THEY JUST KEEP COMING . . . AND COMING . . .AND COMING . . .

Memorial Day 2016 -- I took the morning off and met up with Mr. Bob at his Chizzler Reaper trailer in Iron County, Utah.  He and I started the adventure at around 8:30 a.m.  The chizzlers were already there in scrambling around big time numbers waiting for us, and eating lots of alfalfa.  We loaded our .22 LR caliber rifles and started to "reap" them in vast quantities.  Bob and I went straight to work.  We didn't really get to chat and reminisce of olden days reaping chizzlers.  We were surrounded by targets and the more we shot, it seemed, the more they came up out of their underground hides (condos).

Bob is all business.

103 Yards from the squirrel-o-matic

A whole condo complex taken out.

We shot for 2 1/2 hours.  I kept loading my 3 magazines (2 ea. 10 round and 1ea. 5 round) and then would concentrate on each individual shot.  Focus for the shot, hold on the appropriate stadia line on the vertical crosshair, allow for Kentucky windage if necessary,  hold breath, press trigger consistently and follow through.  I was hitting the critters at from 10 to 134 yards with good consistency, over 70% I think.   I was not there to waste ammunition -- I was there to waste chizzlers.  Chizzlers were being reaped by the dozens.  Bob and I finally had to take a break at around 10:30 a.m.  The number or potential targets had not subsided to any great degree, but our fingers were sore from loading magazines and my scope eye was tired and needed a rest.  {You probably don't understand scope eye tired, but hours of concentrated eye use behind a spotting scope looking for game or targeting chizzlers while hunting will make your eye rather fatigued.  Actually, it is a lovely experience.}

I took a few old Herd Bulls in my efforts.  They are big targets but they don't go down easy to a 22 LR.  I had to head shoot some of  the monster chizzlers to anchor them.  I like to get the old ones out of the gene pool.  They are too big, they eat too much, and they have an attitude.  They seem to think they are wearing tiny kevlar vests or something.  They come and go as they please in their world, they knock around the smaller chizzlers, and they are cannibals.  Yes, they eat the dead ones or almost dead ones that are shot in their proximity.

red outline for cannibals

By 11:30 a.m. I was exhausted. My trigger finger has a slight blister, my shooting eye is exhausted, and I was more or less, out of ammo.  I had fired 300+ rounds of 22 LR.  I congratulated Bob on a wonderful shoot.  I packed up my gear.  I took these photos.  I drove home.  What a day !

A HUNTER---ING WE WILL GO !

My grandson and I went up to Iron County to help the farmers again.  Monday morning, 5-23-2016, we did our duty for agriculture and for "fun".  Hunter is a pretty darn good shot.  He harvested several dozen of the little profit eaters.  YES, I was/am proud of him.  He is a great kid {straight "A" student, honorable Deacon at church, active Boy Scout, great poet, helps with whatever job around the house or work project . . .} and a good shot, what else is there?  {Hopefully, someday he will learn to cook as well as his dad.}

HERD BULLS

I have been trying to get up to Iron County to hunt chizzlers as often as work will allow.  The major problem is: work won't allow it enough !  I always tell my friends, and family, and anyone who will listen, that "work gets in the way of having fun."  I did manage to get away on Monday, 5-16-16, and hunt for about two hours.  Unfortunately, in mid morning the weather started to go against me -- dark clouds, wind, and the rain started to fall.  I left the field of extermination way before I was ready {I actually still had some ammo.} and went back to work in Santa Clara.  I did manage to shoot about 200 chizzlers in the short time I was there.  The farmers are so glad to have the crop eating demons out of their economic picture.  I haven't written too much about my hunting adventures of late, sorry.  Maybe some photos will make up for my absence in cyber space. ?

Gang of chizzlers and one herd bull.

95 yards from the truck and they thought they were out of range.

Spy looking out of hole left me only a head shot.

2 herd bulls with a pistol to give relative size idea.

