Tree Rats in my sights.

[jmarriott]

I shot the browning silly wet pistol this Sunday after the colts game. I have left her alone far to long with ammo crisis. It like federal 510 best but I have 3 bulk packs of win 525 (one box only contained 498 rounds) and they shot ok in the pistol.

I have this weekend off and next weekend off. I normally wait till frost to start but I believe I will give it a try before I get in the way of the bow hunters. I picked up a better bag to hold stuff in and that big old pistol fits in it very well. Will pack up the bag add a apple and a sandwich charge the smart phone up and sit down in the woods for a nice break from work.

I have work at least 8 hours a day since Labor Day so a day off after the honeydo list is complete will be nice.

[jimh]

enjoy sounds like a great way to spend a fall day! i hope to follow suite in the near future but it aint looking too good for me just yet.

[jmarriott]

Looks like this Friday might just be the day. Rained today. Have to work Sunday afternoon but might get a chance to go a little in the morning just to watch the deer stands.

I am going to take advantage of the rain today and get all my tree rat stuff ready. I will be pistol ready and printing out the state hunting tag today. It looks like nice cool weather is in the books for the week ahead with Friday colder and sunny. Sounds perfect except the trees Are late with color change this year.

I feel for some of the new tree rat hunters that need a new 22 rifle. The new ones at the gun store today look like crap even the 10/22 looked cheapened as compared to the old ones.

[jmarriott]

Well it was not as good as I had hoped. First woods where i normally get 3 to 4 in an hour was a bust. I saw one for a couple of seconds and then nothing for over an hour. It was sunny but rather windy Friday but that spot always produces easy shots and major numbers. No real deer sign here yet but it gets better as the deer get pushed around by others.

Second spot I saw no tree rats. I heArd one bark at me but never saw it. What I did find were scrapes and. Deer trail thT you could drive a 4 wheeler on. Weird place but looked great and will most likely Get my opening morning stand.

Third place is a tree rat Mecca and I saw a ton of tree rats but all of them were on the ground. It was getting windy and I did I put up a hawk twice so they were being hunted already. Here I found a great stump and sat while eating a very late lunch. Had one run down a fallen tree and get up on the root ball. ( the highest all day) I putThe scope hairs on it and dialed up the scope to 6 power on the pistol. He was flAgging his tail And would move his head each time the tail wagged. I took a shot at the body and he dropped. A lite bit later he limped up a tree and disappeared. I figured I missed but I knew I should have hit it easy. Later
I went to the spot and there was blood under the tree root and on the tree. Looking up I could see the tail about 20 feet up. One dead tree rat and no way to get it down. I walked off the shot
And it was 37 paces not a bad shot with a pistol. I have lost them in the woods before shooting them out
Of trees but this was the first te I have had one imp up a tree and die. I saw 4 big rubs in the thicket and if we get major rain this is going to get hunted with a pistol. That end of the woods got torn up in a tornado and is so thick you can. Not swing a gun barrel Iin it.

I have decieded to spend Sunday at the woods again, wind is going be 5 miles and hour and sunny. We had 15 mph winds Friday. I think the wind messed with them.

[jmarriott]

Sunday was much better. I limited out with 5.
Start time was 1 hour before dawn and I walked out of the woods at 5 pm. So a tree
Rat every two hours. Listened to the dolphins patriots and the end of the nascar race the. Came home.

I had another hit not recovered. I think I need to switch out ammo as the federal 510 are wonderful accurate but seem to lack power to put down stuff at 40 yards unless itIs a perfect head shot. I had 3 easy head shots and two I had to chest shoot. The one that ran off I hit perfect in the chest. Down it went and stayed for about a Minute I was going to wait for a Second one to pop back out and looked over and that tree rat was crawling off. I ran over to where it was and it jumped to a tree Then off the tree to a
Mess of briars. I gave chase but they hide well. Last seen entering the hole on the bottom of a cotton wood tree. It traveled about 25 yards from where it fell.

I am reloading the mags with federal game shock bullets and saving the 510 for the range. I might have to make sure they hit in the same place as the 510's or close.

I will have to take pics next time but after skinning and cleaning myself up I just
Jumped on the net to brag a bit

[Purebred Redneck]

I took the 17hmr out last weekend for a couple quick hours. I shot 2 but only found 1, not sure what happened there...

I'll prob go out not this weekend but the next.

I like the 17 but the one I have is heavy with a very thick wrist on the stock. It makes it very tiring to aim.

[jmarriott]

Going Sunday again.
Deer sign everywhere and I found my opening day stand site. I am going to get it I. Place so I do t have to carry it in on ope ing morning. I have a cable to attach it to the tree to keep out all other hunters. It is a climber but it is easy to set it in place and just go in.

I switched ammo in the browning pistol. I am going to try federal game shock. I did have to re sight a bit as these grouped well but higher by a tad. 2 clicks down at 30 yards. Maybe I won't be losing a few now. The federal 510 still groups better.