GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Hunting Gate => Topic started by: longislandhunter on November 01, 2010, 01:01:55 PM
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Well, today was opening day for small game season here on Long Island and I was in the woods well before daylight waiting for the sun to rise and the nutters to come out for breakfast. The weather was 36 degrees, sky was clear, the wind was light, the trees were in full color and I was the only hunter in the woods. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect morning. The weapon of choice was my .22 Marauder and 18.1 gr JSB domes and since the nutters in these woods are extremely wary, having been hunted many times in the past, I was in full camo from head to toe. I was ready :)
When the rising sun had supplied enough shooting light I began my hunt. I had originally planned to find a good hide and wait for the nutters to come to me, but the weather was so crisp I decided instead to slowly still hunt the main trails of the woods and hopefully spot the nutters before they spotted me. I chambered an 18 gr JSB and started working my way down the trail I was on.
I had only gone perhaps 30 yards when I suddenly saw some movement in a large pine tree 30 yards ahead of me. I glanced up and sure enough there were 2 nice sized nutters searching the ends of the pine branches looking for pine cones. I picked out one of the nutters and followed him as he made his way out along the end of a large branch. He made it to the end of the branch and then jumped to a branch from an adjacent pine tree. He was going away from me and he was now 40 yards out. I followed him in the scope and when he stopped walking I put the crosshairs on his head and gently touched the trigger. The JSB hit home with a nice "SMACK" and the nutter plummeted earthward, hitting the forest floor with a thump. As the nutter hit the forest floor I heard movement above me and looked up just in time to see 4 more nutters running at top speed through the tree tops. There was no way I could get a shot and they weren't stopping for anything so I crawled into the thick thorn bushes to retrieve my nutter. After placing him in the game pouch I resumed working my way slowly down the trail.
As I neared the end of the trail I slowed my movement even more. From earlier scouting I knew that there was a large nest in a tree at the end of the trail and there were at least 4 nutters calling it home. Upon reaching the end of the trail I scanned the trees carefully. At first I saw nothing but all of a sudden 2 nutters appeared out of nowhere and were scrambling around a large, dead tree. They hadn't seen me so I had the advantage. I kept still and waited for one of them to present a shot. It didn't take long and one of them finally stopped on a high limb with his head exposed. JSB sent on it's way and slammed home. The nutter dropped like a stone. The other nutter, realizing something was amiss took off and despite my best efforts he disappeared somewhere into the canopy of the trees. I retrieved the downed nutter and then began systematically searching all the tree branches in the area. I knew he was there somewhere, it was just a matter of finding him. Finally, after 20 minutes of searching, I noticed a shape on one branch that just didn't look right. A glance through the scope revealed the nutter tightly hugging the branch and not moving a muscle. The only problem, for him, was that his head was exposed :) Distance was 30 yards and the JSB Dome flew perfectly and struck him square in the head. Down he came. Nutter #3 in the game pouch :)
I still hunted the woods for the next hour and wound up finding and making successful stalks on the last 2 nutters needed for my limit. Squirrel #4 was a 30 yard shot while the nutter was searching the forest floor for food and squirrel #5 was a 45 yard shot as the nutter was chewing open a pine cone near the top of a large pine tree. Before leaving the woods and heading back to my truck I posed the Marauder with her harvest and took some pics for my brother GTA hunters. I also took a couple of pics of the surrounding woods where I had done my hunting.
For some reason the D.E.C. makes Long Island wait until November 1st for small game season even though the rest of the state opens up for nutters on Sept 1st and all other small game on October 1st,, so I was really chomping at the bit for the season to open,,,, but it was well worth the wait. :) Later this afternoon I may head on over to the vegetable farm and see if I can nail some bunnies as they come out of the woods to feed at the edges of the crop fields.
Well, hope you like the pics.
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/longislandhunter/November12010007.jpg)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/longislandhunter/November12010001.jpg)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/longislandhunter/November12010008.jpg)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/longislandhunter/November12010010.jpg)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/longislandhunter/November12010011.jpg)
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n260/longislandhunter/November12010012.jpg)
Jeff
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Nice! Glad you could finally get out there!! That's a nice morning.
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Thanks Cliff,, it was a good morning :)
Jeff
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Wow...good hunting and shooting Jeff!!!! Nice pictures. Your hunting area looks like it could be here in TN. But not QUITE that cold here yet.
Thanks for sharing and good job.
Happy Shooting!!!!
Dave
8)
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great hunt and harvest
nice shooting!
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They should re-name November 1st "Un dia los muertos de squirrel" in your honor. :D Great shooting man! I'm glad you are patient! :D
That DOES look just like TN! Where I hunt has a LOT more undergrowth mostly from that crappy Black Locust trees and their NASTY thorns.
