GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Hunting Gate => Topic started by: only1harry on July 11, 2010, 07:24:16 PM
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I was up early this morning watching those new 4" holes on the side of my property from the porch this morning. I could only see one of them actually, but I had the other one covered with a Ding Donger since last night. I was out for about 1 hr from 7:30 to about 8:30am when a squirrel starts barking at me. I decided to leave it alone but 15min. later this nutter was still going at it, and the worse thing was it was only about 16yds away from me on the closest branch leaning over the lawn, and he hadn't moved much. It kept it up for a while until I couldn't take it anymore. 20min. of that barking was enough for me, plus if there is a G-hog or critters in those holes they were not going to come out with this squirrel giving the alarm. I finally spotted its head through the leaves which was the only thing I could see from the squirrel and shot it in the eye with the 850 .22 using a CPHP. It was the only shot I had because it was facing me at an angle. The squirrel fell to the ground and gave up the ghost after a short death dance. The CPHP had entered its skull through the eye and exited just below the ear on the other side, with plenty of power to spare.
I picked him up and cleaned him and was looking foward to having a squirrel meal again, but those 4 holes in the front and side lawn had me worried. It was now around 1pm and the Ding Donger had not gone off and I had not spotted anything. I decided to watch the World Cup Final but continue doing spot checks. I was thinking what IF a young G-hog dug those holes, but has now moved under the tool shed on the other side. I shot a young one there 3 days ago so it was not occupied. After this thought I immediately started checking the shed every 15-20min. just in case.
The World Cup game went into overtime, and as the players were taking a 5min. break before starting again, I looked out the window and there was another young G-hog with the whitish face like the one I had shot 3 days ago on Thursday! I was glad I spotted him and thought it had to be him trying to start new burrows on the other side of the house, when he decided to check this side and found out his sibling was not around. I took out the Condor .25 and loaded a JSB 25.4gr King pellet. A car went by and the G-hog ran to the shed but never entered. He just stood there looking around so I opened the window quickly. He heard me doing this and turned my way still in front of the hole facing the shed. I froze and a min. later when he looked the other way I got into position and rested my palm and gun on the sill. I waited a couple of minutes but this young G-hog was just sitting there facing the shed right in front of the hole. I think he might have spotted me and was being very cautious and debating what to do. I was confident enough I could drop him without him making it down the hole. Again he turned and looked my way but at angle and I did not have a complete broadside shot. I decided to shoot it in the eye and calculated the path of the pellet should take it closer to the ear on the other side upon exiting, hopefully traveling through its brain.
I put the crosshairs on the G-hog's eye and squeezed. I heard the loud CRACK from 22-23yds out, and the G-hog dropped but its head naturally fell into the entrance of the hole. Its tail went up immediately. I knew then he wasn't going anywhere. It kicked slightly forward but I could still see its tail sticking out of the hole although from my position it looked like more than 1/2 its body was inside the hole. I reloaded quickly but then saw its tail come down slowly and knew there was no need for a second shot. Nevertheless I ran outside (hehe) and the G-hog was taking its last breath when I got there. I took a pic and then pulled it out from the tail and found a pool of blood where its head was just inside the burrow entrance. There was a lot of mud on its head because their head goes down when fatally shot, and their nervous system makes their hind legs push forward. Luckily it only pushed a few inches with its head down and scooped up some mud in the process. I cleaned it up a little and was able to see bone fragments (see pic) where the eye was and where the pellet had entered. The JSB exited under the ear on the other side, very similar to the squirrel.
So ends the day with a double-header and 2 eye shots and I got to watch most of the world cup final :) I now wonder if there is a 3d one out there from the same litter, hehehe. G-hogs usually have 3 to 5 young... Only time will tell.
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0621.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0624.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0625.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0626.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0627.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0628.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0630.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20Groundhogs/G-hog%20July%2011/20100711_0632.jpg)
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Great day Harry! Nice shooting! Good to see the 850 got a tree rat too!
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Good story and great pics! Thanks!@!!!!
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Outstanding brother and beautiful pic's of the hard hit harvest. I planned on getting back out early this evening for some G-hog but a T-storm and rain came in, we needed it. Hopefully it will let up in awhile for night patrol but if not I will put in a full day of hunting tomorrow after I finish up some tunes. Ed
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Nice double Harry!
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Good shooting Harry!
I'm kicking myself in the butt for not putting decent amount of money down for Spain to win... I even said to the whole family at the Round of 16 that Spain was gonna win the whole thing...And guess what? They did!
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Thanks guys!
Cody: I guessed that Spain would make it to the Quarterfinals and Netherlands to the semi-finals and/or final early on, and many other predections that came true, so I was right about most of the outcome. Being from Europe, I used to play soccer a lot from a young age, and I also played in High School and College. I have watched World Cup matches since 1974 and had seen Holland/Netherlands come very close to winning the World Cup several times, but they could never pull it off, so I was hoping they would win this time around, but when I saw how well Spain played in the semi-finals and beat Germany, I knew they would win the Cup. You must admit though, that the Netherlands should have scored at least 1 if not 2 goals but were unlucky. I mean how does an experienced world-class striker not score when all he has between him and the net is the goalkeeper and no defenders? Just bad luck.. You cannot also wonder what would happen if the Netherlands were not down 1 man (that was Red-carded).
However, apart from Spain being lucky today and up 1 man the last 10min. of the game when they scored, they were also the slightly better team, and deserved to win, so congrats Spain!
