RWS Diana 36 stretches her legs (her spring?) :-)

[only1harry]

It was early afternoon around 2:15pm when I decided to do some shooting with my Diana 48 .22.   I set up in the porch at the window sill and place a target 20yds out on a 2x6" leaning on the nearest tree trunk where the lawn ends.  I hadn't taken 5 shots when I see movement in the leaves up in the trees to my left.  I waited a couple of minutes and then spotted a squirrel making his way through the trees on the hill about 30+yds out.  I froze and waited to see how this will play out.  A minute or 2 later the Gray was on a tree about 26yds out and staying there.  I thought I wasn't going to chance it with the 48 on open sights since I 'm not sure how it shoots at 20yds yet, let alone 26yds.  I went inside and got the Diana 36 .177.

I came back to the porch and loaded a 7.9gr CPHP but the squirrel wasn't on that branch.  I then see movement on the ground below the tree he was on.  I noticed some white on its back and side and then after I zoomed in to 10x I realized it had a big spot on its body with no hair!  I was tracking it with the scope when it finally stopped after it found a nut or something to eat.  It was mostly facing me but at a small angle.  So I put the crosshairs just above its eye and estimated the pellet would work its way to the center of the skull more or less at that angle.  I squeezed the trigger and heard a small "crack".  The squirrel just put its head down and the tail came up and around on its back.  It sat there motionless it seemed for about 2secs, and then fell forward and rolled down the hill about 10 feet, where it did some twitching for 3-4 secs but no acrobatic death dance.  It was over quickly.

It looked like it had some Mange working up its body from the back.  I have never had a sick looking squirrel before or one with Mange, or any with a botfly larvae etc. but I don't shoot them off-season either.  I think these are new squirrels moving in after I have shot so many, and they may have some issues unlike what I 'm used to seeing with the "locals".  Nevertheless I skinned him and cleaned him and it looked fine inside and outside.  I think it was a mild case of mange or someone gave him a bad shave

Distance was 25-26yds and the CPHP hit right above the right eye bulging it a little.  He was probably here looking for a female.  I have taken 3 females since Sept.1 and another 5 that were male.  So here is my 1st "weird looking" nutter after 4 seasons and ~110 squirrels later.

This is where it came to rest near the bottom of the small hill:

[dk1677]

Great way to break in that new Diana Harry! Yea odd looking one there

[Froghunter]

Harry,

Great story and reading. I enjoyed it........becuase today me and The Goddess of the Hunt didn't harvest a beast. I'm glad you and your Goddess of the Hunt got one!

Long Live Diana!

Froghunter

[only1harry]

Thanks guys. 
Froghunter, yes Diana and I have a pretty good arrangement.  She rarely lets me down

Dave, Read the whole story, not half! hehehe   I know my hunt/pesting/snipping stories tend to be long, so no problem   I wrote that I put down the 48 .22 and went and got the (old) 36 .177.  The 36 has taken 40-50 critters of the feather and fur kind   The 48?  zero critters.  I just got it yesterday!   Can you give me a few more days to learn the gun?  hehehe.  I don't usually jump in and take a Springer hunting unless I have shot several hundred pellets with it.. especially a new one.  They really need to be broken in and smooth out the shot cycle.

[dk1677]

LOL Harry! I guess I am too tired ( closed my pool after the nutter shot)

[Nathan]

Is that the factory stock? Has it been refinished to your knowledge? Sure has some pretty color to it.

Nathan

[only1harry]

Yes it is the factory stock.  The 36 is really a 34 but with nicer stock, checkering on the grip, and a recoil pad.  It's a better dressed 34.  But this one has an exceptionally nice stock.  I got lucky.  I have seen a couple of other 36's 4sale with nice wood a couple of years ago, when I was looking for a 36, but this one is the best one I 've seen so far.  It was Gene's gun and he and Bob tuned it well with JM internals and the "works".  Many people want to buy this 36, including Gene who wants to buy it back!    Gene took real good care of it and sold it to me in prestine condition.  He waxed the stock with Carnuba wax, and I have just started doing the same to preserve the wood for many years to come.  Wood treatment is very important which many people overlook.

A little background history on the 36.  The 36 was not a big seller because it cost 40% more than the "plain-jane" 34 so they discontinued it in late '05, very early '06, but P/A still had some overstock until early summer of '07.  The 36 was very close to the price of a 48 which is a 19-20fpe Magnum Springer so that was its downfall - the pricing which is too bad Umarex or the manufacturer (we 'll call them Diana for short although it's a long German name) did not price it right.  I remember on P/A the price of a 34 was $169 or $179, a 36 was $259 and a 48 was $299 throughout the first half of '07 when I was shopping for a Diana.  Naturally people opted for the cheaper 34 or the 48 for a few bucks more than a 36 and got 5-6fpe more, or Magnum power.  I almost bought the 36 but everyone was talking about the 350 so much, which was still new back then, so I got that instead.  I think the first year for the 36 was 1996-97 so it was only made for about 10yrs, which is not long at all, compared to the 34 which has been around for 2.5 decades.  Had they priced the 36 around 20 or 25% more than the 34 like $209-219, it would probably still be around today, and it's a shame, because it seemed like Diana was putting select stocks on them.  The 4 or 5 36's I have seen pics of on the classified seemed to have a above average stocks.  This 36 has a nicer stock than all 3 350's that I have owned, and my new 48, but the 48 is actually very nice too, just not as nice.  The 48 has some nice wood grain/rings in it which I like and I think is rare for a 48.  Unfortunately the 48's (and 350) are sort of hit & miss with their stocks.  The 54 usually has the best wood of all.. and it's understandably so if you look at its price tag

[Nathan]

I think the first year for the 36 was 1996-97 so it was only made for about 10yrs, which is not long at all, compared to the 34 which has been around for 2.5 decades. 

