On a beautiful bright sunny day in Southern California at one of my permissions I knocked down a ground squirrel off a large boulder yesterday morning. There was a slight down angle to the shot as I was on one hillside and the squirrel on another with a small valley gently sloping down into another boulder riddled hillside. 75 yards out with a .22 Continuum resting on my 1990 Bronco hood. Pushing an AA 18gr pellet right at 900FPS. Aimed at and hit directly in the noggin.
The squirrel rolled off of the boulder, then hit the bare earth below moving at a right to left angle from my position. It continued to roll down the incline, bouncing for around 20 feet, slowing down slightly. I could see the blood on the side of it's head, but I wanted assurance that it was in fact a kill shot and saw a twitch through my scope, which made the squirrel roll and bounce further down the hill until slowly stopping about 50 feet away from the boulder from which it had fallen and about 50 yards now from my vantage point. Momentarily getting a better sight picture through the Vortex DIamondback scope, I started my trigger pull just in case it still had some life.
About half way through my pull, a giant wing appeared, then a huge brown feathered body entered the view. I immediately stopped my trigger pull of course and looked, pulling away from the scope view. To my surprise, there was a full grown Golden Eagle grasping the squirrel with it's large, bright yellow talons. It looked down at the squirrel and I'm guessing knew that it was already dead, then started it's upward flight with it's prize. It flew along the lower level boulder strewn valley to enjoy it's latest meal elsewhere. I was not able to determine where it landed as I lost it when it dipped down as it flew parallel to the lower valley and my view was obscured by brush growing at it's top.
Now in Southern California seeing a Golden Eagle is a rare sight indeed. Seeing one so close and nabbing a squirrel that had just been dispatched was breathtaking. I only wish that I had a camera on my scope to have recorded such an event. I have no idea where it came from, nor where it went, but will keep my eyes wide open for it upon my return to this permission as I have seen other rare raptors there in the past such as Perigrine Falcons.
Just thought that I would share my story, thanks for listening.
mike
The squirrel rolled off of the boulder, then hit the bare earth below moving at a right to left angle from my position. It continued to roll down the incline, bouncing for around 20 feet, slowing down slightly. I could see the blood on the side of it's head, but I wanted assurance that it was in fact a kill shot and saw a twitch through my scope, which made the squirrel roll and bounce further down the hill until slowly stopping about 50 feet away from the boulder from which it had fallen and about 50 yards now from my vantage point. Momentarily getting a better sight picture through the Vortex DIamondback scope, I started my trigger pull just in case it still had some life.
About half way through my pull, a giant wing appeared, then a huge brown feathered body entered the view. I immediately stopped my trigger pull of course and looked, pulling away from the scope view. To my surprise, there was a full grown Golden Eagle grasping the squirrel with it's large, bright yellow talons. It looked down at the squirrel and I'm guessing knew that it was already dead, then started it's upward flight with it's prize. It flew along the lower level boulder strewn valley to enjoy it's latest meal elsewhere. I was not able to determine where it landed as I lost it when it dipped down as it flew parallel to the lower valley and my view was obscured by brush growing at it's top.
Now in Southern California seeing a Golden Eagle is a rare sight indeed. Seeing one so close and nabbing a squirrel that had just been dispatched was breathtaking. I only wish that I had a camera on my scope to have recorded such an event. I have no idea where it came from, nor where it went, but will keep my eyes wide open for it upon my return to this permission as I have seen other rare raptors there in the past such as Perigrine Falcons.
Just thought that I would share my story, thanks for listening.
mike
