Second Chances ... squirrels that won't die

[Mole2017]

I posted recently about follow up shots on squirrels that actually lived to return another day. Naturally, it is preferred that no follow up is needed, or that it is applied to a mortally wounded squirrel. But today I got one that represents a case when you wonder what you, your weapon, or the squirrel is made of...

Only worth the telling to let you know it can happen...I've done in a lot of squirrels and the incident rate for this sort event easily stands at less than 0.5%.

So, I step out this morning and "disturb" a squirrel in the back yard. A young squirrel has turned up on the west property line and is now in a hurry to get out of my sight.

I had stepped out unarmed and was obliged to go back inside for the R10. I went pretty quick, because it seemed like this squirrel was really moving as she took off up the one tree and jumped to another I call the Stone Oak. I figure she is making an escape to the northwest corner of the property and the safety of a neighbor's yard, so I head to the corner of the house addition that affords the best view of the trees that way.

But she's a no-show. I scan the trees for motion, moving up onto the dirt pile out there for a look into other trees that would have been on her path, but still nothing. Hmmp. Looks like she has given me the slip. I didn't have the binoculars with me and there's not much to see in the trees against the glare of a cloudy sky in the low light of morning, so I reluctantly withdraw.

On my way back to the patio along the side of the house, I give the Stone Oak another look over. Wait...is that something I see on that low perch? A peek through the scope confirms it: she never left the Stone Oak. She had entered pretty high up, but instead of continuing on to other trees or hiding in the top branches, she had come down the trunk to a spot from which to watch me. This perch is a pair of stubby, fat, crooked branches that must say "La-Z-Boy" to squirrels--I've found them here more than once before.

I take a step or two to see if I can clear some twigs in the way and give her what was supposed to be a head/neck shot at about 20 yards. Indeed, she takes the hit, falls out of the tree (out of sight) and all is quiet after a brief thrash of the leaves. The hit didn't sound very convincing and I truly thought what I heard was a squirrel jumping out of the leaves back onto the tree, but a moment later she starts a rather frantic "death roll". Ever seen a video of a crocodile rolling to kill its prey? Well, the squirrel does this for a bit while I ready a follow up shot now that she has come out from where she fell, but then she comes to rest.

"Whew," I think, "that's over," and I head in to pick her up. Well, that was not the case...

I get over there and she is a rather tense spastic knot of squirrel, still breathing. I conclude that I'll pick her up by the tail and reach down cautiously. I get her by the tail, and she takes to wiggling and spinning (but not curling up to get me). Shoot, I'm not going to get my other hand around this squirrel very easily. I can see now that the wound is not very serious, though it has somehow incapacitated her ability to escape or do anything but roll and wiggle.

I dislike using a rifle for dispatch at close range like this, so I deposit her in a bucket while I fetch a recently acquired P17. I haven't tested this on squirrels, but I know what the 1377 can do and this can't be that far off the mark. She initially thrashes in the bucket, but then rests. On my return, she is still resting, but I see episodes of seizure-like trembling. Some head shot, but all I can see is that it hit her just about at the bottom of the left ear and little else. There isn't much blood anywhere. Probably not a hit on the spine, I figure; her ability to kick or pull up her rear feet tells me that, but she definitely is not in command of herself anymore.

Wanting to spare the mess of a head shot, I lift her out (more wiggling and spinning ensues) and give her a chest shot that you can see in the picture. Actually, at that time the blood spot was quite slow to appear and I really wondered if I had hit her where I had intended. How can you miss at 2 inches? But the fact is she took the hit hard, but it didn't do the job. Oh for crying out loud...A second shot to the other side also failed to dispatch efficiently. I am wanting her to bleed out and pass quietly, but it is clear that the head shot is recommended at this point. Duly applied, she almost looks like she's going to die, complete with the slowing kick and unrolling of the body, but she is still breathing, though admittedly gasping. Ok, enough with the pistol, I can do this by chest compression now and finish her.



Exam confirms a few things:
1. The head shot was to the base of the back of the skull after entering below the ear, if anything, and exited the neck above the right shoulder, but close enough to center to rule out a spine shot (we knew that already).
2. Either chest shot theoretically might have done the job--they in fact passed completely through the inner chest, stopping under the skin above and next to the top end of her sternum. Both were recovered, one with significant blood pooled around it, but neither bled much externally.
3. The head shot was slightly off center and a little forward of the line between the ears. In retrospect, from the back of the head towards the nose or mouth or from the forehead towards the neck would have been preferred, I think.
4. Not so much as a confirmation, but I don't think I can blame the P17 so much as the pellet for any failure to dispatch. I was using some Benjamin hollow points, but I feel like they didn't causing the amount of trauma a wadcutter would have done. So, next time I use the P17 for a job like this, I'm using a RWS Supermag. Of course, this point and item 2 both suggest a head shot is a better finishing shot.

So, there it is. Not always an easy job, so have a plan in mind for that weird squirrel that doesn't seem like it is going to die quickly enough. I'm not a fan of smacking squirrel in the head with pieces of wood, or vice versa. It is no easier. There are places where the law specifically requires trapped squirrels to be dispatched by a thump to the head after transferring them to a bag, but let me say that isn't so great either. I've tried it. I'll stick with chest compression when I can.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Good post David.  I've had a few that were hard to take down.

Congratulations on finally being able to subdue that (tough) Squirrel.



Best Wishes - Tom

[dk1677]

A tough nutter Gavid

[ranchibi]

David, nice shot! Nature finds ways of doing its best to go into survival mode if at all possible! Mind boggling at times.

[buddyb]

Glad you got the squirrel, its never fun to have to dispatch a wounded animal.

Buddyb