Actually the 36 has been around for a long time. The M36 was my first adult air rifle I ever bought, back in 1987. I can say mine did not have that nicely a grained/figured stock though. Sadly I don't have that rifle any more.

Nathan

[RWSshooter]

Good shot Harry!  And a handsome shooter too!

[shadow]

Fine shooting with a fresh shooter Harry and great pic's and it look's like the nutters got the mange alright. I love the grain on that stock, got a nice flow to it. Ed

[only1harry]

Thanks guys, I like my 36 shooter too  

HNT5:  You are right.  I just looked at some posts I had saved from Dianawerk and it looks like it came out in '85-86.  I had forgotten, but I saw Bob tell someone the 36 came out in the 90's a few days ago..  you can't believe everything you read

[longislandhunter]

Fine shot Harry and another fine pic of that beautiful shooter.  I'm still saving a place for her one of my gun safes 

Jeff

[Progun]

Way to go Harry. You know there could be a couple reasons for the squirrel to have such a hair loss. I don't think it qualifies as "mange' per se. Usually a significant pinkishness would be present in the white hair loss area if it's mange. The pic's look like a normal healthy speciman otherwise so the bald patch could have been from a close encounter with a vehicle tire that only grazed him or even from roughhouse playing that squirrels are known to do. Could even be where a botfly bit him and layed an egg a month or more ago.His incessent scratching the affected area might have evacuated the larva prematurely and has healed up completly minus the hair loss which would have gradually returned if he hadn't crossed paths with your dead eye and a sweet shooting 36. Another thing, squirrels have just come through the most difficult time of the year(for a squirrel) when mast crops haven't been available until very recently and consequently his diet has been poor for the last few months. Nutrition deficiences certainly can effect hair loss. Anyhoo, I'm glad you got him and thanks for sharing. Those 36 stocks sure were nice and yours is extra good.Gene sure takes good care of these beauts and I don't blame him for wanting to buy it back. I have a nickel 34 that had a black stock and a blued 36. I switched the nickel 34 to the 36 stock and the blued 36 to the black stock. I let the 36 w/black stock get away but I kept the nickel 34 w/36 stock. It's a keeper.

[The Knot]

Thats a real good looking rifle you have there harry 

[Atchman2]

Great shot man!  I just wish the wild squirrels were easier to shoot than the backyard variety!  My backyard squirrels are too busy right now with so many choices of stuff to eat!  The dogwood berries are on the menu right now.  My tree is loaded, but since that is the tree of choice for Knoxville, TN the squirrels have SO much to eat they aren't concentrated right now. 

I'm guessing in a few weeks when the leaves are starting to fall, the squirrels will be much easier to shoot.  I'm just glad someone is getting them!  A few we have taken have been so eat up with fly larvae that we haven't even skinned them.  They just gross me out, I'm sorry to say. 

[1377x]

[only1harry]

Thanks guys! 

Jeff, you might as well fill that spot in your gun safe with something because this 36 is staying where it is for hopefully a long time buddy   I myself need to get another gun case or vault.  I may contact you about advice on a vault to get.

Dave T.:  I absolutely agree with you.  The meat of this nutter looked perfectly normal.  I 'm hoping it wasn't mange either or a very mild case.  The thought of a botfly kind of grosses me out, so hopefully that wasn't it.  I have not eaten it yet!   I 'm leaning towards some kind of injury where the squirrel kept picking that spot and ripped its fur out.

Randy:  You just have to be persistent but try to conceal yourself or surprise them - sneak up on them when they go by (open a door, window with your gun at hand), and they sometimes look at you and freeze, or get down low hoping you won't see them.  Take your shot quickly.  If there is one thing I have learned with squirrels, it's to take the shot fairly quickly when they give me the opportunity.  Squirrels can move fast, or change direction and go back where they came if they have seen you, and you are taking your time with the shot.  If you have one take it.  Many times I just happen to look out the window and see a squirrel on a tree.  I quickly put the window up and the squirrel turns and looks at me, tyring to figure out if I 'm friend or foe and they will wait a few seconds deciding what to do, or while they are sizing you up to see what you are up to.  Those few precious moments is when you have to raise your rifle and shoot, because you may not get another opportunity for a while.  Maybe it's just me, because usually after a few seconds the squirrels on my property just head for the hills and don't look back.  So I usually have a very small window to take the shot.

[Atchman2]

I usually don't have troubles with the backyard hunting.  I pretty much know which way they come and go and where they are likely to be.  It is hunting of those cagey wild squirrels that live in the hundreds of acres of woods we have in TN!  For one there is SO much food here that they don't concentrate a whole lot.  That means my sorry old body must walk up and down hills lugging a rifle, camera, etc.  

I'm thinking I'm going to take your advice about the quick shots with the air guns.  I may un-scope one of the ones with fiber optic sights and just try some open sights.  Maybe when I get the TF 99 back from Shadow I can use it.  My favorite hunting rifle for the woods though is the Whisper!  It is SO light that you can carry it all day!  I really regretted carrying the TF 89 for several miles the other day, I'm just glad I left the B21 and the 350 at home!    

Perhaps it is time to bring back my beloved Sheridan Blue Streak for old times sake.  It is light and easy to carry, you can leave it pumped up, AND I've only been shooting it for 40 years now