COLD + WINDY = FEWER CHIZZLERS ! ! !

One of many burrows

The conditions were a bit brisk, due to temperature and the wind chill factor.  It was rather cold 5-15-2017 in Iron County, Utah.  I think it was around 40º F to 45º F most of the time I was up there reaping chizzlers.  The wind started at 8:45 a.m. around 10 mph and by 11:30 a.m. was up to over 20 mph.  When I guy shoots a .22 l.r. firearm at chizzlers in the wind thoughts of the state of Kentucky become a constant consideration with every shot.  Some times I held more than one body length to the right or the left for windage correction. I didn't shoot as accurately as I would have liked, maybe 60% success, but I did manage to reap a significant amount of vermin from an alfalfa field.

I tried to set up on the north end of a pivot irrigation field and was shooting more or less directly south.  The wind was blowing from south to north so lateral deflection of rounds fired was minimized.  The wind was not constant, nor was the origination direction exactly set.  I still gave the old Chizzler try.  I managed to get 120 - 150 of the little rascals transferred to the alfalfa field in the sky.

I had a good time although -- alone:  Both of my sons are in their home towns working and being a husband and father to their respective families.  Bounty Hunter 6 is working out of the area.  Mr. Bob, the Master Reaper, is home again.  LJ is in Mexico vacationing.  JS is in Idaho doing his Idaho legal thing. The San Diego contingent of the chizzler reapers is back in Shamu Town.  My young, padawan, apprentice JL is still in school for a few more days.  I journeyed alone to the fields of alfalfa and chizzlers.  The travel to and from the fields was extra quiet.  I still had a great time hunting.

I RAN OUT OF AMMO ? ! ! !

Reaper Trailer

  Monday 5-8-2017 was an exceptional day.  I went to Iron County early in the a.m. to help the farmers with their crop vermin problem.  Farmer Brown had told Mr. Bob about a field we had never hunted before.  I didn't know Farmer Brown had land under cultivation out in the middle of nowhere.  Mr. Bob called me the night before and I went out to see what, if anything, we could do to hunt some chizzlers who were eating up farmer Brown's profits.  When I arrived at the scene there were hundreds of chizzlers waiting for me while eating a nice alfalfa breakfast buffet.

Mr. Bob had arrived an hour before me and went straight to work.  The Reaper Trailer was positioned and the carnage began post haste.  Mr. Bob shot for about one hour before I arrived from the St. George area.  There was a significant amount of empty .22 l.r. brass visible on the deck top of the Reaper Trailer under Mr. Bob's squirrel-o-matic when I arrived in the field.  Mr Bob had already gone through about 350 rounds of ammo.  I joined the effort and shot for about 3 hours from the Reaper Trailer.  I shot all the ammo in my backpack.   I fished out the ammo in my secret stash in my back pack.  Crap-O-Rama, can it be, I was out of ammo.  Stressed out I remembered some 100 rounds of ammo I had in my truck door panel pocket that were very old and used for helping the Boy Scouts learn to shoot.  I got down off the Reaper Trailer under the guise of getting a drink and retrieved my Boy Scout ancient ammo.  I proceeded to shoot about another 80 chizzlers or so.  Then it happened, again, I was out of ammo this time completely.  It was about 11:45 a.m. so it was time to go back to the real world and go to work.  Mr. Bob would have loaned me some rounds but I knew it was over.  Reality had caught up with me and was proceeding to body-slam me.

I shot about 450 rounds and Mr. Bob went through over 700 rounds.  We were not shooting at great distance, 10 to 110 yards with most shots averaging 50 yards.  Our hit rate was +/-  80%.  All in all, we shot in one corner of an irrigation pivot in a large field and ended over 900 chizzlers without, I am afraid, significantly reducing the chizzler infestation problem of Farmer Brown.  Most targets, 85%, were juveniles.  I did manage to get 20-30 old Herd Bulls and some thumb sized babies. 

I am amazed how many chizzlers there are in the farmers fields.  As I was driving home I saw some agriculturalists pumping poison gas via a 2" hose from a big tanker type truck down chizzler holes. It is war on chizzlers and small arms don't make for weapons of mass destruction. I can hardly wait to go back and hunt vermin in Iron County.  I just need to get off work and find a good supply of affordable .22 l.r. ammo.

38 yards

116 yards