chipper number 28

[stonykill]

  Long day driving today. Had a delivery in CT. Loaded the table 1st thing this am, and headed out. 5 hours round trip. Ugg. Got back and as I pulled in the yard a chipper saw me, freaked out and disappeared.  Smart chipper.
   I made a coffee, sanded a different table top and applied another coat of clear. Then readied my truck for a last minute tilling job in the am. Gassed up the Gravely, loaded it on the truck and low and behold.... chipper darts across the yard. OK, it's on. 

   The chippers around here fear me now. They do NOT show themselves often. So I grabbed the 880, loaded, pumped it, put a few pellets in my back pocket and headed out. I heard it chipping in the thick stuff. I froze and scanned the area. I was pretty sure at 21 yards out on top of a fallen tree, behind a bunch of Garlic mustard was a chipper. I scoped it and ...yup, there it was hiding. And hiding well I might add. I could only see pieces of it.

   As I had just had 3 cups of coffee I could NOT hold a target offhand. So I slinked to my left where there was a 4 inch sapling . I grabbed the sapling with my right hand ( I'm left handed) and made my right arm into a rest. I placed the 880 on my arm and took aim. POP, death dance and it was over.

    I probably worked a little too hard for this one, but the 880 needed some lovin  I've been neglecting her    . And my mind needed the hunt 

   It was a little one, probably born this spring. Tiny target at 21 yards.

   

[dk1677]

Nice shooting Tom!

[cryptoad]

Sweet shooting!
Little ones turn into big ones, given the opportunity.

[BenjiHunter]

Nice shot, Tom!!

[HBailey330]

Have i ever mentioned how much i love poppin chippers

[DougGuy]

We don't have chippers here, we have nutters.  Err..  HAD nutters.  There are a few still, but for the most part they avoid coming around my back yard garden beds.  I have thinned their numbers out considerably, probably taking 12-15 with the lowly Wallyworld Pumpmaster 760, and another 4 with the newly arrived FD full tune XS46U. 

Since I have been occasionally shooting strings with the 46, I think the squirrels have identified the sound of it's spring as a bad omen, and just the spring noise alone has kept them from nonchalantly cruising through the fenced in back yard like they used to do.  Squirrels are smart.  They learn real quick.  I used to bust them right in the butt with the 760, hair would fly, they would jump and somersault in agony, flop around and then get it together to make haste.  I think they communicate threats to other squirrels as well as they communicate new food sources, bird feeders, holes in the fence, they watch each other closely and mimic what they see.  I think they are on to the new rifle and the noise it makes...

[crosman999]

  Nice shooting Tom,they are difficult critters from my experience..

[Tater]

Nice job Tom. I know the damage those critters can cause.

[stonykill]

thanks guys! I keep killing them and they keep moving in and digging holes. 

[AK73]

Good shooting!

[HatsanPhantom]

Good work as usual Tom..they are  fun little targets to overkill. I used my 1000s on a lot of them last year.

[Bicycleman]

Tom, nice shooting.

I say this with mixed emotions:  We don't have those here.

[stonykill]

 thanks guys! Yah Jeremy, I got one a few days ago with my Hatsan 1000s. Overkill for sure