to start looking to retrieve it. And I did have to reference after trying to locate the barker behind me.
I think I just took this photo to give some sort of idea about how the woods look in certain parts of where I was hunting.
Here’s the squirrel where I found it.
Where I hung him while looking for another opportunity.
At least I know my Lelya 2.0 is back in business after I rebuilt the regulator yesterday I did a little target work until is shot the way I’m used to, then I hit the woods. I’m content. I’m shooting a .25 Lelya 2.0 topped with a Vector Veyron 3-12x44mm FFP shooting 25.39 grain JSB King diabolo pellets.
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