CLEAR -- NO WIND MORNING

Took off this morning at 8 a.m.  My son was with me and we were on our way to Iron County to help the farmers lower the vermin eating up the profits in their fields.  It was a great time to drive and talk about all kinds of topics and get together one on one with my son.  I really enjoy the trip to and from the hunting area a great time to converse, share ideas, and not be interrupted. 

We arrived and and set up the squirrel-o-matic in the back of the truck.  We started seeing chizzlers right off.  I could tell the varmints had been shot at recently as they were moving real quick and trying to get in their burrows and into the concealment of the grass or alfalfa.  My son said they seemed far away for our .22 l.r. firearms.  I told him not to worry as the closer targets would be back out in a few minutes.

 Rusty on squirrel-o-matic

Once we got set up and started to get serious about shooting the little rascals began to pop out of their hiding places and run into the dry plowed up area between the alfalfa and the rough desert terrain.  Chizzlers would stop and look all around in the dry no-man's land and then the carnage started.  Rusty was the first to fire and hit one on his first shot.  Many more were to follow the example of their leader on his way to Valhalla alfalfa.

{NOTE:  This kid is a naturally excellent shot. I asked him if he had practiced shooting lately.  He replied the last time he went shooting was with me.  I think it was 18 months ago.  Crap-o-rama, I practice shooting almost weekly and try to shoot better all the time.  He can shoot as well as me and sometimes better than me and only shoots when someone takes him.  He owns no firearms.}

We acquired targets and made them do the break-dance of death, plop and flip flop in the air, separate into multiple pieces, and just permanently retire for about 2 hours.  We were shooting bolt action .22's and the pause while loading our magazines was the only reprieve they got from us.  Rusty got into it.  He started to snicker from time to time when he would make a long shot.  I was truly impressed as he toasted them at from 30 to 116 yards.  I took my laser ranger finder and as we did a quick verification body count I ranged back to the truck to get exact distances.

I got a few at distance and was really please with my "luck."   I got a double at 124 yards.  I was more lucky than good on this one, yet the chizzlers were still laying there dead as heck even after the "luck" had all dissipated into the atmosphere. 

double

I also got a herd bull at 156 yards for my longest confirmed hit of the day.

There was little or no wind and we really scored well for the farmers.  We packed up at 11:00 a.m. and headed back to St. George as my son had a lunch appointment.  We had a great time and I will always remember going with Rusty to do something I like to do.  He told me he had a good time and that was icing on the cake!