It's nice to see a new country win the World Cup. I was getting a little tired of Italy, Brazil, Argentina and Germany winning like 3/4 of the World Cup's, but I love watching these "powerhouses" play. Soccer is one of the most demanding sports on the body, and these professional players are true athletes. They have to run constantly up & down a 100m (110yd) field for 1.5hrs, and take a lot physical punishment from the opponents while they are in posession of the ball, constantly being knocked down, plus they can jump as high as a basketball player for those head shots, and fall to the ground dozens of times trying not to hurt themselves. Not only that, many of them are in their 30's doing this. It's one thing being in your 20's and falling/taking a dive all the time, but in your 30's you have to be in shape like you are in your 20's.
BTW, I strongly believe that the reason Spain won, is because most if not all their players were physically small and shorter than the average player of all the other teams. I have always believed that shorter soccer players are better players than the 6.2-6.5" players you see nowadays. The shorter/smaller players are more agile and can be just as fast or faster than those bigger guys. Being more agile and able to manouver the ball faster than your heavier opponent, gives you the advantage in soccer. I really don't think Spain had anyone taller than 5'10 or 5'11. Most of them were 5'7 to 5'9, whereas most other European teams always had several players way over 6'. This is why the Netherlands got all those Yellow cards. They could only stop the more agile Spanish players from getting by them by fouling them, and cut their feet right from under them. And this is why Germany lost to Spain too. 80% of the German players were giants compared to the Spanish ones. The Germans did not foul the Spaniards as much and surprisingly played a more civilized game (I was surprised) and that could have cost them the game too, because they hardly had possession of the ball, by not being aggressive enough. The short systematic and well calculated passes of the Spanish players that enabled them to possess the ball most of the time, and their agility and superior maneuverability resulting from the team's smaller-sized players, greatly contributed to making them the world's best soccer team.
This probably belongs in the Backdoor forum, but hey I was watching the World cup final while I was hunting for the hole digger on my property :)
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Awesome Shooting and great pics
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great shooting
nice rigs and pics
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Thanks guys! I had a fun day yesterday :)
I am looking forward to some target shooting now that all the G-hogs are gone.
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Looks like you were having a great day Harry. Glad the GH didn't get away.
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Thanks Paul. When was the last time I posted that a G-hog I shot got away? ??? hehehe.
I am happy to report that I have a perfect record with approximately the last 50 G-hogs or since the summer of '07 ;)
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Nice shot and that rifle is nicer !
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That's some fine shooting Harry ;D congrats on a fine double header hunt ;D
You and that .25 Condor are certainly a force to be reckoned with ;D
Jeff
BTW...... I think you're going to have more g-hogs move into your yard very soon... it sounds like the last batch of young ones are on the move looking for new digs ;D
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Man you make me want an 850 for backyard shooting, and a Condor, and, and, and.......so on and so on>>>:D
Great shooting! You have a backyard that is a magnet for groundhogs, just like mine is a magnet for squirrels, raccoons and possums!
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Thanks Jeff and Randy.
Randy, Jeff broke down and got a Talon and then a Condor after I started posting kills with the Condor .22. It was right after a few raccoon kills with the Condor .22 that he ordered his for Christmas '08, hehe. I think you are next! ;D
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He's right Randy,,, he kept posting all these pics of his Condor and DOA critters and it drove me over the edge and I just had to have one and I'm sure glad I made the leap ;D
My .22 Condor is simply an awesome hunting instrument. Just yesterday I was in my backyard range shooting 28 grain Eunjins and 31 grain Sam Yangs into ragged hole groups with no effort at all...... BTW.... the 28 grainers are averaging 1040 FPS and the 31 grainers are zipping along at 1020 FPS...... and I have the Condor at a low setting. Way more than enough FPE to put a hurtin on any critter I aim her at ;D
Jeff
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Nice double, and great shooting Harry.
Any idea yet what's digging next to the house ?
My neightbor used to spread baking flour around holes to see if critters had gone in or out by the foot prints left in the flour. You may be able to tell what type critter just by the prints left behind.
Paul.
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Paul thanks. Yes I am pretty sure it was this young G-hog I shot that dug those holes. I was pretty certain it was a young one after 2 of the 3 holes were enlarged from 3" to 4" in diameter from one day to the next. It was unmistakenably a young one. I have seen their handy work before when a G-hog gave birth to 5 of them on my property in the Spring of '08. They quicklky went to work and opened 2 very similar 4-4.5" holes.
The reason I was skeptical when I first noticed them and started that other thread, was because the holes were only 2.75" with the biggest close to 3" wide. They were still "under construction". But the next day when I saw they got bigger with fresh dirt in front of them, I knew it had to be a young Chuck.
I updated my other post and pieced the story together of what happened: Once I shot another young G-hog (last Thursday) that was living under the shed, this one depicted here, which also looks very similar to one I took last Thursday (I 'm sure they were siblings), decided to explore the other side, or go say hello to its sibling at the shed, and found it vacant and moved right in. They will always prefer a shed or a structure over a couple of holes out in the open. The holes it dug have not been visited by anything. I even put some a small branch with leaves on top of 2 of them, and they are still there, so this guy was definitely the culprit. Mystery solved! 8)
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Wow Harry...double eye-shots from 2 different air rifles. Way to go on those shots at those two raiders....one tree and one ground rodent.
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Hey Stanley!
Thanks, how is the hunting/pesting up in Canada this summer? Any visits from Grackles or Starlings?
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Harry, I got lazy....I didn`t want to de-feather anymore Grackles, Starlings or Crows so I haven`t been shooting them. :o( I do sometimes have lots of them across the blvd....sometimes up to 30 Starlings....they all get a free-pass. Lucky for them.
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Wow, you have a lot more will-power than I do!