GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Hunting Gate => Topic started by: Nvreloader on January 07, 2019, 01:51:23 PM
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Got a very nice surprise today, woke up at 600 AM, to let the dogs out for their morning duty,
and found 6" of snow on the ground and ground fog patches floating around, more expected later.
While sitting there having the wake up cup of Joe, I got to see and watched a Redtail Hawk fly into the hay bales,
that are under a double sided covered roof and catch a mouse,
it then jumped up on top of the 2000# bales and proceed to have breakfast of rare mouse.
There was a couple of bandit Magpies attempting to harass the hawk, attempting to steal his breakfast, they didn't have any luck.
While waiting for the hawk to finish her dining, and had the Ham 850, 17cal out and sitting by the side glass door,
waiting for a sniping chance, the hawk finished eating, and flew off, in moved the Magpies to clean up.
Slide the glass door open, slide the bbl out, and was just getting on the trigger,
when "Chance" squeezed out and attempted to catch the magpies.
Chance blew that shot, and then give me the, "Why didn't you shoot look", ::)
he does get excited when a gun is out......and there will be more chances to snipe today, LoL.
Our first good snowfall of the year, had a couple of tracking snows of less than an inch,
it sure was a beautiful sight...........
Tia,
Don
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Don...."Chances are"... you will get another "chance" for a shot later on. ;D
Best Wishes - Tom
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Don, what a lovely morning! Chance had fun too :). Never tried mouse tare tare...eww! LOL!
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Thanks Guys
ROTFLMAO.............
Chance can be in another room sleeping, I grab the AG and he shows up,
dancing around waiting to hear the rifle bark, he runs to the door, looking for the bird I thumped,
he get so excited to get the bird.
This afternoon, I heard him growling, when I went into the "Sun Room", which has 3 sides with 7 big windows, 4x6',
+ 3 sliding glass doors, the main windows look out over 600+ acres of hay field looking south,
he is looking towards the center of the hay field, and he is locked on something.
I can't see anything, but Chance is locked up like a bird dog, I walk around behind him and look down between his ears,
to see which area he is looking, got the field glasses out and check the area, after a couple of minutes,
I see something that just doesn't look right on a berm, I set up the spotting scope,
and there is a Yeller Dog = coyote hunting gofers, it is the last remaining one of a pack of 6, I have thumped, this yr.
I grab the 22 LRVT, 25/06 with doubles shoulders and necks and the range finder,
I get a reading of 440 yds on the Yeller Dog,
I am zeroed at 300 yds, on the nose, with the 75 gr Hornady Amax bullet @ 3800+ fps.
I check my drops off the inside scope cover and I find I stopped at 500 yds,
I slide the window open enough to get the bbl thru and set up off the laundry basket,
just like shooting off my bench. ;)
Chance is dancing around raising a fuss, standing right next to me, waiting for the Kaboom,
the scope is dialed in at 15 x and I am tracking the target, he is walking along the berm,
and I can just see it's ears, above the weeds on the berm.
The Yeller Dog finally shows up at the end of the field well over 800+ yds,
and I let it walk away, he is one lucky dog today, but he'll be back. ;D
Chance give me :o look and lays down on the bench, with is head on the window sill looking at the field.
Tia,
Don
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Lol, you’ve got a pretty cool dog there. He even lets you know when varmints are around... can’t beat that!
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Yes, he is my Buddy and pretty cool dog, even I do say so,
Except at O' dark thirty, when he starts that growl, more than one once I have gotten up,
grabbed the 357 Coonan and flashlite and went sneaking around the house, looking for what ever is out there,
lately it's been a herd of 8-10 Mule deer with a 26-27" wide 4 pt Buck, munching on the apples under the tree.
They just stand there at less than 5 yds and could care less, the buck is a little skittish, but not the does....... ;D
It has been a joy living here, and since I put in winter open watering stations,
I am getting more wildlife every year, last year had between 400-500 Valley Quail in the drive way feeding,
when there was snow on the ground.
This morning had almost 50 Quail right at the front door, filling up on the chicken feed, I put out,
and I must have a couple dozen cottontail bunnies that compete for the munchies, with the Quail.
The daughter took a photo of a Fox, :o, that what was the youngest 3 yo G-D called it,
when she went to tell here Mom, as it was under the apple tree munching down,
it was a young Yeller dog = coyote, while we were at the VA in Reno. >:(
Tia,
Don
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Cool stories Don ! I like reading them, thanks.
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The best thing about this sport is even if you don't get the shot off it's still a good day.
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Neat stories Don. Sounds like you live at a pretty place.
About hawks the other day here a mating couple flew into a tree in my yard from the woods and started calling to each other which drew attention from about 6 crows that came in and started loudly harassing them. I got my 20ga and shot at a couple crows standing close together in a tree but they flew off chasing the hawks into the woods. Maybe those two died later who knows. I got in the trails tracking them down in a thick pine tree just 30ft away but I couldn't get another shot since it would hit the hawks then they all flew away. I could hear them way down the road still harassing the hawks but I've seen the hawks around in days afterward so they decided to stay on my property which is a relief.