RICHARDSON GROUND SQUIRREL

Richardson Ground Squirrel a.k.a. chizzleramos maximus humori.  Let me tell you these little critters eat tons of alfalfa hay every year.  The farmers in Iron County Utah really want them gone as they chizzle their profits way down.  The framers trap them, leave out poison grain for them, and have gone so far as to pump poison gas down their burrows.  Bounty Hunter 6 and I have been doing our duty for the agriculturalists.  We have gone together to hunt on over 12 occasions.  I doubt we have taken less than 300 on any one hunting trip.  I believe Bounty Hunter 6 has taken many more on other hunts when I couldn't go due to work scheduling.  All-in-all Bounty Hunter 6 probably has taken over 3,000+ chizzlers this spring.  The rascals can relax now as he is out of town working for awhile.

My grandson came to visit on his spring break and it snowed in the chizzler fields.  We went out anyway and Hunter took maybe 40 or more of the beasties.  His father took a couple hundred the same morning.  We had a great time with the white background shooting at the brown/gray chizzlers painted with red on the snow.  I was honestly worried about delivering the great hunting I had talked about in email and on the phone due to the snow -- but the little vermin were hungry and out looking for food even with a skiff of snow on the ground.  My worry was for naught.

I need to wait for the weather to clear and my work to be caught up, than off to Iron County I go, high ho, high ho, high ho . . .  Looking for Richardson Ground Squirrels . . . . .

10 IN A ROW

We have been enjoying good weather, e.g. 75ºF afternoons, and  the emergence of more chizzlers from winter hibernation than we have ever seen before.  I shot the photographed vermin the other day with one single 10 round magazine full of .22 L.R. rounds in less than 10 minutes.  Yes, they were all out at the same time and within a 10 square yard radius.

I can only say there have been so many chizzlers out two different farmers have driven out into the field where I was shooting to ask me to come shoot on their land when I finish up where I am currently hunting.  The spring weather has the little varmints out and eating like combines.  On Fri. 3-25-2016 my two sons and I were hunting with Bounty Hunter 6 and we, four, managed to stop the crop damage of over 1,000 chizzlers in one field. 

It is the time of year!  We have found the spot! Chizzler hunting has never been better!  If only I had some good sources for ammunition. . . . .

CHIZZLERS ARE OUT ! ! !

Bounty Hunter 6 and I went to Iron County on Tuesday 3-1-2016 to help the farmers preserve their crops.  We arrived in the stubble alfalfa field around 9:45 a.m.  The temperature was 45º and rising. The little vermin started to run all over the place as the temperature warmed up looking for food and a mate. 

We set up the squirrel-o-matics in the back of the truck and started the carnage.  We shot as fast as we could load magazines for over 2 1/2 hours.  We eventually stopped laughing out loud at the "airborne flyers" and the "splat masters" they were so common an occurrence.  We were more or less verbally silent as we just fired, worked the bolt, regained a sight picture, and fired again.  Over and over it happened with only a pause to reload all the magazines.  I had 25 rounds total in three different magazines and would run through them all then have to take a minute or two off to recharge the three magazines.  Bounty Hunter 6 had four magazines that held nine rounds each.  He too would run through all his loaded magazines and would have to stop to reload them all from time to time.  The majority of our targets were from 10 to 120 yards away.  We just got down to business and tried our best to end the varmint infestation.  We ended up with over 300 K.I.A.'s.  Bounty Hunter 6 was using his .17 HMR and I used my .22 L.R. most of the time.  I did make a few 250+ yard shots with my .22-250 just for variety.

LATER NOTE:  Bounty Hunter 6 and one of his pals went up to hunt again in the exact same place on the next day and even drove in the same tire tracks in the field.  They set up the squirrel-o-matics and proceeded to shoot a few hundred more little chizzlers in the EXACT SAME SPOT.  Bounty Hunter 6 says it was as if no one hadn't ever been there before shooting.  The chizzler crop seems to be extra large this year.  I look forward to getting ahead in real work to go hunting again soon.  This varmint reduction effort is lots more fun than hauling hay, scraping corrals, or moving pipe in agriculture.

Early Season Chizzlers

Unseasonably warm weather had Bounty Hunter 6 and me up in Iron County looking for the first chizzlers to come out of deep winter sleep. We were scouting for the little profit eaters on Feb. 24th. We did our duty in the 60 degree temperatures for about two hours. Although the vermin were a bit sparse we ended up taking well over 100 little critters out of their profitless harvest system.