When we first started out this year in April, the fields were still brown with no alfalfa yet visable. Because of this, the squirrels stood out like a turd in a punch bowl and were easy to spot all the way to 500+ yards. As the crop grows, the targets get obscured, and it becomes "head & shoulders" only, as when they stand up, that's all you see of the little buggers. We start early when the critters can be spotted easily.
Entering town, the sign on the local gun shop tells the story of the area and why all the guns are in town:
Shooting from our favorite hill that overlooks a 500 acre alfalfa field, loaded with 'sage rats':
This telephoto view shows the squirrel mound intensity on the field that can't be seen once the crop starts growing:
I started out with my Cooper M38 VR in 20 VarTarg, saving my Cooper MTV 204 for the long shots later:
I went 200 rounds again without cleaning the VT, and no loss of accuracy whatever. It cleaned right up as usual without any fuss.....I'm lovin' the caliber.
I was able to launch squirrels out to around the 375 - 400 yard mark until the wind made hits any further an exercise in frustration. That's time to get out the 204 with 39gr SBK's. Gary (Captqc) working over the rats with his Cooper M21 Phoenix 204: (Dan, his son in the background - known as "Rat Force One".)
A rat I smoked at the 225 yard mark was pounced on by one of his buddys looking for an easy meal. When I saw the rat munching on his buddy, I barely clipped him with the VT and a 32gr Nosler BT, and they both are now bird food together:
This guy almost made it to his hole, but didn't escape the 3,700 fps 32 grainer in time:
The "boom-WHOPs!" coming from over the hill and the smile on Garth's face tells the story here (note the rat mounds):
All the work at home of forming, sizing, prepping brass, neck turning, annealing all comes together in the Rat Patch with Skippy and his pals are out frolicking about:
My little piece of heaven on the hill overlooking the rat patch with the Cooper 20VT on the bench:
As I had just installed Jard 10 oz. triggers in my three Coopers, I put them back on paper in the field.....this is the target from my 204 that day...."Minute of Squirrel" me thinks
When we stay out at the ranch, we must drive (or walk) about a mile to our little hill. The place is infested with squirrels everywhere, and sometimes it takes us an hour or more to drive that mile, as we have to "shoot our way there" so to speak with our Ruger 10-22's (all are tricked out with Volquartson goodies) and window bags using Winchester Power-Point 40gr HP's. This is typical of the floorboards awash in 22 empties at all four seats:
On this last trip alone, in four days I went through 1,050 rounds of WW PP's in my two rifles......THAT'S alot of squirrels!
My lovely bride makes sure we have properly annointed trash bags for the bench positions for our dirty patches and trash, fitting the occasion:
"Come-Up's" on my 20VT in MOA:
Here's a squirrels-eye view of the shooting positions on the hill from the field...no wonder the little guys think they're safe:
Empty 20VT brass in the CRT range tray tell the story of "Fun with Skippy":
My son Dave shooting his supressed M700 223.....the sound of the "WHOP!" from the bullet smacking the squirrel was louder than the report of the rifle.
Dave's tricked-out supressed Noveski AR, was great for those quick follow-up shots:
Greener fields, more squirrels, and "The Valley of Death" await in Part 2 if you're interested........
. Our plant is in a full blown shutdown right now which happens about every ~8 years and the planning for it has been quite surmountable. An extra 3000 work force with ~ 30 thousand planned tasks has given me an ultimate headache and with something this large, issues come up not just daily but on an hourly basis. There is light at the end of the tunnel and all of this will be done and back to normal by July. Until then I can only dream about sending skippy up for "flying lessons".