I'd have to go back to the truck and grab the 20 gauge when confronted by that many targets. :P
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Thanks guys. This is my favorite patch of squirrel woods and it's got a very healthy, stable population of nutters running around. Only bad thing about these woods is that the place is full of real thick patches of thorn covered bushes and vines, almost impenetrable in some places. Not uncommon for me to get really scratched when retrieving downed nutters,, but it's well worth the pain :)
Jeff
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That is what has happened where I've been hunting. It was logged at one time so there is THICK undergrowth, mostly briars, locust briars, wild rose looking briars-BRIARS. Sometimes if they drop in the middle of them, I don't waste my time looking unless I can spot it and find a path.
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Surgical. Nice work, and a nice shooter. Nutters DOWN - others beware. lol
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Outstanding bro and what a bounty of nutters to haul in on the first day. Superb shooting and great pic's bro. Ed
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Wow!!! Good looking squirrel habitat. And they are sure fat. Nothing beats having a good hunt experience.
Bogey
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Congrats Jeff! Great shooting!
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Jeff,
Go deal on the first day of the hunt! Awesome read and wonderful pictures of the hunting landscape. Life is Good!
Froghunter
PS: I will have the good fortune of being able to go on Thursday morning for acouple of hours!
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Yo, Bro, way to go!!
I know you were happy with your hunt and we are all happy for you. Thanks for the story and the pics; they are just what the rest of us need. I've been trying to talk myself into getting up extra early tomorrow morning and doing a little before-work hunting instead of waiting until after I get home in the evening. I think you've got me talked into it!
congrats, joe
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Thanks guys :)
Joe, the nutters this morning started moving as soon as the sun started to come up, I think they were hungry after a cold night in the nests :)
I was dragging my butt when I first got up this morning (since retiring I love to sleep late) but as soon as I got to the woods I was wide awake and on "high alert" :)
This afternoon I hunted the last 2 hours of daylight at the vegetable farm and duck farm trying to find some rabbits coming out to feed, but never saw hide nor hair of any bunnies. I did run across a bunch of squirrels but since I already had my legal limit for the day they got a "free pass" :)
Jeff
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Wow you had an awesome opening day buddy. That's the way do it. Congrats on making the bag limit in just a couple of hours! Great shooting and pics! I think you made up for the month of October you couldn't shoot them :) Those woods sound like they are overrun by squirrels. You have a lot more shooting to do there, at least until the snow starts falling.
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nice harvest. i knew you'd do well!
JOSHUA A.
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WOW! Nice haul!!
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Thanks :)
Harry, the place really does have a good nutter population, but they are the most wary nutters I think I've ever hunted. You have to be in full camo, move very slowly and basically just be as stealthy as you can otherwise you can stay in those woods for hours and you won't see one nutter. It's good for me though as the few other guys I know who hunt there stomp through the area with their shotguns and then complain they didn't see anything :) I just smile and walk away :)
I'm going to try to get in another hunt this afternoon and take out a few more nutters.
Jeff
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You have always had great stalking skills and patience Jeff, maybe equal to Ed's! :)
The thing is, it will get harder every time you go back. I am sure some of them observed you picking up their friend's off the forest floor or heard the shots or saw you from a distance. That 's the way it is. Every time you return it gets a little harder to get a shot at them. They are a little more cautious after every time you return. They learn too.. I am of the opinion that if you have not shot any of them in the first 1-2hrs, it's time to go home.. the word is out and they are not going to be out in the open. That's why you must be out there before 1st light like you did, which is the best time when they have to come out and eat, especially after a cold night.
See, all that waiting paid off! I have 1 squirrel left that comes out at 7:30am every morning and goes through my property but doesn't really stop because he is terrified of me :) I like having squirrels like that - they are survivors and know what's good for them, and they also keep the bloodline going and pass on their genes so I can have little squirrels next Fall to shoot at :) If it weren't for those one's and two's that get away from me every year, to mate in the Spring, I would not have any nutters to shoot at, and would have to hit the woods and get some exercise god forbid(!), hehehe :D
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Yeah, early morning really is the ticket to good hunting in this patch of woods. Afternoons are ok, but the first light of day is the prime time for these nutters.
I don't think these nutters could get any more nervous than they are,, between the bow hunters, the rabbit hunters with the beagle packs and the guys with their scatter guns who stomp through there like bulldozers these nutters are super tough to get within range of from the first day of the season to the last. One of the reasons I like this section of woods is because of how hard they are to hunt. The challenge makes the hunt. There are plenty of times during the season where I come out of those woods with an empty game pouch, but it just makes it that much more sweeter the next time if I do manage to bag a nutter or 2 :)
I'm thinking of going down there real late this afternoon, as the sun is setting, with my QB-57 and slowly working my way through the briar thickets in the hopes of nailing a bunny or two.
Jeff
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Nice take! I'm sure the pictures don't do it justice, but it looks like you have a fantastic place to hunt...
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Way to go. Great harvest yield ya got-- Congrats to ya!!!!
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nice
i went out yesterday for deer
i didnt see a deer or a squirrel
man i wanted to wring out the ruger MKIII hunter pistol too
all i saw was a hawk and a woodpecker