3 more days till gray squirrel season in NH.

[timegoat]

I'm excited. Here's a couple shots from my trail cam to make this thread worthwhile.

[redsoxvw]

That fox needs one right between the HIGH BEAMS...........Nice pics, looks like you will be all set.

[Alan]

Cheese.   Pop!

Nice game cam pics.

[only1harry]

Say "lead.." hehe   You gotta try and get that fox!  It's very challenging and can take some time, but worth it.

Same here in NY.  Sept. 1 and watch out squirrels.  My Springers can't wait.  I 'll try and use the PCP's for night hunting only.  Next week, 1st week of Septemeber it is going to be in the 90's.  I have never seen the Fall hunting season start with temps in the 90's!  I have read that if the late summer/early Fall is warm, squirrels will mate and give birth a 2nd time.  I hope that's the case so I can have a few more.  I don't think I have enough to carry me the whole season.  I have only spotted 2-3 grey's all summer on my property, but I wasn't really looking for them either.  I hope they recovered their #'s somewhat because I have taken >100 greys the last 3yrs. 

[timegoat]

Heh, the fox comes around between midnight and 2am, too late for my blood, he's gonna live. The squirrels won't be so lucky. They have a date with 10.19gr of Baracuda Hunter, a pocket knife, a hatchet, and our slow cooker.

I got that camera set up below a bird feeder almost exactly 25yds from my 'bench rest' window. Dunno why the fox comes around, unless it's smelling all the rodents that hang out there too. The camera is on the tree right above the barrel of my rifle in my avatar pic, the feeder is hanging from a branch just to the left of that. Real hard to see in that tiny pic... but you can the camera strap on the tree in the larger pic below. The target in the pic is 30yds out.

Keep hoping our local bear will show up on the camera, but no such luck yet... yet.

[timegoat]

Harry, I swear one of the squirrels raiding my feeder is pregnant, or was the past few weeks. If she was, I'm hoping she's given birth by now.

Feeder's been empty for a little while now. Gonna fill it back up on the 31st.

[only1harry]

I believe it.  It's been too warm, and it throws off the critters making them mate again.  I have only spotted a couple of pregnant squirrels in March & April.  In the warmer parts of the country they will mate twice a year.  I think they will be doing the same in the North East this year with Global Warming.  I have not seen a squirrel in a week.  I think they are in their dens doing it  I 'd hate to shoot a pregnant one too.  Instead of the weather getting cooler it's going back to the 90's this week.  If the biologists catch on, they 'll be pushing the season dates back to Oct. & Nov. and we don't want that.. although having more squirrels running around is not such a bad thought  

[timegoat]

Yeah, I don't want to shoot a pregnant one either, but from what I saw a few weeks ago, her teats were pretty swollen and very easy to see. If I see the same thing come Sept, I'll pass on the shot. I know we have more than one hanging around and that's under an empty feeder. Next week is supposed to be in the 80s and 90s for us up here too. On the up side, the peppers we're growing will have a little extra time to ripen.

If they push the open season date back, I hope they push the closed date back too.

- Mark

p.s. Go figure after saying midnight - 2am was too late for my blood, here I sit at 1:30am not able to sleep.

[only1harry]

When I knew a fox was visiting my yard, I couldn't sleep either   Actually she was keeping us up every night barking very close the house!  If you hear any barking late at night, it's not a dog, it's that fox in your pics.  Mine sounded like it was outside the window (and it was only 25-30yds).  Their bark is very loud. 

[timegoat]

Wow, we haven't heard a peep from this guy as far as I know. I'll have to ask m'lady tonight if she's heard any barking. Trail cam is 25yds from the house, so if it chose to get loud and keep us awake I might reconsider giving it a pass. Think my Diana 34 0.177 is up to that large an animal? I'm assuming a head shot would be required.

[only1harry]

That's correct. Head shot only!  25yds would be the absolute max. for FOX with a 34.  The pellet will only have 10fpe or less at 25yds so I 'd be a little skeptical.  I have killed Groundhogs at 25yds with a head shot using my 36 .177 (same as 34), but got no passthrough, but it did the job.  I got passthrough at 21-22yds however.  A fox's head though is twice as large, and the skull is thicker than a G-hog's, so I would do my best to shoot the fox inside 20yds.  We 've had a couple of hunters here take several fox with a 34 .177 at 15yds.  One of them was Timmy and he used a Panther 34 .177.  I 'm pretty sure distance was 15yds every time.  I would not really go over 20yds.  Now if you had a Magnum Springer with 17+fpe I would take the 25yd head shot.  That is if I didn't have any other guns or options   Your 34 .177 is 14.5fpe at best.   

[timegoat]

Yeah, I thought that might be the case. I only have the 2 Diana 34s, although one is waiting for lube to arrive before reassembly. I could possibly get closer, but not without alerting it to my presence. I only posted the one shot from the trail cam, but there were others and based on those, it doesn't come much closer. It entered and exited the camera's view from further away from the house.

Hmmm.. perhaps I should do some penetration tests in the near future. My big two pellets these days are the Baracuda Hunter and Baracuda Power. Both can punch through 4 canning lids stacked and taped together @ 30yds, but I think the copper plated Power digs deeper. Not that I'm planning on shooting the fox, but it's nice to know what to use and from what distance should I change my mind... and I'm not about to pull my .22 rimfire out for a midnight shot. Neighbors are a little too close and elderly for that.

Oh yeah, Fox season starts the same day as Grey Squirrel... but neither me or m'lady are interested in eating dog. *(&^, it's taken a long time to convince her to try squirrel.

[Lochlainn]

I'm in NH as well. Squirrel season opens tomorrow! I can't wait! I have a new Benjamin Trail NP that I have been dying to take out. Best of luck to you this season!

[timegoat]

Alright! Nice to know I'm not the only NHer here. Good luck to you too!

[Jonesin]

Saturday for us in Virginia. Hopefully the hurricane is LONG gone by then.

[shadow]

That Fox is up and around when I'm out on night patrol hehe. Ed

[timegoat]

20 minutes till squirrel season!

Ed, what do you do with fox?

[only1harry]

It's squirrel season right now (in NY too, probably all of North East).  Too bad they are not out at night   Now that squirrel season has started, I can't wait until coon & possum season starts in October.  It seems I 'm always waiting for something   When is crow season btw? 

[timegoat]

Dunno bout NY, but here in NH, today begins: Gray fox, Red fox, Opossum, Skunk, Weasel, Raccoon, Gray Squirrel.

Been crow season since Aug 15th. Wish I'd known that a few days ago when they were in my back yard/woods/range/hunting grounds.

[dk1677]

Friday Harry ( says 1st but Fri-Mon again )