High Ho, High Ho, . . It's Off to Chizzle I Go ! !

I disappeared out of work a few hours on Monday afternoon and went to meet with the Southern California contingent of Chizzler Hunters Anonymous.  We got together on the western edge of a circular and proceeded to mow down some crop stealers in wholesale fashion.  Bill and Brad are find shots and seem to know the ropes in chizzler reaping.  Basically, the idea is to 1.  Take no prisoners, and 2. Try for doubles to conserve ammunition when possible.  Here is a photo of the fine chaps from Shamu Town.

Preparing to reap.

88 yards from the squirrel-o-matic

MR. BOB ENDS HIS CHIZZLER SEASON

Trying to make it to cover . . .  too late

On Friday, 6-3-2016 I went to Enterprise at 8:10 a.m. to join up with Mr. Bob and go for his last chizzler hunt of the year.  He had to return home within the next 24 hours.   I was hoping this was going to be great event for him and me.  The conditions were more or less perfect for hunting varmints.  The weather was in the mid  to lower 80º's and there was little or no wind.  The sun was out but it wasn't overly hot.  I could feel it was going to be a great day for hunting farmers' profit stealers.   Not to mention -- I had been working all week and as I have said many times: WORK GETS IN THE WAY OF HAVING FUN!

When I arrived in the parking lot of the motel where Mr. Bob stays I was greeted not only by my dear friend Mr. Bob but also there were 5 other fellows there.  The were fine looking chaps about my age and I was pretty sure they were chizzlers hunters as well.  When I exited my truck I announced to them I was from PETA and wanted to take all their names.  The was a round of laughter at my foolishness.  Turns out they were indeed avid chizzler hunters from Southern California.  They had come up for a few days to help the farmers in Iron County eliminate profit eaters and thusly put away a significant pile of chizzlers.  I was glad to meet them and we were brothers in arms almost instantly.  The majority of them were firemen or retired firemen.  I have a "warm" place in my heart for firemen.  Bounty Hunter 6 and Mr. Bob are both firemen.  They risk their lives at work for you and yours and even your property.  They are not paid enough nor given enough respect.  One fellow was a beverage distributor and I am glad to make his acquaintance also.  They were all great guys.  Sorry they had to leave for home so quick.  I would like to have hunted with them this year.  Maybe we can connect next season.  I need to watch their style and learn some new tricks in reaping chizzlers.

Mr. Bob and I went to a new circular pivot spot and set up the Reaper Trailer.  We got into the squirrel-o-matics at around 8:35 a.m. and the rodent targets came out for their morning constitutionals.  Mr. Bob and I started to deny them their "constitutional rights" and administer to them "last rites."  I shot as fast as I dared always concentrating on breathing, trigger control, sight alignment, and follow through.  I was counting hits out loud as was Mr. Bob for the first while.  I racked up 46 hits out of my first 50 shots.  Not that my shooting was extra special, just the targets were slow moving, pausing lots allowing for my dead-rest target hold, and really not that far away.  I actually took 5+ chizzlers with my .22 handgun.  They were so close I could shoot them over open iron sights with my almost legally blind eyes, like 5 to 9 yards out from the Reaper Trailer.

Most of the brass fired

I only talked to Mr. Bob while we loaded magazines.  I was amazed at how many chizzlers there were in the small section of the circular we were hunting.  There was actually almost no alfalfa growing in the area as it had all been eaten by the chizzlers.  Mr. Bob and I agreed we had never had shooting like this before.  The Reaper Trailer with the squirrel-o-matics on top makes for a super platform to see and shoot from.  I calculate we were firing from a height of about 8 feet above the ground.  We had a distinct advantage as to visibility and angle of pursuit.  I have shot 1,000's of chizzlers from the bed of my pickup truck using a squirrel-o-matic over the years but the extra 4 feet of elevation afforded by the Reaper Trailer is perfect.  We shot and loaded magazines and shot some more.  We were taking down hundreds of chizzlers and more just kept coming.  Bounty Hunter 6 has told me about situations like this he has enjoyed but I had never experienced one for my self.  It was amazing.  I fired over 500 rounds in the 3.5 hours we were hunting.  Think about loading magazines, firing through a bolt action and using over 500 rounds in 3.5 hours.  It was quick and it was terminal for hundreds of chizzlers. 

Head shot while trying to peak out

Camp fire meeting, notice no alfalfa

I was shooting a .22 LR and Mr. Bob was shooting a .17HMR.  We both use Savage rifles.  Mine is a Mark II heavy barrel with a Burris 4.5-14X 42mm scope.  Mr. Bob shoots a Savage M93 stainless in .17 HMR with a Leupold VX-2 3-9X 40mm scope.  I like the Burris scope as it has stadia lines on the vertical crosshair for different distances.  The rifle is sighted in to hit dead center at 50 yards.  The first stadia line is for 75 yards, the second one for 100 yards, and the third is for 125 yards.  The scope works well for me.  The rifle is accurate and if I do my part the mechanism is exact.  When I miss I know where the fault lies, and it is not with glass or steel.

Mr. Bob is gone home for now.  Bounty Hunter 6 is fighting fire in Alaska. I am here by myself and accompanied only by those who can steal some time to help the agriculturalists in Iron County.  It is a tough job but someone has to do it.  I volunteer.