Most Successful Hunting Weekend

This weekend was my best ever!  I went to Pearl River WMA Saturday morning, and got 2 squirrels.  I went back Sunday and got 2 more!  And the best part was, the 2nd one was a female.  For some unknown reason, every squirrel I've shot until today has been male.  I was beginning to think that there WERE no females in this swamp...

If any of you hunt in Pearl River, or if you know somebody that does, and you or they have had any success hunting pigs. please leave me a comment.  I have yet to get one.

Also, November 13th starts deer season, at least for the primitive firearms portion.  I can't friggin' wait!  I haven't bagged one of those yet either, but i feel like this year is going to be my year!  My mouth has been watering for venison chili...

Remodeling

As you may have noticed, Puddinpop has undergone some changes in appearance.  I hope that this makes it more appealing to you all, and that it may be easier for you to use now.  If there are any other changes or anything you would like to see, please leave a comment on this post.  And as always, please feel free to click the "follow" button on the top left, and to share this site with your friends!

The Squirrelinator

So, yesterday Dennis and I had a run in with the Squirrelinator.  We went hunting in Pearl River WMA for squirrel, rabbit and hog.  Around 740 am I saw a squirrel on a tree right in from of me.  for all intents and purposes it looked just like any other squirrel.  But it wasn't!  I shot it, which knocked it out of the tree.  The squirrel landed on its back, bounced to its feet and ran away!  At the time I was thinking, "What a tough squirrel!"  Around 20 minutes later I heard Dennis let off a shot.  Later, when we got back together, he told me his story.  He saw a squirrel on the ground, eating.  He took a shot at it, which knocked it over.  This squirrel went into a barrel roll, wound up on its feet, and ran off!  I had no choice but come to the conclusion that it must have been the same squirrel, and it is the Squirrelinator.  I am now convinced that Skynet has come up with the plan to send these things back in time to eradicate the human race.  Dennis and I were lucky to escape with our lives!  Now, the theory has been put forth by my friend Gina that it was a zombie squirrel.  I don't think this is the case, because I'm pretty sure that zombies have a certain odor associated with them, and i didn't smell anything.  Another theory, put forth by Scott (http://www.fritzvandergus.com/) is that it was a ninja squirrel.  I disagree with this one as well.  This squirrel didn't have the required ninja garb, nor did I see a katana sword or any other equipment.  So be wary, my friends!  There are cyborg squirrels on the loose, they are hard to kill, and they are out for blood!

First One of the Season

Even in death, he almost evaded me...

Opening Week

            So far the opening week of hunting season 2010 has been so-so for me.  Saturday was opening day, and I went with my friend Dave to Pearl River WMA.  I was doubly excited about it because not only was it my first time making an opening weekend, but it was also my first time taking my new 12 ga shotgun.   Now, when Dave’s dad, Dennis, and I went out to clear the trails on September 30^th, we saw two pigs out there.  So on Saturday, Dave and I went gunning for pigs, i.e. heavier load shells than you would really want to use on rabbits or squirrels.  We ended up not seeing any pigs, but we saw a lot of squirrels right off the bat.  At first I was going to let them go, because our “goal” animal was pig.  But then a few minutes later I heard Dave unload on something, and I was pretty sure it was some of those squirrels.  I reloaded with number 5 shot and tried for some squirrels.  But wouldn’t you know it?  I didn’t see another squirrel the rest of the day!  Before that, they were practically frolicking right in front of me! They must know the difference in the shells…

            I went back on Sunday with Dennis.  The first thing I did was go back to the spot where I had seen a number of squirrels frolicking in the early hours.  I was determined not to go home empty handed a second day in a row!  I sat and waited.  I called.  Nothing.  So I figured I was going to have to find another spot and start over.  Of course, I decided this was a perfect opportunity to have myself a cigarette, since I was going to be moving anyway.  I no sooner had lit my cigarette than a squirrel climbs out on a branch almost directly over my head!  “This is it!”, I thought, “this is the start of a much better day of hunting!”  So I snapped up my shotgun, sighted in, and let fly.  Now, the old folks all tell me that when you shoot a squirrel, you should try to sit still for 5-10 minutes, because frequently one or two other squirrels will come over to see what all the noise was about.  I made a mental note of where I thought my squirrel had landed, and sat impatiently awaiting the neighbors to come investigate.  Unfortunately, either this guy had un-inquisitive neighbors, or it was a bad neighborhood and they were used to hearing gunfire periodically.  So I got up to go find my prize.  When I picked up the squirrel, it was completely decimated.  I think it was some combination of being so close to the target, the angle (remember, I was almost directly underneath it), and not being used to hunting with the 12 ga.  My squirrel was ruined and there was no way I knew of to save any of it.  I didn’t see any more the rest of the day, so I had to go home dejected once again.

            Which brings me to today.  Dennis and I went back out to try again.  I brought along 2 quarters because I’ve heard that rubbing the sides together makes a sound similar to the sound of “cutting”, when a squirrel is gnawing its way through the shell of a nut.  This entices them to come see who it is that’s raiding their fridge.  Well, I tried this one out today, and lo and behold, within 5 minutes I saw one working its way through the branches to see who is stealing his lunch.  This time I decided to aim a little to the right side of the critter so the heavy concentration in the center of the pattern wouldn’t do too much damage.  I fired, and I heard him drop.  Since I had to stand up and move to get the shot, I figured there wasn’t much point in waiting to see if any neighbors would come out this time.  So I went to collect my reward.  I’m telling you, I looked for that thing for at least 30 minutes and couldn’t find it for anything.  I had just resigned myself to going home empty handed once more, but when I turned around, it was right there behind me!  I had literally walked around it to get to where I was.  When I inspected it, I was relieved to find that my aiming plan had worked.  This was the least damage I’ve ever seen on a squirrel that I’ve shot.  When I combine him with what I already have in the freezer, I think I finally have enough to make a mess of squirrel dumplings.  So look out, Mom!  Tomorrow afternoon I will be invading your kitchen… and I hope you’ll try it with me.

I'm in a silly mood today.  If you run in to me on the street, stand by for corn....