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Thanks Gil
I have the same thing here, a very small grove of huge Cottonwood trees, about 50 yds East of the house,
I have pair of Redtail hawks that nested there for the last 3-4 yrs, the local Ravens found the nest site,
and are harassing the pair every year.
The ravens keep raiding my chicken coop and eating the eggs, along with the local Magpies,
I contacted the local Game warden and explained what was going on etc, he gave me the OK to thin them out, ;D
So they are also listed on the "No Fly Zone" around here, along with the starlings.
This pair of R-tails have learned that when they hear the QB go off, and a Raven takes a dirt nap,
after falling out of the tree, they don't even attempt to fly off. When ever possible during the nesting season,
I place fresh caught/killed gophers on the fence post, and one of them plucks the easy meal to feed the chicks,
it is a pleasure to watch the young ones grow up and learn to fly.
I have had to assist these young ones several times, they landed on the ground and couldn't get airborne again,
I would carefully catch them and show the G-kids, which they all got to pet them, they were awed by this experience,
and they were placed on the sloping/leaning Cottonwood trunk, which they would side step/hop up to a safer level,
with the female hawk watching from above.
I have watched the local Ravens kill very young R-tails right at the nesting site........ >:(
I had a Dove nesting on the low limb of the Apple tree right outside the window, 6' from the window,
I was working on the computer and saw a Magpie work it's way to the nest, then pecking at the sitting Dove,
to drive her off, then start killing the 2 babies in the nest. >:(
I grabbed the Ham 850, 17 cal and the Magpie took a dirt nap right there, I only saved one of the chicks,
the G-kids got the biggest kick out of watching the remaining chick grow up,
I would hold the G-kids up, so they could see the little one etc.
I had a hard time explaining to them, when we checked the nest site and the young learned to fly,(left the nest),
why the babies weren't there any more.
Life on a 10 acre Pucker Brush ranch........LOL
Tia,
Don
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Do the hawks fly down to grab up the killed ravens for a free meal too? I tried to even the odds better in the hawks favor since I don't like seeing birds ganging up together to bully on other birds. If it had been a fair fight I would not have shot them but they were too chicken to fight one against one despite being the same size.
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Gil
I have never seen them eat Ravens, or any of the black species of birds Magpies, Starlings etc.
Only one time I ever seen a Black colored bird eaten via another hawk type bird,
it was when I saw a Prairie Falcon, take a Magpie out of the sky,
the magpie was sitting in the middle of a gravel road and then started flying very low along the ground,
right in front of the truck, which I thought was odd, as they normally beat feet away from you ASAP.
The Magpie then just exploded in a puff of Black/white feathers and the Falcon was sitting on top of him,
grabbing the Magpie with his talons several times, to finish killing it, then proceeded to have lunch.
I backed up and set there for over a 1/2 hr watching thru the spotting scope,
and I was right around 25 yds from the Falcon, and he just gave me that "This is my bird" look.
This was the only time and it was during one of our Pogo Nip fog times we get here, daytime highs were 0 to 5*,
and every living thing was cold, including us.
Around here those birds, Raven, Magpies and Starlings are on the "No fly list, 24/7 and 365 days/year.
Tia,
Don
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Cool stories. Hopefully the pair of hawks will hang around here as I have moles, gophers and squirrels that need killing. I used to have a lot of rabbits until a pair of bobcats came around and solved that problem. Now I don't see any rabbits but I hope the bobs stay and have luck with the many squirrels I have around.
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Thanks Guys
ROTFLMAO.............
Chance can be in another room sleeping, I grab the AG and he shows up,
dancing around waiting to hear the rifle bark, he runs to the door, looking for the bird I thumped,
he get so excited to get the bird.
This afternoon, I heard him growling, when I went into the "Sun Room", which has 3 sides with 7 big windows, 4x6',
+ 3 sliding glass doors, the main windows look out over 600+ acres of hay field looking south,
he is looking towards the center of the hay field, and he is locked on something.
I can't see anything, but Chance is locked up like a bird dog, I walk around behind him and look down between his ears,
to see which area he is looking, got the field glasses out and check the area, after a couple of minutes,
I see something that just doesn't look right on a berm, I set up the spotting scope,
and there is a Yeller Dog = coyote hunting gofers, it is the last remaining one of a pack of 6, I have thumped, this yr.
I grab the 22 LRVT, 25/06 with doubles shoulders and necks and the range finder,
I get a reading of 440 yds on the Yeller Dog,
I am zeroed at 300 yds, on the nose, with the 75 gr Hornady Amax bullet @ 3800+ fps.
I check my drops off the inside scope cover and I find I stopped at 500 yds,
I slide the window open enough to get the bbl thru and set up off the laundry basket,
just like shooting off my bench. ;)
Chance is dancing around raising a fuss, standing right next to me, waiting for the Kaboom,
the scope is dialed in at 15 x and I am tracking the target, he is walking along the berm,
and I can just see it's ears, above the weeds on the berm.
The Yeller Dog finally shows up at the end of the field well over 800+ yds,
and I let it walk away, he is one lucky dog today, but he'll be back. ;D
Chance give me :o look and lays down on the bench, with is head on the window sill looking at the field.
Tia,
Don
I have 3 guns in 25/06 ..... one of my favorite calibers for long range varments and such .... a great caliber for sure:-)
wll