I've seen squirrels in the yard three times today. First time was brief and I had no chance for a shot. Second time was two squirrels and I lined up on what I thought was one of them but shot a tree instead. It was sitting on the stub of a limb I cut off with it's hair hanging over the edge and it looked like all squirrel to me. After lunch I looked out the dining room window and saw a lump on a limb. Most of these sort of sightings by me are funny shaped parts of the tree but when I put my scope on it I was pretty sure this one was a squirrel. Probably taking a nap. My first shot hit near the middle of the body and unfortunately angled back coming out a rear leg. I should have paid more attention to her body position I guess but it's hard when then are flattened to the tree and you are below them. That woke her up but she did not fall. I shot what I could see at this point which was her head. I hit in front of her eye. Another not good shot. But that dropped her. She was still moving a little when I got to her so I stepped on her head. Certainly not my best shooting but the squirrel died pretty quick and is in the freezer now. 25.5 yards, 6 degree upward angle, P35-177 shooting H&N Baracuda Match 10.6 grain pellets about 880 fps. She weighed 10 ounces on my fish scale and 12.5 on my newer kitchen scale. Little one. This squirrel makes my P35-177 tied with my P35-25 for the most squirrel kills at 18. They both work but the 25 would have killed this one a bit quicker with the same placement. Similar skull shots with it crushed the skull. But the big problem was I did not place the shots well.
Poor placement but I got her
- Thread starter JimD
- Start date
I thought about it some more and she had to be pointed towards me on the first shot when I thought she was pointed away. So my shot appeared to hit her diaphragm and go into her guts instead of up into her chest. I hit what I aimed at but aimed wrong. She was facing me hanging onto the limb she'd been sleeping on with her front feet when I hit her in the face. I think that shot went back into her brain so maybe it was a good shot after all. She dropped and did not even try to run after the second impact. Her small motions when I got to her might have been another form of the dance they do sometimes on brain shots. I still wish the first shot had gone through her chest like I intended.
Upvote 0
